On April 14, NCL’s cruise ship Norwegian Bliss sailed into Juneau, becoming the first ship to arrive in the Alaskan capital and officially launching the 2025 cruise season. While the ship's return was greeted by many with excitement, its arrival sparked controversy after concerns were raised about the amount of smoke coming from the vessel.
A letter posted on social media by a local resident Scott Ranger with a photo taken by environmental advocate Kate Trollgained, gained traction bringing attention to what he described as unusually heavy emissions coming from the Bliss. His letter reads:
“Much of Juneau was excited to welcome the first visitors of the year. A significant part of Juneau was not. I'm pretty much in the first category as I take folks whale watching from the cruise ships. Yesterday, I immediately moved into the second category. The attached photograph shows why. I'm used to the Norwegian Jewel and Sun spewing copious amounts of exhaust, but not the Bliss or the Encore as they are much newer ships. This is not good.
Norwegian doesn't have the best reputation in Juneau for "community relations" and the Bliss's entry yesterday was published widely in our town. Folks like me were astonished and maddened that, in an era when cruise ship overload for communities like Juneau is growing rapidly, a major cruise line with a "new" ship would enter with such little regard to the air of our pretty darned pristine place.
If the cruise line continues operating like this, polluting one of the nicest places on the planet, opposition will grow rapidly. We have a second initiative to place legal, hard limits on cruise ships to Juneau. What the Bliss did yesterday will pretty much insure that enough signatures will be gathered to put it on the ballot and that many more people will vote for it than last year's initiative.
This is an ignominious way to begin the 2025 cruise ship season.”
Ranger’s letter expressed frustration with what he sees as a lack of environmental responsibility and poor community relations by the cruise line.
Local residents have shared mixed reactions. Some echoed concerns about air quality and cruise tourism's long-term impact on the community. Others urged patience, speculating that the ship may have been moving at higher speeds due to an onboard medical emergency, which could have led to increased exhaust. “If so, I can be very forgiving,” one resident wrote, “but an official explanation from the cruise line would be helpful.”
As of now, Norwegian Cruise Line has not issued a public response.
The 2025 cruise season comes as debate continues over the future of large-scale tourism in Juneau. GM Today reported that last year, voters rejected a ballot initiative that would have banned cruise ships from docking on Saturdays—an idea dubbed “ship-free Saturdays.” Despite the defeat, the group behind the measure has vowed to continue its push for tighter regulations.
This isn’t the first time Norwegian Cruise Line has faced scrutiny over its ships’ emissions. The Street reported that In March 2025, a plume of white smoke from the Norwegian Epic raised alarm while the ship was docked in the British Virgin Islands. The local Environmental Health Division conducted an air quality assessment, ultimately finding the emissions within safe limits but urging the cruise line to consider switching to low-sulfur fuel while at berth to reduce visible exhaust and improve port air quality.
Photo credit: Kate Troll
