JUNEAU, ALASKA — Major cruise lines are skipping visits to Tracy Arm fjord near Juneau, Alaska, this season, citing safety concerns about unstable slopes following a massive landslide last summer. Holland America, Carnival Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean, MSC Cruises, Virgin Voyages and regional tour company Allen Marine are all replacing Tracy Arm stops with trips to nearby Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier.

Tracy Arm, a long, narrow fjord southeast of Juneau marked by steep mountains, waterfalls and calving glaciers, has for years been a staple of southeast Alaska cruise itineraries. The fjord stretches approximately 30 miles and features two tidewater glaciers — the North Sawyer and South Sawyer — along with wildlife including seals and bears.

On Aug. 10, 2025, a landslide originated high on a slope above the toe of the South Sawyer Glacier near the head of Tracy Arm. The collapse sent parts of the glacier crashing into the water, generated a tsunami and pushed a wave more than a quarter mile up the opposite mountain wall and out of the fjord. No ships were in Tracy Arm when the landslide occurred, and no deaths or injuries were reported, according to officials. Kayakers camping on an island near the junction of Tracy Arm and Endicott Arm had much of their gear swept away by the rushing water.

The slope that failed had not been identified as an active hazard before the collapse, according to Gabriel Wolken, the manager of Alaska's climate and ice hazards program. Scientists are working to understand the cause of the collapse and to identify other potential hazards in the fjord.

U.S. Geological Survey spokesperson Steven Sobieszczyk said the area around Tracy Arm remains unstable. "Continued rockfall and small-scale sliding from the exposed landslide scar are expected and could impact the water, potentially causing a future localized tsunami," he said.

Several cruise companies said they opted out of Tracy Arm visits because of safety concerns about the unstable slopes. Norwegian Cruise Line does not have voyages that sail by Tracy Arm. Endicott Arm has previously served as an alternative when conditions in Tracy Arm were unsafe due to excess ice.

After leaving Seattle, the first cruise ships of the season are scheduled to arrive in Ketchikan on April 21, 2026, and in Juneau the following week. Nate Vallier, owner of the Alaska Travel Desk, said he would have liked cruise companies to give travelers more advance notice about itinerary changes. "Tracy Arm is the majestic princess, you know, she is the queen of fjords," Vallier said.

Kimberly Lebeda of Wichita, Kansas, booked tickets last year for a Tracy Arm excursion for her family. The night before the scheduled stop, passengers were told that due to ice conditions in Tracy Arm, the excursion would go to Endicott Arm instead. On the alternative trip, passengers saw seals on ice floes, waterfalls and a wall of ice calve from Dawes Glacier, which Lebeda described as "an amazing thing to witness." "Again, I haven't ever been to Tracy Arm so I can't really compare. But to me, was it worth it and was it exciting? Absolutely," she said.