Alaska’s Brand-New $80M Cruise Terminal Declared Total Loss After Fire

A brand-new, $80 million cruise dock in Whittier, Alaska has been declared a total loss following a devastating fire on September 14, 2026.

The building of the dock which was co-funded by Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings and used primarily by the cruise company’s brands: Norwegian Cruise Line, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, and Oceania Cruises.

Passengers on Norwegian Jade had a front row seat to the devastating fire which the crew of the ship bravely fought until the vessel had to pull away from the pier for the safety of everyone on board.

It was later discovered that there were no working hydrants on the dock.

The disaster leaves NCL and its sister lines searching for alternatives in Southcentral Alaska. 

It should be noted that other cruise lines like Princess Cruises and Holland America utilize a different dock in Whittier and should be unaffected by this news.

Barbara Clark Mackessy was sailing on Norwegian Jade at the time of the fire and was kind enough to allow Cruise Fever to share these photos and videos with our audience.

What Happened in Whittier

The fire broke out on the catamaran Klondike Express late Monday morning which was also docked along the pier at the Chugach Glacier Gateway Terminal.

Emergency response teams spent more than 13 hours fighting the blaze before finally extinguishing it early Tuesday morning. The Alaska State Fire Marshal’s Office declared the entire wooden and composite pier structure a complete write-off.

No injuries were reported among passengers, crew, or emergency responders, and an exact cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Because there were no working hydrants at the new terminal site, local firefighters from the area had to set up water shuttles. Trucks made 10-minute loops back and forth to a working hydrant in town, hauling an estimated 161,000 gallons of water to put out the fire.

A Major Blow for Norwegian Cruise Line

The timing isn’t great for Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH). The terminal was a joint venture between NCLH and the Huna Totem Corporation, and it just opened in September 2024.

So, just two years after being completed, the entire dock is unusable.

What About Other Ships in Whittier?

Princess Cruises and Holland America Line are the two other cruise lines that visit Whittier, Alaska most often. But since both cruise lines dock in the older city-owned pier on the other side of the harbor, cruise itineraries should not be impacted.

Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises run their Alaska sailings to the port of Seward in this area, about 90 miles south of Whittier (35 miles by water), so their itineraries remain unaffected as well.

What Happens Next?

During the fire, Norwegian Cruise Line managed to immediately move Norwegian Jade to another berth in Whittier (Whittier Alaska Cruise Ship Terminal 1) to get guests that were on shore back onto the ship.

The terminal used by Princess Cruises and Holland America Line is a little more than half a mile away.

Looking ahead, NCL faces another rebuilding process before the start of the next full Alaska cruise season. In the meantime, the cruise line will likely need to negotiate access to existing facilities in Whittier and Seward to keep its itineraries mostly unchanged.