Norwegian Bliss Passenger Missing After Alaska Hike — Search Intensifies
On July 1, 2025, the Juneau Police Department received a report that Marites Buenafe, a passenger on the 168,028-gross-ton Norwegian Bliss, was missing.
Last spotted in the morning, this guest got off the ship while it was docked in Juneau, Alaska, with a plan to go hiking.
However, around 2:50 p.m., Buenafe’s family called to identify her as missing after she did not return to the vessel before it departed at 1:30 p.m..
“The hiker, 62-year-old Kentucky resident Marites Buenafe, told family around 7:30 AM that she was getting off the ship to take the tram up the mountain and continue hiking from there,” shared the Juneau Police Department.
Other details provided by Buenafe’s family included that she was hiking alone during this time.
The search and rescue operation was started immediately by the Alaska State Troopers and remains ongoing.
So far, Juneau Mountain Rescue, Southeast Alaska Dogs for Organized Ground Search, and the Juneau Police Department have all stepped in to help aid in the search efforts to locate Buenafe.
These organizations have teamed up to conduct both aerial and ground searches, which went on throughout the night and into the next day.
Also deployed to help in the search were both helicopters and thermal drones used to scan the mountain where Buenafe was supposed to be hiking.
Buenafe was only 4 days into a 7-night round-trip itinerary out of Seattle on Norwegian Bliss when she suddenly went missing.
Having embarked guests on June 28, the vessel had already called on Sitka before docking in Juneau on July 1.
Despite one guest having gone missing, the voyage is going on as planned, calling on Icy Strait Point and Ketchikan in Alaska, as well as Victoria, British Columbia, before disembarking guests on July 5.
As of now, the ground search continues for this guest — but the biggest issue remains that the clock is ticking.
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Most hikers who go missing have a relatively good chance of being found, but factors like being injured, bad weather, and harsh terrain can all complicate search and rescue missions.
Given that this guest planned on taking a tram to go hiking, it is likely she set out to hike the Mount Roberts Trail, which is considered to be highly difficult as it is steep, uneven, and often muddy.
With it raining today while search efforts continue on the ground, this could cause even further delays. However, the hope remains to find Buenafe alive and well.
Buenafe can be described as 5 feet 1 inch tall and about 110 pounds, as well as having short black hair and brown eyes.
Anyone with information on this passenger’s whereabouts is urged to contact local authorities immediately.
How Often Do Passengers Go Missing?
Despite more than 30 million people going on cruises every year, passengers going missing is quite a rare occurrence, as there has only been one other report of a guest missing in 2025.
Back in February, Tynisha Williams got off Royal Caribbean’s Radiance of the Seas while it was docked in Cozumel, Mexico, and has since been missing.
Similarly, in April of 2024, a 66-year-old guest who was on Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas with dementia also went missing in Cozumel.
Also in 2024, a 14-year-old who was sailing on Caribbean Princess with his family went missing when the ship stopped in Rostock-Warnemünde in northern Germany.
Guests going missing and not being found is unusual, as many are often located safely.
We hope that the outcome of the search for Marites Buenafe will be exactly that.
Norwegian Bliss Passenger Missing After Alaska Hike — Search Intensifies