Juneau assembly presses cruise lines on communication, Mendenhall staffing and unannounced dock work at North Douglas

Juneau City and Borough assembly members used an April 24 Committee of the Whole work session to press cruise-line representatives for better, reciprocal communication about visitor behavior, local infrastructure and development — including reports of dock surveys at the tip of North Douglas — and to seek company support for local needs such as Mendenhall Glacier staffing and housing for seasonal workers.

Assembly member Greg Smith opened questioning by describing reports of “people littering or not following crosswalks” and asked what companies do onboard to educate guests about local customs and respectful behavior. Carnival-brands' representative Robert Morgenstern and other lines described a mix of pre-season briefings for ship crews, onboard notices for guests, and cabin drops or public-service announcements used when local issues (for example, bears downtown) arise.

Assembly members repeatedly raised the Mendenhall Glacier visitor-center staffing shortage. Industry representatives said they have raised the issue with federal offices and that some lines have directly engaged congressional staff; Royal Caribbean’s Russell Benford said the company had discussed the matter with the city and expressed willingness to help with information distribution and local support but said industry had not had direct federal-level funding commitments on staffing. The transcript recorded that the visitor center had once been staffed by about three dozen people and is now operating on a skeleton crew of roughly five staff plus community support, according to comments from multiple industry speakers.

The assembly also sought clarity on reports that surveys or preliminary design work were underway at the tip of North Douglas for dock development. Assembly members said they had heard of clearing and survey activity but were not included in any developer discussions. Royal Caribbean’s Benford and other speakers said they could not speak for developers; industry representatives encouraged direct communication between developers and the city and acknowledged the assembly’s concerns about being left out of early conversations.

Ballot initiatives and community tensions were a recurring theme. A member of the assembly noted that a ballot initiative related to tourism had failed the previous year and that another initiative might appear again; cruise-line representatives acknowledged community skepticism and said the industry needs to be more present, transparent and engaged in local discussions. MSC Cruises’ Joon Olavstadje Stedtje said: “The most important thing for us as a cruise industry… is we need to be on the spot. We need to listen, we need to understand, and we need to respect.”

Other local issues discussed included affordable and seasonal-worker housing (companies said they rent hotel rooms for seasonal staff and are discussing more permanent options) and possible industry support for community capital projects, including Centennial Hall. Benford said Royal Caribbean had recently sponsored local performing-arts fundraising and that companies are open to partnership but emphasized the importance of clarity about community priorities and the chosen funding vehicle.

Why it matters: Assembly members said they need better, two-way communication so the city and industry can coordinate limits, mitigation and investment. The topics raised — dock planning, visitor-center staffing, housing and the prospect of another ballot initiative — bear on how tourism revenue is managed and how the community distributes the costs and benefits of visitor traffic.

No formal municipal actions were taken during the session; the discussion was a public, on-the-record opportunity for elected officials to question industry representatives and request ongoing engagement.