It’s that time of year again, when Suicide Basin at Mendenhall Glacier is seeing rising water levels and the seasonal overflow that can cause significant flooding in and around Juneau, Alaska, one of the most popular cruise destinations in the Last Frontier.

The National Weather Service is closely monitoring the basin’s water levels, particularly since the August 2025 flooding reached record levels.

Suicide Basin is a side basin just east of Mendenhall Glacier. Once the basin fills with rain and the snow melts, the water breaks out under the glacier and can flood several miles of the valley below.

Mother Nature can be unpredictable, but the basin is expected to reach capacity sometime from August 8-12, 2026.

“Cloudy days will push the timing beyond that range while more sunny days would push it to the beginning of that range,” the NWS carefully notes.

Furthermore, just because the basin reaches its fill limit, that does not mean flooding will begin immediately.

“In the past it has taken up to 6 days for the main event (sub-glacier release) to start after the basin is full with water going over the overflow channel,” the NWS said.

There is no easy way to predict the extent of flooding or any closures or damage that may occur. Nevertheless, local authorities are staying alert to the situation and will take all necessary precautions to safeguard the region.

In mid-August, dozens of cruise ships are scheduled to visit Juneau, including vessels from Carnival Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, Disney Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean, Oceania Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, MSC Cruises, and more.

The cruise docks in Juneau are approximately 10 miles southeast of Suicide Basin and Mendenhall Glacier, and are therefore not at risk from floodwaters.

How Will Cruises Be Impacted?

While no cruise lines are thus far shifting itineraries away from Juneau, it is likely that shore tours may be impacted when the flooding occurs.

This can include hikes, kayaking, and glacier viewing changes or cancellations. Booked guests should be aware of the situation and adjust their expectations accordingly. Similarly, guests planning to explore Juneau independently should stay alert to the conditions that may impact their visit.

According to the City and Borough of Juneau, peak flooding is typically 24-48 hours after the Suicide Basin begins to release. It can be several days, however, before the waters recede. After that, inspections for debris and damage must be conducted before regular visits and tours may resume.

Tours away from the flood area are not usually impacted and will likely move forward as scheduled.

Guests who have booked tours in Juneau during August should stay in close contact with their tour operator (or the cruise line, if booked through the line) to be notified of changes or cancellations. Tour operators are local businesses and will have the most up-to-date information for each guest’s visit and excursion plans.

Depending on the extent of any flooding this year, cruise lines may donate for recovery efforts. Following the catastrophic flooding in August 2024, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings donated $50,000 for community recovery.

Cruise lines are well known for supporting the communities they visit and often arrange charitable projects in addition to the economic support their visits bring to the region.

Following the collapse of a private wall bordering the Karavolades Stairs that connect the old port on the Bay of Fira to the island’s clifftop capital, Fira, the stepped road has been closed.

This loss of access has led to a significant change for cruise ships visiting Santorini, as all vessels will now need to accommodate shore tours entirely from Athinios rather than Fira.

Athinios is the main ferry port for Santorini and is approximately 2.2 miles south of the Port of Fira. Public buses and taxis run between Athinios and Fira, though Athinios can be much more crowded. Driving between the two can take 20-25 minutes.

As reported by Atlantea, the decision to shift cruise access to Athinios was made by George Nomikos, the president of the Municipal Port Fund of Thira. The closure of the Karavolades Stairs was decided by the Mayor of Thira, Anastasios Nikolaos Zorzos.

“All disembarkation and boarding of cruise visitors participating in organized excursions will take place entirely from the port of Athinios, regardless of the percentage they represent in the total number of passengers on each cruise ship,” the local media explained.

The wall alongside the road collapsed in the early morning hours of Monday, July 27, 2026, while the decision to shift cruise operations to Athinios was made on Tuesday, July 28. Undoubtedly the condition of the road and adjacent walls were assessed in that time period.

With the closure, it is not possible for cruise guests to walk or ride the famous donkeys along the road between Fira and the tender docks, limiting overall access and general accessibility options. This has led to the shift in how cruise passengers will be managed for the time being.

By requiring cruise ships to embark and debark guests from Athinios for all shore excursions, local authorities are trying to best manage crowds and ensure the cable car access is available for all visitors.

Just two months ago, Cruise Hive reported that the Municipal Port Fund changed policies to require up to 70% of cruise guests to disembark at the old port at Fira, with no more than 30% arriving through Athinios.

With the closure of the stepped road, this new policy must be temporarily relaxed until the road can be reopened.

There is no timeline available for when repairs may be made to the retaining wall along the stepped road or when that route may reopen for foot and donkey traffic.

What About the Cable Car?

The Santorini Cable Car is one of the most famous cable cars in the world. A one-way ride from the base to the top of the cliffs takes just three minutes and offers phenomenal panoramic views along the way.

While the cable car remains operational to and from Fira, overall capacity of the cable car and operational adjustments may be too challenging to accommodate all cruise ship guests without compromising the experience for other visitors.

At this time, it is unclear whether or not cruise ships will still be using tender service to the Port of Fira for guests who are not on organized tours. That decision may be made individually by different ships based on their overall capacity and operational needs.

Santorini is one of the most popular cruise ship port destinations in Greece with more than 1.2 million cruise guests visiting each year.

In just the next few weeks, vessels from Royal Caribbean, Oceania Cruises, Azamara Cruises, Princess Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, MSC Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, TUI Cruises, and more all have planned visits to the island.

No cruise line has yet adjusted any itineraries to remove Santorini as a destination due to this tender shift, but such changes may yet be forthcoming as cruise lines evaluate their options to provide the best possible experiences for their guests.