The Star Princess will launch this year’s Alaskan cruise ship season Sunday morning when the 17-deck ship ties up at Ogden Point for an all-day visit.
Similar to last year, 227 ship visits are scheduled. Vessels are expected to carry about 533,000 passengers to the city, said Ian Robertson, CEO of the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority. Ships will stay a little longer in port and more will arrive during the daytime rather than later in the evenings.
New this year will be Royal Caribbean’s Explorer of the Seas, the largest cruise ship to stop here, Robertson said. At 1,025 feet long, it holds 3,114 passengers. Its first of 21 calls is May 17.
“That’s really good news for Victoria,” said Robertson, noting the bigger the ship, the more passengers and crew it carries. Visitors spend money at retail shops and attractions and vessels take on supplies and rely on local marine-related services.
The Celebrity Solstice, also scheduled to visit Victoria this season, is 1,041 feet long with a passenger capacity of 2,850. Two other vessels will be berthing in Victoria for the first time. The Nieuw Amsterdam arrives April 28 and the Maasdam pulls in on June 5.
Cruise ships deliver more than $100 million a year to the capital region’s economy, according to a harbour authority consultant study. The James Bay Neighbourhood Association has challenged that analysis, saying that the actual value is far lower.
A doubledecker 88-seat electric-powered bus will also debut to carry cruise ship passengers.
In an effort to boost the number of passengers heading into downtown on foot (now at 25 per cent), Robertson said local representatives will go onto cruise ships to educate officials about the ease of walking.
Robertson attended the annual Seatrade Global conference last month in Florida, where a 10-member delegation promoted Victoria to cruise lines, encouraging them to consider extending seasons at either end. Victoria worked with Vancouver and Seattle officials to point out the three cities are already tourist destinations.
Victoria is Canada’s busiest port of call, Robertson said.
Port Metro Vancouver is expecting 228 calls by 28 vessels, with 830,000 passengers this year. "Port Metro Vancouver is a home port so we count every passenger as they embark and disembark the cruise ship. It’s a common practice at all home ports,” said Julia Ren, spokeswoman for Vancouver port.
The message from the conference is the passenger count on the Alaska cruise ship route is expected to rise by two to three per cent in five years, Robertson said. After that, growth is predicted to be higher as Chinese tourists embrace cruising, first travelling nearer to home and then moving across the Pacific Ocean to take in the Alaska service, he said.
Robertson is optimistic about potential for future business with other lines not yet serving Victoria.
Further, the Alaska cruise is perceived to be very safe, he said.
Long an advocate of making Victoria a home port, Robertson is hopeful that “boutique” cruise ships might make use of unused space at the three berths here. As other ports reach their capacity, Ogden Point has room to take more ships.
