Nanaimo’s final cruise ship visit of the year is scheduled on Thursday when the Star Princess sails into port for the day.
The city is pulling out the stops to impress passengers.
They get to sample world-famous Nanaimo bars and pose for photos with RCMP officers dressed in their red serge uniforms. The Loyal Nanaimo Bathtub Society is staging demonstrations of racing tubs and the Big Tub, an oversize bathtub, will be there for photos.
Cannons will be fired at Nanaimo’s historic Bastion at 11 a.m., noon, and 1 p.m.
A free shuttle will carry passengers from the cruise ship terminal into downtown Nanaimo.
The Star Princess can carry 3,100 passengers and 1,250 crew members, but it isn’t known if the ship will be at capacity.
It is expected to pull in at 7 a.m. and leave at 6 p.m. Cruise destinations value full-day stops like this because they give visitors time to tour the community and embark on excursions.
“The Star Princess’s arrival is a great boost for Central Vancouver Island communities, a significant benefit from passengers discovering this destination for the first time,” Bernie Dumas, Nanaimo Port Authority president and CEO, said in a statement Tuesday.
Excursions are being offered to the Alberni and Cowichan valleys, including Parksville, he said.
The Port Authority works with municipal and regional partners to provide a consistent high level of service, Dumas said. “Passengers tell us that we have an exceptional product and want to see more of Central Vancouver Island.”
Nanaimo’s six cruise ship visits this year began with Explorer of the Seas on May 18. That vessel first stopped at Ogden Point on May 17, making its first visit to Victoria. It was the largest cruise ship, with capacity for 3,840 guests, to dock in Victoria this season. In all, Explorer of the Seas scheduled 21 stops in Victoria this past season. The Greater Victoria Harbour Authority said this reflects a trend which has the world’s largest cruise ships sailing on the Alaska itinerary.
Also stopping in Nanaimo this year was Celebrity Infinity for two visits, along with Crystal Serenity and Coral Princess.
Cruise ships dock at the Nanaimo terminal, which cost more than $20 million to build. There were high hopes for Nanaimo’s new terminal, which has not attracted the numbers hoped for. Dumas said in 2012 that he would have liked to see between 30 and 40 cruise ship visits annually by 2017. By last year, that goal had been pared to 20 to 25 ships per year.
