A San Francisco couple who arrived at Ogden Point as a stop in a family cruise to celebrate their mothers’ birthdays found themselves at the centre of a celebration Wednesday.
Victoria and Joseph Winthal were fêted as the six millionth cruise ship passengers to arrive in Victoria since the early 1980s. The couple arrived on the Golden Princess cruise ship as part of a family group of 14. The idea of the trip was sparked by Victoria’s mother’s birthday and grew from there once they realized that Joseph’s mother was celebrating her birthday as well.
But the Winthals were the focus of attention as dignitaries welcomed them to the city and Songhees Nation Lekwungen Traditional Dancers performed. Victoria AM volunteers in old-fashioned costumes were on hand as always to greet ship passengers.
Joseph, 32, said they learned Tuesday evening that they would be the six-millionth passengers and that something special was planned, but “not to this extent.”
This was Victoria’s second visit to this city. The 35-year-old was here 20 years ago on a camping trip with her family, travelling throughout B.C.
A package of offerings was prepared for the couple. It included lunch, museum passes, afternoon tea, whale watching and a gift card for downtown shopping. A two-night stay at the Inn at Laurel Point was presented, in the hopes of attracting them back to the city. As well, they received a gift basket from downtown merchants.
The 950-foot-long Golden Princess stopped in Victoria at 7 a.m. and left at 2 p.m., heading to San Francisco from Ketchikan, Alaska.
A total of 230 ship visits are scheduled at Ogden Point this year. The ships are expected to carry more than 513,000 passengers and 200,000 crew members over the season. The majority of the vessels are travelling on the popular Alaskan cruise-ship route.
Ian Robertson, chief executive officer of the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority, said the organization is hoping to attract one smaller-size cruise ship, of about 1,500 passengers, to use Victoria as its home port by 2020. Home ports receive additional economic benefits because passengers often arrive ahead of time and stay in hotels.
