Princess Cruises Picks Port of Seattle

Princess Cruises announced today that it will deploy two vessels and offer 32 Alaska cruises homeported in Seattle in 2003.

"This move by Princess is fabulous news," said Port of Seattle Commission Chair Bob Edwards. "It brings the Port of Seattle to a new level in the passenger cruise business."

Cruise lines already calling Seattle include Norwegian Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean International and Holland America Line. Seattle will see 79 cruise ship sailings and 250,000 passengers this year. The 2003 cruise season will have 121 sailings and approximately 490,000 passengers.

"The passenger cruise industry helps generate economic vitality for our region and is a great addition to the regional maritime industry, in particular," said Port of Seattle Chief Executive Officer M. R. Dinsmore. "It helps support all of the elements that make the maritime industry a vital part of our economy. From tugboat and fuel barge operations to vessel agents, stevedores and longshore workers, the cruise industry adds diversity and stability to the maritime economy."

The 2,600-passenger Star Princess and 2,670-passenger Diamond Princess will embark on seven-day cruises through Alaska's Inside Passage and make stops at Skagway, Ketchikan and Victoria.

Princess' ships will initially call at an interim cruise terminal on Pier 90, along with a Holland America Line vessel. The Port of Seattle Commission voted on Tuesday, May 28, to invest $5 million in an interim cruise terminal to serve the growing needs of the passenger cruise industry in Seattle.

Construction on the interim terminal, which will be housed in a former chilled fruit warehouse, will begin in August. The facility will be completed in time for the 2003 cruise season. The Port is studying options for the location of a second, permanent cruise terminal.

The Port's first cruise terminal, at Bell Street Pier, represents an investment of $38 million. The facility opened in 2000.

The regional economic impact of the cruise industry in 2002 includes: More than 900 jobs and $22 million in personal income; $42.6 million in business revenue and $2.95 million in state and local tax revenues. With the addition of new sailings planned for 2003 the number of jobs generated by the cruise industry will rise to approximately 1,500 and business revenues will reach about $90 million. Local and state tax collections should climb to $5.7 million.