2005 Cruise Season Brings New Ships, New Services to Port of Seattle

The Port of Seattle cruise season that begins this week will feature longer cruises, shorter cruises, more ships and new ships.

The 2005 cruise season will see 14 different vessels make a total of 169 stops in Seattle. Two-way passenger count will reach 685,000. Both numbers are new records for the Port.

"Passengers have shown the cruise lines that they like Seattle as a homeport," said Port of Seattle Commission President Bob Edwards. "The cruise lines have responded by offering a wider range of cruise products here in Seattle."

New cruises offered this year from Seattle include three-, four-, and five day round-trip Pacific Northwest voyages by Celebrity Cruises to Prince Rupert, Nanaimo, Victoria and Vancouver in British Columbia and Astoria, Oregon, as well as 10- and 11-day Alaska cruises by Norwegian Cruise Line.

Seven-day round trip cruises to Alaska by Celebrity, Holland America Line, Norwegian and Princess Cruises will depart Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from Pier 66 and Terminal 30 from May to mid-October.

"The seven-day cruises are the mainstay of our business," Edwards said. "But the shorter and longer cruises help us make better utilization of our cruise facilities midweek and increase the economic impact of the cruise industry in this region."

New services offered at the Port's cruise terminals this season include rental cars by Hertz. Staffed kiosks at Terminal 30 and Pier 66 will allow passengers to reserve, pick up and drop off cars on-site.

Also new this year, Terminal 30 joins Pier 66 in offering a full service concierge. Services offered by the concierge include; luggage storage, mailing of stamped letters and postcards, sales of domestic and international phone cards, information on local shopping and attractions, reservations for local hotels and restaurants, and taxi/limousine arrangements.

"Customer services like the concierge and rental car kiosks make our Port more attractive for passengers and help explain the growth we're experiencing," Edwards said.

From 1999 to 2004 the cruise industry in Seattle grew from just six vessel calls and 7,000 passengers to 150 calls and 562,000 passengers.

"As the number of ships and passengers grow, so does the economic benefit the cruise industry brings to the region," said Port of Seattle CEO Mic Dinsmore.

The cruise industry generated 1,732 local jobs in 2004 with a payroll of $59 million. The industry also was responsible for $208 million in local business revenue and $5.8 million in state and local tax revenue.

"The increase in vessel calls and passengers anticipated for 2005 means those figures will continue to grow," Dinsmore said, "benefiting the entire region."