The 2013 cruise season in Seattle gets underway today at Bell Street Pier Cruise Terminal with the arrival of Crystal Cruise’s Symphony. This season has 188 cruise ship calls scheduled, bringing an estimated 852,000 revenue passengers through Seattle, the port said in a statement.
“Seattle cruise means thousands of jobs and millions in revenue for our region,” said Port Commission President Tom Albro. “Each of these vessel calls generates $2.1 million for the local economy.”
“A major goal of the Century Agenda is to double the amount of revenue cruise produces in the next 25 years,” said Commissioner John Creighton. “We aim to accomplish this by encouraging passengers to spend more time and money in Washington state while visiting here.”
This is the first year that Oceana Cruise Lines’ Regatta will be calling Seattle, along with Celebrity Cruise’s Solstice, the largest cruise ship to call at the Port of Seattle, with a capacity of 2,850 passengers.
Seattle’s cruise business—currently leading all cruise homeports on the west coast in passenger volume—is responsible for more than 4,000 jobs, $381 million in annual business revenue, and $16.8 million annually in state and local tax revenues.
All cruise ships that homeport in Seattle use either low-sulfur fuel or plug into shore side electrical power while docked. Smith Cove Cruise Terminal can provide shore power for two ships at once, eliminating the need to run engines while at berth.
A Memorandum of Agreement between The Port of Seattle, the Washington Department of Ecology and the Northwest and Canada Cruiseship Association sets strong standards exceeding federal requirements for the treatment of waste discharges from cruise ships operating in Washington waters.
Smith Cove Cruise Terminal and Bell Street Pier provide panoramic views of the city’s skyline, Mt. Rainier and the Olympic Mountains. Both terminals feature concierge services, luggage storage, on-board airline check-in, rental cars, and secure parking facilities.
