Seattles cruise season projects fewer sailings, but still up from pre-2020

Table Of Content

• HAL-Holland America opens bookings for 2025-2026 Panama Canal and Hawaii cruises
• Find My Ship and Terminal
• Seattle tours, shore excursions,
• HAL-Holland America unveils 2025-2026 Mexico and Pacific Coast seasons
• Cruise Ships Return to Port of Seattle’s Pier 66
• Seattle, Washington: Bell Street Pier Cruise Terminal:
• Destinations & Ports

“During their time here, passengers are able to sample our outstanding dining options, beautiful hotels, unique shops, and authentic Seattle experiences,” Blount-Canavan added. Accessing Alaska’s Maritime region from Seattle is preferred by many American cruisers living in the Lower 48 compared to other options departing from British Columbia, Canada, and Seward, Alaska, specifically in matters of travel logistics. “Seattle has always felt like our second home since we launched the industry’s first roundtrip cruises to Alaska over 20 years ago,” said President of Norwegian Cruise Line David Herrera. Custom-built for the job and with the capacity to hold just over 4,000 passengers, the 168,028-ton Norwegian Bliss embarks on a 7-night roundtrip voyage later in the day on April 15. Meanwhile, any Americans sailing out of Vancouver must deal with the headaches and extra costs that come with international travel to a city a short drive away from The Emerald City.

Port of Seattle Cruise Port and Terminal Information - Cruise Critic

Port of Seattle Cruise Port and Terminal Information.

Posted: Tue, 03 Jan 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]

HAL-Holland America opens bookings for 2025-2026 Panama Canal and Hawaii cruises

Additionally, NCLH agreed to make improvements to Terminal 66 that were estimated at USD 30 million to expand its facilities. Under the new lease, NCLH manages all terminal operations and has priority berthing rights during the season. When restarted, the new facility will be operated by a private company (TBA) which is due to be responsible for 50% of all development costs (~USD 100 million). Terminal 46 is located south of downtown and has 3100 ft (945 m) berthing, 50 ft (15 m) water depth / max draught, combined land area 86 acres (350,000 m2) and a cruise terminal building with capacity 5,000 passengers.

Find My Ship and Terminal

Home Maritime Cruise Seattle - portseattle.org

Home Maritime Cruise Seattle.

Posted: Thu, 26 Apr 2018 00:40:29 GMT [source]

Homeporting operations were conducted by 7x major companies operating 14x ships. Currently, Port's cruise business generates 5500+ jobs and annually ~USD 450 million in revenue (~USD 900M total economic activities) plus ~USD 15M in local and state taxes. Each Seattle-homeported cruise liner call generates USD 2,5+ million for the local economy. One of the cruise industry’s biggest gateways to Alaska begins another busy season that is projected to have 289 sailings and carry 1.4 million revenue passengers. One of Norwegian Cruise Line’s Breakaway-plus class ships is the first to kick-start the season, which runs through October 2023. Even if cruise passengers don’t stay overnight in the city, data shows that over 20% of passengers will check their bags early to the airport before later flights, leaving them time to enjoy the city before departing.

Seattle tours, shore excursions,

“As a pivotal homeport for the Alaska cruise industry, Seattle has the valuable opportunity to welcome nearly 700,000 individual travelers before and after their cruise,” said Tammy Blount-Canavan, President and CEO of Visit Seattle. This year marks 25 years of cruises traveling between Seattle and Alaska. Since then, the cruise industry has grown from 36 ship calls to the 275 projected this year.

In 2024, the cruise port reported a total of 275 booked berthings with estimated 800,000+ passengers. The Norwegian Bliss cruise ship kick-starts the Port of Seattle 2023 cruise season, which includes 289 sailings through October 2023. Next year the Port anticipates hosting 277 cruise homeport calls, with continued high occupancy and very strong passenger volumes, according to a statement. Seattle – a key homeport for the highly desirable Alaska cruising season – saw 291 cruise ship visits in 2023, beginning with Norwegian Bliss on April 15. "We are working every day to ensure Seattle is a welcoming, safe, and vibrant place for residents, visitors, and tourists," said Mayor Bruce Harrell.

The port said it is estimated that each homeported cruise ship at berth brings $4 million in economic impact to the region, with a total of nearly $900 million in economic impact over the course of a cruise season. Most cruise passengers stay a couple of days in Seattle before or after their Alaska cruise. Over 20 percent of cruise passengers check their bags early to the airport so they can spend the day enjoying the Seattle area before boarding their flights home. In May 2017 was opened the renovated Pier 66 cruise terminal facility (see in the "terminal" section below) where are homeported NCL ships. The 15-year lease to NCL (until 2032) is estimated to generate over USD 2,3 billion in total revenue, nearly 900 jobs and over USD 65 million in taxes. 2017 was a record year for the cruise port - with handled 218 ship calls and nearly 1,072 million passengers (9% increase over 2016's 983,539 pax) and total revenue USD 501 million.

Since 2019, Terminal 46 is no longer used for international container shipping. The cruise port of Seattle was established on September 5, 1911, with the votes of King County, WA, confirmed by Port District Act and run by an elected 5-member commission. Statistical data shows that an average turnaround cruise tourist spends USD 1547 in the city (on hotels/lodging, dining/drinking, transportation, shopping). Cruise companies' spending includes in-port marine services and also purchasing supplies from local suppliers, including seafood, fresh produce (fruits, vegetables, flowers, eggs), butter, wines. “Over the last 25 years, the cruise business has become a significant part of our local economy, contributing to hundreds of businesses and thousands of jobs,” said Port of Seattle Commissioner Ryan Calkins. Seattle’s 2024 cruise season launched this past weekend, with Port of Seattle officials anticipating slightly fewer sailings than last year.

Seattle, Washington: Bell Street Pier Cruise Terminal:

"The return of cruise season gives us another exciting channel to share what we love about Seattle and highlight the things that make this region special, all while creating good jobs and boosting our economy." It currently has 2 passenger terminals - "Terminal 91" and "Bell Street Pier Cruise Terminal" (aka "Pier 66"), plus 1 new/planned (Pier 46). Fishermen's Terminal (on Salmon Bay) is the homeport (dock) for Washington state's North Pacific Fishing Fleet (commercial fishing vessels).

Destinations & Ports

Linda Springmann has been hired by the Port of Seattle as the new Director, Cruise and Maritime Marketing, bringing more than 25 years of cruise industry experience to the position. Connecting locals to job and business opportunities is part of the Port of Seattle’s equitable economic recovery strategy. When the Port of Seattle kicked off plans to develop a new cruise ship facility on the Seattle waterfront, we were faced with a challenge. Stephanie Jones Stebbins is the Managing Director, Port of Seattle Maritime DivisionSafely resuming cruise is an important part of the region and the Port's economic recovery strategy. The new facility (abbrev Northwest Seaport Alliance) is a container ship terminal fitted with 5x super-large STS cranes (ship-to-shore/rail-mounted gantry cranes).

With an overwhelming world of choices, we understand you may need some personal assistance to plan your perfect vacation. From finding the right destination to choosing the best departure date, we're here to help. Plus, our experienced travel consultants have access to exclusive vacation deals to make sure you get the best value for your time and money. The Port is accessible only during late spring (April), summer months and early fall (late September, early October). Cruise ships usually arrive in Seattle in the early morning (at 6, 7 or 8 am) and depart from Seattle in the late afternoon (4 or 5 pm). In August 2023, the Port's Commission approved US$32,6M budget for transforming the Ship Supply Building (Port's oldest, located at Fishermen’s Terminal)  into a Maritime Innovation Center.

The memorandum of understanding, often referred to as the “Cruise MOU” was originally put in place to increase both standards and oversight on cruise ships, allowing for random inspections of systems and records on ships each season. In 2020, the Port also banned all exhaust gas cleaning system wash water from cruise ships at berth and in 2021, all ships calling on the Port voluntarily agreed to pause all discharges of wash water in Puget Sound. The Port has set a goal to have 100-percent of homeport cruise ships in Seattle equipped with shore power capability and connect to power on every call by 2030 or sooner.

Located in between Puget Sound and Washington Harbor, Seattle has tons of activities for water lovers and outdoor enthusiasts and make sure to grab a cup of coffee, because this is the home of Starbucks. Port Seattle cruise ship schedule shows timetable calendars of all arrival and departure dates by month. The port's schedule lists all ships (in links) with cruises going to or leaving from Seattle, Washington.

The city's best-known landmark is The Space Needle observation tower in downtown (height 184 m / 604 ft), having 6 floors (top floor heigth 158 m / 518 ft) and 3 lifts. More than one-third of cruise ships utilized shore power at Smith Cove Cruise Terminal, setting a record number of plug-ins for a Seattle cruise season. The Port is currently at work to make its third cruise berth at Pier 66 capable of supplying electrical power during the 2024 cruise season.

Port Seattle operates Terminal 66's facilities outside the Alaskan season. The 15-year lease deal was estimated to generate USD 2+ billion in business revenue, ~900 new jobs, USD 65+ million in local and state taxes. The total economic impact for a cruise season in Seattle is estimated to be nearly $900 million (USD), with each individual homeported ship bringing $4 million of influence while berthed. The departure of Norwegian Cruise Line’s “Norwegian Sun” on Oct. 30 was the final cruise ship for the year.

According to the Port of Seattle, this year’s cruise season included 291 cruises and approximately 1.8 million revenue passengers, which is a new record. It isn’t just the number of passengers or the economic impact that is impressive for Seattle in 2023. At a time when many cities are seeking to limit cruise ship visits due to emissions and pollution, Seattle is taking steps to keep its marine environment clean and healthy through shore power installations. During season 2019 (April-October), the cruise port handled 211 ship calls and ~1,2 million passengers (1,114 million were handled in 2018). For 2020 was forecasted a record year with scheduled 225 ship calls and estimated ~1,4 million passengers. Cruise Hive was established back in 2008 and among the earliest blogs in the industry.

The terminal is located on Pier #90 and Pier #91, at approx 2 mi (3 km)  from downtown in northwestern direction. This port used to serve as an industrial port and a resupply base and still looks a kind of industrial. The Smith Cove terminal offers car rental desk, concierge, luggage handling, retail kiosks, check-in and customs. The new facility can handle ULCV (ultra-large container vessels/boxships), supports ~6600 direct jobs and generates USD 2+ billion in annual business activities. From the US$ 340M, the private company SSA Terminals (subsidiary of SSA Marine Inc) contributed US$ 160M. The 185-acre (75-hectares) terminal will be open in 2 phases - one berth in 2021-Q1, and the other in 2023.