By
Rebecca Gibson |
Four of Maine’s ports welcomed a total of seven cruise ships carrying more than 11,500 passengers on 30 September, marking the state’s busiest cruise day in 2014.
Portland welcomed both Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Splendor with 2,974 passengers and Holland America Line’s Eurodam with 2,104 guests. Meanwhile, Royal Caribbean International’s Brilliance of the Seas, Princess Cruises’ Royal Princess and Seabourn Cruises’ Seabourn Quest called at the port of Bar Harbor, carrying 2,100, 3,600 and 450 passengers respectively. In addition, American Cruise Lines’ Glory called at the Port of Rockland with 49 passengers, while the line’s ship Independence visited the Port of Camden with 1oo cruise guests.
Maine recorded its second busiest day of the year on 25 September when a total of nearly 8,000 passengers called at Bath, Bar Harbor and Portland. The state is set for its third busiest day on 7 October, when Portland will host Oceania Cruises’ Regatta with 684 passengers and Bar Harbor will welcome Royal Princess with 3,600 guests, Silversea’s Silver Whisper with 382 tourists and 210 passengers onboard Pearl Sea Cruises’ Pearl Mist (210 pax). On the same day, Eurodam will bring 2,104 passengers to Rockland as part of her maiden visit to the mid-coast.
Early bookings for 2015 and 2016 indicate that Maine’s cruise numbers are likely to grow over the next couple of years.
“We’re seeing consistent growth for our cruise ports, which is how we prefer to manage the cruise tourism,” said Amy Powers, director of CruiseMaineUSA. “This type of growth ensures we can provide a sustainable product that both the cruise industry and our communities can rely on for a long successful relationship.”