By
Rebecca Gibson |
The US port of Seattle handled 179 vessels and more than 823,000 passengers in 2014, exceeding initial expectations.
In 2014, it is estimated that each cruise vessel generated US$2.2 million for the local economy.
“Our cruise industry has grown into a major economic driver for the Puget Sound region,” said the port’s commissioner John Creighton. “For the seventh straight year, our cruise business exceeded 800,000 passengers. We remain committed to growing that number, as well as getting cruise-going visitors to stay here a few extra days.”
In 2015, the port expects to handle 192 vessel calls and 895,055 passengers. Next year, seven cruise lines will homeport a total of 11 ships in Seattle to offer seven-, ten- and 14-day roundtrips to Alaska.
Passengers will be able to opt for seven-day itineraries onboard various ships including Carnival Cruise Lines’ Carnival Legend, Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Solstice, Princess Cruises’ Crown Princess and Ruby Princess and Royal Caribbean International’s Jewel of the Seas.
Also departing on seven-day cruises will be Holland America Line’s Westerdam and Amsterdam, while Statendam will be based at the port for the first time, offering 14-day voyages.
Pier 66 will also host several homeporting vessels including Oceania Cruises’ Oceania Regatta, which will offer a variety of itineraries, and Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Jewel and Norwegian Pearl, which will both sail seven-day roundtrips.
The Port of Seattle, which welcomes a high volume of passengers than any other cruise port on the US west coast, generates around US$372 million in business revenue and US$16.6 million in state and local tax revenues per year. The port also provides nearly 4,000 jobs.