The Port of Seattle achieved its best ever cruise season in 2010, with a record number of cruise ship calls and passengers.
Twelve homeported vessels and six ports of call made up the 223 dockings at the Port. A total of 931,698 revenue passengers moved through the Port’s two cruise terminals.
“The cruise business brings jobs, and each ship call brings $1.9 million to King County,” said Port of Seattle Commission President Bill Bryant. “The 2010 cruise season is good economic news for our region.”
The cruise industry also generated $425 million in business revenue, $18.9 million in state and local taxes and 4,447 jobs in 2010.
New developments in 2010 included Carnival Cruise Line’s first venture into Seattle, offering seven-day cruises to Alaska from Smith Cove Cruise Terminal every Tuesday aboard Carnival Spirit. In addition, Holland America Line introduced a 14-day round-trip Alaska itinerary out of Seattle this year. Princess Cruises introduced a 14-day round-trip Alaska cruise in 2009.
Alaska continues to be a very popular destination for the cruise vacation experience. Ships sailing from Seattle continue to be full, averaging 108 percent of passenger capacity, which is a result of having multiple quests sharing a cabin- a real value for families cruising together.
Cruise lines that called Seattle this year included Carnival Cruise Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity cruises all offering their own unique cruise experience
Much of the popularity of Alaska cruising is the beautiful and well appointed ships the major cruise lines deploy in Seattle to the Alaska market. The wide range of sailings departing from Seattle and convenient air travel connections also play important roles.
The Port of Seattle and Cruise Terminals of America (CTA), which operates both cruise facilities, remain focused on efficient terminal operations that maintain vessel schedules. The Port, CTA and the cruise lines have worked hard to build successful partnerships with the community and regulatory agencies and those partnerships are key to the success of the industry in Seattle.
“The cruise business has been a great addition to Seattle’s business and tourism scene,” said Tom Norwalk, President and CEO of Seattle’s Convention and Visitors Bureau. “We look forward to many years of continued success in this industry.”
