On Thursday, Holland America Line’s ship Veendam will kick start the 29th cruise season in Saint John, according to a press release.

With final ship of the year scheduled to call on November 1, the 2017 cruise season will be one of the longest on record at Port Saint John.

Thursday’s ship is scheduled to arrive at 8:00 am and depart at 5:00 pm and will be docked at the Marco Polo Cruise Terminal. 

“Our Port Saint John, operations group, Meet & Greet volunteers and business development and marketing staff have been working in concert to ensure the guest and ship experience here exceeds expectations,” said Jim Quinn, President & CEO of Port Saint John. “We know that our industry and community partners are also gearing up to welcome the more than 200,000 guests and crew we are expecting this year.

The 2017 season includes 64 scheduled cruise ship calls, more than 144,000 guests, 58,000 crew.

Among the highlights are the inaugural call from the Vision of the Seas, 12 double-ship days, four triple-ship days and the return of Disney Cruise Line.