(Barbados Nation) Government is on the verge of constructing a massive cruise facility to accommodate some of the world’s biggest ships, while reclaiming 15 acres of land from the sea off Trevor’s Way in Bridgetown for the ambitious project.

Plans for the ultra-modern Sugar Point Cruise Facility, which will be constructed in two phases – the first costing $300 million – were unveiled yesterday during a ceremony at Hilton Barbados.

Minister of International Business and International Transport George Hutson told the audience that included officials of Barbados Port Inc., Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines (RCCL), Barbados Cruise Terminal and the Barbados Tourism Authority that phase one would include the construction of two cruise piers, arrival and departure facilities, a major retail area and parking facilities, as well as underground water and electrical installations.

The completed facility, themed around Barbados’ culture of sugar and rum, would incorporate the Bridgetown Fisheries Complex and the old abattoir, RCCL executives pointed out.

By Stabroek Editor, Barbados Nation

Cunard’s 2,068-passenger Queen Elizabeth was the first cruise ship in the world to trial a motorised, floating pier when she called into Skjokden, Norway recently.

At 720-feet long and 15-feet wide, SeaWalk is equipped with two 250 HP azimuth thrusters and unfolds in a zig zag from shoreside to the cruise ship, removing the need for tendering when ships are berthed offshore.

“Why should the ship be moored to the pier when the pier can be moored to the ship?” SeaWalk partner Ole Heggheim said in an email.

With the ability to offload over 4,000 passengers in an hour, x reports that the SeaWalk can also operate comfortably in one to two metre swells all for less than half the cost of a permanent dock.

The first of its kind, the company will not comment on which tender ports have expressed an interest.

Which tendering ports do you think the SeaWalk would be best suited to? Add your comment below!

The Port of Los Angeles is seeking proposals from commercial real estate developers to redevelop the 30-acre waterfront property known as Ports O’ Call Village, located along the port’s main channel and adjacent to downtown San Pedro.

“We are investing hundreds of millions of dollars in public waterfront infrastructure along 16 miles of community-adjacent port property at the Port of Los Angeles,” said Port Executive Director Geraldine Knatz. “We’re building a waterfront to fit the scale of the largest port complex in the Western Hemisphere at the doorstep of the largest regional market in the western U.S.”

The development site includes 3,000 linear feet of water frontage and 375,000 square feet of retail and tourism-related entitled uses. Located at the south end of the Harbor Freeway, the site is accessible to downtown Los Angeles and other key areas of Southern California.

The parcel was developed as Ports O’ Call Village in the 1960s. The property is located just south of San Pedro’s historic downtown business and is within walking distance from the port’s World Cruise Center, which sees hundreds of thousands of cruise travelers each year. Other attractions within walking distance include the USS Iowa Battleship museum and Crafted at the Port of Los Angeles, a large-scale permanent indoor craft marketplace fashioned from two World War II warehouses by the developer of the Bergamot Station Arts Center in Santa Monica.

The proposed redevelopment site is in the immediate vicinity of several public waterfront enhancements, including a new downtown harbor and public plaza slated for completion in 2014. In recent years, the port has made extensive investments in promenades, marinas, parks and other public waterfront amenities aimed at providing greater public access to the waterfront. In addition to the multi-phase, $36 million Downtown Harbor water basin, promenade and public plaza under construction, other projects completed or underway include the $130 million Cabrillo Way Marina and public promenade, the $16.3 million Fanfare Fountain and Plaza, and the $23.4 million Harbor Boulevard Parkway promenade.

The port plans to select a master developer to carry out a comprehensive redevelopment of the property and enter into a long-term ground lease. Developers interested in responding are encouraged to attend a pre-proposal meeting at 2 p.m. Aug. 8 at The Plaza at Cabrillo Marina, 224 Whalers Walk, San Pedro.

By TravelPulse

Sitka radio station KCAW reports that in the face of declining cruise ship passengers, the Southeast city is considering building a dock.

Voters may decide this fall whether to sanction the project, long a source of contention in town. The issue is coming to a head as the fewest cruise ship passengers in 15 years graces the town. Four years ago, nearly 290,000 passengers arrived in Sitka on cruise ships; this year, only 106,000 people are expected to visit that way -- a 63 percent decline. With no dock, prospective visitors need to be persuaded to be ferried to shore in smaller boats. Some folks decline to leave their cozy ships to visit Sitka.

Building a dock could boost the city’s tourist traffic, which would help businesses and the municipal budget. Dock opponents worry it will spoil the downtown area.

Tonia Rioux of the Sitka Convention and Visitors Bureau told KCAW's Ed Ronco, during a stroll the through town, “I see a lot less people for a cruise day than what we used to see downtown. And I see some empty storefronts and a lot of sale signs in the window — discount sale signs, liquidating. Some shops have goods in them, but they’re closed right now -- even though it’s still early afternoon.”

It has come to a point when businesses are packing up for other places. Colin Hereforth, who ran Fairweather Gallery and Gifts in Sitka for 17 years, moved to Juneau last fall because business is better there. While Hereforth still lives in Sitka, he told KCAW that when he saw the number of visitors passing through Juneau, “It seemed like, well, how can we not do this?”

Source: Alaska Dispatch

Port Everglades has installed a work of public art in Cruise Terminal 18, the homeport terminal of Royal Caribbean International’s Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas. The work by Larry Kirkland is called “Cruising School,” and features a school of shimmering fish suspended among crystal bubbles and golden waves. The artwork is comprised of 300 painted aluminum fish suspended from a swirling oval bracket attached to the ceiling. Rotating on ambient air currents, the fish activate the space with changing reflections and cast shadows onto adjacent walls.

“Every week, an average of 12,000 guests pass through this lobby area of the cruise terminal on their way to cruise aboard the largest cruise ships in the world,” said Port Everglades Chief Executive and Port Director Steven Cernak. “They will get a mini ‘wow’ in the lobby before the big ‘wow’ aboard the ship.”

Source: Travel Pulse

GALVESTON — The Port of Galveston’s governing board on Monday will consider two separate agenda items related to developing more berths to accommodate the island’s booming passenger liner business.

The port operates two cruise-ship terminals — the Texas Cruise Ship Terminal at Pier 25 and Cruise Terminal No. 2 at Pier 27 — but needs more berths.

Five cruise ships — some seasonal and some year-round — will be sailing from Galveston by the end of the year.

Those ships are: Carnival Cruise Lines’ Magic and Triumph, which sail year-round; Royal Caribbean International’s Mariner of the Seas, which calls Galveston home in the winter; Disney Cruise Line’s Magic, which makes its island debut in September; and Princess Cruises’ Crown Princess, which launches its seasonal sailing from the island in December.

Finding space for all the ships is a good problem to have but a challenge all the same, port officials said.

Some cruise lines have had to modify their schedules to avoid having three ships needing to dock at two terminals on the same day.

Disney Magic will depart on Saturdays from Sept. 22 through Dec. 21 then begin a series of six- and eight-day cruises leaving on alternating Fridays and Saturdays to make way for other ship schedules. Disney, however, would prefer to offer seven-day cruises on Saturdays, Port Director Mike Mierzwa said.

On Monday, the Wharves Board of Trustees will consider approving an agreement — with a cost not to exceed $60,000 — between Galveston Port Facilities Corp. and design and consulting firm CH2M Hill for a conceptual study of how to berth three cruise ships on the same day.

There was a time, about six years ago, that the port was able to accommodate three cruise ships at once.

“The ships were a little shorter then,” Mierzwa said.

But cruise lines are commissioning ever larger ships to increase passenger count, which poses the challenge, Mierzwa said.

“I can only go so far east and west,” Mierzwa said of expanding existing terminals.

Expansion too far east of the Texas Cruise Ship Terminal would interfere with restaurant, tourism and retail developments at Pier 22, which is port property, he said. To the west, a grain elevator occupies port property.

The study is meant to give Mierzwa, the board and port staff an idea of what improvements would have to be made or could be made to accommodate all the ships that want to sail on Saturdays, Mierzwa said.

Having developed the No. 1 cruise ship port in the Gulf of Mexico, waterfront managers might be a little worried about choking on their own success. They want to accommodate as much business as the port can attract without having to ask customers to juggle their itineraries.

In a separate but related agenda item Monday, Mierzwa will ask the wharves board to discuss and consider a letter of intent from TMP-PRISMA Marina Management LLP for a public/private partnership with the port to develop about 96 acres of port-owned land on Pelican Island for a combination cruise/cargo terminal facility.

Halliburton Energy Services, 1800 Seawolf Parkway, is to the west of the 96 acres and Galveston-Texas City Pilots’ offices, 1301 Pennzoil Road, is to the east of the parcel that’s directly across the channel from piers 16-18.

The port, which has long wanted the land developed, would like to see a multiuse building at the site that would allow for general cargo and a cruise ship terminal when needed, Mierzwa said.

TMP-PRISMA Marine Management is affiliated with Texas, Mexico & Pacific Railroad, a short-line railroad company. Late last year, the wharves board approved terms of an option agreement that would allow Texas, Mexico & Pacific Railroad several years to study, design and obtain permits for the development of a $600 million bulk cargo terminal on Pelican Island.

The wharves board approved entering an option agreement with Texas, Mexico & Pacific Railroad to lease 185 acres of undeveloped port land on the northeast corner of Pelican Island. The proposed bulk cargo terminal isn’t related to controversial efforts by the port to develop a container terminal.

The combination cruise/cargo terminal facility would be developed by principals of the same group proposing the bulk cargo terminal, but likely would have different financial backers, Mierzwa said.

A Pelican Island cruise-ship terminal would be a no-frills facility and be able to accommodate other cargo when it isn’t being used for cruise passengers, Mierzwa said.

Friday, the port declined to release TMP-PRISMA’s letter of intent until Monday, when it would become public at the meeting. The wharves board will decide Monday whether to approve staff entering discussions with TMP-PRISMA about the Pelican Island terminal. Those discussions would not commit the port to any agreement.

It’s too soon to say what shape a public/private partnership with the port would take or whether the port would pursue both a terminal expansion on the Galveston side of the channel and development of a terminal on Pelican Island, Mierzwa said.

But the port, which isn’t supported by tax dollars and must plow its revenues into repairing aging docks, is seeking the most cost-efficient remedy, Mierzwa said.

The port, which generates about $25 million a year in operating revenues, has considered a third terminal since 2004, but hasn’t had the cash to pursue it.

The passenger liners, which carry tourists on trips to Mexico and the Caribbean, bring in about $5 million yearly to the port.

The port is $60 million in debt, accumulated mostly from development and renovations of cruise ship terminals. Last year, it spent about $12 million on improvements to the Texas Cruise Ship Terminal to meet contractual agreements with Carnival, which wanted upgrades and more seating before replacing its island ships with the larger Magic and Triumph.

Mierzwa said he’d like to avoid taking on more debt to develop a third terminal.

In July, the wharves board is set to discuss long-term goals that also would include discussions about cruise-ship terminal expansion, Mierzwa said.

By Laura Elder, The Daily News

NASSAU Harbour, which cost the former government $44 million to dredge, has not been maintained properly - leading to millions of dollars in lost revenue from cruise ships, Transport and Aviation Minister Glenys Hanna-Martin said.

#Speaking in Parliament yesterday, Mrs Hanna-Martin said two cruise ship slips are in urgent need of dredging as they are too shallow to accommodate the bigger vessels.

#"For almost two years the port has turned away ships because of the dilemma," she said. "The clearance between the vessels and the sea bed can be less that two feet, this has adversely impacted our revenue generating potential."

#Mrs Hanna-Martin said when a cruise line is turned away, the potential loss to the economy from a ship, which on average holds some 2000 passengers, is estimated to be around $162,000 in taxes - which does not include port fees, agent fees and other fees typically associated with cruise ships.

#She added that maintenance of the Prince George Dock has also been neglected under the former administration.

#Mrs Hanna-Martin said preparation for dredging cruise ship slips 15 and 16 is underway with the actual dredging expected to take a week.

#"We will undertake to carry out these works as soon as possible so as to plug up this revenue leak and allow our people to greater access to some of the bounty in the tourism industry and thus enhance the quality of their home lives," she said.

#Among the initiatives to be immediately implemented in the Ministry of Transport and Aviation, Mrs Hanna-Martin said, are the final phases of the redevelopment of the Sir Lynden Pindling International Airport, which will be completed by the end of 2013.

#She said: "If all goes according to plan and God willing we anticipate the next several months and years to begin to bring a paradigm shift in the aviation sector, in the maritime industry, in public transportation and in our postal services which will enhance our prospects and strengthen our position."

#Phase two of the project, which will include the construction of customs and immigration facilities, additional boarding gates and executive security offices, is expected to be completed in October.

#Phase three, which is expected to be completed in late 2013, will include the construction of a terminal for non-US international flights and domestic flights.

By Celeste Nixon, Tribune 242 Staff Reporter

Italian protesters have called on screen legend Sophia Loren to renounce her role as Godmother to the 140,000 tonne MSC Divinia after it became the largest cruise ship ever to visit Venice.

Campaigners who claim large cruise ships block and ruin the views in the lagoon city as well as polluting the air, gathered to greet the enormous liner as it docked on Saturday, carrying signs which read 'No Big ships'.

The ship, which can carry more than 4,500 people, was named in honour of and christened by Ms Loren last month in Marseille.

But the No Big Ships Venice Committee, which staged the protest on Saturday, has written to Ms Loren calling on her to ditch her endorsement of the monster ship.

The group wrote: 'We can't believe that you want your name, which is a legend in Italy and the world, to be associated with a ship that contributes to the destruction of Venice, part of humanity's heritage.

'We are asking you to give up your role as godmother of the ship. Venice and the world would see that as a divine gesture. Venice belongs to the world. Help us save it.'

The letter also said that big ships pollute the air and their vibrations and the lapping waves caused by the wakes of their passage hurt the foundations of historic palaces and churches.

The protesters wrote: 'Venice and its lagoon are both world heritage sites and risk an environmental disaster every day because of the passage of these monsters of the sea.'

Environmentalists have stepped up their efforts to have large cruise ships banned from the lagoon which surrounds the historic centre of the canal city ever since the Costa Concordia disaster in January.

The stricken ship capsized off the coast of the Tuscan island of Giglio after it hit rocks, killing at least 30 people and leaving two unaccounted for.

The disaster has put the spotlight on vulnerable sites visited by major cruise liners and Venice is known as one of Italy's most delicate maritime area.

Big cruise ships enter the city to drop off passengers conveniently close to the historic centre and the Grand Canal.

Italia Nostra (Our Italy), the country's leading conservation group has also long opposed the entry of large cruise ships into the lagoon.

The Divina has a first-class suite named after Loren which is decorated with large pictures of the Oscar-winning actress at various stages of her film career.

The liner, which is 330m long and features 1,739 cabins, has a top traveling speed of 23.7 knots.

On board the luxurious new ship there are lifts for passengers, an infinity pool, restaurants, casino and disco.

Silvio Testa, the campaign group's spokesman, told The Independent his biggest concern was pollution from the huge vessel.

He said: 'This thing produces the same amount of pollution in an hour as 15,000 cars.'

Following the Concordia disaster the Italian government banned the close approach of vessels weighing more than 40,000 tonnes.

But liner companies taking passengers to Venice are able to get around the ban because alternative routes in and out of the main port do not exist.

By Lawrence Conway, Mail Online

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Portland is getting its first large cruise ship visit of the year.

The 952-foot Carnival Glory was originally scheduled to arrive Monday, but the arrival was postponed until Tuesday because of the weather.

The ship is carrying nearly 3,000 passengers and more than 1,100 crew members.

The Carnival Cruise Lines ship leaves port Tuesday evening, bound for Saint John, New Brunswick. The ship also makes port calls in Halifax and Sydney, Nova Scotia, before returning to Boston on Sunday.

Portland this year expects 59 cruise ships to stop in the port. The busiest part of the season runs from mid-August through October.

Source: The Associated Press

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic — Carnival Corporation said Tuesday that it is building a $65 million cruise ship center in the Dominican Republic to draw ships to the Puerto Plata region for the first time in nearly 30 years.

The Amber Cove Cruise Center at Bay of Maimon is scheduled to open in 2014 and is expected to accommodate as many as 8,000 cruise ship passengers daily.

The center is being built on 30 acres (12 hectares) of waterfront property with help from local shipping company Grupo B&R. It will feature a marketplace, restaurants, bars and a water attraction, Carnival said.

More than 350,000 cruise ship passengers visited the Dominican Republic last year, a 1 percent drop from the previous year.

Also on Tuesday, officials in Puerto Rico announced that the U.S. Caribbean territory would be the home port for a Royal Caribbean cruise ship next year.

The Jewel of the Seas is slated to make 25 departures out of San Juan starting in May 2013, said Economic Development Secretary Jose Perez-Riera. The ship is expected to generate $8 million in revenues and attract more than 60,000 tourists.

He said Puerto Rico has welcomed three other new ships in the past year, the Celebrity Silhouette, the Azamara Journey and the MSC Poesia, as part of a new incentives package.

Puerto Rico saw 972,000 cruise ship passengers last year, an 8 percent drop compared with the previous year.

By The Associated Press

A cruise ship port would enhance tourism in an established visitor destination such as Savannah, Charleston, S.C., Mayor Joseph Riley said Tuesday.

Speaking at the Savannah Downtown Business Association's monthly luncheon at Ruth's Chris steakhouse, Riley said his city becoming a year-round home port for a cruise ship has "worked out very well" since Carnival stationed the Fantasy there in 2010.

"For a port city to have a cruise ship port is a natural," Riley said. "There are some activities you can import that aren't natural, but people have been coming to Charleston on ships since it was founded."

Charleston has welcomed cruise ships since 1973, two years before Riley began the first of his 10 terms as the city's mayor. Charleston served strictly as a seasonal port prior to the Carnival Fantasy's arrival two years ago.

The city is building a new terminal, located up the Cooper River from the current home. The facility, expected to open next year, will include ample parking and cut down on traffic issues that plague downtown when the ship is in port, Riley said, yet still be close to Charleston's popular tourism sites.

The new terminal site is seven blocks north of the Charleston City Market and adjacent to the South Carolina Aquarium.

Riley encouraged Savannah's leaders to learn from Charleston's recent experiences. He acknowledged the regular calls -- 91 in 2011 -- by the 2,675-passinger Carnival Fantasy have been met with some public angst. Many of those concerns will be addressed with the opening of the new terminal, Riley said.

"Have parking and have a traffic plan" was Riley's advice.

Riley emphasized that tourism as a whole should serve residents. Many port cities, like Charleston and Savannah, were built to be densely populated. As residents migrated out of city centers over time and downtowns became less dense, it opened up space for visitors.

"Hotels and cruise ships and tours spit people out onto the streets who have disposable time and money in their pockets and improves livability for residents," Riley said. "But you have to be careful that tourism doesn't become a detriment to residents."

Mayor Pro Tem Van Johnson, one of three aldermen to attend the luncheon along with Tony Thomas and Carol Bell, praised Riley for Charleston's success at balancing livability with tourism.

"There are so many similarities between Savannah and Charleston," Johnson said. "We need to continue to engage with our sister city."

By Adam Van Brimmer, Savannah Morning News, Ga.

VANCOUVER - If you're heading into the downtown core this weekend, prepare for heavier-than-normal crowds and traffic delays, as sun seekers and thousands of cruise ship passenger are expected to pack Vancouver.

With the warmest weekend of the spring yet, sunglasses-clad locals will likely cram into parks and beaches, stroll, roll and bike along the seawall, and spill out of outdoor patios.

Port Metro Vancouver issued a travel alert late Thursday saying cruise passenger volumes at Canada Place and Ballantyne terminals were expected to peak on Friday as well as Saturday, May 19, reaching between 13,000 and 20,000 embarking and disembarking passengers on each of those days.

"Everything went really smoothly," said Port Metro Vancouver cruise manager Carmen Ortega on Friday. She said she was not aware of any problems caused by the thousands of cruise ship passengers who visited the city.

Higher-than-normal traffic volumes were anticipated in the downtown core, along with an increased demand for taxis and public transportation.

Port Metro Vancouver said it was working closely with cruise lines, city staff and taxi companies to raise awareness about the increased demand.

Officials are asking cruise ship passengers not to come to Canada Place or Ballantyne cruise terminals until just before their scheduled departure times. Additional port staff will be on site at the two locations to assist with passenger inquiries.

Meanwhile, after months of cooler temperatures and rain, Vancouverites can look forward to the region's first hot and sunny weekend of the season. Environment Canada says temperatures should hit 20 degrees Saturday and Sunday. And it's going to be even toastier inland, with highs of 26 degrees.

For those looking for some fun in the sun but wanting to avoid the congested downtown core, this weekend marks the start of several outdoor markets.

Tonight, Richmond's world-renowned summer night market will reopen on Vulcan Way at 7 p.m. Foodies can gorge on stinky tofu, beef skewers, BBQ squid and dragon's beard candy until midnight tonight and Saturday, and 11 p.m. Sunday.

The Trout Lake Farmers Market kicks off Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in East Vancouver between Templeton Drive and Lakewood Drive on the north end of John Hendry Park. Fresh salmon, berries and apples as well as jewelry and crafts will be for sale, all from local sources.

Further west, the Kitsilano Farmers Market kicks off its season Sunday on Larch Street at 10th Avenue, in the parking lot of the Kitsilano Community Centre. The market runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Sunday during the summer. Both markets will have a bike valet available.

By TIFFANY CRAWFORD, VANCOUVER SUN

With files from Mike Hager and Kim Nursall

SEATTLE - The cruise ship season kicked off Sunday in Seattle - and this year hundreds of cruises will depart from the Emerald City.

For the local economy, this is when our ship comes in.

The arrival of Holland America Line's MS Oosterdam means the start of a very lucrative cruise season in the Puget Sound area.

As cruise ship passenger Kelli Pilsbury says, "We love Seattle."

She and her husband Kevin are on their way to Alaska. But before they get there, they will leave behind a lot of cash.

"By the time we're done it will be around $1,500 to stay here in Seattle a couple of days, but it's worth it," says Kelli.

More than 200 cruises are expected to dock in Seattle this season. And according to the port commission, each one of those ships brings over $2 million to the local economy.

Cruise passenger Jenni Johnson of Oswego, N.Y., is doing her part.

"A couple hundred at least," she estimates. "And if we order some fish to be sent back home that will be another hundred or so."

Multiply that by the more than 850,000 cruise ship passengers the port expects to arrive this year and it adds up to $416 million in annual business revenue - creating more than 4,300 jobs.

All the passengers who talked to KOMO News on Sunday were in a spending mood.

"We have spent a lot of money, and we probably will spend a lot more money," says Kevin Pilsbury.

It's a love affair with Seattle - that's paying off big.

Local tourism officials have set a goal of doubling Seattle cruise revenues in the next 25 years by encouraging passengers to spend more time in our area before and after their cruises.

By Theron Zahn, KOMO News

MOBILE, Ala. (AP) - The city of Mobile has a looming problem: How to pay for a more than $20 million cruise terminal that's now used for dances and weddings rather than tourist embarkations.

Carnival Cruise Lines pulled out of the city last fall, leaving Mobile without a new source of revenue to pay a debt load of $2 million annually. Officials have yet to lure another ship to the city, meaning the city budget will have to absorb the payments when a new fiscal year starts Oct. 1.

Council President Reggie Copeland says reserves can pay the debt the first year, but revenues from a possible new sales tax may be needed after that.

A cruise industry expert says Mobile hasn't done a very good job of marketing itself for another cruise ship.

By Jay Reeves, Associated Press

The summer cruise season begins today with the arrival of the Carnival Spirit at 2 p.m., kicking off a summer cruise season expected to be solid, if not spectacular.

Despite the industry’s travails elsewhere, the cruise industry is expecting to do well in Alaska, cruise officials say.

Lines with exposure to Europe have been hit with a one-two punch with that continent’s economic problems, compounded by the Costa Concordia disaster in Italy earlier this year.

In that case, the Carnival Corp. vessel ran aground and capsized, killing at least 32 of the more than 4,000 on board.

That’s scared off some cruise customers, especially first-timers, Carnival officials said. Despite that, bookings in Alaska appear to be going well, they’ve been telling Wall Street. In addition to the Costa Cruise Line, Carnival also owns Princess Cruises and Holland America Line, two of the top lines in Alaska.

Those lines’ business in North America has been surprisingly good, said Howard Frank, Carnival’s chief operating officer. He described early bookings for the Alaska market as “not spectacular” but “pretty consistent and solid” in discussions with industry analysts.

The company, which sets cruise ship schedules well in advance, had already slightly increased Alaska capacity this summer. The pricing they’re getting remains good, executives said. It is up slightly so far, while some other itineraries are down, they said.

Some of Alaska’s gains may come at the expense of Europe, Frank said. “People are doing more Alaska cruises than Europe cruises because of the cost of Europe cruises going up,” he said.

“Alaska seems to be doing OK,” despite problems elsewhere, he said. Royal Caribbean Cruises, the second-largest line, said it was doing as well or better.

“For the summer season, or Alaska product, where we are once again operating three ships, is performing well,” said Dan Hanrahan, president and CEO of Celebrity Cruises, a Royal Caribbean subsidiary.

Where the improving economy may be helping the cruise industry is not just in increased ticket prices, but also in expected increases in onboard and tour spending, Royal Caribbean executives said.

Alaska Cruise Association President John Binkley said the businesses in Alaska that depend on cruise visitors are expecting to see the start of a turnaround this year, with visitor numbers climbing towards 1 million.

That extra spending is being seen in the Interior, where more cruise passengers are already booking extended tours though the state after their cruises end, he said. While the oil pipeline funds much of the state, Binkley said Alaska’s tourist businesses see the cruise ships doing the same for them. “The cruise ships are literally a pipeline to our great state, the Cruise Alaska pipeline,” he said.

The excitement for those in the industry with today’s ship arrival means that they’ve survived another long winter, he said.

Friday, another ship will arrive. The Volendam is also an afternoon arrival. There are no ships in Juneau Saturday or Monday, then the next day without a cruise ship is in mid-September, according to Cruise Line Agencies of Alaska. Most days will have two or more ships.

By Pat Forgey, Juneau Empire

Charleston's new cruise terminal has the official green light from the City's Board of Architectural Review (BAR), which unanimously granted final approval to the project's design, according to Peter Lehman, director for cruise development at the Port of Charleston.

Wednesday's vote marked the final in a three-step process initiated last summer, when the South Carolina Ports Authority (SCPA) voluntarily entered the formal architectural review process. The BAR previously voted to grant preliminary approval in November and conceptual approval to the project last August.

Charleston Mayor Joe Riley praised the cruise terminal's design, calling it a "wonderful transformation" of an existing warehouse and a "great achievement."

"What we have now is a very fine building that graces this city," Mayor Riley said during the meeting.

The new terminal is the conversion of an existing cargo-handling building into a functional and attractive passenger terminal, and the design is reflective of input received from numerous meetings with stakeholders as well as feedback previously received from the BAR.

By incorporating public input and design influences seen around Charleston like siding, louvres and tabby, as well as maritime-influenced railing, the design fits contextually into the rest of the area.

Importantly, the conversion of the structure to a cruise operation re-knits the site into the City, replacing the chain link fence that currently surrounds the property with landscaped edges and re-establishing Concord Street through the entire site. The new cruise terminal is the first step in the larger redevelopment of Union Pier Terminal.

.

Sitka’s check from the state, however, arrived with a surprise: Fewer than 83,000 passengers who stopped at the port were assessed the tax.

It turns out that not every guest aboard a major cruise ship stopping at an Alaska port is taxed. Under state law, the $34.50 tax is assessed only for passengers who spend 72 hours or more per voyage in state waters. The Alaska Department of Revenue concluded that a third of the cruise visitors who stopped in Sitka did not qualify for the tax.

City officials are not sure why but they have seen revenue for passengers visiting the city fall from $1.3 million to $414,310 over four fiscal years.

“We’re very concerned we could see a dramatic reduction in 2012,” said the city’s public works director, Michael Harmon. “They are setting up itineraries in 2012 similar to itineraries in 2011 in which they did not have to pay, is our understanding. The information we get is very limited from the Department of Revenue so it’s very difficult to connect the dots with certainty, but that’s kind of the trend we’re seeing.”

Given the enthusiasm with which cruise lines opposed the tax when it was passed by voter initiative nearly six years ago, Sitka officials wondered if cruise companies were planning itineraries to avoid the tax on passengers, lingering outside territorial waters of the state. That’s not the case, said Sally Andrews, an executive with Holland America Line, the main cruise company that stops at Sitka.

Consumer demand for destination and sufficient time for customers to enjoy it are prime considerations, Andrews said. So are ship speed and tidal changes. The tax is not, Andrews said.

Holland America plans itineraries two to three years in advance, Andrews said, and consults with state tax officials to determine whether vessels will be in Alaska territorial waters for 72 hours.

“The tax is collected from guests and we remit that to the Alaska Department of Revenue, per Alaska law,” she said. “So the tax is paid by guests, not Holland America line. If we are not in an area for a certain amount of time, we don’t collect it. So it has no impact on our profitability, and thus would not be a reason for us to consider that.”

A voter initiative created the tax in 2006. Supporters said it would help cover the cost of infrastructure needed for large ships. Cruise interests argued the tax was unconstitutional and sued. The Alaska Legislature, at the urging of Gov. Sean Parnell, in 2010 cut the head tax from $46 to $34.50 with deeper offsets for ships stopping in Juneau or Ketchikan, and the lawsuit was dropped.

The state collected $16.4 million last year on 820,238 passengers. Johanna Bales, deputy director of the Tax Division in the Department of Revenue, said Sitka is the only Panhandle community to mention a shortfall.

Sitka officials wondered if ships were lingering in Glacier Bay, where the National Park Service exerts jurisdiction for vessel traffic, or Tracy Arm, which is surrounded by federal Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness. However, both are considered state waters, said Andrews and Chris Poag, an assistant attorney general.

Poag said specific tax cases cannot be discussed but he speculated that the shortfall for Sitka may be because of its location on the Pacific Ocean side of Baranof Island.

He suggested cruise ships transiting north from Seattle or Vancouver, British Columbia, could be in international waters beyond the Inside Passage for much of voyage and not in Alaska waters for 72 total hours, even with stops in Juneau and Ketchikan.

Juneau attorney Joe Geldhof, one of the sponsors of the 2006 initiative, said the 72-hour requirement was picked in part to reflect a sufficient link between the tax and time spent by passengers in the state.

“It just seemed like the right point, if you will, on which to strike the balance — when are you over-regulating or under-regulating,” he said.

Harmon, the Sitka public works director, said it’s of little consequence to his community if a cruise ship spends more than 72 hours in state waters.

“It impacts us the same way as if they had been in our waters for 365 days,” he said. “It wouldn’t make a difference. It’s still the same visit.”

Sitka was Alaska’s first capital. The community of nearly 9,000 bills itself as a place to enjoy a mix of Tlingit Indian and Russian-American influences.

Cruise passenger revenue must be spent on projects that benefit cruise passengers. The state share is spent on specific projects and is paying for an upgrade of Sitka Centennial Hall, the emergency assembling point for passengers.

Sitka has discretion on how to spend its $5 per cruise passenger. The money is put into a fund that has paid for security guard facilities, visitor restrooms and signs that lead to historic sites, said municipal administrator Jim Dinley.

“The main criterion always is, ‘Did we serve the cruise ship passenger?’” he said.

Andrews said Holland America expects to bring 78,000 passengers to Sitka on 41 sailings in 2012, primarily on the Oosterdam and the Westerdam.

“Both of those will be in Alaska waters more than 72 hours,” she said. “We have been collecting the applicable tax on those sailings since we began taking reservations on those sailings, which started in January of last year.”

According to the company website, those vessels are each scheduled for 20 seven-day cruises that include Sitka. Another vessel, the Amsterdam, is scheduled for one seven-day cruise.

The Amsterdam, according to the website, will also make seven 14-day voyages that include stops in Sitka.

Royal Caribbean, Azamara Cancel Egypt Calls from April to July

Royal Caribbean International and Azamara Club Cruises have canceled port calls to Egypt through July. Royal Caribbean’s Mariner of the Seas, which departs Civitavecchia, the port for Rome, on April 18 will no longer call on Alexandria on April 24. Instead, the ship will now call on Istanbul, Turkey, on April 24 and stay overnight until 7 p.m. April 25. A similar change is in place for the Mariner’s June 4 and June 28 departures.

The Mariner of the Seas’ May 11 cruise from Civitavecchia cancelled its May 18 Alexandria call and instead will spend May 16 at sea, stay overnight in Istanbul from 7 a.m. May 17 until 7 p.m. May 18 and call on Kusadasi, Turkey, on May 19 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Brilliance of the Seas, which departs Dubai on April 21 will sail a modified itinerary. The revised itinerary will Abu Dhabi and Fujairah, United Arab Emirates; Muscat, Oman; passage of the Suez Canal; Civitavecchia and Livorno, Italy; Barcelona, Spain; and nine days at sea

Azamara modified several cruises on the Azamara Quest. Its April 24 cruise from Dubai will no longer call on Alexandria on May 4 but instead will now spend May 4 at sea and call at Santorini, Greece, on May 5.

The Quest’s May 6 voyage from Athens cancelled May 12 overnight in Alexandria. Instead, the ship will overnight in Rhodes, Greece, from 1 p.m. May 10 until midnight May 11, spend May 12 at sea, and call on Paphos, Cyprus, on May 13 from 7 a.m. to midnight.

The cruise departing Haifa, Israel, on May 16 will no longer overnight in Alexandria May 19-20. Instead, the ship will now call on Paphos, Cyprus, on May 19 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and overnight in Rhodes from 1 p.m. May 20 until 5 p.m. May 21.

“AIDAcara” inaugurates extended Ostseekai season

Kiel, March 29, 2012: The Port of Kiel opens its 2012 cruise shipping season on Saturday, March 31st. With a firework display to see her off, this year’s first guest, “AIDAcara” will leave the port’s Ostseekai Terminal around 1700 for the Norwegian fiords. Dr Dirk Claus, Managing Director of the Port of Kiel (SEEHAFEN KIEL GmbH & Co. KG), said: “we are well prepared and looking forward to the new season, which will, once again, be longer than last year. It won’t be long before cruise ships are sailing in northern Europe the whole year round.” This year’s season will last until mid December and, during it, 26 different cruise ships are registered to call a total of 137 times. The most frequent guests will be the vessels of shipping companies AIDA, Costa, MSC and TUI Cruises, which, like the ships of many well-known classic German travel companies, regularly call at Kiel to exchange passengers. For the first time three ships in the MSC Crociere fleet – “MSC Magnifica”, “MSC Poesia” and “MSC Lirica” will call at Kiel. During the Kieler Woche between June 16th and 24th eleven cruise ships will visit Kiel fourteen times, along with the “Star Flyer” under full sail. This year no fewer than eight cruise ships will call at Kiel for the first time, among them Cunard’s “Queen Elizabeth” which is expected at the Ostseekai Terminal on July 24th.

Regular maintenance and overhaul work on gangways and operational areas was all completed punctually at the Ostseekai Terminal in time for the start of the new season. One new feature is that the terminal facility is now eco-powered – meaning that its electricity is 100% generated by water. In addition the waste disposal system has been adapted so that ships can now offload paper, plastic and residual waste separately. “This is a step in the right direction”, said Dirk Claus. “We are also working with our partners to provide the ships of the future with shore-based electric power.” As far as service is concerned Kiel has for many years set great store by the best handling quality available for ships and passengers. Efforts like these, made by all the companies involved in ship handling in the Port of Kiel, have just been acknowledged at the world’s biggest trade fair of its kind, Cruise Shipping Miami, with no fewer than three awards from the trade publication “Cruise-Inside”. The magazine voted Kiel the best in the categories “Most efficient Terminal Operation”, “Best customer-oriented Port” and “Most efficient Port Services”. Dirk Claus said “our efforts are winning national as well as international recognition. Kiel’s job now is to expand its capacities by creating a third terminal berth for big cruise ships”.

Berth No. 1 in Kiel’s Ostuferhafen will be extended to do just that, so that next year it will be ready to handle cruise ships of the 300 m category. The terminal facility has 395 m of quayside and has all the amenities required to process cruise ships including a handling building big enough to process passengers and luggage. Still primarily a start and end port for cruises, Kiel is also gaining importance as a port of call for day excursions. “The number of ships calling at Kiel with international passengers on board, will rise steeply this year”, said Dirk Claus. “Our efforts to market tourist destinations in the German federal state of Schleswig-Holstein are beginning to bear fruit. Among the ships calling at Kiel this year as part of ongoing cruises are, for example, Holland-America Line’s “Eurodam” and “Rotterdam” as well as “Saga Ruby”. New to Kiel is the “Thomson Spirit” while Fred Olsen’s “Black Watch”, although a regular visitor to the port, will call this year for the first time during an Advent cruise. This year’s cruise shipping season in Kiel ends later than in previous years – on December 15th to be exact - when the Phoenix Seereisen cruise ship “Amadea” leaves the Norwegenkai Terminal.

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According to the St. Christopher Air and Sea Ports Authority, 305 cruise liners carrying 600,131 passengers sailed into St Kitts in 2011, reflecting growth of nearly 40 per cent in two years.

Consequently, an estimated EC$30.1 million (US$11.1 million) was pumped into the St Kitts and Nevis economy by passengers, the Government reported.

Bringing in the most passengers were Carnival Cruise Line (194,516), Royal Caribbean International (109,774) and Celebrity Cruise Lines (109,774)