Portland welcomes first cruise ship in expected record season
Courtesy / City of Portland
The Artania was the first cruise ship of the 2018 season to arrive in Portland this Wednesday. The city expects a record 118 passenger vessel visits this year from April to November bringing more than 230,000 passengers and crew.
The 2018 cruise ship season is officially underway, as Portland welcomed the first vessel this week of what is expected to be a record season.
Wednesday saw the arrival of the Artania with 1,200 passengers and 520 crew, which berthed at the Portland Ocean Terminal for seven hours before heading to Halifax, Nova Scotia, in Canada.
Portland will see two other ship visits this month (April 28 and 29) and nine in May before kicking into high gear over the summer. It expects a record 118 ship visits this year, carrying more than 170,000 passengers and more than 66,000 crew members.
Portland’s cruise ship schedule runs through Nov. 7, ending with the 296-passenger, Bahamas-registered Silver Wind, which is owned by Silversea Cruises.
Portland welcomed 103 ships in 2017 and continues to grow as a tourist destination.
Maine as a whole is experiencing a boom in passenger ship traffic, bringing more first-time cruisers and out-of-state travelers to its shores.
The cruise ship activity is in addition to The Cat, which will ferry visitors daily between Portland and Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, beginning in June.
This season also marks the third year of the city’s Waterfront Marketplace where local street vendors and artists can set up their displays between Ocean Gateway and the Portland Ocean Terminal on cruise ship days with 1,000-plus passengers. For more information on the Waterfront Marketplace, click here.
Most Recent
Most Recent
Comments