The Port of San Diego to welcome 3 cruise ships on Tuesday, May 7, bringing thousands of passengers to the port city.
Two of the vessels, the Celebrity Solstice and the Oceania Regatta , will be making their inaugural visits to the Port of San Diego. At 1,041 feet, the Solstice is the longest in length cruise ship to call on San Diego. The third visitor is Holland America Line's Zuiderdam.
Passengers will be debarking the three cruise ships between 9 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. Many will be boarding tour buses for shoreside excursions and there will be a large number of taxis, shuttles and private vehicles picking up other passengers.
San Diego's cruise business benefits the region's economy. Each cruise that begins and ends its voyage in San Diego has an economic impact of $2 million. This amount is attributed to passenger spending, as well as refueling, vessel maintenance and restocking of supplies.
In 2012, 87 cruise ships called at the Port of San Diego. The Port anticipates 77 cruise visits in 2013. This number is significantly lower than in 2008, when the cruise business was at its peak. That year, the Port had 255 cruise calls. The Port anticipates that the cruise business will begin to recover in 2015 or 2016.