The cruise ship season in Saint John will ramp up over the next few weeks.
Thursday is the first double ship day this year with nearly 6,000 passengers expected.
The first of seven triple ship days this season is scheduled for Thursday of next week.
Natalie Allaby, director of cruise excellence at Port Saint John, is among those who look forward to this time of the year.
“I think we’re all just really excited for that consistency that the cruise season brings in September and October. It certainly is a little more sparse, a little more infrequent in the summer months,” Allaby told our newsroom.
Fifty-nine cruise ship calls are scheduled to take place between now and the end of the season on Nov. 4. By contrast, the city saw 16 cruise ship calls during the first four months of the season.
“We’re certainly still working away at trying to build summer, that’s where we have the opportunity to take on more ships, but it is, I know, appreciated by the business community from an economic impact standpoint that they’re getting those tourism dollars for many weeks still to come,” said Allaby.
Allaby said the season has gone well so far with great weather and a lot of good feedback from cruise ship passengers.
Cruise ships have been arriving at or beyond capacity, which she said is a signal that there is great interest in Saint John as a destination.
The city is expecting 75 cruise ship visits and more than 171,000 passengers this year, but Allaby said there is always the possibility of cancellations or pick-ups due to weather.
