SEATTLE — Friday is a big day for the Seattle tourist season — the cruise ships are back in town!
Port of Seattle officials say this cruise season will last about six months, with more passengers than ever before.
Chris Guizlo with the Port of Seattle tells us the first ship of the season, the Norwegian Jade, pulled into the Port on Friday morning.
“It’s a busy day down at the dock, they are unloading all the guests’ luggage, getting off, loading everybody else’s on,” Guizlo said.
The Norwegian Jade pushes off the docks Friday evening; it’s the first of 330 sailings out of Seattle between now and October.
“We are expecting more than in previous years, just over 2.1 million passengers,” Guizlo said.
This year, Port of Seattle Commissioner Ryan Calkins said almost all of the 26 ships coming to port will plug into “shore power”.
“The shore power system kind of looks like a giant plug-in for an appliance at home, the difference is that plug carries enough power for a small city, a city the size of Edmonds,” Calkins said.
Port officials say Seattle is pioneering that green effort.
“We are one of the first to do it at this level. We are one of the first docks to have shore power enabled,” Guizlo said.
2026 is expected to break several records, both in the number of passengers and the money those passengers are predicted to spend while in town before and after their trips.
“Whenever people come for their cruise, they come in advance or stay after; that’s a huge benefit for hotels and restaurants and those who bring things on and off the ship,” Guizlo said.
He says $1.2 billion is expected to be generated by those tourists, more than any previous season.
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