The number of cruise ships planning stops in Nanaimo this year is down drastically from 2013.
Nanaimo Port Authority Sales Manager Doug Peterson says 2 ships will be docking in Nanaimo: The Grand Princess on May 16th and the Celebrity Solstice on Sept 19th. The Celebrity Solstice will be the biggest ship so far to visit the city, carrying some 3-thousand passengers.
Peterson describes it as a “low-cycle” for Nanaimo’s cruise ship terminal, and says they don’t expect it to be a long term trend.
He says the cruise ship industry is cutting costs and making fewer stops at smaller ports, and they’re talking with the cruise lines about ways to boost visits during the summer cruise season.
In 2013, the 6 full-sized ships and 2 “pocket” cruisers that called at the Port of Nanaimo brought more than 12-thousand visitors.
