Port of Seattle prepares for record-breaking cruise season

The Port of Seattle is set to start a record-breaking cruise season Saturday, with nearly 300 scheduled ship calls bringing an estimated 1.9 million passengers to the city, officials said.

“We’re expecting 298 calls this year, and that will be a new record for us,” said Linda Springmann, director of Cruise Business and Elliott Bay Operations at the Port of Seattle.

“The vast majority of the ships homeporting in Seattle are doing seven-day cruises up to Alaska,” Springmann said. “They visit Sitka, Juneau, Ketchikan, Skagway, experience a glacier, and then stop in Victoria before returning to Seattle.”

Other destinations include Asia, Australia, Mexico, the Caribbean, and South America.

“So there are opportunities to arrive in Seattle from some of these far-flung destinations, which are pretty incredible as well,” she said.

Springmann said 14 ships will be homeported in Seattle, with several others passing through on their way to their Vancouver home port. The cruise industry’s economic impact in Washington state is estimated at $900 million, benefiting businesses across the region.
“Hotels, restaurants, businesses, tourist attractions, and gift shops benefit as part of that $900 million, and that’s not only in the downtown core,” she said.

Port of Seattle prepares for record-breaking season

Businesses in other areas, including Eastside wineries, also benefit. In addition to tourism revenue, the industry supports thousands of local jobs, she said.

“We expect 5,500 jobs to be attributed to the cruise industry,” she said.

That includes security teams, longshore workers, and other support roles.

Another key factor in the cruise industry’s economic influence is provisioning. Ships departing for Alaska stock up in Seattle on produce, dairy products, and cleaning supplies.

Springmann does not expect the cruise season to be significantly affected by the tariffs that have been making headlines lately.

“The brands calling in Seattle have a high majority of domestic guests,” she said. “We have a new brand this year, and we’re really excited to welcome Cunard Line’s Queen Elizabeth, which will be sailing out of Seattle. She sources a bit more internationally, but we’re not hearing of any changes at this point. It’s on everyone’s radar, but for now, we’re watching and not expecting any significant changes.

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