Sunday, March 09, 2008

Do you know the way out of Cow Bay…?


Maybe we could get Dionne Warwick to put together a civic travel song for us, a light little ballad extolling the virtues and pathways out of Cow Bay!

The Port of Prince Rupert has plans to welcome an additional five cruise ship visits this year, bringing the total number of visits to 65 and the feet on the ground count to 103,000 visitors, all hopefully happy visitors by the time that this years Cruise ship season comes to an end in September.

The first ship into port this year will call on Rupert on May the 1st when the 2,240-passenger vessel Norwegian Star makes her first call of the year on the port. The last ship of the year will be the Infinity which will tie up on September 22nd for a port call.

In between 63 other visits will take place, releasing their captive audiences onto the streets of Prince Rupert eager for a sampling of life with the locals. In order to make sure they can find their way downtown and around town, 90 thousand dollars worth of beautification projects are underway, in order to provide an enhanced experience for visitors when they come through the gates of the cruise ship terminal.

Once ashore, they’ll find some new signage to help steer them in the right direction, where Heritage signs will encourage people to take a slow stroll through the area and explore the shopping and cultural areas of the city.

The Opinion 250 website had a preview of what officials have planned for the city as cruise ship season planning moves forward, all in anticipation of that firs visit on May the 1st.

Improved Prince Rupert Guest Experiences to Greet 2008 Cruise Passengers
By
250 News
Sunday, March 09, 2008 03:58 AM

Prince Rupert, B.C.- The Port of Prince Rupert is projecting a modest growth year in cruise ship visits and passengers in 2008. However, it will be the focus on improving guest experiences by offering more tourist-friendly services in Prince Rupert, as well as more diverse world-class shore excursions, which will highlight the 2008 cruise season.

The port city will welcome 65 large cruise ships and 103,000 passengers, compared to 60 ships and 100,000 in 2007 and 32 ships and 62,845 passengers in 2006, continuing its steady growth since the opening of the Northland Cruise Terminal in 2004.

In addition, Celebrity Cruise Lines is increasing its calls on Prince Rupert from two visits to five with the Mercury and Infinity, Royal Caribbean's Serenade of the Seas will be making port calls with sister ship Rhapsody of the Seas, and Norwegian Cruise Lines is extending Norwegian Star's visit each Thursday to six hours to increase shore excursion opportunities for their guests. The 2008 cruise season will begin with the arrival of the 2,240-passenger Norwegian Star on May 1 and end with the 1,950-passenger Infinity on September 22.

This year's cruise visitors will benefit from a number of city enhancements to make their stay more satisfying. The City of Prince Rupert is investing $90,000 in beautification projects along the waterfront surrounding the cruise terminal. In addition, the Prince Rupert Port Authority is partnering with the City of Prince Rupert, Prince Rupert Economic Development Corporation and Tourism Prince Rupert to implement a way-finding program that will enhance cruise visitors' experience in and around the city when they begin arriving this year.

"The way finding program is part of our continuing efforts to help make our guests feel at home in Prince Rupert," explains Tourism Prince Rupert Executive Director Bruce Wishart. "We'll offer user-friendly brochures and associated directional signage, so that they can easily move about the city and find the shopping and attractions in which they are interested. Heritage signs will encourage people to linger in the shopping and cultural areas of the city, and at the same time learn more about our history and culture."

The Port of Prince Rupert also has been focusing its energies on the shore excursion program - to give cruise guests more diverse and value-added shore excursion experiences that capitalize on 'where Canada's wilderness begins' strengths: world-class wildlife viewing; stunning scenery; and 10,000 years of unique First Nations culture.

Other cruise to Prince Rupert highlights for 2008 include:

Number of unique shore excursions increased to 28 tours;

Expanded tour capacity of the increasingly popular Khuzemateen Grizzly Bear Sanctuary, a one-of-its kind protected area, home to 40-60 grizzlies and a myriad of other land and sea mammals and birds, that tour operators say visitors can get so 'up close and personal' they can hear the grizzlies munching on grass;

Jet boat tour and nature walk along the Skeena River, a spectacular ocean estuary surrounded by towering snow-capped mountains and teeming with wildlife, also known as the "River of Mists" and an ancient Indian trade route

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