Cruise: San Diego
The Port of San Diego’s 2016-2017 cruise season kicked off last week with the arrival of the Disney Wonder. The 2,700-passenger vessel berthed at the Port’s B Street Cruise Ship Terminal, where guests boarded for a 14-night repositioning cruise through the Panama Canal to Port Canaveral, Florida with stops in Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Cartagena, Colombia; and Cozumel, Mexico.
Currently 90 cruise calls are scheduled for this season, up 30 percent from last year. The port has seen its cruise business making a steady climb the last two years after struggling through the recession.
"The Port of San Diego’s cruise business is coming back in a big way," said Marshall Merrifield, Chairman of the Board of Port Commissioners. "We are making improvements to our B Street facility, including adding an escalator, to meet the growing demand. We’ve been working with our cruise partners over the last couple of years, making improvements to port security and enhancing itineraries. That, combined with an improved U.S. economy, has contributed to this resurgence."
The Port’s homeported (cruises that begin and end in San Diego) lines are Disney Cruise Line, Norwegian Cruise Lines, Holland America Line and Celebrity Cruises. An economic impact study covering the Port’s cruise business for the 2015 calendar year found that each homeported cruise generated an average of nearly $2 million in economic impact to the region. The study also found that the Port’s cruise business contributed $82 million in overall economic impact to the San Diego region. It also demonstrated that about $46.8 million was spent on local businesses and that it contributed to $22.3 million in employment earnings.
The Disney Wonder leaving San Diego Bay in 2015
Photo / Port of San Diego