Monterey welcomes first cruise ship of a busy season

Monterey The Monterey Peninsula should prove to be a popular port of call for cruise ships this spring and summer.

The Celebrity Cruises’ Infinity ship that appeared in the Monterey Bay on Friday was just the first of a slew of cruise ships expected to make a stop in the coming weeks. Eleven cruise liners are scheduled to make stops in Monterey before the end of the year, each of them unloading passengers to recreate and visit various attractions.

The number of visitors is “greater in number this year,” said Kim Bui-Burton, Monterey’s community services director. She noted that the Monterey Bay saw seven or eight cruise liners make an appearance in 2015, but that last year that number dipped a little lower. “I think the cruise ship industry is picking up a bit.”

In fact, a 2017 report from Cruise Lines International Association noted that cruise travel is growing at a steady pace, with greatest interest in river tours, “green cruises” and shorter cruises.

Included in the cruise ship lines scheduled to visit in the coming weeks is Europa Cruise Lines, the private cruise ship “The World,” Princess Cruise Lines’ the Ruby Princess and the Seabourn Sojourn ship.

But, according to Bui-Burton, when they do stop it’s not just as easy as transporting a bunch of passengers to the dock and then transporting them back to their ship when they’re ready to go.

With ship travel in open seas, Monterey Harbor staff has the responsibility of setting up a security area at Fisherman’s Wharf and strictly monitoring arriving cruise ships.

“We’re actually required to have a Homeland Securities Plan,” said Bui-Burton, noting that includes inspecting the wharf for bombs. “It’s actually quite an elaborate system.”

Bui-Burton estimated that usually two or three harbor crew members who have Transportation Worker Identification Credentials are involved in setting up a site similar to a Transportation Security Agency checkpoint.

“They work with the Coast Guard and other folks basically implementing homeland security,” she said, describing their setup as similar to a “mini airport.” Cruise ship companies pay $7 per passenger to cover the cost of these arrangements with the city. The city makes money in other ways too.

A 2014 Cruise Lines International Association Cruise Industry Global Economic Impact report noted the average daily passenger spends $134.72. Crew members also spend money at local restaurants, stores and attractions.

On Friday’s Celebrity Cruise ship, which was just here for the day, there were 2,127 passengers. Most of the visiting cruise ships are scheduled to just stop for a day, although The World private cruise ship is scheduled to be off Monterey from June 18-20.

“One good thing is that it brings a lot of visitors to Monterey without vehicles,” said Bui-Burton, noting that the city and businesses benefit without the usual traffic congestion and environmental impacts.

She also noted how seriously the city takes the environmental requirements that the ships have to adhere to.

“We require an environmental agreement with each ship that they’re not going to discharge anything into the marine sanctuary and that there would be penalties if they do,” she said.

Carly Mayberry can be reached at 831-726-4363.