The Port of San Diego’s cruise season kicked off Sept. 9 with the arrival of Celebrity Cruises’ Infinity. The 2,170-passenger vessel stopped at San Diego harbor as part of a nine-night Pacific coastal cruise that began and ends in San Francisco. The cruise also visits Monterey, Santa Barbara, Catalina and Ensenada.
Last year, the Port of San Diego completed a $31 million project that completely redesigned its North Embarcadero area, adjacent to where the cruise ships berth. Improvements encompassed an area from the Midway Pier to the B Street Cruise Ship Terminal. Widened esplanades, public seating areas, jacaranda groves and public art now greet cruise guests as they embark or disembark, creating a grand first impression of San Diego for cruise visitors.
The port’s cruise season runs from September through May. Currently, 65 vessels are scheduled to arrive, a number that could change as the season progresses, according to the port.
The port’s homeported lines are Disney Cruise Lines, Norwegian Cruise Lines, Holland America Line and Celebrity Cruises. On average, each homeported cruise has an economic impact of $2 million to the region, according to the port, with that impact coming from passenger spending, businesses servicing the vessel, transportation services, crew spending and more.
