Port of Seattle Kicks off Its Biggest Cruise Season Ever

Port of Seattle/Don Wilson The Port of Seattle is ready for 2017 cruise season during which it expects to host one million passengers on 218 vessels. Compared to 2016 cruise season, a total of 203 vessels carrying 983,539 cruise ship guests visited the port. With eleven different ships offering Alaska cruise itineraries, Seattle is said to rank as the biggest cruise port on the US West Coast. Ships carrying a record number of cruise passengers will arrive at the ports two terminals, Bell Street Pier Cruise Terminal at Pier 66 and Smith Cove Cruise Terminal at Pier 91. This year, the port is opening the renovated Pier 66 cruise facility homeport for Norwegian Cruise Line. In 2015, the Port of Seattle signed a 15-year lease with Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH), a parent company of  NCL, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises, to serve as a homeport for the company’s cruise ships sailing to Alaska. The cruise season is scheduled to start on April 29 with the arrival of Holland America Lines Eurodam and close on October 20 with the visit of Princess Cruises Star Princess, according to the ports data.