Three cruise ships visited Catalina Island this week, giving a boost to the visitor count.
The Grand Princess and the Sapphire Princess, each 2,600-passenger vessels, came to the Island in addition to the regular cruise line, according to Wayne Griffin, president and CEO of the Catalina Island Chamber of Commerce.
Three cruise ships visited Catalina Island this week, giving a boost to the visitor count.
The Grand Princess and the Sapphire Princess, each 2,600-passenger vessels, came to the Island in addition to the regular cruise line, according to Wayne Griffin, president and CEO of the Catalina Island Chamber of Commerce.
“We’ve got some extra ones coming up in the next few weeks,” Griffin said. The Sapphire Princess will be back in two weeks, he said. The Century, an 1,800-passenger vessel, will also come to Catalina on Saturday, April 20, adding to the Island’s overall visitor count.
According to Griffin, the additional cruise ship traffic comes twice a year, in the spring and the fall. In the spring, the ships are going to Alaska.
In the fall, the ships will be coming from Alaska.
Griffin described the spring as “a good time of year for us.”
Griffin said the Chamber works with the cruise lines to keep the cruise ships visiting Catalina.
He called the spring cruise ship visits a huge boom to tourism. “It’s all good stuff,” Griffin said.
The Alaskan cruises aren’t the only cruise ships that will be contributing to Catalina’s tourist count.
Carnival Cruise Line currently sends one ship, the Inspiration, to Catalina.
However, a second Carnival vessel called the Imagination will begin visiting Catalina in January 2014.
The new ship can carry 2,052 passengers.
“Carnival Imagination has undergone an extensive renovation and includes an expansive WaterWorks aqua park, a Serenity adults-only retreat, and a tropical-themed resort-style main pool area, renovated spa and children’s facilities, and more,” said a Carnival statement issued earlier this year.
The Imagination is expected to visit Catalina on Mondays, while the Inspiration will continue to visit on Tuesdays.
