Cruise ship 2019 season officially sails into Prince Rupert

Several hundreds of passengers aboard the Seven Seas Mariner docked by the Northland Terminal at one in the afternoon on Thursday, May 23. Jacquine Jones sat with her friend inside the Prince Rupert Ambassador booth on the Atlin Promenade, eagerly awaiting to answer questions and hand out pamphlets to the newcomers. This marked the beginning of the 2019 cruise ship season.

“So far it’s been going great. So far everyone has been friendly and asking a lot of questions,” Jones said.

Jones has been a volunteer ambassador for four years. She is equipped with pins and three different flyers to hand out to tourists from insider guides to Prince Rupert’s natural beauties to a list of local shops.

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Regent is the first cruise line to enter the port this season bringing with them 700 passengers who will roam the city for nine hours until their departure time at 10:00 p.m. where they will be sailing off to their next destination.

This year’s cruise ship season will see a total of 22 ships to call totalling 11,138 passengers, just over 1,000 more passengers than the 2018 season.

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Once again the biggest cruise ship to call in Prince Rupert is going to be Crystal’s Crystal Symphony ship bringing in 922 passengers for a 10-hour visit to the North Coast on Aug. 7. Star Legend’s Windstar is scheduled to make four appearances throughout summer, the most out of any cruise line. They will bring in 212 passengers per visit.

“You meet a lot of interesting people from different parts of the world, which is a really neat experience,” Jones said.

Jones is eager to share her own experience with visitors. She likes to recommend Rushbrook Trail for outdoor enthusiasts, the two uptown museums for the historical savants, and a stroll through Cow Bay for those who like long walks by a boardwalk.