About 30,000 cruise ship passengers are expected to arrive in Haines this summer on 25 dockings, tourism director Tanya Carlson said last week.
Her estimate of 30,611 passengers, based on double occupancy, would be a 12 percent increase from the 27,263 passengers who visited Haines in 2011, when there were 23 dockings and two cancellations.
“We definitely need more people, but I think it’s great that we have an increase this year. Every little bit counts,” Carlson said. “With the coupon book, I’m hoping we can get more people into the stores spending money, rather than coming off the cruise ship, just asking how to get to Skagway with their coupons for Diamonds International.”
The first vessel is scheduled to arrive 2:45 p.m. Friday, May 11, and depart at 5:30 p.m. It’s the first of three, 49-passenger dockings from Alaskan Dream Cruises, a Sitka-based company launched by Allen Marine Tours. Other Alaskan Dream stops in Haines are Tuesday, July 10, and Sunday, Sept. 2.
The Zaandam, a 1,440-passenger Holland America ship, first calls on Wednesday, May 23, and alternates with the 1,266-passenger Statendam for 18 dockings through Sept. 19, from 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Princess Cruise Lines’ Sea Princess, with a 1,950-passenger capacity, is set to visit Thursday, June 7; Tuesday, July 17; and Thursday, Aug. 16. Carlson noted the Sea Princess previously made only two stops in Haines.
The World by ResidenSea arrives Tuesday, July 31. According to the ship’s website, the vessel has continuously circumnavigated the globe since 2002, includes 165 private onboard residences and, at 644 feet, is the globe’s largest privately owned yacht.
“I know they’ve been here before,” Carlson said. “I’m not sure what their passenger count will be, because it is kind of a live-on, and then they also take guests on-board, as well, but their capacity is about 260 people.”
The 922-passenger Crystal Symphony, 684-passenger Oceania Regatta, and the Orion II, a 100-passenger ship from Australia, are not on the schedule this year.
“We don’t have our one-off ships that are coming in this year, like we had the Oceania last year,” Carlson said. “It was their first year in Alaska last year; I think they were just kind of testing the waters, and then they came up with a few different itineraries that they’re going to come back with next year.”
She also is expecting 13,733 crew members to arrive in Haines this summer, up from 11,930 in 2011.