Cruise ships depart to alaska from both Seattle and Vancouver, B.C. Business has shifted back and forth between the two ports for the past several years.
Despite the crowded docks, the Port of Seattle expects to see about 62,350 fewer cruise goers this year than in 2010 — a $53 million drop in income for the city, according to the Port.
This year’s drop [from 223] to 195 planned departures is partly due to Princess Cruises and the Holland America Line each moving one ship to Europe.
While Seattle is seeing a slump, business in Vancouver is booming. The Canadian port expects a 15 percent increase in voyages this year, said a Port Metro Vancouver spokesman. Last year, when the number of ships coming into Seattle hit that all-time high, Vancouver’s business dropped 31 percent.
The two ports have been dueling for liners since the first cruise ship set off from the Port of Seattle to Alaska in 1999. It was one of six vessels that made Seattle its home port that year as the city broke into a field Vancouver had dominated since the 1970s.