Personal Injury Law

Cruise ships to drop anchor ? and cash

By Lipcon, Margulies & Alsina, P.A.

Several cruise operators who this week suspended calls to Mexican ports over the swine flu scare will divert ships to the Port of San Diego, giving the region an unexpected economic boost.

At least 12 unscheduled cruise ships will stop for the day, and in at least one case overnight, during the next two weeks. That could generate as much as $12 million for San Diego restaurants, retail stores and attractions, as well as companies that service and provide supplies to the cruise ships, according to a study by the Cruise Lines International Association.

The first two of the diverted cruise ships are expected to arrive today, carrying a collective 5,000 passengers. Princess Cruises' Sapphire Princess, which was diverted from Ensenada, will arrive about 7 a.m. and leave at 6 p.m., while Royal Caribbean's Serenade of the Seas, which skipped its Acapulco port call, arrives at noon and departs around midnight.

Another two diverted cruise ships, carrying a total of 2,300 passengers, will dock tomorrow. Cruise operators have arranged to have other ships dock through May 14.

?It's going to be bustling here,? said Marguerite Elicone, a spokeswoman for the port. ?Economically, it's an added blessing that, unfortunately, came out of a bad situation. But we hope the passengers will get off the ships and try the shops and attractions along the waterfront.?

Major cruise-ship operators such as Carnival, Royal Caribbean International and Norwegian Cruise Line on Tuesday abruptly canceled port calls to Mexico, both for ships that were already sailing and for future voyages.

The temporary suspension of port calls in Mexico ? most cruise operators have been vague about when the ban will be lifted ? came after a recommendation by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to avoid nonessential travel to Mexico.

Among the cruise ships disrupted was the Elation, a Carnival ship that is berthed in San Diego. The ship makes twice-weekly cruises to Ensenada.

Because the Elation begins and ends its voyages in San Diego, rather than making a daylong or overnight port stop here, its economic impact is not as great for local businesses because passengers tend not to take local tours or wander around and browse, local retailers say.

Which is why some businesses in Seaport Village were feeling a little festive yesterday. It's as if Christmas ? a bleak retail season last year as the economy tanked ? is arriving now, with steamer trunks in tow.

?This will absolutely bring a huge increase in sales, without a doubt,? said Lindsay Martin, owner of California Original Sunglasses, a Seaport Village vendor. ?Spring break is over and summer hasn't yet begun, so this will keep us a little busier.?

Terry Hall, general manager of Seaport Village, said her management team scrambled yesterday to hire a professional greeter to welcome passengers dockside, and a shuttle to ferry them to Seaport Village's 17 restaurants and 48 retailers.

?Believe me, shuttles are hard to find on short notice, but we'll have one running back and forth all day long,? Hall said. ?We had to reroute a few things in the budget, but we figured the expense will be worth it.?

Jimmy Parker, a spokesman for the Gaslamp Quarter Association, said downtown retailers and restaurants are also looking forward to the temporary flood of cruise passengers.

Typically, cruise ships that dock in San Diego arrive early in the morning and depart before downtown shops and nightclubs get into full swing, Parker said. This time it appears the Gaslamp will get a crack at some of that business, he said.

?Based on the timing and the longer stays, it could be quite lucrative,? Parker said. ?It certainly can't hurt, and it gives us another opportunity to showcase San Diego, so it is good for everybody.?

Whether the port gets additional cruise ships that make port calls in San Diego after May 14 is uncertain, because the course of the swine flu outbreak is unpredictable and the traditional cruise season winds down at the end of May, port officials said.

Full post as published by Cruise Ship Law on April 30, 2009 (boomark / email).