THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, August 30, 1996 TAG: 9608300534
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: D1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY CHRISTOPHER DINSMORE, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 82 lines
A cruise ship will call at Nauticus in downtown Norfolk twice this fall, providing a one-day burst of activity for merchants as hundreds of passengers come ashore.
The 676-foot Royal Odyssey will tie up at the Nauticus pier on Sept. 27 and Nov. 2 as part of a Colonial Cruise, Norwegian Cruise Line confirmed Thursday.
Cruise passengers will be offered bus tours to Williamsburg and Yorktown during the 12-hour visit, but those who don't go will likely give a boost the National Maritime Center and downtown Norfolk retailers and restaurants.
The vessel can accommodate up to 775 passengers.
``There will be 750 passengers who get off that ship within a few hundred yards of Waterside who will be exploring the city,'' said David Guernsey, executive director of Nauticus. ``We hope they will visit Nauticus as well.''
Norwegian Cruise Line's decision to call Norfolk instead of Newport News might have come at an awkward time for the state.
The Virginia Port Authority is planning a $2 million cruise facility at Newport News Marine Terminal's Pier B to attract more cruise business. The design work is under way, and it could open by next fall.
Cruise lines visiting Hampton Roads typically berth at the cargo terminal adjacent to downtown Newport News. Four cruise ships called in Newport News in 1995 and nine came in 1994.
``It's a lot nicer to be let off at the foot of a city than it is to be let off in some container port,'' Guernsey said.
``Newport News doesn't have much to offer downtown in the way of shopping and restaurants,'' said Tom Host, vice president of T. Parker Host Inc., the ship's agent in the port.
``The line made the decision to bring it over to Norfolk in order to accommodate the passengers who don't go to Williamsburg, but may want to go ashore and go shopping,'' Host said.
Typically, only about half the passengers on the Colonial Cruise's opt to go on Williamsburg/Yorktown excursion, which costs extra, Host said.
Since the Royal Odyssey attracts repeat customers, Norwegian Cruise Line likes to vary its port calls, said spokeswoman Fran Sevcik.
``Norfolk offers some wonderful opportunities for shore excursions,'' she added.
Years ago, cruise ships called at Norfolk International Terminals, but as that cargo terminal grew busier port officials moved cruise calls over to Newport News. Cargo volume at that terminal has since picked up, but port officials believe it is still the best place for cruise ships.
The cruise ship pier in Newport News is the farthest from cargo activities, close to good highways and has adjacent city land for passenger parking, said Joseph A. Dorto, president and general manager of Virginia International Terminals Inc., which operates the state-owned marine terminals in Norfolk, Portsmouth and Newport News.
It's also closer to Williamsburg and Yorktown, key attractions for cruises visiting the region.
``How much money do you spend at Nauticus to accommodate cruise ships?'' Dorto asked. ``And you can't accommodate them all because the big ones are going to hang out into the channel.''
Indeed, the Royal Odyssey is about the biggest cruise ship that could tie up at Nauticus, Host said.
And new cruise ships being built dwarf the 28,000-ton Royal Odyssey. The Carnival Destiny, which will visit Hampton Roads in November for its maiden voyage with paying passengers, is the size of an aircraft carrier.
The Carnival Destiny weighs about 101,000 tons, is 893 feet long and 116 feet wide and is able to carry more than 4,000 passengers.
But Nauticus doesn't need to modify its pier to berth the Royal Odyssey.
The Royal Odyssey will arrive at Nauticus at 8 a.m. and sail at 7 p.m. The first Colonial Cruise originates in the Bahamas, stopping at Savannah, Ga., Charleston, S.C., Norfolk on Sept. 27, Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York. The second cruise makes the trip in reverse, calling on Norfolk Nov. 2.
The Royal Odyssey's visits this fall may be just the beginning for cruise ships visiting Norfolk again.
``We've got some stuff pending for '97 and '98,'' Guernsey said. ``Nothing's been signed yet though.'' ILLUSTRATION: Information Box
WHAT HAPPENED: The Royal Odyssey, on its way from the Bahamas to New
York and back, will call on Norfolk for one-day stops on Sept. 27
and Nov. 2. WHAT IT
MEANS: The Norwegian Cruise Line's decision to call on Norfolk
instead of Newport News means up to 775 passengers could become
downtown Norfolk consumers. by CNB