Home port
As traffic through Boston increases, travelers from the area enjoy greater convenience and more options for destinations
 Passengers disembark from the Carnival Victory in South Boston. (Erik Jacobs for the Boston Globe) |
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It was a Sunday in mid-September and the cruise ship Carnival Victory was visiting Boston on a one-day port of call. A meandering line of taxis and private vehicles wound its way to the Black Falcon Terminal under the watchful eyes of more than a dozen police officers while porters trundled luggage on dollies into the hold of the mammoth ship.
About 20 buses, 10 trolleys, a duck boat, and a flotilla of taxis waited to carry visitors on guided tours during their one-day stay in the city.
"The cruise business is booming in Boston, but I don't think most people are aware of it. It's largely unseen by residents because the dock is in such an isolated area," said Norman James, co-owner of Pitcairn Tours, who was overseeing a staff of more than 40 guides waiting for passengers to disembark.
Why Boston? It's a matter of space, said Tina Spencer, co-owner of Destination Canada New England, which offers tours for cruise lines from Newport, R.I., to Canada. "The New England market is a growth market. The ports of Alaska and Europe are full," she said.
Last year cruise ships either docked in Boston or embarked from the city for Europe, Canada, Bermuda, and the Caribbean 81 times. Those ships carried 209,000 passengers. This year, vessels are expected to visit 101 times and carry 250,000 passengers.
Fall is the busy season when ships visit ports along the New England coast for foliage season. Ships depart for Europe and Bermuda regularly.
Fifteen cruise lines serve the port of Boston, including Carnival, Norwegian, Princess, and Royal Caribbean. Three ships - the Jewel of the Seas, the Norwegian Majesty, and the Maasdam - call Boston their home port.
In fact, Massachusetts ranks fourth among the states - behind Florida, California, and Texas - in resident cruise passengers, with half a million residents enjoying a cruise vacation in 2006. The Massachusetts Port Authority is intent on getting more of them to depart from Boston. "We've made a commitment to making cruising from the city convenient and making Boston an outstanding destination city," said Michael Leone, director of the Port of Boston for Massport.
The Norwegian Majesty cruise ship was also in port and was berthed beside the Victory. The gigantic vessel, which was about to leave for a seven-day cruise to Bermuda, is 10 stories high and longer than two football fields. It has six restaurants, 11 bars and lounges, two pools, a casino, Internet cafe, 24-hour fitness center, and several venues for live entertainment.
The 893-foot Victory has four swimming pools, a 214-foot spiral waterslide, two formal dining rooms, a 24-hour pizzeria, and, of course, a casino. It has a capacity of 2,642 passengers, while the Norwegian Majesty can hold 1,462. That's a lot of tourists.
"They bring a lot of money into the city," said James. "We give them a taste of the area and hope they come back later for a longer stay."
It was all about convenience for Rita Wilson of Lowell and Ludgerio "Luke" Cortez of Chelmsford as they prepared to board the Majesty. The couple said they have taken cruises from other cities, but prefer to embark from Boston. "We don't have to travel far or deal with the security at the airports," said Wilson, who had a relative drive her to the terminal.
MaryAnn Kinnealey of Canton was also getting ready to board the Majesty. She adjusted the broad brim of her hat and the sand dollar pendant around her neck. "Since 9-11 travel is no longer the great adventure it once was," she said. "Security at the airports has become onerous, and it only took me 15 minutes to drive here."
Kinnealey said she has taken more than 30 cruises to Europe and the Caribbean, and this trip to Bermuda would be her 16th on the Majesty.
Ten decks above Kinnealey, Lucy Lord of Westport and her sister Julie Fridey of Ocala, Fla., were having lunch alfresco as they waited for the ship to embark on their annual "girls trip." The attraction to them was the casino. "I don't even know if we'll leave the ship when it makes port," said Lord.
Adam Auclair of Putnam, Conn., and his friend Michelle King of Pascoag, R.I., were enjoying a predeparture drink. "We really don't know what to expect," said Auclair. "It's the first time we've been aboard a cruise ship."
While the couple chatted, porters continued to shuttle luggage aboard. Farther down the dock the Victory lowered its gangplank, and passengers rushed forward like sailors on leave. Most of them boarded tour buses and trolleys for guided views of the city. A few headed out on foot or climbed into taxis.
Judy and Roy Johnson of Allentown, Pa., hurried into the cavernous terminal. They had headed north in hopes of seeing foliage. "Are all the tours booked?" Judy asked. "Do you know what we should see and do?"
Their ship began its tour in New York City, sailed to Boston, and was headed up the coast to Portland and Bar Harbor, Maine; Saint John, New Brunswick; and Halifax, Nova Scotia, before returning to the Big Apple.
More than a dozen tours are available to passengers on their one-day visit to Beantown, among them trips to Lexington and Concord, the Freedom Trail, Faneuil Hall Marketplace, the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum, and the Adams Mansion in Quincy.
"The challenge for us is to attract enough cruises to the city to meet the demand," said Marcia Duffy, director of cruise marketing for Massport. "Boston is a wonderful destination. It's a world-class city, and we want to attract world-class ships."
Tom Long, a freelance writer in Hudson, N.H., can be reached at tomlong918@msn.com.
