Page 22 - Port of Baltimore Magazine Nov/Dec 2011
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The Port of Baltimore
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November/December 2011
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BY SARAH GREENBERG
Cruising Up The Ranks
Convenient Location, Year-round Schedule and Improvements
at Cruise Terminal Contribute to Baltimore’s Enhanced Profile
W
hile accounting for 500
jobs, generating an eco-
nomic impact of about
$90 million and attracting
hundreds of thousands of passengers to sail
onboard world-class cruise lines, the Port
of Baltimore continues to assert itself as a
major player in the cruise business.
The Cruise Lines International Association
recently announced that Baltimore handled
the fifth-largest number of passengers among
East Coast ports in 2010, up from sixth place
the previous year. The Port’s Cruise Maryland
operation also vaulted two spots to 12th place
in the national rankings, and is poised to have
another record-breaking year in 2011.
“Baltimore’s growing cruise business is a
real success story for our state,” saidMaryland
Governor Martin O’Malley. “Our momentum
is built upon having a cruise terminal with
a unique location with plenty of onsite
parking right off Interstate 95. This allows for
easy access and attracts people from up and
down the East Coast and from the Midwest.”
Baltimore has also benefited from an
expanded schedule and additional cruising
options. “The start of year-round cruising
out of Baltimore was a huge boost for
Maryland,” said Cynthia Burman, the new
Cruise Marketing Manager for the Maryland
Port Administration (MPA). “People are
excited about having the opportunity to
choose a cruise any month of the year.”
In 2010 — just the second year that
Baltimore offered a year-round rather
than seasonal cruise schedule — the Port
welcomed 210,549 passengers participating
in 90 cruises, the majority of which sailed at
100 percent capacity. A total of 105 cruises
will sail out of the Port in 2011, and both
the Carnival
Pride
and Royal Caribbean
International’s
Enchantment of the Seas
are
lined up for a full sailing schedule in 2012.
In addition, Carnival, the world’s largest
cruise line, recently signed a five-year
extension (two years guaranteed, with three
one-year options). The first cruise line to
operate a year-round schedule out of Baltimore
back in 2009, Carnival regularly sails to the
Bahamas, Bermuda and the Caribbean.
To ensure that passengers have a
comfortable start to their trip, Baltimore’s
Cruise Maryland terminal at South Locust
Point is also continually improving. Earlier
this year, for instance, the MPA unveiled a
custom-built, climate-controlled Passenger
Boarding Bridge that is mobile, flexible and
offers uninterrupted cover right up to the
ship’s “lobby.”
Burman said she looks forward to the
MPA introducing more innovations in order
to ensure that Baltimore gets more great
feedback like the recent
Enchantment of
the Seas
Mystery Shopping Evaluation that
awarded the Cruise Maryland terminal a 100
percent rating for boarding and departure.
For this, Burman credits the MPA Operations
Team, Ceres, Intercruises Shoreside and
Port Services, U.S. Customs and Border
Protection and the security companies.
The exceptional location of the Cruise
Maryland terminal also satisfies passengers.
Directly off of I-95, South Locust Point is
only about 10 miles from the Baltimore-
Washington International Thurgood
Marshall Airport and within driving distance
of major cities throughout the Mid-Atlantic
and Midwest regions. It also boasts hassle-
free parking.
CRUISE
COURTESY OF MPA
12th
in
National
Rankings
