Port Charlottetown ready for cruise ships to come in

Cruise ships will be back in Charlottetown Harbour this spring for the first time in two years.

The first ship will arriveApril 22 when the Viking Octantismakes its inaugural visit to Charlottetown,accordingto the 2022 schedule announced Tuesday by Port Charlottetown. A total of 72 visits are expected by the end of the season Nov. 3, only 15 fewer than in 2019, the last season before the COVID-19 pandemic.

It's good news for Island vendors excited to have cruise ship traffic back after two years of lost revenue,said Mike Cochrane, CEO of Port Charlottetown.

"It's been a tough two years for a lot of our operators and our retail and our restaurant operators and anybody involved in tours," he said.

"We have such a big impact from tip to tip in P.E.I. that, you know, it's really visibly missed and we are so excited about bringing back that level of activity and impact across our Island."

This cruise season will be the first chance for Port Charlottetown to use its second cruise berth, a $12 million expansion project that was completed in 2020.

Pandemic protocols

The largest ship on the schedule in terms of population is the Norwegian Joy, which has capacity for 3,883 passengers and 1,700 crew. It has three stops in Charlottetown Sept. 9, Sept. 26 and Oct. 19.

Cochrane said many cruise lines have pandemic protocols in place, including isolation measures and increased ventilation.

"At the end of the day, cruise lines have restarted successfully all over the world."