After a lengthy pandemic-related break, cruise ships – with passengers on board – will be entering and leaving the port of San Diego again on Friday, which will hopefully give local tourism a boost.
On October 1, the Port of San Diego said the Disney Wonder and Grand Princess will be the first departures from the B Street Cruise Terminal in downtown San Diego since the pandemic that forced the industry to shut down in the spring of 2020.
The Disney Wonder will set sail on a 4-day cruise from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico and back. The Grand Princess began sailing in Los Angeles on Thursday and makes a port stop in San Diego on Friday. The cruise ship will then go to Ensenada and back to Los Angeles, announced the port of San Diego.
These first departures are among the more than 100 cruise calls that the Port of San Diego expects by May 2022. Cruise lines expected to enter and exit San Diego’s Embarcadero include Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, and the Disney cruise line.
While these departures are vital, the continued recovery of the cruise industry Due to the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic, it is also good for the local economy and tourism to get these ships back in service.
According to the port, a ship like Disney Wonder’s home ports in San Diego – that is, it starts and ends along the Embarcadero – has the potential to gross about $ 2 million in the local economy. And when a cruise stops in San Diego for even a day, like the Grand Princess, the passengers who disembark that ship can gross around $ 600,000 for the local economy.
“They get off the ship and do everything we love for them,” said Julie Coker, president and CEO of the San Diego Tourism Authority. “They eat at our restaurants, they buy from our local retailers, they support all of the small businesses here in San Diego.”
“But then they also have the chance to see San Diego on that one-day layover, and often they book future trips to get back to San Diego and spend more time here,” added Coker.
According to Port, San Diego is California’s third largest port, just behind Long Beach and Los Angeles. It’s also the gateway to the Mexican Riviera and the route to major cruise destinations like Hawaii, the Panama Canal, and the Pacific Coast. 173 local passenger cruises have been canceled in the Port of San Diego since the pandemic began.
For the past year and a half, cruise lines have sometimes docked in San Diego Harbor, but not for actual cruises. Holland Americas Koningsdam, for example, has docked to refuel and replenish supplies.
COVID-19 safety for cruises in San Diego
While the pandemic continues, the port said safety is a top priority as the cruise resumes. The Port of San Diego said it was working with cruise lines as well as local, state and federal agencies on COVID security measures to minimize the community spread and exposure to the virus on cruise lines.
Some of these safety protocols include that all crew members and travelers 12 and over must be fully vaccinated. Medical exemptions could be allowed in some cases, but the port said Celebrity Cruises, Holland America and Princess “must claim that at least 95% of all guests are vaccinated”.
In the meantime, Disney Cruise Line plans to test all guests for COVID-19 on embarkation days, the port said.
All unvaccinated guests must demonstrate a negative COVID-19 PCR test between three days and 24 hours prior to departure on a cruise.
Some other security measures according to the Port of San Diego:
- All individuals are required to complete a health screening form stating their vaccination status, negative COVID test result and confirming that they do not feel sick or show symptoms of COVID-19
- Face masks must be worn by everyone inside the cruise terminal
- In the terminals of cruise ships, passengers should, if possible, keep social distance from other travelers who are not part of their group
- The cruise lines carry out passenger screening and check-ins to avoid crowds
- The port will fully clean and disinfect the terminals after each embarkation and disinfection, and other things such as plexiglass barriers and hand disinfection stations have been installed in high-traffic areas
Before embarking on a cruise, passengers should also find out about their cruise ship’s COVID-19 security protocols.
NBC 7 contacted Grand Princess about Friday’s cruise in San Diego. A representative of the shipping company said that the capacity on this voyage was reduced between 60 and 75%. After that trip, the company plans to add “5 points or so” to each trip.
NBC 7 also reached out to Disney Cruise Line on October 1 about the Disney Wonder trip from San Diego.
A representative said the cruise line is resuming on a “phased, phased approach,” which may also mean some changes to itineraries from time to time.
