Cruise: Montreal, San Diego

Montreal: Shore Power Installed and Operational at New Cruise Terminal

 
Alexander Pier cruise terminal can now supply shore-to-ship electrical power
Photo/Montreal Port Authority

Vessels can now shut down their engines and hook up to shore-side electrical power while docked at the Montreal Port Authority’s new Alexander Pier cruise terminal.

This is the second of a two-phase initiative. In 2016, the port authority established four power supply stations   at berths 25, 27, 29 and M2  for vessels that winter over in Montreal. The MPA anticipates the two initiatives together will cut greenhouse gas emissions by 2,800 metric tons annually, thus offsetting virtually all GHG emissions the port authority is responsible for.

To provide a sufficiently powerful power supply, Hydro-Québec installed a new 25 kV line to supply the new substation installed at the cruise terminal in 2016., Schneider Electric designed and built the equipment needed to install the electrical substation. First to plug in was Holland America’s M/V Veendam on July 29.

The C$11 million project was financed by contributions of C$5 million and C$3 million, respectively, from the federal and provincial governments and C$3 million from the port authority.

Review the fact sheet for further information.

Alexandra Pier cruise terminal hosted its first ship, Holland America’s Maasdam, on June 10.

During the 2016 cruise season, Montreal received 55 vessel calls, 69,170 passengers, and 16,638 crew members at its Iberville Terminal. Sixty-eight calls are scheduled for the 2017 season, which opened May 6 and continues through October 27.

San Diego Again Ranked Among Top Cruise Destinations in US and Canada

For the second year in a row, Cruise Critic has ranked the Port of San Diego among the top five cruise destinations in the United States and Canada. The others are Québec City, San Francisco, Bar Harbor, and Key West.

The recognition is part of Cruise Critic’s second annual Cruiser’s Choice Awards, a program naming the world’s top cruise destinations based entirely on consumer ratings submitted with reviews on CruiseCritic.com. All rankings are based on member review ratings for cruises taken in the last year.

San Diego’s two cruise ship terminals, B Street Pier and Broadway Pier, are located on the downtown street grid, offering a seamless transition from the cruise ship to the city. San Diego’s Embarcadero is home to museums, restaurants, and views of the city skyline and San Diego Bay. Neighborhoods such as Little Italy and the Ballpark District offer additional international flavors and entertainment within minutes of the cruise terminals.

"We are honored to be voted one of the top five cruise destinations by Cruise Critic’s online community for the second year in a row," said Robert "Dukie" Valderrama, Chairman of the Board of Port Commissioners. "In recent years, we have installed $31 million in improvements to the North Embarcadero, providing our cruise passengers with a beautiful welcome to the Port of San Diego. That, along with all the wonderful attractions San Diego offers, will help attract new cruise business to our port."

San Diego homeported cruise ship operators are Disney Cruise Line, Holland America Line and Celebrity Cruises.

Eighty-three ship calls are scheduled thus far for San Diego’s 2017-18 cruise season, which kicks off September 17. A schedule is available online at portofsandiego.org/recreation.