(BALTIMORE, MD) --- Coming off a very successful initial season in its new cruise terminal, the Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore is primed for an equally successful second year. Twenty-nine Royal Caribbean cruises beginning on May 13 dot Baltimore's 2007 cruise calendar. Royal Caribbean's Grandeur of the Seas will leave Baltimore for trips to Bermuda, the Eastern Caribbean, and for the first time, a trip to New England and Canada. However, the secret to Baltimore's improved cruise profile lies in the adage location, location, location.
Convenient is the word that comes to mind quickest when discussing Baltimore's new cruise facility on its South Locust Point Terminal. Easily seen and uniquely located about 200 yards right off I-95, the "main street" of the U.S. East Coast, the cruise terminal enjoys marquee visibility as over 44 million cars annually drive past it. It is only 2.5 miles from downtown Baltimore, 10 miles from BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport, 30 miles from Annapolis, and within an hour of Washington, DC.
"The City of Baltimore and the entire state of Maryland have so much to offer visitors from around the country and around the globe," said Governor Martin O'Malley. "With our new cruise terminal, Baltimore is now the ideal spot in the Mid-Atlantic region for passengers to begin and end their cruise vacation. They can enjoy our top flight cruise facility as well as spend time exploring our history and enjoying our restaurants, hotels, museums, and shopping.
Last year, about 125,000 people cruised from Baltimore. Maryland's economic impact from the 2006 cruise season was about $56 million. The Port of Baltimore is the closest East Coast port to the Midwest. It is a six-hour drive for 40 million people and an overnight drive for over 200 million people.
"Royal Caribbean is again happy to continue our partnership with the Port of Baltimore," said Diana J. Block, Royal Caribbean Vice President for Revenue Management and Deployment. "Baltimore's new cruise terminal is a wonderful facility with easy access that draws people from all over the mid-Atlantic region. The distinctive location of the cruise terminal makes the passenger's total cruise experience that much better."
The Grandeur of the Seas will make 15 trips from Baltimore to Kings Wharf, Bermuda. It will make eight trips to the Eastern Caribbean, with port stops in San Juan, Puerto Rico; St. Thomas, Virgin Islands; Samana, Dominican Republic; and Labadee, Haiti. The ship will also offer six cruises to New England and Canada, including port stops in Portland, Maine; St. John's, New Brunswick; Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Boston. In addition to the 29 Royal Caribbean cruises, Baltimore will also receive four port call visits.
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Richard Scher
JB Hanson
MPA Communications
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