1st Cruise Ship Of The Season Arrives In Juneau

The first cruise ship of the season has arrived in Juneau. The Norwegian Star pulled into port early Wednesday morning and passengers were soon scouting the downtown streets, maps in hand. More than one million passengers are expected to visit Juneau this season, a slight increase over last year. The season ends Sept. 27 with the scheduled departure of the Infinity. Juneau Convention and Visitors Bureau President and CEO Lorene Palmer said each visitor is projected to spend an average of $186, totaling more than $195 million. That compares to about $176 million spent in 2005.The Norwegian Star"Just by sheer volume we're going to see more economic impact in Juneau," said Palmer. Those figures do not include crew spending or spending by independent travelers who are expected to number between 70,000 to 75,000. Cruise ship visitors will arrive aboard about 50 ships owned by 12 different cruise lines. They will include three new ships: the Millennium owned by Celebrity Cruises, Princess Cruises' Tahitian Princess, and the Spirit of Glacier Bay owned by Cruise West. Palmer said the name Spirit of Glacier Bay has been used in the past, but this is a new vessel.