The Humboldt Bay Cruise Ship Partnership seeks volunteers

The Humboldt Bay Harbor District and the City of Eureka have formed a partnership with the Eureka Visitor Center, Eureka  Main Street, and community volunteer Chet Albin to strategically recruit cruise ships to Humboldt Bay.

The Tourism  Committee of the Greater Eureka Area Chamber of Commerce has also recently joined the team.

 The Humboldt Bay Cruise  Ship Partnership (HBCSP) consists of jointly‐staffed teams that focus on: Infrastructure and Logistics, Cruise Ship  Coordination and Marketing, Passenger Fulfilment, and Long‐term Strategic Planning.

The marketing campaign is well  underway, with the tag line “Cruise Humboldt’s Redwood Coast.”  Several weeks ago, team members of the partnership  attended an international cruise ship trade show in Fort Lauderdale to promote and market Humboldt Bay and our  redwood coast.

Later this year, team members will attend another cruise ship industry meeting in Seattle to recruit  additional ships. 
Earlier this month, members of the team traveled to Astoria, Oregon to witness the arrival of a 2,600 passenger cruise  ship and to learn from our neighbor to the north.  While Astoria’s population consists of less than 10,000 people, the city  has had remarkable success in attracting cruise ships over the past several years.

While very few ships stopped in Astoria  10 years ago, over 20 ships now stop by the port each year.  In 2018, twenty‐five ships are scheduled to visit Astoria, with  a collective total of more than 46,000 passengers.

 While Humboldt Bay’s channel depth and dock capacity does not quite  match Astoria’s, 16 of the 25 ships scheduled for Astoria could easily be accommodated in Humboldt Bay, which shows  Humboldt Bay’s great potential.  Those 16 ships (and dozens of others) cruise past Humboldt Bay each year without  stopping here.  The purpose of the Humboldt Bay Cruise Ship Partnership is to begin actively attracting cruise ships to our  port. 


The partnership is happy to announce that initial efforts are already paying off.  One cruise ship is scheduled to arrive in  Humboldt Bay in May of 2018, additional bookings are being considered in 2019, and there are efforts underway to  increase these numbers. Because cruise ships rely on recommendations from one another, the best way to recruit  additional ships in the coming years is to ensure that the passengers and crew of this year’s ship have a phenomenal  experience.

The ship is scheduled to arrive on Monday, May 21st at 6:00am and multiple efforts are underway to optimize  their experience.  A dock‐side party is being arranged to greet the guests as they de‐board, multiple tours are being  organized directly with the ship’s tour coordinator, Eureka Main Street is working with businesses to ensure that stores  are open and ready, a community clean‐up is being arranged, and a request has been issued to NOAA for a day of great  weather. 

While this first ship is relatively small (approximately 120 passengers) the ships being courted for 2019 are much larger  and could each carry over 1,000 passengers.  The fact that the first ship in the que is small provides an opportunity to test  our community’s readiness for bigger ships.


Volunteers will be a keystone of our success.  While much can be done with  the collective resources of the Humboldt Bay Harbor District, the City of Eureka, the Eureka Visitor Center, and Eureka  Main Street, a significant number of volunteers will be needed in 2019 if the partnership is successful in recruiting bigger  ships.


The future looks bright for attracting cruise ships to Humboldt Bay.  The economic boost to our region could be significant  and many tourism‐related businesses could be created.

 Not only would attracting cruise ship to Humboldt Bay provide  direct economic benefits to our region, many people on cruises tend to visit an area again if they enjoyed their experience,  which means cruise ships can be an excellent marketing tool for Humboldt’s tourism economy.  While there is much to be  done, including significant on‐going efforts to ensure our Bay is dredged, the Humboldt Bay Cruise Ship Partnership is on  the path to success. 


For more information, contact the Eureka Visitor Center at http://www.visiteureka.com/