The Royal Caribbean Lines MV Explorer of the Seas has arrived in Nanaimo, part of a two day stop on Vancouver Island. Photo courtesy Youtube.
The Port of Nanaimo was busy early Wednesday morning as up to 3,900 passengers arrived aboard the Royal Caribbean Lines MV Explorer of the Seas cruise ship.
The 311-meter long vessel, that also holds just under 1,200 crew members, arrived at the Nanaimo port at 7 a.m. from Seattle and is part of a two-day stop on Vancouver Island.
Cruise ship Explorer of the Seas pulling into @cityofnanaimo right now is so big it dwarfs downtown highrises @CHEK_News #Nanaimo #Travel pic.twitter.com/hA4o66NS4y
— Skye Ryan (@SkyeRyanCHEK) May 16, 2018
The ship will depart Nanaimo at 5 p.m. and arrive at Ogden Point in Victoria Thursday morning at 8 a.m.
Passengers are on the Royal Caribbean’s “Best of British Columbia” itinerary, a five-day trip that ends with its return to Seattle Friday.
“She represents a great economic lift for central-island communities, a significant benefit from first-time passengers to Vancouver Island. We believe that many passengers will return once they discover one of the most preferred destinations in the world,” Port of Nanaimo President and CEO Ewan Moir said.
This is the third straight May the Explorer of the Seas has called on the Port of Nanaimo, with another call scheduled for September.
The vessel returned to the Pacific Northwest last weekend after a 23-day cruise that left Sydney, Australia with stops in Hawaii before reaching Seattle.
Andy Neal
