SHELBURNE, N.S. – The Town of Shelburne is getting ready to roll out the welcome mat for the ocean liner Marina and its estimated 1,000 passengers and 800 crew members when they make the historic south shore town a port of call on Wednesday, May 2, on the 16-day Oceania Cruises’ Seaside Sojourn from Miami to Montreal.
The 238.9m (784’) ship is due to arrive in port at 8 a.m. and departing at 6 p.m.
“There are special itinerary excursions already developed by the cruise line’s tour operators, which will see people visiting the Shelburne Museums by the Sea, Black Loyalist Heritage Centre and taking both guided and self-guided tours throughout the historic downtown district, which will guarantee cruise ship visitor traffic to local businesses and restaurants throughout the day,” reads a letter to business owners from Robin Walker, events co-ordinator for the town.
“This is our first cruise ship since the Pearl Mist in 2014 and we are looking for community support in making this stop a positive showcase of the town and surrounding communities for future visits,” said Walker, adding there are several cruise ship lines considering making Shelburne a port of call in 2019 and 2020.
The town is asking local business owners to be open and ready for business on May 2, and to be adequately staffed and stocked to potentially handle a large number of visitors throughout the day.
“With approximately 1,000 passengers on board the economic benefits of the visit will be felt throughout the community…While not all passengers will be visiting on-shore, there is potential for a large number of passengers to take advantage of the opportunity to eat, shop and explore all we have to offer,” said Walker. “With your participation, we can leave a positive, lasting impression on these visitors and spread the goodwill towards future visits to our great town.
The ship will moor in the harbour and passengers will be ferried ashore in tenders to Dock Street to the Town dock, currently undergoing repairs caused by storm damage last winter.
The Town is looking for artists, crafters, vendors and musicians to be involved in a special marketplace from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Guild Hall (rain location Osprey Arts Centre) to showcase their wares. Space is limited. Anyone interested can should contact Walker at 902-875-2991 ext. 7 or email [email protected] before April 24.
The Marina leaves Miami on April 22 making 12 ports of call along the eastern seaboard including Saint John N.B., Halifax (May 3), Saguenay, Quebec City, arriving in Montreal on May 8. The average age of passengers is 72.
