St. John's welcomes final cruise ship of the season and a major passenger milestone

Cruise ship season in St. John's came to an end Thursday morning,as the last vacation vessel of the year crept slowly through the harbour narrows at 7 a.m. while the sun peeked from behind the SouthsideHills to welcomepassengers.

The 19-storey, 330-metre Sky Princess at 145,000 gross tonnage, the largest cruise ship to ever grace the harbour was met with some fanfare as people took to Signal Hill and its surrounding trails to catch a glimpse of the mega-vessel coming into port.

According to Coun. Debbie Hanlon, the city's representative for cruise tourism, the city greeted 22,242 cruise passengers on 26 ships, whichstarted arriving in June.

Among the vacationersarriving Thursday morning wereFrank Nigro and Gi Young Nigro, the 300,000th and 300,001st passengers to arrive in the harbour since 1999.

They were greeted by traditional musicians and city officials directly on the wharf.

"We were sitting at dinner and they came down and notified us," said FrankNigro. "I thought that was quite remarkable. It's a first for us that we've ever been honoured like that."

The couple posed for photos with Hanlon and St. John's Mayor Danny Breen before being given a commemorative plaque hand-crafted by a local artist and a bag filled with local goods.

FrankNigrosaid the couple plans to spend their day walking through the city before settling in for lunch at a restaurant downtown.

Six of this season's vessels made inaugural calls to the harbour this summer, while nine ships used St. John's as their home port, where passengersembark on a cruise, for the first time.

Hanlon said there's proof of economic benefits to the downtown core, with businesses and restaurants bustling as travellers explore the city. But other businesses are also cashing in,includingbus tour operators, she said.

The city estimates this year's economic impact at$8.1 million but hasn't provided specifics. This season was slower than the years before the COVID-19 pandemic, she added, but confidence in travelling is beginning to rebound.

Looking ahead to the next 300,000

Hanlon said passenger numbers are recorded so the city knows exactly the number of people who comethrough on cruise ships, and it was only a matter of time until the city hit the milestone.

As for determining exactly who was the 300,000th passenger, Hanlon said it was co-ordinatedby the cruise line, the city and the port authority.

"As Newfoundlanders we love to party and have a time but absolutely this is something worth celebrating," she said.

"We're very excited about it. I think it's amazing. I'd love to see it at 600,000 and I'm sure we'll get there."

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