Port of Baltimore does record cruise business in 2010

By: Rachel Bernstein Daily Record Business Writer January 12, 2011

The Port of Baltimore has again posted record numbers for cruise passengers coming through the city in one year.

Last year, 210,549 people sailed on 91 cruises from the Cruise Maryland Terminal, the Maryland Port Administration said Wednesday.

That number beats 2009’s record of 167,235 passengers — good for a 25 percent increase — on 81 cruises.

“Cruises are a big success story for us at the port,” said Richard Powers, director of marketing for the MPA. “We’ll break a new record for passengers in 2011. It will certainly be higher with ships here sailing above 100 percent capacity.”

Cruising from the Port of Baltimore brought in $90 million last year, about $10 million more than in 2009. More than 200 jobs were created directly from cruise business.

This year, the port will have 112 cruises. The Carnival Pride and Royal Caribbean’s Enchantment of the Seas liners operate year-round. The cruise lines offer trips to the Bahamas, Bermuda, the Caribbean, New England and Canada.

Maryland ranks sixth on the East Coast and 14th in the country for cruise passengers, according to the MPA.