Port Authority makes deal with Princess Cruises

[Jason]

Port Authority makes deal with Princess Cruise Lines for stops at Crown Bay

By TIM FIELDS, The Virgin Island Daily News

ST. THOMAS - V.I. Port Authority officials announced Friday it has entered into a 10-year agreement with Princess Cruise Lines Ltd. that aims to bring a minimum of 230,000 passengers a year to the Crown Bay Cruise Ship and Commerical Center.

The Cruise Ship Berthing Use Agreement takes effect Oct. 1 and will generate $2.15 million in fees for the Port Authority each year, Port Authority Executive Director Darlan Brin said.

The agreement includes Princess Cruise Lines' affiliates P&O Cruises and Cunard, the owner of the Queen Mary 2 luxury liner.

The cruise line has agreed to pay for the minimum amount of customers - based on $9.35 per passenger - whether they bring them all or not, Brin said.

The agreement is for year-round calls and does provide monetary incentives if the cruise line exceeds the minimum amount of passengers.

If the cruise line brings in between 325,000 and 350,000 passengers, the authority will pay the company $292,000, according to the agreement. If the company exceeds 350,000 passengers, the authority will pay $479,000.

Port Authority officials said the incentives are worth the agreement because 350,000 passengers would generate more than $3.2 million in revenues for the agency.

Port Authority's Governing Board Chairman Robert O'Connor Jr. said the agreement will provide foot traffic to the Crown Bay Cruise Ship and Commerical Center, which is slated to open in October.

The $31 million facility includes a dock expansion and a 57,000-square-foot commerical center.

The expanded Crown Bay dock now can berth up to two Voyager-class cruise ships, the largest passenger ship model in common use.

Brin said the Port Authority plans to do additional dredging before the agreement takes effect in October.

The new waterfront mall will feature upscale shopping and dining, a local arts and crafts gallery and a pedestrian promenade.

Construction on the project began in June 2003, and the center was originally scheduled to be finished a year later. The delay has been blamed on a dispute with lead contractor American Bridge Co., which the authority fired in September.

Currently, the Crown Bay dock is second in line for berthing any cruise ships that call on St. Thomas and is used only when the West Indian Co.-owned Havensight dock is full. WICO schedules berthings because it acts as the agent for cruise lines.

The Port Authority is still negotiating a contract with a company to manage the center.

[TheSkipper]

This kind of begs the question of where is Crown Bay?? Been cruising into Havensight for many, many years, so this may be a new adventure.

We are scheduled into St. Thomas on board the new Crown Princess in the first week of October. Contract is effective October 1, so I guess we may get the answer to my question first hand. :smiley:

[schatje]

I wonder if it is away from the normal crowds of people?

[JohnG]

I docked there a year or two ago. It is the opposite side of Charlotte Amalia from the Havensight docks. It makes the taxis to Red Hook or any of the beaches more expensive to and from.

[TheSkipper]

Looked it up on the net and JohnG is correct it is on the opposite end of town. The posted taxi fares are slightly less into Charlotte Amalie, but of course higher to Red Hook and Megan's Bay.

Kinda curious to see what this new upscale shopping and dining area look like. Hope we do end up there this trip.

[Longboysfan]

I do not think so.

This may be the dock area right next to Havensight they were building last time I was there.

It is right off the downtown shopping atra.