By Ian Holmes

Monster-sized cruise ship visits Nanaimo

May 17, 2017 | 10:56 AM

NANAIMO — It’s a rather slow cruise ship year in Nanaimo, but it kicked off with a bang on Wednesday, May 17.

The huge, more than 1,000 foot long Explorer of the Seas pulled into Nanaimo’s Cruise Ship Terminal at 7 a.m.

The Nanaimo Port Authority’s (NPA) David Mailloux told NanaimoNewsNOW the vessel is one of the largest in Royal Caribbean’s fleet.

“If you’re in downtown Nanaimo you’re going to see this ship, it’s quite a few stories high, she carries 3,800 passengers,” Mailloux said. “Huge capacity, it’s like a small town…plus their crew is almost 1,200 people.”

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Mailloux said volunteer ambassadors welcomed the passengers, who are enjoying regional excursions or spending time in Nanaimo’s downtown area.

The ship, one of six large cruise vessels to visit Nanaimo this year, leaves the harbour city for Victoria at 5 p.m.

The NPA is disappointed only six large cruise ships are visiting Nanaimo this year, the same figure as 2016, which brought more than 13,000 passengers to town.

The organization hopes to eventually have 25-30 large cruise ships visit annually.

ian.holmes@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @repoterholmes.