‘It’s good news for the city:’ final cruise ship for 2024 season docks in Nanaimo

The Oceania Regatta is on the final leg of a 12-day Alaska cruise, with stops in Victoria and Seattle, Washington over the next two days.

Built in 1998, the 181-metre (594 foot) long vessel has 11 decks and underwent a refurbishment in 2022.

It has a maximum width of 25 metres, or 82 feet, and can travel upwards of 33 kilometres per hour.

Sekhon said this ship size is what the Port Authority has been targeting, what he dubbed “pocket-sized cruises”.

He added it’s a niche market which the Port felt was a good fit emerging from the pandemic.

“This year…everybody was looking forward to it because of COVID, we had a lot of dead period in between, and this was a much-awaited start of the season. We started with pocket-sized cruise liners, 400 to 600-odd passengers and we’ll slowly build up on it.”

The Oceania Regatta sailed around Protection Island just after 7 a.m., docking roughly 30 minutes later at the Nanaimo Port Authority cruise ship dock on Monday. (Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)

Morgan Riddell, manager of the Visitors Centre at Tourism Nanaimo, was among a number of local service operators set up at the Port of Nanaimo building Monday morning, pointing passengers in the right direction.

Shuttle services were waiting to take passengers to a variety of destinations, while staff were stationed at various points in the city to help tourists, Riddell said.

“We’re helping all the cruise ship passengers when they come out. We have all the different brochures, basically we’re letting them know what’s going on in the city, where they can go, what they can do today, what are the places that are open.”

She added a market at Pioneer Plaza, next to the Bastion, would run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“We’ve organized a little bit more than we were last time [in May when the MV Seabourn Odyssey docked]. It had been since 2019 we’d had a cruise ship so we were a little rusty.”

Some passengers had pre-booked tours through private operators.

Nanaimo Mayor Leonard Krog greets passengers as they disembark the MS Oceania Regatta in Nanaimo on Monday, Aug. 26. (Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)

Mayor Leonard Krog joined other dignitaries in welcoming visitors to the city. He said another cruise ships arrival is a great thing for the community.

“Cruise ship passengers are wonderful, they come and bring money, they spend, they discover the beauties of Nanaimo. Businesses downtown prosper, tour groups prosper, it’s good news for the city in every respect.”

He said he hopes visitors take in what Nanaimo has to offer, even on a bleak and rainy day, including the expansive waterfront.

“It’s not the only thing, but it’s certainly the easiest attraction to see. Wander along the seawall, wander the streets of the old downtown, visit the historic Bastion, go to the museums…spend a little money, learn about the local culture, particularly Snuneymuxw First Nation.”

With the arrival of the cruise ship, Hullo Ferries were forced to vacate their dock.

However, unlike the first ship arrival in May, their service continued with three planned round trips to and from Cameron Island.

A shuttle was running between the Nanaimo Port Authority building and Cameron Island for passengers heading to Vancouver.

While the Regatta marks the end of the 2024 cruise season for Nanaimo, a larger schedule is already booked for next year.

The Port Authority confirmed four ships are scheduled to visit in 2025, with negotiations ongoing for one or two more.

The Oceania Regatta sailed down the B.C. central coast to Nanaimo overnight, arriving in the Harbour City on Monday, Aug. 26. (submitted photo/Julie Boyer)

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by NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

‘It’s good news for the city:’ final cruise ship for 2024 season docks in Nanaimo

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