Charlottetown ready for '2nd most wonderful time of the year'

P.E.I.'s cruise ship season started Wednesday and Charlottetown is ready, says Downtown Charlottetown Inc.

"We do consider this the second most wonderful time of the year. The shops in the city are rolling out the red carpet," said executive director Dawn Alan.

"On any given cruise ship day when there's hundreds of guests wandering the streets it's a beautiful sight. It means economic impact for shops. It brings joy and excitement."

This year is expected to be the biggest cruise season ever, with 91 scheduled ship visits and the potential for almost 150,000 visitors. The season started with a stop by the Vaandam, which is scheduled to call at Port Charlottetown 15 times this year.

Port Charlottetown, in partnership with local tourism operators and groups, has developed new products to improve visitor experience this year. That includes a digital walking map of the city, which will launch toward the end of next month.

The presence of cruise ship passengers is particularly important in the spring, said Alan, in advance of the peak tourist season.

"It's customers at your door and customers who are really interested in our downtown," she said.

"They will leave some money behind when they're here, [which is good] especially at this time of year which is traditionally a slow time in downtown Charlottetown and cities in Atlantic Canada in general."

Charlottetown does not have the seasonality of other parts of the province, said Alan, and businesses in the city are open and ready.

This year's cruise schedule also includes 15 two-ship days and six three-ship days. The 2023 season will wrap up with a call from the MS Insignia Nov. 4.