In the News: No real cruise terminal for Baltimore... sigh

[davehau]

In yet another apparent demonstration of short-sighted politics doing damage to the Baltimore region, the State of Maryland announced they would not be working to provide a real cruise terminal for the Baltimore region, but instead would be shuffling the few cruises still calling on Baltimore into another remote cargo facility away from any real amenities. This move essentially is from bad to worse, and is prompted more from demands from the currently used cargo terminal to rid itself of cruise ships than from any desire to better serve the cruising public.

 

"But the cruise business comes and goes and the cruise lines, as well as passengers, appear to be OK with sharing space with cargo such as tractors and pallets of paper.

 

That led state officials to decide that a dedicated facility with nice bathrooms and ready parking would do for now."

 

Full story can be found here.

 

Of course, they are blaming the budget, but they always seem to have funds to toss at their own latest pet projects.

 

I grew up in the Baltimore area, and have really gotten tired of seeing the region miss opportunities. Apparently, the exodus of three lines (including Celebrity) from Baltimore this year means nothing, if you believe the state and city officials, and things are just great as passengers duck tractor trailers hustling containers on their way to their vacation, bounce across pothole ridden streets used by heavy traffic every day, and deal with terminal police and longshoremen who, while probably excellent at their normal duties, most likely have never had any experience or training in the hospitality or public relations fields.

 

RCL is now the only line that will be calling on Baltimore next year, and you have to doubt how long this will last, once they ramp up their NJ terminal. Baltimore has a beautiful Inner Harbor, with some great facilities, restaurants and neighborhoods that would thrill any cruise guest, but instead all a ship arriving in Baltimore will be greeted with is another temporarily converted warehouse, stacks of shipping, and a view of I-95, which passengers surely will use to quickly depart the area, instead of visiting the city and pumped much needed funds in local businesses.

 

Sorry if this all sounds so negative, but this is depressing news so close to the holiday -- I really hoped the loss of those 3 lines would wake up some folks. Cruising the Chesapeake Bay is a great way to end and begin a cruise, and it's a shame fewer folks will be able to experience it this coming year.

[gizmo]

:( Sorry to hear this news about Baltimore. This past year I disembarked in Baltimore. I would love to do a round trip out of this city. I grew up in Philly and I am well aware that Baltimore has a lot of history and much to offer, like the Inner Harbor and those Blue Point Crabs !!

[Pincus]

Dave,

 

thanks for posting this...short-sighted indeed!

 

Pincus

[barante]

I must respectfully disagree with the dire analysis. As far as I am concerned, the Locust Point freight terminal is a superior site. It is right off I-95, right next to Fort McHenry and within a mile from the Inner Harbor tourist sites. It is on the Middle Branch, which is slated for major redevelopment. The National Aquarium will build a branch there; condos are going up on the shoreline. There is even a Wal´-mart/Sam's Club within walking distance, which seem to be popular among crew members.

This is how I undertand the situation. There are a number of piers there with changing circumstances. Among them is not only a lumber company pier but also piers used by Tyco International's cable-laying ships. All those will be vacated over the next year and can be used for cruises. At least some of these piers are privately owned and the State of Maryland claims it does not have money to acquire them just now. So I see this as a means of buying time, particularly because Ed Hale, a local sports and banking tycoon, is pushing his site on the opposite side of the harbor for a cruise terminal.

I am firmly of the opinion that a state-of-the-art cruise terminal, while desirable, is of secondary importance for the booming cruise business. If Baltimore is to make it as a homeport, discount airlines at BWI Airport and easy driving distance are far more important considerations to cancel the disadvantages of having to sail eight ours up the Chesapeake Bay. Just consider two ports that we have patronized: I think both Jaxcksonville and Charleston have terminal facilities that are arguably superior to Baltimore's; yet they are being blackballed by the cruise industry. (Charleston, in my book, also is as good as it gets to a destination port because everything is within an easy walking distance).

In essence, what I am claiming is that the Baltimore's glass is half empty or half full. I prefer to see the latter. What is needed are more cruise lines than just RCCI. The exit of the Galaxy alone was a major blow to Baltimore's credibility as a full-fledged cruise port.

[JDee]

Was unable to read the Sun article, as I do not care to sign in and register to do so. However, having worked in Baltimore and lived in both Baltimore and Anne Arundel counties, I would generally agree with barante.

 

In order for the state to recoup its investment, it would require many ships from many cruise lines to make it feasable. And that would have to be on a year round basis. A part time commitment from any cruise line just wouldn't do it. You would need a few hundred thousand cruise passengers year round. While a cruise line may agree contractually to pay for the use of the terminal, that contract would very likely have an escape clause based on the numer of passengers. If that number is not reached, goodby Baltimore.....

 

Plus land prices certainly aren't cheap in the Inner Harbor area. Or any other similar pieces of property in any coastal city for that matter....Recall many years ago going to the Inner Harbor for dinner, and it cost more to park than eat......Just like New York City..

 

Happy holidays......

[Bill777]

We took a cruise out of the Baltimore Port this year and had no problem at all. Everything was very organized. The only thing I didn't like was that they had no covered parking for your car.

[tropicalsunset]

I was with a group that departed on Galaxy out of Baltimore in October...we arrived two days early and explored many sights as well as restaurants and shopping in Baltimore...However. one of the problems was there are no facilities at the pier for people as they wait to embark the ship... the facilities are quite rustic and far out of the way of shops and any kind of eating establishment for waiting passengers who may have just flown in... I think Baltimore is a lovely city and very convenient with flights for cruising and would love to see more availability .... to develop that area would make cruising out of there much more attractive than NYC or NJ for many of us...

but what comes first the chicken or the egg???

 

We liked the convenience of flying into Baltimore so much that we booked a RCI cruise with our family in May... but upon flying in early in the am...we have several hours to hang out on the pier in an industrial area with luggage.... anyone care to set up a hot dog cart???