The World at our doorstep

The cruise ship The World sailed this evening after spending two days in Halifax. It arrived yesterday morning and tied up at pier 31 - not at a regular cruise ship terminal. But of course it is not a regular cruise ship. Built as a sort of floating condominium, the travelers actually own their suites (and can rent them out like time shares if they wish.)
This ship initiated the concept when it was built in 2002. It also called in Halifax September 26 of that first year. Measuring a modest 41,388 gross tons it has a high ratio of staff to passengers and provides a more intimate experience than the behemoths such as Jewel of the Seas at 90,090 gross tons (seen leaving port in the background).

Cruise Finale

The cruise ship season ends today with the arrival of Jewel of the Seas. The Bahamas flagged vessel operated by Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd of Miami was built in 2004 and has a capacity of 2,000 passengers.

This year's season unfolded about as expected, with few no shows due to weather or other reasons. Until final figures are in it will not be known if passenger counts lived up to expectations. On the whole my guess is that numbers might have been down a bit.

.