Cruise ship brings business to Cape Ann

From the Gloucester Daily Times
by Douglas Moser

September 12, 2006
Local businesses said the surge of tourists pouring from a cruise ship Saturday provided a bump in business for their first post-Labor Day weekend.

The MS Amsterdam anchored off Eastern Point on Saturday morning, sending several ferry boats to Rose's Wharf through the day, unleashing its passengers on Cape Ann, Salem and Boston. The daylong stop brought more than 1,000 people to shore.

Many people bought tours ahead of time and were whisked away just after 9 a.m. by tour buses leased out of Boston, heading for Rockport, Salem, Boston and places around Gloucester.

Of those who did not purchase excursions, many made arrangements to meet loved ones.

"We have a friend who lives here who will show us around," said Joy Plante, of Gainesville, Va., squinting in the warm September sun. She and Peggy Endicott, also of Gainesville, met Jane Gagliardi on Main Street around 9:30 a.m. for a day of lobstering on the Annisquam River.

Others decided to brave it on their own, culling pop culture to begin their itinerary.

"Do you know where the Crow's Nest is?" asked Robert Grummon of Tennessee, adding he thought the bar looked quaint in the 1999 movie, "The Perfect Storm." The set for the film was actually a mock-up and not the real tavern, on Main Street, not far from Rose's Wharf. Grummon and wife Virginia also wanted to see the Fishermen's Monument and to find a live lobster.

Jeff Reed of Boise, Idaho, said he flew with his grandfather and friends to New York, the cruise's starting point. They were taking the trip to see the family's ancestral roots in Newfoundland. They wanted to see the working harbor, the Marine Heritage Center and the Fitz Hugh Lane House, as it is still officially known as by the city.

The last ferry returned to the Amsterdam from Rose's Wharf at 5:30 p.m. Saturday.

But while the passengers were in the city, the Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce, along with the city and some local businesses, chartered green trolleys from the Cape Ann Transportation Authority to shuttle tourists around downtown for free.

"They were quite pleased to find something offered for free for a change," Sara Young, economic development manager for the chamber, said yesterday, adding she estimates between 450 and 550 people used the trolleys.

On Main Street, businesses yesterday reported increased sales and more people stopping in to browse Saturday.

"I had my doubts because in the past, very few sales went to people from the cruise ship," Fred Bodin, of Bodin Historical Photo Gallery, said yesterday. "I asked each person who bought something if they were on the cruise and the ship accounted for almost half my sales for the day."

"I thought they would just buy souvenirs, but they also bought a lot of things they said they'd never seen before," he said.

Passports, a restaurant on Main Street, saw some hungry tourists as well.

"I looked at our books from last year and it definitely added a push," said Eric Lorden, the restaurant's owner. "Honestly it (the cruise) was perfectly timed for the weekend after Labor Day. Had it been that weekend, we would have been so busy we wouldn't have noticed."

Kathy Bucholska, a Rockport resident who works at Local Colors on Main Street in Gloucester, did not work Saturday, but was on call in case it got busy. She said she called the shop asking if she would be needed, but heard the shop was quiet.

"I live in Rockport and I saw a large number of people on Bearskin Neck," she said.

Peter Van Ness, who handles the media and marketing for developer Frank Elliot t, said 600 people took excursions bought on the ship. Elliott is building a ship terminal at Rose's Wharf. He hopes to finish it next year, Van Ness said.

Of those who bought excursions, 116 went whale watching, 102 went to Boston and Cambridge and the remaining 382 split among three separate excursions around Gloucester and Rockport.

Young said yesterday she asked several businesses on Main Street on Saturday afternoon how they made out.

"I had some very good reactions," she said. "People said Main Street was lively, there were lots of folks walking around and good numbers of people in the stores."

Three more ships are scheduled to land later this month and in early October. The Amsterdam's visit is the first time a major cruise ship has stopped in Gloucester in nearly two years. The vessel's sister ship, MS Rotterdam, arrived in early October 2004.

City officials are trying to bring more cruise ships to Gloucester, with Elliott's terminal one of the lures. Holland America pays Elliott a landing fee for using Rose's Wharf.

Where passengers went:
An even 600 tourists aboard the Amsterdam bought excursions:

• 116 - Whale watching
• 102 - Boston and Cambridge
• 96 - Gloucester and Rockport
• 95 - Gloucester, Beauport mansion and Rockport
• 89 - Gloucester and Salem
• 75 - Rockport
• 27 - Gloucester highlights