"I was at the harbor early this morning and saw another cruise ship is here for the day. Must be nice to
wake up and see Santa Barbara on a day like today." Dan Seibert
COMMENT 329582
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2012-10-09 10:28 AM |
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Heheheh.... love the compression a telephoto lens creates. Great shot, Dan, making the cruise ship appear like it's closer and looming over the unsuspecting harbour denizens.
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COMMENT 329587P
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2012-10-09 10:31 AM |
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This is the Sapphire Princess. I have many clients onboard.
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COMMENT 329613
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2012-10-09 11:49 AM |
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Great for local business if they have enough time to disembark and roam around the city! And the view of our city from that distance in the water is GORGEOUS! It's the best advertisement for tourism ever. I wonder what kind (if any) pollution a ship like this brings to local waters. Does anyone know? (And please, no jumping on me, I'm just asking because I don't know, ok?)
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COMMENT 329623P
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2012-10-09 12:06 PM |
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613 - hard to know what trash people would be throwing overboard. Otherwise, probably minimal and no different from any large ship, like the navy ones, for instance, and perhaps less since cruise ships are monitored.
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COMMENT 329632P
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2012-10-09 12:22 PM |
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Cruise ships are not allowed to dump anything when they are close to shore.
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COMMENT 329634
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2012-10-09 12:26 PM |
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The reality is that the cruise ships are actually horrible polluters and they have very little positive impact on our town. The cruise ships burn lots of diesel fuel to power life for the 5,000 people on board. Imagine the size and out put of engines large enough for that purpose. Huge polluters. Not to mention, they do dump their trash, bilge waste and sewage while at sea. Very bad for the environment. They really are not very regulated. Maritime rules are pretty lax. In terms of local benefit.. just look at Alaska. IF they become frequent visitors, then the cruise line ends up buying some of the local retailers and steering the passengers to those stores. It is very common practice in most of the cruise destinations world wide.. it permits the cruise company to make more profit for themselves, and thus less for the local communities. We are really better off with out them. Who really wants all of the extra congestion downtown??
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COMMENT 329641P
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2012-10-09 12:38 PM |
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634, your information is inaccurate and out of date. As an example your allegation that cruise lines buy local retailers. Please cite a reliable reference for your allegation. As a member of the industry for 20+ years I know for a fact it is false. Local communities all over the world fight for cruise ships to call on them. They do this for the simple reason that they are a huge boon to the local economies. The average cruiser will spend $100-250 per day during a port of call. Not only do the cruise passengers spend money but so do the crew. Cruise passengers often visit a port of call such as Santa Barbara for the first time. They sample our wondrous town and then contact their travel agent when they get home to book a resort here. I have first hand knowledge of this happening over and over.
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COMMENT 329642P
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2012-10-09 12:43 PM |
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I think "extra congestion" is acceptable when it refers to pedestrians spending their vacation dollars at local businesses. I doubt that the cruise line is buying up Santa Barbara businesses - but if they are, I'm sure there are MANY local businesses who would like to make a deal these days. CARS are congestion; tourists on the sidewalks, not so much. As for the amount of energy consumed and the pollution created, I will admit that I do NOT have any info to turn to regarding that, and am not likely to take one online poster's word as truth on this. If someone can afford to take a cruise, they likely have some dollars to spend ashore... good for the local economy, I say. And I've been hearing MANY languages spoken around the State St. shopping area for decades, not just since the cruise lines had to adjust their routes.
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COMMENT 329662P
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2012-10-09 01:27 PM |
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So is money so important?
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COMMENT 329675
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2012-10-09 01:56 PM |
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634 - This vessel has Wartsila 46 marine diesels. Are you really sure that the engines pollute more per kW than by using shore-based electric power? Last time I checked, the Reliant Energy Rankine-cycle steam turbines on the coast could do only 33.3% efficiency; inland combined cycle plants maybe 40-45% but some of the latest Wartsila marine engines come in at 48% efficiency. Or, all too typical for Santa Barbara, if the shore power comes from a coal-buring plant in Utah you simply don't care who bears the brunt of emissions?
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COMMENT 329719
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2012-10-09 03:52 PM |
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To 641
Just read an Alaska Magazine. There was a huge article about this a few years ago. It IS a documented fact.. When you walk off these ships in any port of call, the passengers are handed paper printed lists of the so called "friendly" retailers.. many of which are owned by the cruise lines. There are also TV Screens at the exits doing the same. Sorry 641, but this is the reality and is a very documented fact. The cruise lines are doing everything they can to not keep these dollars in the ports of call.
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COMMENT 329744
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2012-10-09 04:44 PM |
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Regulations say they can't dump waste within five mile of shore. That's about where the oil platforms are, one being visible in the photo. I'm happy for the 2,600 passengers that could visit SB for the day. Imagine 1,200 cars with two people spending a Tuesday in town. That would suck. Anyway, they're gone.
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COMMENT 329746
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2012-10-09 04:49 PM |
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Was just on State Street and noticed lots of older people in Bermuda shorts with cameras around their necks carrying lots of shopping bags so no doubt it's good for local business/the tax base. Nice for them and us.
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COMMENT 329750
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2012-10-09 04:54 PM |
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I have been on two cruises to Alaska with two different companies (Holland America and Carnival). Neither organization steered me to any shop at any port of call.
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COMMENT 329764P
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2012-10-09 05:15 PM |
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719, unfortunately you do not have any facts. I work in the industry as I mentioned in my earlier posts. Cruise lines do NOT own any retail merchants in the Alaska cruise ports. They do own hotels and motor coaches that are used for tours. Please name the retail businesses in the Alaska ports that cruise lines own and then we can all check the ownership as the cruise lines are public companies and their financials along with any businesses in Alaska can be checked. I don't care what a magazine said. Tell us the businesses so we can verify your "facts"
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COMMENT 329788
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2012-10-09 06:42 PM |
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The ownership of the on-shore businesses is irrelevant. The staffing of the businesses is purely local. Benefits to the local economy derive from the employees of the businesses. Bring on the cruise ships! Plus, they look cool.
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COMMENT 329816
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2012-10-09 07:54 PM |
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I used the "on ship" recommendations (3 cruises) and had a blast, so what??
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COMMENT 329832P
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2012-10-09 08:18 PM |
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Gee. Now I wish that I had paid more attention. The Independent conducted some sort of survey of cruise ship passengers and completely debunked that whole myth of these visitors spending anywhere near $250 per person while in our fair town. I think it was more like an average of $50, tops. From my own personal experience, having met many cruise ship passengers and conducting my own little survey, most of the people I talked with wanted to see the sights but weren't doing much shopping at all. And the question about restaurants always came with the "we just want a snack, there's plenty of food onboard," qualifier. I have a problem with 1,000s of tourists flushing their toilets five miles offshore ( I know. . .it's the ship's septic tanks that are being dumped). I agree with 662. "Is money so important" that we would allow this pollution of our Channel?
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CHERIDIANE
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2012-10-09 10:04 PM |
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That thing is HUGE!
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COMMENT 329920P
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2012-10-10 08:59 AM |
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As a downtown business owner I can say the Downtown Association, of which we are all members by fiat and must pay whether we like it or not, always sends us an email when a cruise ship is scheduled, to get us to create a coupon or flyer to distribute at the disembarkation point. They try hard to drum up sales to cruise ship passengers.
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FLICKA
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2012-10-10 09:22 AM |
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662, Is money important? You bet, if you own a business that needs to make sales to survive. If passengers only spend $50 and buy snacks (as mentioned), it still infuses the economy with extra $$s. Complaining about "congestion" is what? Silly? We are a tourist town, have been since the late 1800s. Would it be better to have factories to support our economy?
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RDH
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2012-10-10 11:37 AM |
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To get back to your pictures, Dan, I think the second shot is very impressive.
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