Witch City sees first step in attracting cruise ships

From The Salem News -

By Chris CassidyStaff writer

SALEM — Eva Coffey is the kind of tourist that local merchants and city officials want to see more of.

She and her friend hopped on a trolley yesterday, toured The House of the Seven Gables, explored the Peabody Essex Museum, and downed a sandwich and a frothy beverage at Salem Beer Works.

"Then we came back — exhausted," said the Riverside, R.I., native.

Coffey and 47 other passengers aboard a cruise ship docked at the Blaney Street pier yesterday morning, the second stop on a five-city tour of New England.

The arrival of the 183-foot Grande Caribe was a milestone in the Witch City's grand plan to become a bustling hub for cruise ships.

Shortly after 9 a.m., trolleys and pedicabs hovered near the pier, ready to greet passengers and guide them through the downtown.

CityView put an additional trolley on the road to meet the demand. "It certainly helped us," said Eric Fraize, the assistant vice president of CityView trolleys. "Hopefully, it helped the local merchants, too."

Some cruise passengers came from the South Shore and Cape Cod, while others live as far away as Texas, Louisiana, South Carolina and Illinois. Most were retirees able to afford the rates of between $1,315 and $1,595 per person.

Dick and Beverly Kiernan of Mashpee spent the day exploring wedding and maritime exhibits at the Peabody Essex. Beverly bought a plate and an eyeglass case at the museum gift shop, and both returned to the dock by trolley. They estimate they spent between $60 and $80.
"We'll be back again," Dick Kiernan said. "It's been a few years since we've been here. It's more tourist-oriented now."

Tom and Carol O'Donnell of Hingham spent about $60 visiting The House of the Seven Gables and the Peabody Essex Museum's 200-year-old Chinese house. They also ate lunch at the museum and rode a trolley.

"The downtown is certainly more lively and colorful," said Tom O'Donnell, whose last Witch City visit came about six years ago. "It looks like the city has done a good job promoting itself in a tasteful way."

About a fifth of the passengers bought a Discover Salem passport, a city-run program that offers admission to The House of the Seven Gables, the Peabody Essex Museum, the Salem Witch Museum, the Salem Trolley and 15 percent off local restaurants for $46.

With 48 passengers, the ship was at slightly less than half-capacity — not the 100 visitors local merchants had been hoping for. Hotels didn't see a boost because the passengers have cabins on board.

Salem's evening hot spots likely missed out, as well. The cruise ship serves its own family-style meals three times a day. Many passengers who ordered lunch in downtown Salem yesterday afternoon said they planned to eat and drink on board at a captain's "welcome aboard" party instead of hitting the town.

"They have great food here," said Barbara Gallo of New Rochelle, N.Y. "Everything's homemade."

Still, city officials realize it's just a start. The city plans to expand the Blaney Street dock to accommodate vessels larger than 200 feet.

Already, the city has come a long way, said John Hunnewell, the ship's captain. In the past, American Canadian Caribbean Line had to moor in the harbor and ferry passengers to shore, a difficult task for the ship's mostly older crowd. Then passengers had to navigate a rickety dock.
Yesterday, the ship pulled right up to the pier, which was redesigned a few years ago to accommodate the Salem ferry, and disembarked.

Because the cruise line sets its schedule a year in advance, a Salem stop isn't planned for 2009, but the company hopes to return in 2010.

Many, like Coffey, would welcome a return trip. Although the German-born tourist was turned off by the PEM's $4 surcharge to view the Chinese house, she said the ale at Beer Works is just as good as Germany's and that the views from Winter Island are picture-perfect.

"I kind of liked it all," she said.

Staff writer Chris Cassidy can be reached at ccassidy@salemnews.com.