‘A big deal. A game changer.’
Norfolk approves enhancements to cruise terminal
NORFOLK — City Council voted Tuesday to approve enhancements to the Half Moone Cruise and Celebration Center in anticipation of becoming a year-round cruise destination in 2025.
The changes are critical, said Stephen Kirkland, who runs the cruise terminal as the executive director of Nauticus.
“A cruise ship will be here every single week, embarking and debarking passengers, and we need to be prepared for that heightened activity,” Kirkland said.
Starting next February, Carnival Sunshine will begin its weekly cruises leaving from Norfolk. The 12-deck ship is 893 feet long and can carry over 3,000 passengers — leading to a turnover of more than 6,000 people when at full capacity, setting sail and returning in a single day.
Modifications to the terminal include expanding the walkway from Waterside Drive, adding a circular drop-off lane, a revised bus lane and canopies for passengers — changes that will enhance pedestrian and vehicle circulation downtown. The city earmarked $12 million for the project.
The most advantageous change, according to Kirkland, is a sloped walkway from the first to second floor that will allow guests exiting the ship to move quickly downstairs to go through customs, collect their luggage and make their way to the ground transportation loop.
“The quicker and more efficient we can be with that process, the better the whole day is,” Kirkland said. “That allows us to embark sooner which allows that ship to set sail on time.”
Currently, there’s one elevator, one escalator and
a set of stairs connecting the first and second floor.
Construction on the enhancements is set to begin in June, but additional cruise traffic from ships diverted by the Francis Scott Key bridge collapse in Baltimore has added complications: the terminal was supposed to be closed for 14 months at the conclusion of the 2023 season.
Those ships originally bound for Baltimore will not delay the construction schedule, Kirkland said. Half Moone cruise terminal had a “window” during which it was able to support Royal Caribbean and Carnival with diverted ships, but those will not continue to
arrive after construction begins in June.
With Norfolk set to become a year-round home port for the world’s largest cruise line, passengers are anticipated to travel from across the country to catch their ship. That brings economic impact in the form of more flights to Norfolk, hotel stays the night before and after the voyage, restaurants, transportation and more.
“That’s a big deal for us as a community. It’s a game changer,” Kirkland said.