For the first time since last September, three cruise ships have arrived in San Diego on the same day.
Holland America's Westersam and Zuiderdam along with Celebrity's Infinity arrived to the cruise ship terminal along the Embarcadero Tuesday around 7 a.m.
Passengers from the Holland America ships will be disembarking here. New passengers will board the ships before the end of the day headed to Vancouver and Washington state.
Passengers aboard the Infinity are spending the day in San Diego as one of the stops on a cruise to Seattle, Wash.
The cruising season for San Diego is mid September through May.
San Diego's cruise ship business has plummeted by more than 70 percent since 2008 and some analysts say business won't be back to where it used to be until at least 10 years from now.
The port commission says there are several reasons for the industry's decline, the economy, competition from Europe, and the continuing perception of the dangers in Mexico.
Local
At its peak in 2008, the port of San Diego had more than 255 ships, but this year, the port expects only 85. Officials say this number will likely stay the same for 2013, as cruise lines plan their itineraries 2 years out.
The economic impact of this industry is significant - approximately 2 million dollars is pumped into our local economy every time a ship is here.
Money that ends up in nearby businesses.. Not just from passengers, but from the thousands of crew members as well.
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