Small cruise ships being welcomed back to region

Visit by the Silver Cloud planned for Yarmouth on May 13

In a sign signaling the return of the small cruise ship tourism market to the region, the first ship of the season will visit Yarmouth on May 13.

In a news release, the Yarmouth and Acadian Shores Tourism Association (YASTA) says the Silver Cloud is a 157metre luxury expedition class cruise ship.

The cruise line's website says the ship has a capacity of 254 guests and a crew capacity of just over 200.

The visit will mark the first time the Silver Cloud has visited Yarmouth. The vessel is expected to anchor around 10 a.m., and guests traveling aboard the cruise ship will be tendered to the Killam Brothers Marina in Yarmouth by the ship's crew.

Once on shore, guests will explore Yarmouth and the Acadian Shore on three separate tours, featuring local history and food and culture, including Cape Forchu, the Yarmouth heritage district and a local brewery tour. The vessel is scheduled to depart at 6 p.m.

Nova Scotia Wine & Beer Tours owner and operator Dawn Nickerson is excited about the visit, saying she loves to show off food, wine, beer and spirits to cruise guests.

“It's wonderful to see international guests visiting

Yarmouth and Acadian Shores again.” said Nickerson, “Especially in the early part of the season. It's been really tough for tourism businesses over the past few years so it's great to see guests arriving and experiencing the area. We love touring cruise guests around and showcasing our amazing part of Nova Scotia.”

Yarmouth's tourism association has been working to tap into the small cruise ship market, and before the COVID-19 pandemic it had some repeat visits years ago by the 318-passenger MS Fram cruise ship.

YASTA CEO Neil MacKenzie said he is excited to welcome guests and crew from Silver Cloud and is thankful for the early-season business.

“After such a long wait, we're very happy to welcome this fantastic cruise line to our shores. We've been working hard over the past few years to maintain our business relationships with cruise lines and build itineraries that include the port of Yarmouth, this is really great news,” said MacKenzie. “Yarmouth is really well-positioned to attract more ships in the future."

The visit from the Silver Cloud comes the week before Bay Ferries Ltd. is beginning the season of The Cat, which will sail between Bar Harbor, Maine and Yarmouth from May 19 until Oct. 10. It marks the first time since 2018 that a ferry sailing season will take place.

And next month another ship will visit Yarmouth.

The Bluenose II schooner is slated to visit Yarmouth June 22-23, which coincides with the Travel Media Association of Canada conference that is being held in Yarmouth at that same time. The June visit by the Bluenose II will its first port of call in 2022.