January 1, 1970
The Port of Seattle Commission has approved a 10-year lease with the Carnival Corporation which guarantees that at least 420,000 cruise passengers will be brought through Seattle each year between 2009 and 2018 on Holland America and Princess Cruise ships.
The long-term lease represents the first agreement of its type at the Port of Seattle, which has handled cruise business for 10 years. Cruise lines currently submit vessel berth applications to the port annually, and tariff rates for passenger and dockage fees are established for each season.
Starting next year, Carnival's tariff rates will be increase by no more than 4.5 percent per year above the 2008 base rate. In return, Carnival guarantees that it will bring at least five ships per week through the port during cruise season, and will bring at least 420,000 passengers through Seattle annually. The guaranteed minimum passenger volume represents nearly half of the 886,039 total cruise passengers that sailed through the Port of Seattle this year.
Source: The Cunningham Report