Mayor Boards Luxury Cruise Ship

Santa Barbara Mayor Helene Schneider met with the captain of the Crystal Symphony, a 461-cabin cruise ship that moored in Santa Barbara earlier this week, exchanging official plaques and saying hello. Schneider said she heard the average cruise ship couple spends $200 at every port of call. The Downtown Organization and Conference and Visitors Bureau were on hand to direct passengers on a host of excursions, encouraging visitors to come back later and stay awhile. Schneider noted that this week’s cruise ship was hardly the biggest to drop anchor off the coast, but certainly one of the more upscale. She said Santa Barbara expects eight such trips this year, one being a return visit by the Crystal Symphony—traveling from Los Angeles to Vancouver and back—in two weeks.