PORT ANGELES — The community and North Olympic Peninsula again received rave reviews from passengers who came to town aboard a giant cruise ship for a daylong visit Thursday.
“Great people, real friendly — they made us feel really welcome,” said Joy Bongiorno of Hillsboro, Ore.
“I really appreciated the high school band. It was great to have them out here so early.
“We had a lovely day,” she said.
The 720-foot, Dutch-registered ms Ryndam docked at the Port of Port Angeles’ Terminal 1 pier about 7:15 a.m. Thursday as part of its five-day roundtrip cruise from Vancouver, British Columbia.
Passengers were greeted by the Port Angeles High School Jazz Band, the Lower Elwha Klallam JC Singers and past Chamber of Commerce President Mike Millar.
Dr. James Leigh said he lives in Victoria and always looked across the Strait of Juan de Fuca to admire the Olympic Mountains.
“I really appreciate the welcome we get here. It’s very good public relations,” Leigh said, adding that he was aboard Holland America’s ms Zaandam when it docked in Port Angeles in May 2004.
Holland America’s 780-foot, 10-story-high Zaandam — slightly larger than the Ryndam — had been chartered by Cruise Plus Management Ltd. for a three-day roundtrip cruise.
Thursday’s cruise was part of Holland America’s scheduled itinerary and advertised on the company’s Internet site.
The sunny spring weather encouraged many people to walk along the Waterfront Trail into downtown instead of taking one of four Clallam Transit System buses provided by the Port Angeles Downtown Association.
The passengers were provided with VIP stickers so merchants could identify and greet them.
Gottschalks manager Ken Porter said passengers who had been on cruises to Alaska told him that Port Angeles was “first class.”
“They said the merchants were friendly, even if you weren’t buying anything,” he said.
