There are many factors that the cruise lines consider when deciding where to place their ships. Obviously the market size is a big one, and one that we really cannot do anything about. Another thing that nobody has brought up yet (thanks local news teams for not asking enough questions) is port fees. It is my understanding (though I do not have hard facts) that Norfolk's fees are much higher than other cities - including those of Baltimore. The cruise lines look at their bottom line before anything else. We have an amazing terminal (if you haven't been, you should check it out) that is probably one of the nicest in the entire country. We have extremely satisfied passengers AND crew members (the ship workers, Captains, etc. ALL love Norfolk and wish it was their home port) - but we have a city full of negative citizens who can't seem to think or do anything positive. Just look at the comments on any PilotOnline article... hardly a single positive comment to be found - ever! HR citizens could make a dog show sound like genocide. All anyone wants to do is complain about the failure of Waterside, the Half Moone, Nauticus - how about supporting them? Or try to come up with an idea of how to make them better. If you want to cruise out of Norfolk but are dissatisfied with the lineup... stop complaining!!! Go online, send an email, call a customer service rep, travel agent, or even write a letter! Tell the lines that you want more ships leaving Norfolk. There are tens of thousands of potential cruisers out there who are equally convenient to Baltimore / Norfolk / Charleston and because of that, when they don't see what they want, they simply go to another port. Nobody feels that their opinion is valued and so they don't try. Well, I'm telling you, it does!!! Get out there and make yourself heard - but try to be positive about it! We CAN get Royal Caribbean back and we CAN get other cruise lines in as well. Just because one ship left for Baltimore does not mean we are out of the line up. There are newer, bigger ships coming out every year and the smaller ones have to relocate somewhere. Norfolk's harbor can not accommodate the massive ships that are considered state of the art today (have you seen Grandeur, Enchantment, or Glory turn around in the river? its a close call!) but we can certainly provide a home for the (still luxurious!) ships of a smaller class.
