SAN DIEGO — The Port of San Diego's new cruise season kicked off Monday as the Zaandam cruise ship prepared to leave San Diego for a 51-day trip to the South Pacific.
"It's relaxing, especially for older people," said Darlene Silva. She and her husband flew from Hawaii to San Diego.
They were among the 1,400 passengers packed and ready to leave San Diego early Monday evening.
"It's an easy way to travel, you're not rushing to airport, airports are so bad now," she added. "It's a comfortable way to travel."
The trip onboard the Holland America cruise ship includes stops in Hawaii, Fiji and the French Polynesia.
"We'll have about 265,000 passengers sailing in and out of San Diego this year, we're really excited," said Adam Deaton of the Port of San Diego.
San Diego is the state's third busiest cruise port after Long Beach and Los Angeles. Deaton said the cruise industry brings in $125 to $250 million to our region each season.
The Zaandam is like a floating hotel. There's live entertainment, endless amounts of food at several buffets, bartenders mixing and pouring cocktails poolside. There's also a large gym, a pickleball court, and a spa to wind down in.
Through cruise lines ran into trouble during the pandemic, Deaton said there's been a lot of updates to cleaning and safety protocols.
"The ships have been sailing at pre-pandemic levels," he said. "People are ready to cruise, people are ready to get out there."
According to Holland America, the Zaandam is fully booked for the South Pacific trip.
"It's gonna be great," said passenger Wayne Bosada from Canada. "It's a small ship, we're going to all the little islands. Stuff that big cruise ships can't go to."
The cruise ship will return to San Diego in late November.
WATCH RELATED: Oceanside Adventures | Whale watching and dolphin cruises