Crystal Symphony Makes Inaugural Eureka Call With 554 Passengers

Crystal Symphony made its inaugural call at Eureka on Friday, Aug. 21, bringing 554 passengers into Humboldt Bay for a day of redwood, downtown and regional excursions. The 1995-built, 238-meter, 51,044-GT ship was alongside Schneider Dock by 7 a.m., with about 200 guests booked on organized tours.

Humboldt Bay has no dedicated cruise terminal. Eureka handled the call through existing harbor infrastructure and temporary passenger services on the waterfront.

Shuttles and tours fill the day ashore

City staff opened a welcome tent with visitor information, tour brochures and complimentary coffee from Happy Sloth. Tour buses, rideshare drivers and other transportation providers were positioned near the dock as the first passengers disembarked for 8 a.m. excursions.

“The city has shuttles here that we’re going to be doing loops from the dock to the welcome center and back,” said Swan Asbury, the city of Eureka’s economic development director.

Organized outings included Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, Blue Ox Millworks, Ferndale, Humboldt Botanical Gardens, Sequoia Park and a historic walking tour. Other options included Lost Coast Brewery and Old Town Eureka, while some passengers rented cars or traveled independently toward Trinidad and other parts of Humboldt County.

Marina Bregles, who works in shore excursions aboard Crystal Symphony, said the redwoods accounted for much of the organized program, alongside downtown exploration and a visit to Blue Ox Millworks for a demonstration of vintage printing. She said the Eureka stop gave passengers an opportunity not available to many previous Crystal guests.

Among those exploring independently were Don Cox and Ken Tomilson, who have taken more than 50 cruises together but had not previously arrived in Eureka by ship. Cox rented a car for a drive through the region, while Tomilson said he hoped future itineraries would allow more time in the city.

Local agencies coordinate the inaugural visit

The call was coordinated by the city of Eureka, Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District, Eureka Main Street, the Humboldt County Office of Economic Development, Visit Humboldt, the Humboldt Bar Pilots Association and Zerlang and Zerlang Marine Services.

Anthony Brent, director of cruise for Akorn Destination Management, oversaw shoreside logistics for Crystal and traveled from the ship’s previous port in Astoria to prepare for the arrival.

“A lot of guests get on these types of ships because they want to go to see new places,” Brent said.

Crystal Symphony began the West Coast itinerary in Vancouver and called at Victoria and Astoria before reaching Eureka. The ship was scheduled to depart Humboldt Bay at 8 p.m. for San Francisco, followed by San Diego and calls in Mexico and Central America.

See current Crystal Symphony fares and itineraries on Cruise Lookup.