SEATTLE — The first cruise ship of the season arrived at the Port of Seattle Thursday.
The NCL Norwegian Sun pulled into port at Pier 66 just before 4 a.m. It's one of 218 vessels set to pull into the city this season.
The Port of Seattle is expecting 2018 to be its best year yet for cruise season. Last year, the port hosted a record 1 million visitors, and that record is expected to be broken this year.
To help accommodate the growing number of visitors and the bigger ships, Port officials, along with the Norwegian Cruise Lines, invested $30 million to expand and modernize the Bell Street Terminal.
Next month, the Norwegian Bliss, the largest vessel to operate along the West Coast, will pull into port in Seattle for the first time, and the bigger ships bring in more passengers who will spend more money during their stay in the area.
KIRO 7 checked the latest numbers and found each time a home port ship docks at the Port of Seattle, it brings in $2.7 million to the local economy.
The economic impact on the region from the cruise industry last year topped $500 million.
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