PORT ANGELES — The yellow barriers restricting visitors and vehicles are posted at the Port of Port Angeles’ T-pier at the foot of Cedar Street.
Downtown Port Angeles merchants have “welcome” signs up and gift bags loaded.
All that’s left is for a cruise ship taller than any North Olympic Peninsula building to pull into the dock behind Westport Shipyard this morning at 7 o’clock.
Most of the 1,200 passengers of Holland America Line’s MS Zaandam are expected to disembark at 7:30 a.m. for the first and only port o’ call during a three-day cruise along the Strait of Juan de Fuca and up the Inside Passage to northeast Vancouver Island.
The ship’s final destination is also its starting point — Vancouver, British Columbia.
The 780-foot, 10-deck luxury liner is the largest passenger ship to dock in Port Angeles since a similar ship visited in fall 1996.
It also will be the first docking by a cruise ship of any size since fall 2001.
North Olympic Peninsula tourism industry leaders are hoping a friendly reception this morning will lead to more stops by large liners.
Chartered cruise
The Zaandam was chartered by Cruise Plus Management Ltd. for the cruise that began Wednesday.
Passengers will spend six hours visiting downtown Port Angeles and taking chartered buses to Hurricane Ridge and Lake Crescent in Olympic National Park.
They are scheduled to reboard at 1:30 p.m. for a 2 p.m. departure.
When the passengers walk off the ship, they will be greeted by representatives of the Port Angeles Downtown Association, Port Angeles Chamber of Commerce, Port of Port Angeles, North Olympic Peninsula Visitors and Convention Bureau and the city’s Waterfront Ambassadors.
Clallam Transit shuttles will leave every 15 minutes to take the visitors downtown.
Each of the 1,200 passengers will receive “goody bags” featuring downtown directories, maps, coupon books, promotional magnets for upcoming festivals, Art on the Town walking tour information and VIP badges entitling them to special discounts at downtown businesses.
Businesses also will post cabin numbers from the ship on their walls. If a visitor spots his or her cabin number at a particular business, the passenger will receive a gift.
Public access to the ship will be restricted at dockside.
A homeland security perimeter has been established in which nobody without prior registration and identification will be allowed inside the security area.
A group of civic and business leaders are approved to board the ship at 10 a.m. to meet the captain and exchange gifts.
And a class of Banbury Corner Daycare and Preschool children will take a field trip to the ship on Thursday.
A total of 11 little students from the Port Angeles preschool will get an exclusive tour of the Zaandam, set up by one of their parents who is a food and beverage manager for Holland America.