It’s 8 o’clock on a sunny April morning in Astoria. Theresa Jones is offering roasted nut samples to 2,300 passengers as they disembark from the cruise ship Norwegian Jade.

“We are here when they step off the ship,” Jones smiles. “We roast on site and then we sample everybody.”

Theresa and her daughter, Skylar Jones, run Northwest Nut out of Ridgefield, Washington. But these days in Astoria are lucrative.

“They can smell the nuts,“ Theresa says. ”So they have all day to think about it. And when they come back, they’ll line up. We will have nothing left.”

Each bag is exactly $20, because that amount does not require change, and Theresa knows passengers are in a hurry to get back on the ship. She estimates she and her daughter will sell $2,000 worth of nuts over the 12-hour day.

Astoria’s cruise season began April 9 this year with the arrival of the Nieuw Amsterdam, a 2,100-passenger ship. By the time the season ends in October, 12 ships will have brought in about 28,000 passengers, with each passenger spending about $100 in town.

Passenger Patricia Lauk is a Walmart employee from Baltimore, Maryland. She’s taking the Norwegian Jade cruise to compare the east and west coasts. She says she’ll spend about $150 on gifts.

“We’ll get a couple of sweatshirts, they’re about $30 or $45 each, so that’s almost $100. And then I get magnets. And then I get keychains for my co-workers,” she says. “Then I’ll get picture frames. And then I might get me a sweatshirt, or a couple of T-shirts for the grandson.”

Astoria businesses welcome cruise ships

With passengers spending that kind of money, it’s easy to see why Astoria’s store owners are happy to see the ships dock.

Local museums are happy too, says Caroline Levin, with the Columbia River Maritime Museum.

“As you could see when you came in the lobby today, it was busy out there,” she said. “Typically mid-week this time of the year can be a little bit quiet.”

She says ticket sales can more than triple on cruise days, as they go from 200 visitors to about 700.

While cruise ships are good for attendance, there will only be 12 days this season when there’s a cruise ship in town. Levin says it’s the river cruises along the Columbia that really boost their bottom line.

“American Cruise Lines runs seven different boats on their Lewis & Clark trip, which runs from here to Lewiston, Idaho, and they’re here almost 200 days a year. And they dock right behind the museum.”

Catching cruise passengers, whether on the big ships or the river boats, is no guarantee. Jen Bergeman with Soon Yi Sushi says they’ve tried everything, from coupons to free keychains, to attract travelers.

“But they just walk by our restaurant,” she said. “We think it’s because they get fed pretty well on the ships.”

There can also be problems with crowds blocking the sidewalk downtown. Chris Lamb, who owns The Lonely Crab Record Shop, is conflicted by their presence.

“They disgorge their masses on the block, right in front of my shop. And so yes, I get increased foot traffic,” he said. “And sure I’ll sell some tote bags and some stickers. But mainly it’s packs of entitled, disinterested tourists, coming around, taking up space and fingering the merchandise.”

But he said there is a flipside.

“I mean, I’m glad it happens. It’s good for the town. This town used to be a city of industry and now it’s a city of service.”

Cruise ship activity disappeared with pandemic

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, about 30 of the big cruise ships would dock in Astoria each season.

There were also about 200 volunteers with the Clatsop Cruise Hosts Association. The volunteers welcome passengers as they disembark and help them find activities, bus services, stores and more.

Marion Soderberg started the nonprofit in 1981.

“It really is an economic boon,” she said. “But that wasn’t our goal.”

She says the goal was to build one-to-one relationships with cruisers to showcase the town and encourage them to return.

“What happens in the cruise business is that once a cruise line identifies a location or destination that people enjoy, then all the other cruise lines want to come there,” Soderberg said.

The 2020 pandemic put an end to cruising for more than a year. Activity has since returned, but there’ll only be 12 Astoria ships this year.

Robbie Mattson, the secretary of the cruise hosts association, says their volunteer numbers have shrunk to about 60.

“We’d really like to replenish our ranks,” she said. “Many volunteers have aged out. And I think that during COVID, people got used to not volunteering.”

Astoria is not as large or as well-known as most cities with cruise ship activity. It’s simply a stop on the cruise’s transition route. As cruise lines move from their warmer winter bases near Mexico, they stop in Astoria on their way to summer ports in places like Alaska and Seattle.

Ships only stop for a few hours

Norwegian Jade is only docked from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., then it’s off to Vancouver Island and other stops in Canada.

On the dock, Bridget Willse sells jewelry made out of old watches and cameras. She says sales are pretty dependent on the weather. If it’s sunny, she does well. If it’s cold, the woman selling hats and scarfs wins the day.

More of the big cruise ships are expected to arrive:

• May 8: Brilliant Lady
• May 10: Coral Princess
• May 11: Island Princess
• June 14-15: The World
• Aug. 19: Crystal Symphony
• Sept. 28: Serenade of the Seas
• Oct. 3: Norwegian Joy

Meanwhile, businesses like American Cruise Lines and National Geographic have boats visiting Astoria about 200 days a year. Their ships tend to be smaller, generally carrying up to 200 people.

River cruises can also dock at smaller docks, meaning they can tie up next to a museum or a downtown pier, rather than at an industrial port.

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2026/05/01/ocean-cruise-ships-astoria/