The Port's maritime director
The newest dock of the bay - San Francisco's handsome $100 million new cruise ship terminal - opened for business Thursday when giant ship Crown Princess, big as a castle and white as a wedding cake, tied up just after 7 in the morning.
There was no ceremony - Peter Dailey, the port's maritime director, called it "a soft opening" - but the arrival of the Crown Princess was a big deal.
It marked the end of 25 years of sometimes complicated and contentious planning for the Port of San Francisco. The port hopes the Crown Princess will be the first of many cruise ships to dock at the new terminal, each of them bringing money-bearing passengers.
The cruise business has been looking up in San Francisco, Dailey said. This year, there were 73 ship calls with 250,000 passengers, a record. Next year there will be 81 calls, with an anticipated 300,000 passengers.