New cruise ship MSC Meraviglia arrives at Brooklyn Cruise Terminal
RED HOOK, Brooklyn (WABC) -- A brand new cruise ship has made a grand entrance into the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal in Red Hook.
The MSC Meraviglia, Italian for wonder, arrived at its new home port on Thursday morning, and is ready to launch year-round sailings from Brooklyn.
The boat will be the first cruise ship here all year long. Officials say the ship will bring more than 10,000 full time-equivalent jobs to the terminal.
The ship will soon offer trips to the Bahamas, Florida, Bermuda, and Canada, among other destinations.
City leaders say this ship will bring job and tourism opportunities for thousands in New York City. The mayor is expecting an economic boom of $102 million a year in spending from tourists.
"We're anticipating 219,000 passengers arriving in NYC per year," Mayor Adams said. "Anytime we have international travelers, spend money, spend money, spend money."
The news of the ship is exciting for many, but the terminal itself was the subject of controversy when migrants were first moved there as a temporary shelter.
Just last month, the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal was used to house asylum seekers.
The hope was to ease the strain on city shelters, but some advocates were not happy with the conditions. They were compared to detention centers.
At one point, Adams stayed at the terminal overnight on one of the coldest night's of the year to show the temporary setup was warm enough.
Officials say their plan was always to move the men when cruise season started. Those migrants went to new relief centers in Bushwick and Times Square.
The ship's first voyage from Brooklyn is Saturday.
"The uniqueness of New York City really lies in our waterways and our harbors that bring people in and out," Adams said.
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