Entertainment Cruises, for its part, has ambitious plans for Baltimore as it revamps its vessels here to create an environment similar to that on its ships in Norfolk, Va., Washington, Philadelphia and Boston. The menus, upgraded with items such as wild Alaskan salmon and dessert trios, the decor and ambience, will be standardized and marketed under the Spirit brand.
"A more sophisticated look will attract both more wedding and corporate business," D'Amato said.
Baltimore could also gain new boats, company executives said. The Seadog speedboat sightseeing cruises that the company operates in Chicago could work here, Michael Higgins, the Entertainment Cruises CEO, said. The company's more elegant, white-tablecloth Odyssey Cruises might also find a niche, he said.
Baltimore cruise ticket prices could rise by 20 percent to 30 percent over the next few years, Higgins added. Weekend dinner cruises start at $65.90 this season; lunch cruises at $36.90. The Stapplers operated a cruise model popular with those "looking for absolute rock-bottom pricing," he said.
In making these changes, Entertainment Cruises will have to be careful not to alienate its veteran customers, Higgins conceded.
Integrated into the fabric of city life, many a crab feast and Mother's Day lunch has been held on these ships, which also play host to political fundraisers. Former Rep. Helen Delich Bentley said she would have booked her campaign events elsewhere if the prices had been any higher.
"If it gets too expensive, they're going to lose the middle guys who keep it going all the time," said Bentley, a consultant to the Maryland Port Administration. "It's definitely the end of an era."
laura.mccandlish@baltsun.com
