First Cruise Ship Arrives in Salem

The first cruise ship to arrive in Salem - Seabourn Quest - pulled in on Sunday morning.

The ship is on a 14-day cruise from Montreal, Quebec to Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

The Quest pulled in to the Salem Ferry dock at about 8 a.m. on Sunday and it is the first of many midsize cruise ships that will dock at the former Salem power plant coal dock.

The ship can be seen live on the Shetland Park webcam.

Shetland President Robert I. Lappin said he expects the webcam to surpass its highest viewer count, typically 600-1,000 visitors per week, with the ship’s arrival and demolition of the smokestacks at the power plant. The webcam allows users to zoom in and pan from left to right, plus snap a picture.

The Quest left Montreal on Oct. 11 and is scheduled to arrive in Fort Lauderdale on Friday, Oct. 25. It is also scheduled to make a stop on Wednesday at Charleston, S.C.

It holds 450 passengers and is scheduled to spend all day Sunday in Salem.

Passengers will be visiting the Salem Witch Museum, Peabody Essex Museum, and House of the Seven Gables, according to a blog post by Kate Fox, Executive Director of Destination Salem. Some passengers will make a daytrip to Boston and Cambridge and others will explore Salem independently.

Prices for a suite on the ship run from $6,499 to $17,499 per person, depending on the accommodations.