Here’s the current list of Gloucester stores, museums, and organizations with special offers for the Zuiderdam passengers coming this Friday September 9th!

Peter Webber and Ken Riehl of the Cape Ann Chamber will be walking down Main Street in Gloucester tomorrow to hand out these festive welcome flyers for Holland America passengers. If you don’t see Peter or Ken, please print them out from the photo and display on doors and windows, or contact them and they can email you a PDF.

Ships arrive Friday September 9, Saturday September 24th–which is also a big Essex Heritage  Trails & Sails day in Gloucester and Cape Ann– and Thursday September 29th as part of fall foliage cruising.

Three Sheets to the Wind will perform from the Cruiseport deck. CATA will be making bus stop locations and selling all day passes for $3. Some passengers remain on ship and 40% have pre-arranged day trips. After processing through security, 1000 remaining passengers or so will be guided to CATA’s special trolley downtown (including one stop at Western Ave and Middle Street for walking over to Stacy Boulevard) and regular routes to Rocky Neck and downtown Rockport. CATA doesn’t loop to Stage Fort. Steve Douglass runs water shuttle service to Rocky Neck. Local taxi and car services have been alerted. Please reach out to Peter@capeannchamber.com for details. Crew come ashore and in the past have numbered in the hundreds.

If you are ever interested in volunteering contact Lorre Anderson at welcomecruisers@gmail.com to sign up for welcome cruisers, the visitor center, and/or the Chamber. Lorre has managed the cruiseship volunteer brigade for the Chamber for years and is fabulous.

Gloucester’s Downtown Welcomes Holland America Zuiderdam passengers! Enjoy these special offers:

• DIVA; 161 Main St.: 12% off all purchases. Vintage and curated jewelry

• Cape Ann Museum; 27 Pleasant St.: $2 discount on our regular admission (currently admission is $10 for adult and $8 for seniors so admission for cruise ships would be $8 and $6 respectively) contemporary exhibits and permanent collection with world class holdings including Marsden Hartley, Fitz Henry Lane, Stuart Davis, Umberto Romano, Paul Manship, John Sloan, Katharine Weems, Viginia Lee Burton, Milton Avery, Edward Hopper, Winslow Homer and many more.

• Cape Ann Auction & Estate Sales, 82 Main St.: 25% off sale store wide on Sept 9 & Sept 29

• Carroll Steele Insurance; 32 Pleasant St.: ball point pen

• Fireflies Boutique; 100 Main St.: 15% off full price items vintage and retail

• Harbor Goods/Life is Good; 119 Main St.: 20% off Gloucester tees

• Harbor Loop Gift/ Building Center; 1 Harbor Loop; 10% off all nautical merchandise for the Cruise ship arrivals

• Kids Unlimited; 123 Main St: Take an additional 10% off all summer & winter clearance, already 50%-80% off

• Mark Adrian Shoes; 103 Main St.: $10 off any purchase of $50 or more

• The Brass Monkey; 85 Main St.: for a “TASTE OF NEW ENGLAND”.  Sample a wide variety of New England specialty foods and explore our two floors of unique gifts, antiquities, clothing, jewelry and much more.

• Toodeloos! / Island Art; 142 Main St.: 10% off entire purchase awesome independent toy store and art supplies

• Trident Gallery; 189 Main St.: free exhibition poster ($25 value) to first 50 visitors

• Weathervane; 153 Main St.: 25% off sweats (excludes Cape Pond Ice)

Please note: Additional specials may be available at other businesses. Passengers are encouraged to ask merchants for details.  City Hall tower tours may be available September 9th and definitely offered on Sept 24th and 29th. 

flashback to 2014 prep