Cruise Ships Coming to Savannah?

Millions of people cruise each year. And those big ships mean big dollars to whatever city they dock in.

Dollars that city leaders want to be spent in Savannah.

"How easy would it be to get on a plane in Atlanta and fly to Savannah to get on a cruise ship to the Bahamas?," wondered Savannah Councilman Tony Thomas.

Councilman Tony Thomas is chairing a committee which is looking into making Savannah a full-time cruise port.

While it would involve city improvements, including building a cruise terminal, Thomas believes it's worth it.

His inspiration is just down the road in Charleston, where ships will embark 70 times next year.

"The economic impact to direct spending is a million dollars a cruise,"explained Thomas. "If we can replicate close to what Charleston is doing you could substantiate a major improvement."

Officials say it's not just the time and money folks on the cruise will spend while they are here the first time, but the money they will spend after the leave, when they want to come back after enjoying everything Savannah has to offer.

"You've driven down and gotten on the ship and come back and went home saying Savannah looked cool, let's go back, let's plan a second trip," said Kenny Hill of the Savannah Waterfront Association.

Almost 7000 people come to Downtown Savannah each month for First Saturday. So another thousand cruise visitors would add more people to the streets and more dollars flowing through the stores.

According to travelers we talked to when it comes to a cruise terminal, if you build it, the money will come.

"Otherwise you have to go out of Ft. Lauderdale, Miami, or New Orleans,' explained Bill Preston, a frequent cruise passenger who lives in Atlanta. "This is much closer, and this is a much better town anyway."

And a town that could soon add cruise port to its list of attractions.

Don't get too excited yet, everything is still in discovery stage, and studies have to be done about what impact a cruise ship truly would have.

But Thomas believes we should have some answers on a full-time cruise terminal in the next 14 months.