BY ANN S. KIM

MaineToday Media, Inc.

A team of yellow-shirted greeters was ready with promotional booklets and friendly advice as passengers disembarked from the Explorer of the Seas on Wednesday, the opening day of the city's cruise ship season.

Some passengers headed to buses behind the fence for shore excursions to places like Mount Washington, Freeport, Kennebunkport or House Island for a lobster bake. But others stepped through the gate of the Portland Ocean Terminal and onto Commercial Street, where they looked over maps with the greeters, who pointed passengers toward shops and told them about a nearby coffee shop that brought in live music in anticipation of their arrival.

The activity is part of a new effort to capture more business for downtown Portland from cruise ship passengers. On Wednesday, the Explorer of the Seas, the largest of the ships calling this season, arrived with 3,114 passengers. The Royal Caribbean International ship is making the first of the 31 cruise ship visits scheduled for Portland this summer and fall.

Jim Meserve, a Portland-based artist agent who is arranging the Maine Passport marketing effort, said there's a need to help passengers see what the city has to offer. The opportunities aren't always immediately clear at the intersection of Commercial Street and the Franklin Arterial.

The booklet, which includes a map and promotional offers from merchants, is intended to get them into the downtown and spend.

"Let's not forget Portland," Meserve explained outside the terminal Wednesday morning. "That's all we're trying to do, put the best face on Portland."

Those in the cruise ship industry say Portland is attractive, in part, because of the shore excursion options available. But some merchants have complained in recent years the excursions take customers away.

At Portland Coffee Roasters on Commercial Street, musician Ben Hammond had an unusual weekday performance because of the ship's arrival. Barista Affandi Afiff said the business was swamped with customers, some of whom were passengers who complained the ship's coffee is weak.

Don Morrison, who owns the shop, said cruise ships represent a huge opportunity.

"This is not normal. Look at the streets," he said, gesturing to the clumps of people outside.

But at Edgecomb Potters Gallery on Exchange Street, manager Steven Anderson said cruise ships have not historically meant big business.

"They stay on Commercial Street," Anderson said of cruise ship passengers.

Anderson believes passengers may be reluctant to carry large items aboard the ship, that they may be cautious in their spending when the economy is uncertain and they may overlook Exchange Street because they are unfamiliar with the city.

He hopes the shop's participation in the marketing effort will draw them in.

Meserve said the answer to keeping passengers in Portland is to create more of a buzz around the city. He noted that even when passengers go on excursions, there is still an opportunity to market Portland to them when they return.

There's been steady growth in excursions to Kennebunkport in the past several years, said Karen Duddy, executive director of the Kennebunk-Kennebunkport Chamber of Commerce.

She said passengers are a boon to the town, as they visit galleries, lunch at Arundel Wharf and shop in Dock Square. But she doesn't view the town's relationship with Portland as competitive.

"Are you going to spend all your money in one destination? ... They're going to want to have a little everything and spend everywhere. That's what I would do," Duddy said.

Having a broad array of shore excursions is a key concern for cruise lines, as is having a port that is pleasant and pedestrian-friendly, said Amy Powers. director of CruiseMaine, which represents the state's ports.

"It's extremely important to be able to offer a wide range of activity. What's great about Maine is we have a diverse range of activities," ranging from "soft adventures" like historical tours and lighthouse visits to more physically demanding activities like kayaking, Power said.

About 40 percent of passengers opt for shore excursions, which in Portland range in duration from two to nine hours, said Greg Gordon, operations manager for Destination New England, a company that arranges excursions for cruise lines.

According to a 2002 University of Maine study, cruise ship passengers generally spend $105 a day when in port. The study was based on spending in Bar Harbor.

Shopping was a big part of Sandra Hendry's plans for Wednesday. The passenger from Gateside, Scotland, didn't have anything in particular on her shopping list but had already seen firsthand how strong the pound is against the local currencies. Items like leather and fleece jackets in Canada and a wool coat in Bar Harbor were purchased for only about half of what they would cost at home, she said.

On the Town Clothing Co. on Exchange Street was doing some of its own marketing to passengers. A sign on the sidewalk welcomed the passengers and advertised free coffee and muffins in the morning and other refreshments later in the day.

Margaret Corsello of Chatham Township, N.J., went in, thinking how nice that offer was.

"I'm just very overwhelmed by the hospitality and the sweetness of the people," she said.

A former fashion reporter, Corsello had a chat about fashion with the boutique's owners, Charles Doucette and Andrea Goodwin, and a cup of coffee. As she headed out to visit more shops and the Portland Museum of Art, Doucette offered some refreshment to go.

"It's warm out there," he said. "You want a water for the road?"