From our “what you saw/will see at sea” file – tomorrow you’ll see the first cruise ship of the season in Elliott Bay, on its way to (and from) Pier 66 on the downtown waterfront. The Norwegian Sun, currently docked in Victoria, B.C., is scheduled to be here on Thursday for a 5 pm departure on a cruise that will take it through the Panama Canal and on to Florida. According to the Port of Seattle, this will be one of 215 cruise-ship visits this season (here’s the schedule), bringing in 1.1 million passengers, half a billion dollars in revenue, $19 million in state/local taxes. Norwegian Cruise Line will make an even bigger splash on May 30th, when its Norwegian Bliss becomes the largest cruise ship homeported on the West Coast – 1,082 feet long, 4,000 passengers, 1,716 crew members.

P.S. We asked port spokesperson Peter McGraw when the Sun will sail in tomorrow. Reply: Around 3 am.