Mobile's cruise port has received the top national customer service award -- Port of the Year -- from Carnival Cruise Lines, based on feedback from customer comment cards.

The award recognizes, at least in part, the work of Cruise Services USA Inc., a shore services company with 35 to 50 employees in Mobile, who serve at the Alabama Cruise Terminal downtown.

The Charleston, S.C.-based company has been under contract with Miami-based Carnival for almost two years, Walter Thorn, president of Cruise Services, said Thursday. Thorn said he's proud of reaching the top during the company's first full year in Mobile.

The Holiday, though one of Carnival's oldest and smallest ships, has been popular since making Mobile its home port in 2004.

The ship's capacity, based on double-occupancy of cabins, is 1,452 passengers, but it left Mobile on Thursday with 1,625 passengers, a typical load, said Sheila Gurganus, general manager at Alabama Cruise Terminal.

Gurganus said that on cruise days, about 100 people work the terminal.

Snagging the top award among Carnival's 11 year-round home ports is a team effort, involving everyone from terminal staff to the longshoremen who load and unload luggage, Thorn said.

"It only takes one person to tick off a guest, and they remember that all the way through their cruise," he said. "Cruisers expect a good time from the time they get out of their car at the terminal to the time they leave."

Vance Gulliksen, Carnival spokesman, said Mobile's embarkation team "gives new meaning to the term 'Southern hospitality.'"

The Holiday has since Oct. 18 sailed from Mobile without a contract between the cruise line and the city.

Al St. Clair, director of the Alabama Cruise Terminal, along with city leaders, has been negotiating a new agreement with Carnival. That deal, which would be back-dated to Oct. 18, will go before the City Council on Tuesday.

The new agreement includes three one-year contracts, with the first running through the end of 2008.

Both the old and proposed contracts give Carnival the right of first refusal should another cruise line want to set up shop in Mobile. City and terminal leaders have been courting a second or larger cruise ship for at least a year and have said that strong demand for Holiday cruises bodes well for making that happen.

The customer service award can only help, Gurganus said. "It lets (cruise lines) know we can take care of guests," she said. "We want a bigger ship, and this is one more thing that shows that we can do it."

(Business reporter Jeff Amy contributed to this report.)

DAUPHIN ISLAND -- Tourists could park at the western end of Bienville Avenue, board a boat to cross the island's breach, and listen to a concert in a palm tree-lined pavilion on the beach there.

That was one of several proposals pitched to islanders Tuesday during a "Virtual Dauphin Island" presentation, part of the Town of Dauphin Island's efforts to revive the local economy after Hurricane Katrina's destruction two years ago.

Liberty Duke, a Montgomery-based economic development consultant, used digital maps and other data to show how new projects -- such as an aquarium or an entertainment pavilion -- could draw tourists and more revenue to the island.

Under one plan, the town would purchase and lease undeveloped land on the western end of the island, where Hurricane Katrina carved a breach separating the western end from the rest of the island.

A boat would ferry visitors across the breach. Booths for retailers and an entertainment pavilion would be built on the other side, Duke said.

The town would also operate a public beach on the eastern side of the breach, with parking for a fee.

"(Tourists) spend money, but they do not impact your quality," Duke said of the plan.

The "Sunset Beach" development would cost an estimated $2 million, with $300,000 for building facilities and $1.7 million for land, officials said.

Duke said it could be completed by April, before next year's tourist season.

According to Duke, other proposals include:

Purchasing land near DeSoto Avenue for outdoor recreation, such as canoeing, kayaking, fishing or hiking, for an estimated $4 million, creating public access to the bayside waterfront. That project could be ready by next fall, if funding is available.

Building an aquarium for an estimated $12 million to $15 million, possibly paid for with the help of corporate funding.

Creating a park near the entrance to Dauphin Island with benches and tables. A private landowner has agreed to lease the land for five years at no cost, with the park estimated to cost between $7,500 and $10,000, officials said.

Several of the projects have been submitted to state authorities for federal funding under the Coastal Impact Assistance Program, Duke said. Town officials are waiting for the state's decision about which plans, if any, will be funded through the program.

The town could also issue bonds to generate funding, officials said.

The island should attract visitors ages 25 to 40, especially parents, who want vacation activities beyond going to the beach, Duke said this week.

Mayor Jeff Collier said town officials will examine the costs of the projects before deciding which projects to fund.

"Maybe the town of Dauphin Island has to take a more active role in stimulating the economy, so we can get on our feet and get back to where we need to be," Collier said.

The town hired Duke, of ERIS Inc. for one-year at a cost of $125,000 to initiate new economic activity, part of the town's long-term strategic plan developed this year.

Tuesday's presentation used a Web site called Virtual Alabama, a government site developed by the state Department of Homeland Security. The site combines maps, photographs and other data with Google Earth technology.