November 17, 2021
The Port Authority of Jamaica (PAJ) has disclosed that 50 cruise ships are expected to visit five ports in the island in the months of November and December 2021.
President and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Port Authority of Jamaica Professor Gordon Shirley, speaking during an interview said the ships would visit ports in Ocho Rios in St Ann, Montego Bay in St James, Port Antonio in Portland, Falmouth in Trelawny, and Port Royal, Kingston, in the coming weeks.
Professor Gordon Shirley, also noted that expanded berthing at the port in Montego Bay, St James, will facilitate larger cruise ships that will start coming to the island in 2022.
The island’s winter season (mid-December through mid-April) is typically its biggest revenue source. It draws in millions of dollars (US$10 million) from cruise lines and their guests.
The expansion of the Montego Bay cruise shipping pier was carried out on some 280,000 square feet of land space at a cost of JM$184 million. It has been estimated that the new generation of cruise ships will be visiting various ports in the Caribbean starting in October 2021. According to the Ministry of Tourism, the projected number of passengers traveling to the region will reach 200,000 (110 calls) between October 2021 and April 2022.
Royal Caribbean’s return to Jamaica in 2022 will bring with it the possibility of receiving four of the largest cruise ships ever built Oasis of the Seas, Allure of the Seas, Harmony of the Seas, and the biggest, Symphony of the Seas. Wonder of the Seas could become the biggest ship in the world. It’s maiden voyage will happen in 2022 and the vessel may find it’s way into Jamaican territory later in that year.
Wonder of the Seas, could become the largest ship in the world. If it is the biggest, the vessel would be among the world’s largest cruise ships, holding there about 228,081 gross tonnages and carrying more than 5,000 passengers. It’s maiden voyage will happen in 2022 and the vessel may find its way into Jamaican territory later in that year.
The resorts near the Port Authority’s facilities in Kingston, St Ann, are expected to receive calls from several vessels, including the Carnival Breeze and the MSC Meraviglia. The other cruise ships that call at the area include the Crystal Symphony and the Liberty of the Seas.
The Port Authority sources indicated that Carnival Sunrise and MSC Meraviglia have been calling at the pier in Ocho Rios, St Ann, and will continue to do so over the following weeks. The Port Royal cruise ship pier in Kingston, it was said, will see visits from the ultra-luxury cruise ships from Seabourn and Crystal Cruises and calls from Holland America Line’s Nieuw Statendam & Nieuw Amsterdam.The pier at Falmouth, Trelawny, expects visits from Liberty of the Seas, Celebrity Reflection, and MSC Seashore. Montego Bay will see AIDAluna, AIDAdiva, and MSC Divina.Port Antonio, Portland, which has the island’s smallest cruise port in Jamaica, has a scheduled visit from the expedition cruise ship Scenic Eclipse.
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