Cruise Comeback in the Caribbean

Nearly two years after the start of the pandemic and following months of intense negotiations to create regional COVID-19 health and safety protocols, cruise lines are returning to regular operations in the Caribbean.

Below we look at a series of Caribbean countries to which cruise activity has not only returned but is resuming its place as a key contributor to local economies. The Caribbean ports include some of those most popular among cruise ship vacationers.

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Antigua and Barbuda

Celebrity Equinox made its first 2021 call at St. John’s Harbour in August with more than 2,000 passengers. The first large vessel to dock at the port following the cruise season’s July restart, the ship was welcomed by representatives from the Antigua and Barbuda Port Authority, and the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority.

Developed in coordination with cruise line officials and Antigua and Barbuda health authorities, the port’s COVID-19 protocols to require all passengers over age 12 to be vaccinated. Passengers over 2 years old who are not fully vaccinated prior to embarkation are required to present a negative RT PCR COVID-19 test before boarding their ship.

Shore excursions and tours will “[Follow] the government’s established protocols to the letter [and] will only operate as ‘bubble’ or small group tours,” said Dona Regis-Prosper, the port’s general manager.

“We have truly missed the breathtaking sight of the colossal, larger cruise vessels here at the port, so we are extremely excited to welcome Celebrity Equinox,” she said.

“Throughout the pandemic we have been working with the relevant authorities and cruise operators to ensure that we remain a strategic hub for safety, synergy and innovation,” said Mary- Clare Hurst, minister of state in the Ministry of Tourism and Investment.

Belize

Norwegian Cruise Line’s 75- acre Harvest Caye dedicated cruise port and private island welcomed Norwegian Gem with 1,262 passengers on August 18, the port’s first call since its 2020 pandemic closure. The ship’s itinerary also included calls at Roatan, Honduras and Costa Maya and Cozumel, Mexico.

Norwegian Gem operated at 60 percent of capacity in accordance with Belize’s COVID protocols, said Abil Castaneda, the Belize Tourism Board’s director of quality management and capacity development.

In Belize media reports Castaneda described the protocols, developed in cooperation with the Cruise Tourism Task Force initiative between Caribbean destinations and cruise lines, as “very stringent.”

“All [passengers] have their full vaccination and there’s no positive cases on the ship so we’re all very glad with the protocols that have been put in place,” Castaneda said, adding restrictions may be eased as COVID infection rates decline.

Jamaica

Royal Caribbean International will resume cruise itineraries visiting Jamaica in November, while during the same month Carnival Corp.’s various brands will call at the country 110 times between October 2021 and April 2022.

Royal Caribbean’s resumption of calls in Jamaica follows a pandemic driven absence of nearly two years, said Edmund Bartlett, Jamaica’s minister of tourism.

The company’s calls at the Falmouth cruise port will bring “tens of thousands of passengers” to the country, Bartlett said, while Carnival’s itineraries will add another 200,000 visitors through April 2022.

Bartlett indicated a final operating agreement had yet to be reached with Royal Caribbean, saying “a few matters” must be resolved with regard to the cruise line’s return,” but added, “all requirements have been put in place to meet both the United States’ and Jamaica’s COVID-19 protocols, in addition to passenger movement being limited to our Resilient Corridors.”

“Both Carnival and Royal Caribbean are critical partners for Jamaica’s tourism sector and the destination’s wider economic recovery,” he said. “We are seeing a welcome return of vessels with the recognition that Jamaica’s Resilient Corridors offer a safe environment for our visitors, tourism workers and the general population.”

Turks and Caicos

Turks and Caicos’ Grand Turk Cruise Center will reopen in December following nearly two years of post-pandemic inactivity. Government officials have also reached a $25 million agreement with Carnival Corporation for “extension of the dock facility” and improvements to the port’s cruise reception facility.

Charles Washington Misick, the Turks and Caicos premier, said he is “confident” cruise ships will return to the country’s waters in time for the traditional Caribbean high season from December through March.

Quoted in a Turks and Caicos Weekly News report, Misick said the Turks and Caicos government is also funding the acquisition of “a property to be converted into a vendor’s market. He said $1.5 million has been allocated “to refurbish and improve the property.” An additional $2 million will be spent to build a floating dock for the water sports operators at the port.

“We are very excited to be returning to Turks and Caicos later this year, and to once again be able to treat our guests to the beauty and wonder surrounding our home in Grand Turk,” said Arnold Donald, Carnival Corp.’s president and CEO, in a statement.

Misick added the government will provide $1 million in grants to local tourism-reliant businesses and operators, including “water sports, taxi and tour, tram, all-terrain vehicle and golf cart” operators as well as pre- pandemic Grand Turk Cruise Center vendors, beach vendors, cabana vendors, wedding planners and massage therapists to “help them prepare for the reopening of the cruise industry.”

U.S. Virgin Islands

The Virgin Islands Port Authority (VIPA) is partnering with Royal Caribbean Group to develop infrastructure and attractions at port facilities on St. Thomas and St. Croix as part of a 10-year extension of an existing pier-use agreement for preferential berthing at VIPA’s cruise facilities, said VIPA officials.

Royal Caribbean has also “expressed an interest” in financing enhancements to the Crown Bay facility and making landside improvements in the Crown Bay district and St. Croix, said Carlton Dowe, VIPA’s executive director.

Celebrity resumed cruise visits to St. Thomas with Celebrity Edge’s July 20 call following the pandemic driven halt of cruising in March 2020. On August 8 Celebrity Equinox became the first ship to berth at St. Croix since the pandemic shutdowns. The U.S. Virgin Islands has hosted 22,991 cruise ship visitors to the territory since July 2021.