Cruise uptick begins for Jamaica
Island cited as adventure zone, shoppers paradise
ROYAL Caribbean International will increase calls to Jamaica in November and there are more than 110 planned cruise ship visits from October through April 2022 by Carnival Cruise Line.
Royal Caribbean in a press release says it intends to resume cruises with limited operations as of November, after 18 months in mothballs due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Plans from Carnival include more than 110 cruise ship visits by its various brands that could carry more than 200,000 visitors to the island between October 2021 and April 2022.
The communications said that these operations will be subject to agreements between Jamaican authorities and the cruise lines. These cruise updates were provided during meetings with Royal Caribbean and Carnival last week in Miami.
Jamaica resumed welcoming cruise ships back to its shores in September 2021. Cruises must meet measures governing the restart of cruise shipping, requiring passengers over the age of 12 and crew to be fully vaccinated and for all passengers to provide evidence of negative results from a COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of sailing.
The Port Authority’s Cruise Jamaica website indicates that the island has won several world-class awards as a World Leading Cruise Destination.
The Port Authority operates cruise ports at Montego Bay, Ocho Rios, Falmouth and Port Antonio. Montego Bay, Ocho Rios and Falmouth — located on the north coast — are equipped to handle the largest cruise ships. Port Antonio is a port of call for ‘boutique’ cruise ships and mega yachts.
The three main cruise ports are the doorway to adventure tours which include visits to nature attractions, bars, restaurants and shops. Included are stands selling Jamaica’s famous ‘jerk’ pork, chicken or fish.
Restaurants to which cruise passengers are introduced feature popular island dishes including curried goat, dried peppered shrimps, ‘stamp and go’ (saltfish cakes) and mackerel ‘rundown’ (whole salted mackerel simmered in spiced coconut milk and served with green bananas or yams).
Cruise Jamaica also outlines that passenger browsing includes market streets, shops and galleries, where they can secure deals on art, watches, jewellery, diamonds, perfumes, leather goods, china, wood sculptures, ceramics and original arts are all available at competitive prices.