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Carnival Cruise Line Celebrates 35 Years at Port Canaveral
Carnival Cruise Line marked 35 years of cruises from Central Florida with a special celebration aboard its Mardi Gras on Saturday.
Carnival began sailing from Port Canaveral in 1990, and has grown its operations over the years to homeport more ships than any other cruise line and embark more than 1.2 million guests from the port annually, the company said in a press release.
To commemorate the anniversary and longstanding partnership, Carnival hosted an onboard celebration. The event included several members of the community, such as leaders from the Canaveral Port Authority, the United States Coast Guard, and Brevard County.
David German, Port Canaveral’s vice president of cruise business development, presented Carnival with a framed Canaveral Port Authority Board of Commissioners proclamation, documenting the special resolution the board passed this week to recognize the economic growth created by the 35-year relationship.
The cruise line also announced the charitable donation of a hybrid pickup truck that will support the work of Keep Brevard Beautiful, a non-profit organization dedicated to environmental conservation in the area.
The donation coincides with the weekend of World Ocean Day, emphasizing Carnival’s commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship.
Carnival, which homeports four ships year-round and another ship seasonally at Port Canaveral, recently announced it will enhance offerings further by deploying its next new ship to the port. Sister ship to the Mardi Gras, the Carnival Festival is now under construction and will bring all new features into the Carnival fleet, including music-themed zones and the cruise line’s largest-ever water park, when it debuts in 2027.
“Port Canaveral has been a cornerstone of Carnival’s success for 35 years,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. “We’re proud to celebrate this incredible milestone alongside the community that has been such an essential part of our growth. Our exciting growth continues with the opening of Celebration Key next month, our exclusive destination that will really be a game-changer for us and for our guests.”
The Carnival Vista, which is homeported in Port Canaveral, will make the first official visit to Celebration Key for the destination’s grand opening. All Carnival ships sailing from Port Canaveral offer sailings that visit Celebration Key on Grand Bahama, which will offer guests the ultimate day in paradise.
With over 300 annual departures from Port Canaveral, Carnival guests contribute an estimated $450 million in economic impact to the region before and after cruises.
“We are proud to celebrate Carnival Cruise Line’s 35th anniversary of sailing from Port Canaveral and humbled by what this milestone represents,” said Capt. John Murray, Port Canaveral CEO. “From the inaugural sailing of the TSS Carnivale in 1990 to having five year-round and seasonal vessels in their homeported fleet today, Carnival Cruise Line is our longest continuous cruise business relationship, contributing economic value over the decades for our Port community, the Central Florida region and our state.”
Brazil’s Santos Port Authority to Offer Reduced Fees for Cruise Ships
Santos Port Authority (SPA) is offering reduced operational fees for cruise ships visiting the Port of Santos in Brazil, according to a press release.
As part of a new set of regulations introduced in October, discounted fees will be provided to cruise lines based on the volume of passengers travelling to the port onboard their ships.
The reduction in fees ranges from 10 to 60 per cent, with the maximum benefit offered to operators bringing more than 680,000 passengers.
SPA also provides discounts for various types of vessels that achieve a certain rating on a local index of sustainability and efficiency.
“This is another way to encourage operators who adopt best practices,” said SPA President Anderson Pomini.
The new regulation for discounted fees will be in effect for 12 months and may be extended based on the port authority’s evaluation of its effectiveness.
Operators will provisionally receive the discounts based on their own estimates, the Santos Port Authority explained.
Numbers will later be adjusted at the end of the cruise season based on actual data from SPA’s data system.
The regulation requires operators to inform SPA in advance about their estimated number of passengers and specific schedules.
As the largest homeport in Brazil, Santos is set to seeten cruise ships during the 2024-25 season.
In addition to welcoming transit calls, the port will serve as a base for three ships from MSC Cruises, including the MSC Grandiosa, the MSC Seaview and the MSC Splendida.
A fourth ship from the company, the MSC Armonia, is also scheduled to sail from Santos between February and March.
Costa Cruises is also offering cruises departing from the port onboard two ships: the Costa Diadema and the Costa Pacifica.
Brands visiting the port for transit calls include Princess Cruises, Oceania Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Crystal and Villa Vie Residences.
Port Tampa Bay has resumed vessel operations and our port’s shipping channels are officially re-opened, with vessel movements restricted to daylight hours, the port announced on Saturday.
Throughout the storm, Port Tampa Bay coordinated with federal, state, and local agencies, as well as the maritime community, to respond to the impacts of Hurricane Milton.
In coordination with the Port Heavy Weather Advisory Group, and following detailed assessments of the port, waterways, and channels, the U.S. Coast Guard has reopened the port and set the port condition to normal, with a daylight hour restriction and one-way travel. Port staff fully assessed the docks, wharves, and terminals for safety.
Some of the first vessels to return will be fuel tankers, cruise ships and vessels carrying perishable cargo.
There will be changes to the following cruise schedules: Carnival Paradise, Royal Caribbean Serenade of the Seas, Royal Caribbean Grandeur of the Seas, Royal Caribbean Enchantment of the Seas and Margaritaville at Sea Islander.
PortMiami Reports Increased Economic Impact in 2023
PortMiami’s annual economic impact has grown to $61.4 billion, up from $41.4 billion in 2016, according to a study conducted by Martin Associates, according to a press release.
The study measured PortMiami’s impact in terms of jobs, business revenue, consumer spending and state and local taxes. PortMiami has contributed $2.2 billion in state and local taxes, of which $1.6 billion is attributed to port users. Additionally, 340,078 jobs are supported by port activity, including 29,423 direct local jobs.
“PortMiami is not only one of Miami-Dade County’s most important economic engines, but its economic impact is also felt regionally and globally,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava. “This report confirms the seaport’s vital role in supporting good-paying local jobs and contributing to the growth of our community, in addition to our commitment to resilience and reducing our carbon footprint with shore power and our net zero plan.”
Highlights of the 2023 study:
$61.4 billion in total economic activity, which accounts for 3.9 per cent of the $1.6 trillion Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for the state of Florida.
$2.2 billion in state and local taxes, of which $1.6 billion is attributed to Port users.
340,078 jobs supported by port activity, including 29,423 direct local jobs.
The economic impact analysis was based on data obtained through interviews and telephone survey programs of the seaport’s tenants and the companies providing cruise and cargo services at PortMiami. In addition, a survey of cruise passengers and crew was conducted to develop passenger spending profiles pre- and post-cruise as well as the spending characteristics of the crew during each port call at Miami.
“The seaport continues to play a critical role in the economic vitality of our region. We will continue to invest in our infrastructure to ensure that PortMiami remains a world-class cruise and cargo port,” said Hydi Webb, director and CEO, of PortMiami. “I want to thank all the seaport’s partners for their unrelenting support. Our continued growth and success are a result of strong collaborations.”
Antigua Cruise Port Expects to Welcome Over 600,000 Passengers
Antigua Cruise Port expects 182,120 passengers to visit between October and December 2022, for a total of 616,419 passengers by the end of its peak cruise season in 2022-23, according to a press release.
The rest of the season is expected to reach new heights, with January 2023 set to be the busiest month, with 79 calls and 135,810 passengers, according to the port.
“In comparison to the modest summer months of 2022, May – September 2023 will see a total of 18 cruise ship calls depicting the growth and development of Antigua’s cruise industry,” said Dona Regis-Prosper, general manager, of Antigua Cruise Port.
n addition, the port will engage in homeporting operations beginning with Star Clipper of Royal Clipper Cruises in December 2022 and continuing with the P&O Arvia.
Each Arvia homeporting operation is expected to accommodate approximately 800 passengers, providing the twin-island nation with a consistent business for all sectors relevant to the industry such as taxi drivers, hotel workers, shipping agents, and restaurants.
Arvia's homeporting operations are expected to resume again in November 2023, along with the start of Emerald Cruises' full weekly operations.
Prior to that, the port anticipates five-ship days in December 2022 and January 2023, as well as a ship-ship day in January. In February 2023, seven ships are expected to dock on the same day.
The port is currently providing free security training to all port users, including taxi drivers, vendors, tour guides, security officers, restauranteurs, and retailers.
“We continue to invest in the success of the port community and industry stakeholders. We believe in authentic, open dialogue, and see it as our duty to assist everyone; from our colleagues to our tenants, to port community members to achieve success,” added Regis-Prosper.
The Barbados government has announced changes to the island’s travel entry protocols.
Effective midnight, Thursday, September 22, 2022, Barbados discontinued all COVID-19-related travel protocols. Therefore, according to a statement, there will be no testing requirements to enter Barbados whether travellers are vaccinated or unvaccinated.
In addition, the wearing of masks generally will now be optional. Mask wearing only remains mandatory for persons working in and visiting healthcare facilities, nursing homes, hospitals and senior citizen's homes; persons travelling on public transportation; and for persons who are COVID-19 positive.
Minister of Tourism and International Transport, Sen. The Hon. Lisa Cummins stated, "This is the last step for us which reflects our position as fully open for business following the COVID-19 pandemic. We look forward to continuing to welcome visitors to our shores to experience all of the new and returning events slated for the rest of the year, and into early 2023,” she said.
Hong Kong has announced the introduction of new COVID-19 restrictions, which include bans on incoming flights from eight countries, weekend indoor dining, banning of all cruises and more.
The two big cruise lines that operate in Hong Kong have already reacted to the new regulations by cancelling their cruises.
Royal Caribbean Hong Kong has issued an update through their social media channels that said the Jan. 6, Jan. 9, Jan. 12, Jan. 14 and Jan. 17 cruises on the Spectrum of the Seas have all been cancelled due to the authorities’ update.
“We fully expect to welcome back our guests onboard Spectrum’s Jan. 21 cruise,” the cruise line said.
Guests affected by the cancellations are invited to either transfer to a later sailing or apply for a full refund.
Dream Cruises said it’s cancelling all itineraries between Jan. 9 and Jan. 19 due to the government directive.
Affected guests are invited to either transfer, receive a future cruise credit with additional onboard credit or cancel receiving a full monetary refund.
“This cancellation is due to the government’s directive and not as a result of any COVID-19 related incidents on board the ship,” the cruise line said.
St. Kitts’ Cruise Ports See Busiest Week Since 2020
P&O Britannia in St. Kitts with 2 Oasis Class ships and the Celebrity Edge, Photo credit Spacejunkie2
This week will be the busiest in terms of cruise travel for St. Kitts since the island reopened its borders to international visitors.
According to a press release, 21 cruise ships will have arrived by the end of the week across the island’s four ports: Port Zante, Basseterre Harbour, Deep Water Harbour and South Friar’s Bay.
The ships arriving include the Enchanted Princess, Seabourn Ovation, Viking Sea, Allure of the Seas, and the third visit of the Explorer of the Seas. Dec. 16 marked the first day with five ships in port, St. Kitts Tourism Authority wrote.
“This week comes as an optimistic sign that the cruising industry is making an unstoppable comeback in St. Kitts. We see the number of ship arrivals growing weekly,” said the Minister of Tourism, Transport and Ports, Lindsay F.P. Grant. “Our commitment to safety paired with our exceptional tours and on-island experiences are driving high demand for the destination on cruise itineraries, and we expect this to continue well into 2022.”
This record number of ship arrivals comes in conjunction with changes to the destination’s arrival requirements. As of Dec. 11, Port Zante is completely free-flow, enabling cruise passengers to seamlessly integrate into the federation and providing nationals and residents with access to the port. Travel Approved tours, attractions, restaurants and bars are now open to all fully vaccinated travellers, nationals and residents.
“This busy cruise week shows that demand for our destination continues to grow,” said Racquel Brown, CEO of the St. Kitts Tourism Authority. “The reduced travel restrictions make it easier for cruise and international air travellers to engage their senses and seamlessly immerse themselves in our quintessential Caribbean escape.”
After pausing cruise travel when borders closed in March 2020, St. Kitts and Nevis welcomed back its first ships last July. Since then, the twin-island federation has hosted a steady increase in ship arrivals and has allowed passengers to explore the destination via “Travel Approved” tours and attraction sites.
Puerto Rico emphasizes that tourism infrastructure is intact
San Juan's busy cruise port on Jan. 8.
Puerto Rico is open for tourism. That’s the message from Discover
Puerto Rico CEO Brad Dean, who reported that San Juan welcomed close to 15,000
visitors from three cruise ships on Jan. 9.
A state of emergency remains in place in southwestern Puerto
Rico, which was impacted by earthquakes on Jan. 6 and 7. “Travelers should not
be dissuaded by the state of emergency. Gov. Wanda Vazquez has kept that in
a place to continue to ensure that those in need receive adequate government
funding and support,” Dean said.
Dean said power in Old San Juan has been fully restored. “It’s
business as usual at all major hotels,” Dean said.
Flights are operating normally to and from airports in San
Juan, Ponce and Aguadilla. Taxi and rideshare options are available. Ferry
services to and from Vieques and Culebra are running. The Ponce cruise port, the Puerto Rico Convention Center and
major attractions such as El Morro, El Yunque, San Cristobal Fort and all areas
around San Juan are open for business.
Two tourism sites, Punta Ventana in Guayanilla and the Ruins
of the Lighthouse in Guanica reported damage, along with several hotels and
many homes and businesses in southwestern Puerto Rico.
Norwegian Cruise Line will soon open a new Miami terminal.
PortMiami has reached a series of long-term deals with cruise lines that will consolidate its position as the cruise capital of the world for the near future.
Together, the six cruise companies will have preferential berthing rights at all but one of the 11 terminals envisioned by the port. Each cruise company plans use the new terminals to bring bigger ships to Miami than they have previously operated there.
The latest agreement was announced by Carnival Corp., whose Carnival Cruise Line brand is the biggest tenant by passenger volume and is gearing up to celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2022.
"Over the last several months, we have had very constructive discussions with PortMiami and Miami-Dade County leaders about our plans for Miami and our goal to enhance and grow our capacity and operations in our hometown," Carnival president Christine Duffy said.
Carnival's agenda includes bringing the second ship in its 5,200-passenger Excel class to the new terminal in 2022, in time for its jubilee.
To do so, Carnival agreed to guarantee 2.25 million passenger movements a year through PortMiami for at least the next 20 years. The county, with partial reimbursement from Carnival, will commit to spending $195 million on a major makeover of Terminal F using $20 million earmarked for improvements at terminals D and E, also used by Carnival.
The agreement also commits the two parties to begin negotiations concerning the construction of a nearby 5,000-space parking garage, by far the largest at the port.
The upgrade to Terminal F, which follows a $37 million upgrade in 2016 for current tenant MSC Cruises, will give Carnival a low-slung, glass-walled terminal facing Miami's major automobile connection to Miami Beach, the six-lane Mac-Arthur Causeway, which averages 81,625 vehicle trips per day.
To take advantage of that exposure to the causeway, the expanded Terminal F will install a multimedia mesh on its north side that Carnival and the county can use to deliver electronic messages.
In keeping with its value-mindedness, Carnival is the only cruise company not building a PortMiami terminal from scratch.
Virgin Cruises, for example, won approval from the county for its new Terminal V at the far west end of the port, which will be built to remind visitors of a palm grove, according to the designers, Miami architecture firm Arquitectonica.
The red and white Virgin terminal, budgeted at $179 million, would carry preferential berthing rights for 30 years.
MSC is also building from the ground up and is upping the ante by creating two terminals, also designed by Arquitectonica. Labelled terminals AA and AAA, they will open onto a 2,474-foot pier that enables simultaneous berthing of two megaships.
MSC Cruise new Evo Class of ship will call Miami home
"This design takes advantage of the length of the site to project a powerful shape and dimension like no other at the port," Arquitectonica said. "The [parking] garage is thin, so it appears as a cloud over the glass spaces below."
MSC Cruises USA will move its offices into the building from Fort Lauderdale, becoming the second cruise line headquartered at the port, after RCCL -- which is finishing its new headquarters building, on the western end.
MSC's terminals, to be finished by 2022, would join RCCL's $247 million "Crown of Miami," which opened in late 2018, and NCLH's $239 million "Pearl of Miami," which is set to open in November.
Plans for Disney's Terminal K, on the port's south side, were outlined in a 2018 memorandum of understanding, but details are on hold pending a dredging project to widen the channel on that side of the port.
PHOTO: Cruise ship docked in Puerto Vallarta. (photo via Flickr/Brian Holsclaw) Puerto Vallarta has long been known as the smiling face of Mexico’s friendly coast.
Nonetheless, increased tourism demand and destination competition have prompted this bastion of traditional, authentic Mexico to undergo a critical upgrade and modernization.
In 2015, the Mexican government announced an audacious three-part plan for Puerto Vallarta: A complete rebuild of the cruise terminal, increasing parking there by 400 spaces and adding a notable attraction—since announced as the largest aquarium in Latin America.
“When the President [Enrique Pena Nieto] was in campaign, he came to Puerto Vallarta and promised to develop the port in order to be more competitive in the world,” said Carlos Gerard, the port director, local tour operator, former Puerto Vallarta Minister of Tourism and owner of the construction company now completing the first two projects.
While the footprint and ship-service mechanics of the three-berth port will not expand, the passenger space is modernizing substantially.
What’s New
Puerto Magico (or “Magic Port”) is the new 15,500 square meter terminal that will be designed like an airport terminal, look like a traditional Mexican hacienda and include numerous public spaces and shops, making it both an authentic welcome point for arrivals and a commercial destination throughout the city.
A study and bidding began in 2013, with construction starting February 2016 and a scheduled completion for August, 2018 on a price tag around $19 million US.
“Puerto Vallarta is in the state of Jalisco, the birthplace of tequila, mariachi and charrereia,” said Gerard, “so we need to make that part of the identity of the port itself. We don’t want to make just another cruise terminal. We want an experience so that when anyone visits the port—whether by cruise ship, car or airplane—they will feel like they’re in a real, authentic hacienda.
“The cruise lines have told us that many of the cruise ports in Mexico look all the same, so we have to make that different from the older ports. Mazatlan has its own look, so they have to show it. Cabo San Lucas is desert, so they have to show it. We will be the first to make things different and very authentic and original.
“It will be very light Mexican architecture, with arches and the green roof, as well as open spaces and vegetation.”
PHOTO: Puerto Vallarta Hacienda Cruise Terminal
The two-level parking garage replaces an open-air lot and will be approximately 9,500 square meters at a cost of nearly $6.4 million US. The first level will include bus and public transportation facilities, both to be completed with the terminal phase.
Meanwhile, the aquarium will be 8,500 square meters and is currently undergoing internal operations development. Its completion date is open-ended and estimated at easily costing more than $8 million US.
Visitors to the aquarium will enter through the parking complex and then walk past the terminal’s shops and public seating areas—the actual arrival and departure areas will be closed to the public and contain typical security.
PHOTO: Puerto Vallarta cruiseport entryway.
“We will have 300 different species and some 15,000 different animals from all over the world, including Mexico, the Gulf, the Pacific and the Caribbean,” said Julio Nasta Icaza, Director of Blau Life and the overseer of the current aquarium project. (Blau Life also operate Mexico City’s famous Acuario Ibursa aquarium and a coral farm there that helps repopulate coral in their own exhibits as well as the sea.)
“We will have some 59 different exhibits, and there is a lot of work going on behind the scenes with animal husbandry, fish farms and training before we can open, even as construction is yet to begin. We have state-of-the-art equipment and will touch all the senses and be highly themed.
“We have agreements with turtle conservation groups and support their efforts. When you have a crab crawl on your arm or touch a starfish in one of our educational exhibits, it brings the sea to life and helps people want to save it.”
Meeting Multiple Needs
While the number of cruise ships being built continues to rise, it is not meeting the increased demand from passengers. What’s more, the competition is fiercer than ever among destinations.
2008 was the high point for Puerto Vallarta, with about 290 ships making a call. That number plummeted to 81 arrivals in 2013 due to the recession and other factors, but has since risen to 108 during 2014, 130 in 2015 and 145 in 2017.
Gerard estimated 10-15% annual growth in cruise ship arrivals following the completion of this project.
Still, there is much work to be done, even as Puerto Vallarta maintains its reputation as one of Mexico's safest cities and neighboring Riviera Nayarit continues to draw international interest.
“There are actually more ports being developed and re-developed right now than cruise ships being built,” said Gerard. “We are making the port more competitive and attractive for the cruise lines, passengers and crew. This will create 400 different new jobs just at the cruise terminal. Once all the construction is finished, it will be over a thousand.”
PHOTO: Puerto Vallarta Parking and entrance.
That said, the project was never going to get off the ground at the scale Puerto Vallarta tourism officials wanted unless they began thinking bigger.
“2017 will see approximately 145 cruise ships in Puerto Vallarta, but you’re only talking about 100 days out of 365 that see cruise ship visitors,” said Gerard. “That’s not going to be worth it to investors and developers, so we needed to open it to the public itself so it is attractive.”
Thus was born the idea for making the cruise terminal a multi-use site that caters to tourists and locals alike as a commercial and cultural hub within the city.
“We annually have 4.2 million visitors to Puerto Vallarta who fly in or drive. 50% are Mexican, while almost the other 50% are Americans and Canadians. We have 22,000 hotel rooms in Puerto Vallarta and another 12,000 in Riviera Nayarit.”
Gerard estimated 2.9 million visitors will check out the new cruise terminal and its attractions during its first year based on conservative projections. This includes around 400,000 cruise passengers and 120,000 crew, plus another 600,000 land- and air-based visitors simply using the terminal as the jumping off point for their harbor and water-based tours.
“We also expect about ten percent of the 4.2 million visitors to visit here for commercial reasons,” noted Gerard. “We have 320,000 people living in Puerto Vallarta—including about 45,000 American and Canadian expats partial- or full-time—plus another 120,000 in the surrounding area. We are expecting the average of those folks to visit us once during the year. That is extremely conservative.
“The crew also are buyers and have needs, similar to the passengers. Tourists will spend around $98 US apiece here, which is second-place in Mexico. Crew members will spend $65 US on average.
“We are the No. 2 destination in Mexico for gastronomy and No. 1 in tourist preference. We also need for Mazatlan and Cabo to do something similar. The most popular route from San Diego or Los Angeles is the 7-day cruise that comes through our three cities.”
Notables
—Forty percent of cruise ship passengers take a water or land excursion of about 4.5 hours during their 12-hour stay in Puerto Vallarta, and these will all originate from the terminal after the revamp. (The rest get off the ship and visit the downtown for shopping and exploring along the seaside Malecon andZona Romantica.)
—Shuttles and small trains will link Berths 2 & 3 (which are across the waterway) on multi-ship arrival days with the cruise terminal and Berth 1 (used for primary arrivals).
—Carnival Cruise Line arrives weekly to Puerto Vallarta year-round. Princess, Norwegian, Holland and Royal Caribbean are also frequent customers, in that order.
—The port will oversee all the cruise ship maintenance and re-provisioning services, as well as all shop dues and transportation services through this new centralized hub.
—Cruise ship sizes continue to expand, but Puerto Vallarta’s berths remain the same for now. Thus, expanding the mechanical and service infrastructure to meet the coming megaships is not part of this project but is next on the horizon.
The cruise port of San Juan reached a record high of 17,847 passenger arrivals on Feb. 25, who arrived on six cruise ships.
The new figure topped the previous records of 15,776 passengers set on Dec. 31; 16,712 on Jan. 8; and 16,395 on Feb. 4.
"The arrival of more than 17,000 passengers in a single day represents an economic impact of approximately $2 million to the economy of Puerto Rico," said Luis Munez Martinez, deputy director of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company (PRTC).
Recent improvements at the cruise port aided in the passenger and cruise call increase, including Pier 1, which made possible the arrival of the Disney cruises, and the expansion of Pier 3, which favored the arrival of Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas, according to Colberg Ingrid Rodriguez, executive director of the Port Authority.
The ships that called on Feb. 25 included the Quantum of the Seas, Disney Fantasy, MSC Divina, Carnival Glory and Holland America's Eurodam and Nieuw Amsterdam.
Cruise ships calling on Feb. 26 and Feb. 27 include the Oceania Riviera, Carnival Liberty and Silversea's Silver Cloud, making a total of 21 cruise ships that have called in San Juan since Feb. 21, including 11 ships that called between Feb. 21 and Feb. 25.
St. Thomas is moving ahead with plans to build a new pier at the Havensight cruise terminal, which would enable the busy port to accommodate more ships, including the industry's largest ships.
The Long Bay Landing project calls for two 1,350-foot-long parallel berths that will be divided by a pier. No construction time line has been announced.
Today, mega-ships such as Royal Caribbean's Oasis-class vessels must dock at the Crown Bay terminal when calling in St. Thomas. Crown Bay opened in 2007 with two berths.
Of the two ports, Havensight is the busier one. The dock was extended earlier this year so that it could accommodate three ships, but there are times when three berths aren't enough. Ships sometimes have to anchor in the harbor and tender passengers to and from shore when the pier is full.
The Long Bay Landing project will keep the U.S. Virgin Islands competitive with other Caribbean destinations as well as increase government revenue, according to Joseph Boschulte, president and CEO of West Indian Company (WICO), operator of the Havensight terminal.
"We thought long and hard about how this would affect not only our bottom line, but also the territory as a whole. We had to be sure that any new development would not be at the expense of our environment and our community," Boschulte said.
Cruise-related revenue accounts for more than 70% of the Virgin Islands economy.
"We can no longer rest on our laurels, thinking that our islands are the automatic first choice for travelers," Boschulte said. "The competition is tough, and our neighbors have watched both the good and bad choices we have made in order to improve our products."
St. Thomas cruise passengers numbers totaled 1.47 million through September, up 4% over the same period in 2013. Year-end passenger numbers in 2013 came close to the 2 million mark (1.99 million), up 4.9% over 2012.
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (RCCL) has agreed to co-develop a cruise port in Taiwan with the Taiwan International Ports Co.
The port would be the first to be developed in Asia by RCCL, although it also has a stake in the company that operates the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal in Hong Kong.
In a statement, Royal Caribbean said its nonbinding memorandum of understanding is for a site that currently serves as a Taiwanese Navy and Coast Guard facility.
"The island, which has good infrastructure but is relatively underdeveloped for tourism, offers beautiful beaches, ancient culture, natural beauty and great local seafood cuisine,” the statement said.
In an article in the Taipei Times, RCCL's vice president of commercial development, John Tercek, said that one of the main reasons Penghu was chosen is that it is convenient to Hong Kong and Xiamen, two base ports.
Earlier this year, Hong Kong and Taiwan founded a regional cruise development fund that will pay cruise lines that visit two or more participating ports in a single itinerary.
RCCL and Taiwan International Ports Co. plan to spend $33 million to develop a pier for the first phase of the project, scheduled to open in 2016, the Taipei Times said.
Royal Caribbean International is one of the companies signing a memorandum of understanding to co-develop a destination called Melaka Gateway said to cost $12 billion over 10 years.
The project will be built on three islands in Malaysia covering 609 acres. It will include a cruise terminal, a 1,000-slip marina and a ferry terminal as well as luxury hotel and condominium components.
The lead developer is KAJ Development. The prime minister of Malaysia officiated at the unveiling last week of a master plan for the project, which is expected to boost tourism to Malaysia by 2.5 million visitors over 12 years.
Carnival chief says Nassau port project is in the works
By Tom Stieghorst
MIAMI BEACH — Carnival Cruise Lines President Gerry Cahill said the line is working on a port-improvement project in Nassau, Bahamas.
Cahill made the disclosure on the State of the Industry panel at the Cruise Shipping Miami conference.
Carnival has previously partnered to build Caribbean port infrastructure in the Turks & Caicos and on the island of Roatan in Honduras.
Cahill would not discuss the scope or nature of the project, but said Carnival is working with a third party and getting cooperation from the Bahamian government to facilitate it.
In an interview after the panel discussion, Cahill said he wasn't prepared to say more, but that details could be forthcoming in several weeks.
