Celebrity Beyond Resumes Service Following Repairs

Celebrity Beyond Resumes Service Following Repairs

The Celebrity Beyond resumed its regular cruise schedule earlier this week after having a cruise cancelled due to propulsion issues.

Following repairs at a shipyard in the Bahamas, the 2022-built vessel welcomed guests back on July 27, 2025.

Sailing from PortMiami, the Beyond is now offering a seven-night cruise to the Western Caribbean that features visits to ports in the Bahamas, Jamaica, the Cayman Islands and Mexico.

While all planned ports of call are set to be visited, Celebrity said that adjustments to the ship’s itineraries will be made.

“As you may have heard, our ship experienced a technical issue last week. Our experts responded swiftly and thoroughly, upholding the highest standards of safety and care,” the company explained in a statement sent to guests now onboard.

“We’re pleased to share that all necessary work is progressing and on track to be completed before our cruise together,” Celebrity continued.

“With smooth sailing ahead and to accommodate a lowered speed, we have a quick itinerary update to share,” the company added.

Adjustments include Falmouth and Cozumel being visited in reverse order and a change in the ship’s arrival and departure times for George Town.

Instead of docking at the port between 10 AM and 6 PM, the vessel will now arrive at 7 AM before sailing at 3:30 PM.

“We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause,” Celebrity said.

Celebrity cancelled the July 20 sailing onboard the Celebrity Beyond on short notice after postponing guests’ embarkation by one day.

In a statement issued at the time, the company explained that the cruise had to be cancelled after further consideration.

“During our previous voyage, the ship experienced a technical issue that affected its speed,” Celebrity stated.

“While our teams have been working diligently, we need additional time to complete necessary assessments and repairs,” the company added.

The Celebrity Beyond was scheduled to offer a seven-night itinerary to the Eastern Caribbean that featured visits to St. Thomas, Nassau and St. Maarten.

MSC Poesia to Offer Longer Cruises from Miami in 2026-27

MSC Poesia to Offer Longer Cruises from Miami in 2026-27

The MSC Poesia is set to offer a series of ten- and 11-night cruises from PortMiami during the 2026-27 winter season.

According to published deployment, the 2009-built ship is scheduled to offer longer itineraries to the Eastern, Western and Southern Caribbean, as well as the Bahamas.

The MSC Poesia is set to arrive in South Florida in mid-October, following MSC’s first-ever season in Alaska.

After a 19-night repositioning voyage via the Panama Canal, the vessel embarks on a five-night cruise to Grand Cayman and Jamaica before kicking off a series of ten- and 11-night sailings.

The longer cruises visit destinations around the region, including Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao in the Southern Caribbean; Roatán, Colón and Puerto Limón in Central America; as well as St. Thomas, St. John’s and St. Kitts in the Eastern Caribbean.

The deployment also includes visits to Cartagena de Indias in Colombia, Montego Bay in Jamaica, and Cabo Rojo in the Dominican Republic.

With sailings currently scheduled through late March, the ship’s winter season includes nearly 20 cruises.

The Poesia joins two other ships scheduled to sail from PortMiami in 2026-27: the new MSC World America and the MSC Seaside.

While the World-class vessel offers seven-night cruises to the Eastern and Western Caribbean, the Seaside is set to operate three- and four-night sailings to the Bahamas.

All itineraries onboard the two ships include visits to Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, the company’s private island destination near Bimini.

In addition to the three ships sailing from Miami, MSC is deploying four vessels in other homeports across the United States in 2026-27.

The MSC Meraviglia is set to return to New York City for the season, while the MSC Seascape continues to sail from Galveston. Port Canaveral will welcome two vessels: the MSC Seashore and the MSC Grandiosa.

P&O makes a play for the School half-terms to capture the Family Market.

P&O Britannia sitting pretty in the Caribbean photo credit Spacejunkie2 (Flickr account)

P&O Cruises has bolstered its autumn half-term offering for 2025 in an effort to entice more families onboard its ships. 

The line will operate three seven-night ex-Southampton sailings specifically aimed at families whose children go to schools in different countries within the UK.

 

The voyages depart on 18 October, 25 October and 1 November 2025. Each sailing covers a different October half-term either in Scotland, Northern Ireland or England. 

A P&O Cruises spokesperson said: “Consequently, there will be a much larger number of holidays departing during this period.”

P&O Cruises sales director Ruth Venn said: “We’ve tried to put three consecutive sailings to cover each of three half terms. It’s great to have broad appeal.” 

 

P&O Cruises will return to 12 ports, including Los Angeles, Melbourne, Bali, Bodo and Dunedin, for the first time in five or more years during 2025/26. 

 

The programme also features two new itineraries for Britannia. Prices for the sailings, which include calls to Jamaica, Turks and Caicos and Dominican Republic, start from £1,399pp.

From January 2026, Arcadia will operate a 100-night Eastern Circumnavigation World Cruise for the first time in nine years. 

The ship will call into 28 destinations including Dubai, Singapore, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, Dunedin, Auckland, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Prices start from £9,599pp. 

The line will visit Tangier, Morocco, for the first time when Azura calls there during its sailing from Valetta, Malta. 

Cruises booked by 4 December will include a 10% saving. Past guests, who have cruised with P&O Cruises for 15 nights or more, can access a further 5% discount on selected sailings. 

Jamaica Welcomes Over 1.5 Million Visitors In 2023

Jamaica Welcomes Over 1.5 Million Visitors In 2023

Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett revealed that Jamaica has welcomed over 1.5 million total visitors since January 2023, according to a press release.

“Between January 1, 2023, and May 10, we received 1,586,303 total visitors, stopover and cruise, earning $1.69 billion, putting our destination on par with 2019 record figures. We have seen steady growth in our arrivals and continued investment in the tourism sector, which is a tremendous achievement,” said Bartlett.

Bartlett said that strategic investments and resilience were vital in sustaining such a strong recovery of the tourism sector.

“To keep this growth on an upward trajectory, we continue to secure new air service with the addition of new routes by prestigious carriers such as American Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Spirit Airlines, Arajet, and Edelweiss Airlines. We are expanding and modernizing Sangster International Airport and have approximately 8,000 new hotel rooms slated for construction over the next two to five years.”

Bartlett also highlighted that the Ministry of Tourism’s Blue Ocean Strategy and its Destination Assurance Framework and Strategy have influenced the development of a more sustainable and diverse tourism product.

“Jamaica is leveraging key pillars for tourism that showcase the destination’s unique culture and heritage while simultaneously addressing the desire of today’s traveller to experience more than just sun, sea and sand. We need to carefully manage the industry through resilience building, so it can continually adapt to issues that may arise and put plans in place to protect it from potential future shocks,” concluded Bartlett.

 

Jamaica Experiences Its Biggest Winter Season Ever

Jamaica Experiences Its Biggest Winter Season Ever

Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism, Edmund Bartlett has stated that Jamaica is experiencing its biggest winter season in the history of tourism, adding that the tourism boom is set to continue, according to a press release.

“For the January to March 2023 period, it is estimated that Jamaica welcomed 1.18 million visitors, which represents a growth of 94.4 per cent when compared to the same period in 2022. This represents earnings of $1.15 billion, 46.4 per cent above the $786.8 million earned for the same period in 2022,” said Bartlett.

“If there was ever an industry that has the potential to transform our nation, our communities and the lives and livelihoods of the Jamaican people for the better, it is tourism.

Bartlett added that gross domestic product (GDP) for the economy is projected to grow by up to 3.0 per cent to 5.0 per cent during January – March 2023 compared to the same period in 2022.

Speaking at the Sectoral Debate in Parliament, Bartlett said that arrivals for 2022 were up by 117 per cent while earnings were up by 71.4 per cent compared to 2021. In 2022, Jamaica welcomed 3.3 million visitors and earned about $3.7 billion. Projections earnings in 2024 go up to $4.1 billion.

“Never before in the history of Jamaica has tourism made such a great contribution to the national economy and we are willing to contribute to that process and to make even greater contributions,” added Bartlett.

“Investments continue to boom to drive the industry’s recovery (and) over the last five years tourism investment contributed 20 per cent of the island’s total foreign direct investments (FDI) and over the next 5 to 10 years, there are multiple upcoming investment projects which will see the addition of 15,000 to 20,000 new rooms with an investment of $4 billion to $5 billion.”

MSC Seashore Completes First Year in Service

MSC Seashore Completes First Year in Service

The MSC Seashore completes its first year in service today. Currently sailing in the Caribbean, the vessel entered service for MSC Cruises in Europe on August 9, 2021.

Third, in a series of four Seaside-Class cruise ships, the ship was built in Italy by the Fincantieri shipyard.

After leaving its construction dock, the vessel spent its inaugural summer season in the Western Mediterranean.

Featuring seven-night cruises, the debut program featured regular itineraries to Spain, France, Italy and Malta visiting Barcelona, Marseille, Genoa, Naples, Messina and Valletta.

In November, the MSC Seashore crossed the Atlantic for the first time while sailing to Miami – its new homeport.

Once in the United States, the vessel kicked off a series of seven-night Caribbean cruises, sailing two different itineraries – which are still being offered in 2022. 

The first, in the Western Caribbean, includes calls to Ocho Rios in Jamaica, George Town in the Cayman Islands and Cozumel in Mexico.

The second, meanwhile, sails to the Eastern Caribbean and features visits to San Juan in Puerto Rico, Charlotte Amalie on the island of St. Thomas and Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic.

Both voyages also include a stop at Ocean Cay, MSC’s private island destination in the Bahamas.

Before kicking off service in North America, the vessel was also christened at the island during a ceremony that received the godmother Sofia Loren and other VIPs and stakeholders.

Following its season serving the U.S. market, the MSC Seashore is set to debut in Brazil in late 2022.

As part of MSC’s local program, the 4,560-guest ship will offer domestic cruising in the South American country until early 2023.

In April, the Seashore is set to return to Europe for a second summer program in the Western Mediterranean.  

The second season in North America is also on the plans. In November 2023, the vessel is set to debut in Port Canaveral for a year-round program of cruises leaving from Central Florida.

Marella Launches its First Literature Themed Cruise Across the Atlantic

Marella Cruises is offering its first book lovers cruise with an all-inclusive 16-night Atlantic sailing on its adults-only ship, the Marella Explorer 2.

Sailing from Montego Bay, Jamaica on Apr. 19, 2022, this tailor-made cruise features guest talks and interactive workshops with authors and entertainers as it sails across the Atlantic Ocean before finishing in Dubrovnik, Croatia.

Guests will be able to enjoy the usual Marella Cruises experience onboard with fully all-inclusive food and drink spots, evening entertainment including game shows and quizzes and daytime activities like dance classes and yoga.

“We have had successes with our Electric Sunsets themed cruises, and we are excited to introduce our first themed cruise for literature fans next year. It offers something different for guests onboard on a cruise where there are not as many days ashore as some of our other itineraries,” said Managing Director of Marella Cruises, Chris Hackney.

Authors and entertainers including Sarah Cruddas, famous for her knowledge of Space exploration, Tony Strange, known for his comic entertainment and impressions, and crime novelist Barbara Nadel, will all share their stories and some will run guided workshops for all guests onboard, at no extra cost.

Marella Cruises sets sail on international waters from Sept. 3 and the Marella Explorer 2 starts its Spanish sailings from Sept. 22, before heading to the Caribbean in November where it’ll homeport in Montego Bay for the winter season.

Carnival Sunrise Makes First Cruise Call in Jamaica Since 2020

The Carnival Sunrise arrived in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, today, marking the line’s first time back to Jamaica in 17 months, according to a press release. 

The arrival also represents the reopening of cruising in Jamaica as it is the first cruise ship to call on a Jamaican port since the cruise industry paused operations in March 2020.

Carnival Sunrise’s leadership team joined local officials for a ceremonial plaque exchange to commemorate their return. Ocho Rios is among the featured ports on the ship’s five-day Caribbean cruise that departed PortMiami on August 14.
“We are delighted to be the first cruise ship to return to Jamaica and to offer guests an opportunity to experience all of the country’s beauty,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. “On behalf of Carnival, I would like to personally thank the Ministry of Tourism, the Ministry of Health and Wellness, and our partners for working with us to bring safe cruising back to Jamaica.”

“I am very pleased to announce that Jamaica has finally seen the return of cruise today with the arrival of Carnival Sunrise. We welcome this resumption as we know that thousands of Jamaicans depend on the cruise shipping industry, and it will have a positive impact on our economy overall,” added Tourism Minister Hon. Edmund Bartlett.

Norwegian Cruise Line Sets Restart Plan With 3 Ships From Greece, Jamaica and Dominican Republic

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings today announced it will restart service this July with cruises from Jamaica, the Dominican Republic and Greece with the Norwegian Joy, Jade and Gem. 

The Jade will sail seven-day cruises to the Greek Isles from Athens starting on July 25. The Norwegian Joy will sail seven-day itineraries from Montego Bay starting on August 7, and the Norwegian Gem will launch service from the Dominican Republic on seven-day cruises starting on August 15.

The Jade's Greek Isles program will see a different port call daily, including Iraklion, Rhodes, Mykonos, Olympia, Corfu and Santorini.

Both Caribbean sailings each feature four ports and two days at sea. Sailing from Montego Bay,  Norwegian Joy's calls include Harvest Caye, Roatan, Cozumel and Ocho Rios. Sailing from La Romana in the Dominican Republic, the Gem will visit Barbados, St. Lucia, St. Maarten and Antigua.

Guests wishing to go ashore will need to purchase a Norwegian Cruise Line shore excursion for sailings taking place in July and August. Norwegian said this policy will be continually evaluated and it will modify requirements accordingly.

The company said the news was part of a two-pronged plan for its long-awaited return to cruising this summer, also including the proposal the company sent to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC on April 5, 2021, outlining its plan to restart cruising from U.S. ports starting July 4 and requesting the CDC lift the Conditional Sail Order.

All initial voyages will operate with fully vaccinated guests and crew in addition to the company’s robust, multi-layered SailSAFE health and safety program, which includes universal COVID-19 testing prior to embarkation.

The company has also announced the formation of the SailSAFE Global Health and Wellness Council, the company’s expert public health council, chaired by former Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Dr Scott Gottlieb, which will complement the work of the Healthy Sail Panel (HSP).

“We are excited to unveil our initial plans for the resumption of cruise voyages embarking outside of the U.S. with sailings to the Caribbean and Europe. In addition, we continue to plan for a resumption of cruising from U.S. ports and await further discussion with the CDC regarding our proposal for a July 4 restart to participate in America’s national opening. As we prepare for our return to cruising, the health and safety of our guests, crew and communities we visit is our first priority, as demonstrated by the establishment of our robust, multi-layered SailSAFE health and safety program and our Company’s SailSAFE Global Health and Wellness Council,” said Frank Del Rio, president and chief executive officer of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings.

“Safe and highly effective vaccines are a gamechanger and to create the safest environment possible, we will require all guests and crew to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Vaccine requirements will be combined with multiple additional layers of protection against COVID-19 introduction, including universal testing, and we will continue to evaluate and modify protocols over time as the science dictates.”

Del Rio continued: “The return to cruising has been much-anticipated by our loyal guests, valued travel partners, the destinations we visit and our team members across the globe. We look forward to once again delivering best in class vacation experiences and also restarting our cruise ecosystem, bringing much needed economic benefit back to our homeports and the destinations we visit that have been significantly impacted by the halt in cruising.”

As Norwegian Cruise Line makes its final preparations to welcome guests onboard, guests will have the opportunity to follow along with its new docuseries, EMBARK – The Series, premiering April 15 at www.ncl.com/embark and Facebook.

Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Oceania Cruises will announce details on their voyage resumption plans at a future date. All voyages on these brands with embarkation date through July 31, 2021, have been cancelled.

Coronavirus: MSC cruise ship rejected from two Caribbean ports as crew member falls ill

CRUISES have been hard hit by the outbreak of Coronavirus and yesterday MSC Meraviglia was rejected from two Caribbean ports amid fears that a crew member on board the MSC Cruises ship was sick.
Cruise ship MSC Meraviglia was turned away from two ports in the Caribbean on Tuesday. The rejection came amid fears of the spread of coronavirus. The MSC Meraviglia was denied permission to dock in Ocho Rios, Jamaica and Georgetown, Cayman Islands in the Caribbean.

Authorities were concerned the sickness was a result of coronavirus.

However, the cruise line claims his illness is down to common seasonal flu and insist no cases of coronavirus have been reported on any MSC ships.



MSC is “extremely disappointed” with the double rejection.

The ship is now sailing onward to Cozumel, Mexico, the next scheduled port of call.

The Jamaican Ministry of Health released a statement yesterday.

It stated: “A cruise line with over 4,500 passengers and over 1,600 crew members was today (Tuesday, February 25, 2020) denied access to the port of call in Ocho Rios, St. Ann.

“The vessel arrived at approximately 8:30 a.m. and upon inspection by the Port Health Officials, it was discovered that a crew member was placed in isolation on board.

“The crew member had a cough, fever and associated muscle pains with a travel history to a country of interest relating to the COVID-19.”

Dwayne Seymour, health minister of the Cayman Islands, also released a statement.

He said: “In an abundance of caution, in order to provide protection to the health and safety of the residents of the Cayman Islands, the government has denied permission for the cruise ship to call on Grand Cayman as previously scheduled.”

MSC have said that the sick crew member and all passengers onboard the Meraviglia had passed a health screening before boarding the ship at the weekend.

The cruise ship departed Miami on Sunday and was scheduled to complete a 15-day cruise of Jamaica, the Cayman Islands, Mexico, Bahamas, Belize and Honduras, returning to Miami on March 8, according to an itinerary.

MSC said in a statement sent to Express.co.uk today: "MSC Cruises is extremely disappointed that Jamaican authorities yesterday delayed a decision for many hours to give our ship the necessary clearance to disembark guests, despite us having provided detailed medical records to the local health and national authorities ahead of its arrival as per normal protocol.

“Similarly, the decision taken overnight by the Grand Cayman authorities to refuse disembarkation at Georgetown was made without even reviewing the ship’s medical records, which show one single case of common seasonal flu (type A influenza) affecting one crew member with a travel history clearly showing no passages through territories either affected by COVID-19 (Coronavirus) or subject to any international health restrictions. In both instances, the ship was effectively turned away simply based on fears.

“MSC Meraviglia is currently at sea on her way to Cozumel, Mexico, her next scheduled port of call.

Norovirus outbreak on Oasis of the Seas

Norovirus outbreak on Oasis of the Seas

More than 270 passengers have reportedly fallen ill with Norovirus on Royal Caribbean International’s Oasis of the Seas.

Passengers were kept on board for hours after it docked at Falmouth port in Jamaica on Wednesday (January 9).

The ship was on a seven-night cruise through the Caribbean, but passengers have been told they will have their cruise fares refunded in full following the outbreak.

A Royal Caribbean spokesperson told Travel Weekly: “Oasis of the Seas will return to Port Canaveral [in Florida] a day early after an episode of gastrointestinal illness.

“A total of 277 guests and crew members have been affected since the ship departed on January 6 — about 3.3 per cent of the people aboard the ship.

“All of the ship’s guests will receive full refunds of their cruise fare paid.

“We think the right thing to do is to get everyone home early rather than have guests worry about their health. Returning on Saturday also gives us more time to completely clean and sanitize the ship before her next sailing.

“Our guests sail with us to have great holidays, and we are sorry this cruise fell short.”

Passenger Alan Thomas tweeted: “Oasis of the Seas, Royal Caribbean. We’re docked at Falmouth Jamaica. Level 3 Norovirus outbreak. 100+ passengers and a crew member sick. Cancelled shore excursion. Waiting to see if Jamaican authorities let us off the ship.#refund #lostvacation #disappointed #royalcarribean.”

Oasis of the Seas, Royal Caribbean. We’re docked at Falmouth Jamaica. Level 3 Norovirus outbreak. 100+ passengers and a crew member sick. Cancelled shore excursion. Waiting to see if Jamaican authorities let us off the ship. #refund #lostvacation #disappointed #royalcarribean

— Alan Thomas (@alan_thomas13)

Royal Caribbean Ship Saves Men Trapped at Sea for 20 Days

PHOTO: Royal Caribbean International's Empress of the Seas. (photo courtesy of Royal Caribbean International)

A Royal Caribbean ship forced to change its itinerary due to storms found and rescued two sailors Friday who had been stranded at sea for 20 days.

According to the Miami Herald, Royal Caribbean’s Empress of the Seas departed from Miami on December 17 and was sailing between Grand Cayman and Jamaica as part of the storm-impacted itinerary.

Crew members operating the radar system for the Empress of the Seas noticed an anomaly that turned out to be a small fishing boat floating in the water. Royal Caribbean called for emergency rescue and pulled the two men who had been stranded for 20 days out of the water.

Royal Caribbean Chief Meteorologist James Van Fleet shared images of the rescue and praised the quick thinking of the ship’s crew on Twitter:

Royal carffv

James Van Fleet@JamesVanFleet

More pics to share from @RoyalCaribbean #EmpressoftheSeas rescuing 2 Mariners who had been at Sea for 20 DAYS in that small boat between #Jamaica and #GrandCayman! See last pic for story. UNREAL and so PROUD of Officers and Crew! Thank you @jleberle and @caryjames007 for pics.

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5:18 PM - Dec 21, 2018

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The Empress of the Seas is scheduled to return to Miami on December 23 after visits to George Town, Grand Cayman Island; Cienfuegos, Cuba; and Havana, Cuba.

Contrasting calls on Royal Caribbean sailing

Labadee is situated on a mile-long peninsula, with the ocean on one side and a bay on the other. Royal Caribbean’s Harmony of the Seas at Labadee’s concrete pier, built in 2009 to accommodate Oasis-class ships. Photo Credit: TW photo by Tom Stieghorst

By Tom Stieghorst
I recently had a chance to visit two of the Caribbean destinations developed at least in part by Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. One, the Haitian private port of call of Labadee, exceeded my expectations. The other, in Falmouth, Jamaica, did not.

Both are big enough to accommodate the largest cruise ships in the world: Royal Caribbean International's Oasis class, which includes the hulking Harmony of the Seas, my transport to the two ports. Neither is devoid of interest. But for my money, Labadee is the more enjoyable of the two.

Part of it is simply a matter of time. Labadee has been around since 1986 and has had a chance to grow into itself. Its facilities don't look like they just came out of the box, as do those at Falmouth, opened in 2011.

Labadee is situated on a peninsula perhaps a mile or so in length, with the ocean on one side and a bay on the other. Forested mountains offer a backdrop. There is a stout pier built in 2009 to accommodate the Oasis-class ships, making it easy to go back and forth between the ship and the facilities.

The giant Labadee sign is a good spot to pose for photos. Photo Credit: TW photo by Tom Stieghorst

The setting is quite attractive, more so than I expected. The bay side, in particular, has some beautiful, calm swimming beaches and is a natural spot for the rentable cabanas that have been installed along its shores. 

There are actually three distinct beaches on the bay side, which feels nicely sheltered and different from the ocean side. The Barefoot Beach Club area includes the cabanas close to the water. At least some are reserved for the use of Suite Class guests who shell out for the top-end suites on Royal ships.

It also has the more elaborate of two spa treatment areas at Labadee.

A bungalow at Columbus Cove. Photo Credit: TW photo by Tom Stieghorst

Nellie's Beach is somewhat similar. Columbus Cove, the largest of the three beaches and the most distant from the ship, is a good spot for families. It has a collection of inflatable floating slides and rafts offshore as well as the Dragon's Splash waterslide, a twisty, low-slung, blue metal slide that must look like it's worth every penny of its $27.50 daily cost to kids of a certain age, if not their parents.

One could easily make a day of it at Columbus Cove alone. There is a cafe, bars, restrooms, a trading post, beach chairs and a station for the island tram.

There is also a free one-way shuttle boat from the pier.

The tram operates on a sand road that forms the spine of the island and really makes it easier to get around, especially for guests who are older, have young kids or are not very mobile. I walked the length of the place to see it but was happy to hop the tram to go back.

One of the most pleasant parts of Labadee is that there's lots of shade provided by mature Australian pines, coconut palms and other trees. The walk from the ship along the pier was hot on a late October morning, but the rest of it was pretty breezy.

The ocean side of Labadee is protected by a reef, so the waves broke rather gently on shore when I was there. A promontory point anchors the crescent curve that at the far end becomes Adrenaline Beach, where there is a breakwater and daybed-style cabanas.

The Dragon’s Splash waterslide. Photo Credit: TW photo by Tom Stieghorst

As for activities, personal watercraft, parasailing, kayaking and snorkelling are all available. There's a nicely done splash park for little kids and volleyball for adults. The star attraction is undoubtedly the five-line, 2,600-foot-long Dragon's Breath zipline that starts high atop an overlook and swoops over the ocean beach. It costs $95.75 per ride.

There's also the Dragon's Tail, a tracked coaster with two-person sledges that curves around the side of a steep, forested hill. It costs $19.75 for a five-minute ride.

Entertainment at Labadee includes Haitian musicians and dancers. There is an extensive Artisan's Village with native crafts of a somewhat higher calibre, I thought than those for sale at other Caribbean ports. Be prepared for a friendly but aggressive pitch.

Falmouth a port in progress

I left Labadee wanting to spend more time there. The next stop on the Harmony's itinerary at Falmouth left me feeling I'd seen it all in an hour.

The Harmony of the Seas looms over the buildings of the shopping village at the cruise port in Falmouth, Jamaica. Photo Credit: TW photo by Tom Stieghorst

The cruise port, developed by RCCL and the Jamaican government along with some partners, is a triangle jutting into the sea with two long wharves with new shops meant to mimic Falmouth's 18th-century Georgian architecture. There's a very healthy assortment of jewellery shops along with a large Margaritaville complex and not a lot of natural shade.Outside the gates of the triangle lies the town of Falmouth, which boomed in the late 18th and early 19th century as a slave market and sugar depot and thereafter fell into decay. Jamaica tourism minister Edmund Bartlett said there are efforts underway to restore some of the historical architecture, and a cab driver who took me to Montego Bay Airport confirmed they have started, but most of the town remains somewhat ramshackle.

Two showcases of the Georgian era, the courthouse and the Anglican church, fit squarely in the colonial style of much of the Caribbean, and I was mildly disappointed that the quality wasn't as high as in some American colonial villages, much less the London originals on which they are based.

Beyond the gates, there are vendors and would-be tour guides trying to drum up business, but I didn't find them as aggressive as some reports might suggest. On the whole, however, a first-time visitor to Falmouth might be better off taking the excursion to Ocho Rios rather than hanging around in town.

Jamaica Port Authority plans $40 million Montego Bay Upgrade

Montego Bay Cruise pier

The Port Authority of Jamaica (PAJ) will spend $40 million to upgrade the country’s cruise ship port in Montego Bay according to local media reports. The upgrade is being designed to create a “regional, multi-purpose port” operators hope will host more cruise ships.  

Jamaica officials anticipates “homeporting” cruise ships for scheduled departures from the revamped Montego Bay facility, said Dr. Horace Chang, a ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation official, in a Jamaica Observer report.

“The current cruise ship pier has to be improved significantly to support the traffic we are going to have with home porting,” he said.

William Tatham, PAJ’s vice president of cruise shipping, said  Montego Bay “will have seven [ships] home porting, up from five” in the 2016-1017 season. Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Breeze, Carnival Dream and Carnival Freedom will sail regularly from Montego Bay this fall and winter along with ships from MSC Cruises, Princess Cruises and several European cruise lines.

In an earlier interview on the government-run Jamaica Information Service (JIS) website, Chang said PAJ is placing “serious focus” on expanding and improving the resort city’s cruise shipping facilities. “We expect cruise shipping to grow in Montego Bay and not just cruises coming through, but home-porting in particular,” he said.

Montego Bay is the smallest of Jamaica’s three major cruise ship ports, hosting 210,000 cruise passengers in the 2014-2015 season, trailing Ocho Rios (400,000 passengers) and Falmouth (800,000) passengers according to PJA data.

Jamaica’s 1.5 million cruise passenger arrivals during the 2014-2015 season represents the country’s best-ever annual total and is a 20 percent increase over 2014. Overall cruise ship calls increased 19 percent to 433 compared with 363 in 2014, according to PAJ data.

The ports of Falmouth and Ocho Rios accounted for 44 percent and 32 percent, respectively, of ship calls and 52 percent and 30 percent of passenger arrivals

MSC Divina will return to Miami in 2016

MSC Cruises said that MSC Divina will sail from Miami during the summer of 2016, giving it a year-round presence in the Caribbean again.

MSC had said that Divina would return from the Mediterranean this fall but hadn’t announced deployment beyond April 2016.

With the announcement, MSC published itineraries for Divina through March 2017. They will rotate between eastern and western Caribbean routes and call in St. Maarten, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Cayman Islands, Mexico and the Bahamas.

As previously announced, MSC plans to deploy a new ship, the MSC Seaside, from Miami starting in November 2017. The MSC Seaside is expected to sail to the Caribbean year round.

Divina sailings from April 2016 through March 2017 will go on sale on Friday, May 1. In an introductory promotion,  MSC said it will offer consumers a shipboard credit, a beverage package and a WiFi package, depending on the category of stateroom booked.

The line will also offer 18% flat commission for group bookings, along with complimentary stateroom upgrades and shipboard credit for guests in the group.