Royal Caribbean Returning to St. Thomas

Cruise company Royal Caribbean International revealed plans to make a comeback to St. Thomas after the Caribbean destination was impacted by the hurricanes last month.

On November 10, the cruise line will make its way to St. Thomas for the first time since early September with Adventure of the Seas.

In partnership with the government of the US Virgin Islands, Royal Caribbean also has committed to undertaking the complete restoration of Magens Bay, one of St. Thomas’ most popular tourist attractions.

In addition to returning to St. Thomas, Royal Caribbean is to return to San Juan, Puerto Rico and St. Maarten by the end of November and is working with local governments to announce the exact dates.

By December 1, all scheduled calls to the three islands will operate as planned – including calls from the world’s largest cruise ships each sailing with nearly 6,000 new passengers each week – Oasis of the Seas, Allure of the Seas and Harmony of the Seas, according to Royal Caribbean.

The vast majority of Caribbean ports are open for business, unaffected by Hurricanes Irma and Maria, it was emphasized during a joint media conference held on October 16.

Arnold Donald, Chair of Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) and CEO of Carnival Corporation, Adam Goldstein Chair of The Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) and President and COO of Royal Caribbean and Michele Paige President of FCCA, have stressed that the majority of Caribbean destinations are operating normally and have been welcoming tens of thousands of travelers every day. Passengers have been encouraged to book a cruise to the Caribbean islands.

In conjunction with this, FCCA has launched CaribbeanIsOpen.com, a landing site that is part of its million-dollar campaign to generate awareness that the majority of Caribbean destinations are ready to welcome cruise ship guests. The website features footage of and updates from destinations, a map showing the more than 80 ports currently open, among others.

“The landing site will be an invaluable resource for destinations and cruise lines to spread information about and footage of the beautiful destinations awaiting guests,” Michele Paige, President of FCCA, said.

These efforts will also be featured at and enhanced by the upcoming FCCA Cruise Conference & Trade Show, the largest cruise conference and trade show in the Caribbean and Latin America. The event takes place in Mérida, Mexico from October 23 to 27.