BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – Several cruise ships will be visiting St. Kitts for the first time during the 2011/2012 Cruise Ship Season.
This was disclosed Tuesday by St. Kitts and Nevis’ Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas during this weekly live radio call-in programme “Ask the Prime Minister.”
Prime Minister Douglas referring to an earlier statement by Minister of Tourism and International Transport, Sen. the Hon. Richard “Ricky” Skerritt, that the 2011/2012 season will bring an estimated 650,000 cruise visitors to St. Kitts, used the opportunity to express thanks and appreciation to the Minister and all stakeholders in the tourism sector.
Cruise Ships visiting St. Kitts for the first time including those on a one-time call or on a schedule for the first time include the Allure of the Seas, Carnival Valor, Celebrity Silhouette, Jewel of the Seas, Mein Schiff 2, the Saga Ruby, Saga Pearl 2, Seabourn Quest, Navigator of the Seas, Queen Elizabeth and Thomson Dream.
The 1,611-passenger MS Thomson Dream is currently owned by Costa Cruises and will make 11 calls with an estimated 17,720 passengers to Port Zante. Sister ships include Island Escape, Thomson Celebration and Thomson Destiny.
The 446-passenger Saga Pearl 2, is the former Astoria, and embarked on her first cruise in March 2010 and will make one call to St. Kitts. Its sister ship, the Saga Ruby, will also make one call to Port Zante this season.
The 2,500-passenger MS Jewel of the Seas is a cruise ship belonging to Royal Caribbean’s Radiance class, completed in the spring of 2004 with her maiden voyage in May of that year.
She is one of Royal Caribbean International’s newest cruise ships and has the highest percent of outside cabins in the fleet. The 90,090 gross tons Jewel of the Seas will pay one visit to St. Kitts on November 3rd.
Making its inaugural call to St. Kitts this season is the Celebrity Silhouette of the Solstice-class cruise ship, owned and operated by Celebrity Cruises.
The 2,850 passenger Celebrity Silhouette is the fourth ship in the Solstice class, her sister ships being Celebrity Equinox, Celebrity Eclipse, Celebrity Solstice and Celebrity Reflection.
Solstice Equinox and Eclipse entered service in 2008, 2009, and 2010, respectively and have Port Zante during the 2011/2012 season.
The 122,000-ton Celebrity Silhouette which was launched this year makes its inaugural call to Port Zante on November 11th. Six calls are scheduled this season.
Compared to her younger sisters, Celebrity Silhouette was also built with 17 additional cabins.
The 3,700-passenger Carnival Valor is the largest Carnival ship based out of the Port of Miami, Florida and offers seven-day sailings through the Eastern and Western Caribbean.
The 110,000 gross tons US$500 million Carnival Valor’s home port is Miami, Florida and has been since its inaugural sailing in 2004.
The German-owned 2,281-passenger MV Mein Schiff 2 is a Century class cruise ship built in 1997 and was formerly the Celebrity Mercury. Its inaugural call to St. Kitts on November 22 will be followed by nine additional visits.
Making its inaugural scheduled call to St. Kitts is the MS Navigator of the Seas, the fourth out of Royal Caribbean International’s five Voyager-class cruise ships.
Once one of the largest in the fleet and still ranks among the largest passenger ships in the world, the Navigator of the Seas, measures 138,279 gross tons and can carry 3,840 passengers, plus crew.
The 2,058-passenger twelve-deck-90,400 tons Queen Elizabeth, is scheduled to make one call to St. Kitts and will berth at Port Zante on December 8th.
Queen Elizabeth has been present at the christening of all three Cunard ships named Queen Elizabeth, starting with the first in 1938, when she was 12.
The newest Queen Elizabeth ocean liner debuted in 2010.
Royal Caribbean International’s Allure of Seas, together with its sister ship Oasis of the Seas, is one of the largest passenger ship ever constructed, although the Allure is 50 millimeters (2.0 in) longer than the Oasis, making her technically the largest despite the fact that both ships have identical superstructures.
The 225,282-ton ship has a capacity of 5,400 passengers on the lower berths and 6,300 passengers in all berths. The 16-passenger deck ship is scheduled to make one visit to St. Kitts on December 30 2011.
Another new ship, making its inaugural call to St. Kitts is the MV Seabourn Quest, a luxury cruise ship in the Seabourn Cruise Line. The 450-passnger ship which entered service in June of 2011 will make 3 calls. It is owned by Carnival Corporation.
The 661-passenger MS Saga Ruby is a cruise ship owned and operated by Saga Cruises. It is the former MS Vistafjord in 1973 and was later renamed the MS Caronia.
