FALMOUTH, Jamaica –Jamaica has received 1.1 million cruise visitors since the beginning of the year, marking a robust beginning to the 2024/2025 cruise tourism season. From December 2 to 5, 2024, ten ships docked at the three primary resort ports, bringing approximately 34,519 passengers and a total crew of 13,137.
The most recent vessels to dock created history for the port of Falmouth on Thursday December 5, when the Disney Treasure, the latest in the Disney Cruise Line fleet, made its inaugural Caribbean call on that town, concurrently with Royal Caribbean Cruise Line’s Celebrity Ascent also on its inaugural visit.
Robust Cruise Tourism Season
Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett, praised the strong start to the season. He sees it as proof of the cruise sub-sector’s recovery. This sector faced a major setback in 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic caused a total shutdown for about 17 months. Major cruise lines stopped operations from mid-March 2020 until August 2021. They slowly started to resume visits with new health and safety rules.
Minister Bartlett noted that the 1.1 million cruise passengers so far this year matched the record number secured in 2019, for the same period.
In an impromptu press conference on board Disney Treasure on Thursday, Mr Bartlett stated that: “The cruise winter season has literally started this week and it has started with a bang. Today we have the historic double inauguration of two ships in a single port here in Falmouth.”
Port of Falmouth
He said the close to 7,000 passengers on the two vessels was significant for a single day in Falmouth. At the same time, the Carnival Legend was berthed at the Montego Bay Cruise Ship Pier, accommodating 2,183 tourists and 918 staff members.
The Minister noted that from December 2 to 4 the Falmouth port also had cruise calls from MSC Seascape, Independence of the Seas, Nieuw Amsterdam, Freedom of the Seas and another vessel. Ocho Rios had Carnival Horizon and Emerald Princess, while Montego Bay berthed Carnival Legend on December 5.
“The start of this cruise tourism season is early and strong and we’re anticipating maximum disembarkation. We’re told we’re up to 90 percent disembarkation now, and that’s good, so we’re looking forward to more activity in the towns Falmouth, Montego Bay and Ocho Rios.”
Meanwhile, Minister Bartlett led a group of special guests on a tour of Disney Treasure. This followed a welcome reception and a gift exchange with the ship’s Captain, Marco Nogara. He was joined by Co-captain Minnie, the Disney cartoon character. Captain Nogara said “we’re here today and it will not be our last.” Disney Treasure will return to the Port of Falmouth in two weeks.
