Dream Weekend Cruise welcomed to MoBay
The Montego Bay Pier recently welcomed the inaugural staging of the Dream Weekend Cruise, a wholly Jamaican initiative.
The maiden voyage of more than 3,000 passengers was met by members of Jamaica Vacations (JAMVAC) Ltd, which jointly hosted an event featuring sampling of local food and drink, as well as live entertainment lasting March 10-15.
Heading the welcome party was JAMVAC’s Executive Director Joy Roberts, who commented that the increased of cruise passengers to Jamaica’s piers is a testament to the high quality of our tourism product, general appeal of Jamaica as a destination, along with specially planned entertainment activities now taking place at all ports.
“The activities at the ports allow for increased local participation and inclusivity of communities and groups from surrounding areas of the ports, which is an initiative the Ministry of Tourism is championing currently,” she said.
Kamal Bankay, who heads the promoters Dream Entertainment, said that the idea for a cruise was birthed from the need to have a ‘non-stop party’ experience.
He said that while Dream Entertainment is known for giving patrons a premium party experience, so far, none of their events offer a ‘party all day, all night’ experience. He said the cruise gave partygoers an experience they had never had before — partying right around the clock.
The five-night cruise, which formed part of the Dream Weekend 10-year anniversary festivities, sailed from Miami, Florida, stopping in Nassau, Bahamas on day two and docking in Montego Bay, Jamaica on its fourth day at sea. The cruise’s onboard activities included comedy shows, live cooking demos and rum tastings as well as the special staging of beloved Dream Weekend parties like Daydreams, Wet-n-Wild and Yush.
Cruise guests were given an excellent introduction to Jamaica’s gastronomic prowess, as some of the country’s most iconic brands were well represented at the food and drink sampling.
The day’s tasting menu included Island Blue brand Coffee provided by coffee and spice in the craft village, D&G pineapple and kola champagne signature flavours, ginger beer and Ting, as well as an array of local fruits such as sugar cane, pineapple, Jamaican apples, and coconut water.
Established in 1978, JAMVAC is an agency of the Ministry of Tourism tasked with ensuring adequate connectivity to Jamaica through airlift and cruise.
