The Marella Discovery II cruise ship made its second call to Port Royal on Monday (Feb 24, carrying 1,800 visitors to Kingston.

The cruise ship created history on January 20, when it was the first to dock at the newly opened cruise port constructed by the Port Authority of Jamaica (PAJ).

The passengers, on disembarking, were welcomed with cultural performances, after which they toured the historic town, including Fort Charles, and purchased traditional food items from vendors. Others were taken by bus to various sites throughout Kingston.

Canadian Donna Colpitts, who was vacationing with family and friends, said that the group was enjoying the visit to Jamaica’s capital city.

View this post on Instagram How did you know I was Jamaican? Ÿ‡¯Ÿ‡² The patriotism of our Jamaican people stand out everywhere we go Ÿ˜ƒ even if it’s returning via a cruise ship Ÿ›³ . #PortRoyal2020 #PortRoyalCruisePort #PortAuthorityJaA post shared by The Port Authority of Jamaica (@portauthorityja) on Feb 24, 2020 at 7:12am PST

“It’s been great. We are loving every minute of it,†she said.

Another passenger, Stanley Wilson, said: “Jamaica has given us the best welcome we’ve had since we started the cruise. This is amazing. I love it. I love the group that was playing, and the music and facilities here are beautiful.â€

Joyce McClelland said she is in love with the island. “It’s great. It’s wonderful. It’s so much better than what I ever thought Jamaica would be like. It’s beautiful. We’ve had a wonderful time,†she noted.

Construction of the cruise port is part of a programme to transform Port Royal into a thriving centre for tourism, and includes revitalisation of Fort Charles, building of a museum, among other works.

There will also be improvements in the housing stock, water system, roadways and drainage network.