With Jamaica having welcomed 1.1 million cruise passengers since the start of the year, the 2024/2025 cruise tourism season got off to a strong start with 10 vessels calling on the three main resort ports, with some 34,519 passengers and a combined crew of 13,137 between December 2 and 5, 2024, according to Ministry of Tourism figures.

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.

Minister of Tourism, Edmund Bartlett has hailed the early and robust start to the season as further proof of the recovery of the cruise sub-sector, which suffered a major setback in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic caused a total shutdown of the sector for some 17 months. Major cruise lines had suspended operations from mid-March 2020 until August 2021 when they gradually began to resume visits with new health and safety protocols in place.

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, 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.”

He said the close to 7,000 passengers on the two vessels was significant for a single day in Falmouth. Meanwhile, the Carnival Legend was docked at the Montego Bay Cruise Ship Pier with another 2,183 passengers and 918 crew 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 season is early and strong and we’re anticipating maximum disembarkation. We’re told we’re up to 90 per cent disembarkation now, and that’s good, so we’re looking forward to more activity in the towns of Falmouth, Montego Bay and Ocho Rios,” Bartlett said.

Meanwhile, the minister headed a group of specially invited guests on a tour of Disney Treasure following a welcome reception and exchange of gifts with the ship’s Captain Marco Nogara who was supported by Co-captain Disney cartoon’s Minnie. 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.