Local attractions ‘excited’ for return of cruise shippers

Local attractions like the Turtle Centre and Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park have kicked preparations into high gear as Cayman gets ready to welcome its first cruise ship in two years on Monday.

“Our core business at Cayman Turtle Centre: Island Wildlife Encounter has traditionally been from cruise tourism so we are very excited and more than ready to see cruise visitors return to our shores on Monday,” chief tours and customer experience officer Raymond Hydes told the Cayman Compass in response to queries Wednesday evening.

At 7:30am on 21 March, Disney Magic will dock in local waters, signalling the return of cruise tourism which has been banned since March 2020 following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

It is the first of 21 ships approved by government to call on Grand Cayman. The resumption of cruise tourism in Cayman is being done in two stages, with the first phase lasting from 21 March to 17 April.

Together, the 21 the ships could bring as many as 74,208 passengers to the island.

There have been some reservations in the community about the return of cruise ships; however, Tourism Minister Kenneth Bryan, in a recent Compass interview stressed the community’s health and safety remain a priority.

Caymankind welcome planned

The same holds true for Hydes, who said preparations have been ongoing at the centre for the last few months.

“We are just putting the final touches in place this week as well as making sure that our local independent tour operators are retrained and certified on the new protocols that will be required to host cruise passengers as safely as possible,” Hydes said, adding that while it will not be business as usual, “we are confident that we have put the necessary protocols, required by the cruise industry and our own local regulations, in place to ensure that our visitors have a safe and enjoyable experience”.

Hydes said the West Bay attraction will be hosting a reception in its courtyard to welcome cruise visitors when they arrive next week.

“[We] look forward to greeting them with a warm Caymankind smile,” he added.

Over at the Tourism Attraction Board, director Patrick Thompson said the Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park and other TAB-run attractions are continuing to spruce up to welcome visitors.

“The TAB and its entities are ready to serve the island’s visitors and our staff are excited to welcome back cruise passengers. Outside of our COVID-19 strategies which have been in place for the past 21 months, we have been preparing by doing renovations to the Pedro St. James Gazebo, Cook Rum and Great House, and the Nursery at the Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park which suffered severe damage during Topical Storm Grace last August,” Thompson told the Compass Wednesday evening via email.

Craft market, exhibit planned for Pedro

Thompson said work on the beautification of all sites continues and they have installed new directional signage on the road and on-site signs at the Hell location, with more to come in the eastern districts in the coming weeks for both Pedro St. James and the Botanic Park.

“It is with great pride that we can say the Children’s Garden at the Park is continuing to be developed and has been opening for weekends, public holidays, and school breaks. With its new slides, rock climbing walls and sail shades, the Children’s Garden will be a haven for visitors with and without children. Thatch and Barrel, a new restaurant at Pedro St. James, is the partnership of the Cayman Spirits Company and Cayman Cabana and has been getting great reviews with its modern Caribbean cuisine and craft cocktails,” he added.

As part of the tourism offerings, Thompson said, Pedro St. James has partnered with the restaurant to offer visitors a Rum Tasting Tour, showcasing locally made rum including the 1780 Rum made in commemoration of the date the Great House was first built.

“The TAB will continue to grow the offerings at Pedro St. James over the next few months including the opening of the permanent exhibition space for the International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame Museum, which as we say in Cayman will ‘soon come'”, Thompson said.

In the coming weeks, a temporary location will come online to accommodate a small version of the Cayman Craft Market, while the Ministry of Tourism’s “Waterfront Experience” is developed, he added.

“This will allow our registered vendors to go back to work and showcase a small part of Cayman’s culture and tradition through artisan products,” Thompson said.

He thanked the staff of the TAB and all its entities, as they have worked hard in maintaining these outdoor spaces for “our community to enjoy during what was a challenging time”.

“We also thank the Ministry of Tourism, the business community and the wider public for its support over these past two years and encourage them to continue to patronise the islands’ national attractions, after all, they belong to the people of the Cayman Islands; we are just stewards of these natural and historic sites,” Thompson added.