Within the first four weeks of cruise lines returning to the Cayman Islands, 21 ships carrying up to 74,208 passengers are scheduled to arrive, the Ministry of Tourism confirmed on Tuesday.
The Disney Magic, with a maximum capacity of 2,700 passengers, will be the first ship to arrive when the cruise ban is lifted on 21 March.
| CRUISE SHIP SCHEDULE – PHASE I | ||
| Cruise Ship | Date | Maximum Passenger Capacity |
| Disney Magic | 21 March 2022 | 2,700 |
| Carnival Paradise | 23 March 2022 | 2,697 |
| Carnival Sunrise | 23 March 2022 | 3,920 |
| Celebrity Apex | 24 March 2022 | 3,385 |
| Carnival Glory | 24 March 2022 | 3,806 |
| Emerald Princess | 25 March 2022 | 3,092 |
| Disney Fantasy | 29 March 2022 | 4,000 |
| MSC Seashore | 29 March 2022 | 4,560 |
| Celebrity Reflection | 30 March 2022 | 3,480 |
| Rotterdam | 31 March 2022 | 2,650 |
| Celebrity Edge | 1 April 2022 | 3,385 |
| Carnival Vista | 6 April 2022 | 4,977 |
| Carnival Paradise | 6 April 2022 | 2,697 |
| Carnival Sunrise | 6 April 2022 | 3,920 |
| Celebrity Apex | 7 April 2022 | 3,385 |
| Carnival Pride | 8 April 2022 | 2,680 |
| MSC Seashore | 12 April 2022 | 4,560 |
| Carnival Pride | 12 April 2022 | 2,680 |
| Carnival Horizon | 13 April 2022 | 5,101 |
| Celebrity Edge | 13 April 2022 | 3,385 |
| Celebrity Equinox | 17 April 2022 | 3,148 |
| TOTAL | 74,208 | |
According to the schedule of cruise arrivals released by the ministry, the maximum number of ships arriving on any one day will be three, on 6 April, while on eight separate days, only one ship will be stopping here.
The largest ship to arrive will be the Carnival Vista, which has the capacity to carry 4,977 passengers.
However, Tourism Minister Kenneth Bryan told the Compass that while the maximum capacity for passengers is listed in the schedule, not all ships will be carrying that many on board. “Industry trends are going towards 70-80% of capacity,” he said, “so those numbers don’t necessarily reflect the actual [passenger load].”
He said once Cabinet finalises the regulations regarding the health and safety protocols for the ships, passengers and crews – likely to be done next Tuesday – a press conference would be held to release more detailed information.
The resumption of cruise tourism in Cayman is being done in two stages, with the first phase lasting from 21 March to 17 April.
In a press release announcing the cruise arrival dates, Bryan said his ministry was releasing information on what cruise ships would be arriving, and when, at this point because he wanted to ensure that industry partners and stakeholders were provided “with as much time as possible to plan for the return of cruise passengers and prepare their operations accordingly”.
He added, “Cruise tourism makes up a significant portion of our tourism industry and the return of cruise passengers will bring welcomed relief to many Caymanians who depend on this industry for their livelihoods. Every cruise call that brings passengers to our shores is helping to support Caymanian employees and business owners that have been hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The Cayman Islands government has been in talks recently with the cruise industry about plans to reopen the islands to cruise passengers, and representatives from the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association and various cruise lines were here last month for face-to-face discussions.
Editor’s note: This article has been amended to reflect that up to three ships will be arriving on a single day during Phase 1.
Related Videos
Schedule for the Disney Magic arriving on March 21
Day 1 Miami – onbaord ship by 4:00 p.m.
Day 2 at sea
Day 3 Grand Cayman 8:00 a.m. – 3:45 p.m.
Even without a degree in math I can assertain that those disembarking in Grand Cayman on Day 3 of this cruise will have been COVID tested one day before boarding the ship in Miami, resulting in the covid test being 4 days BEFORE they arrive in Grand Cayman.
How is this fair? Air passangers must covid test one day before arriving in Cayman and apply to Travel Time and get a travel certificate in order to enter the islands. If crusie passangers are not required to meet the same requirements then things MUST change for air arrival passangers. PERIOD!
100 per cent! Agreed!!
While I don’t want any cruise ships back, it does appear that on April 6 there is 3 ships visiting? Is that an error? If the maximum is 2, I’m just hoping someone realized 3 is greater than 2.
Typical PACT mess.
Referendum for 0 cruise ships please.
Correction: list shows 3 ships on 6th of April.
I agree with Robert R. about preferrably no cruise ships, however I do understand the plight of many dependent on cruise tourism. Why is the Ministry rushing into 2 and 3 ships, over 6,000 pax on some days? I thought this was supposedly a slow restart to cruise tourism but here we go again full force ahead!
I will certainly do my best to stay away from any tourist attractions and GT on those days.
Good luck Cayman.
Lord help us all! Why is there one rule for those who arrive by cruse ship to spend very little $$$, and another for those of us Caymanians and residents who live here? Why do I have to go through hoops to enter my home and cruise passengers don’t even have to do that. Enough with the Travel Cayman **** Stop all the jumping through hoops for the rest of us. Is this another ego trip for a certain politician?