Topic: Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.

Celebrity Cruises' newest ship Ascent, which debuted last month, is set to sail to the Cayman Islands next week for one of two planned calls in January.

Jamaica’s tourism officials are looking to a ‘plan B’ to revive cruise tourism amid uncertainty over the port project in Grand Cayman.

Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines were in advanced talks with the Port Authority in 2012 to tender an Oasis-class mega ship, according to documents seen by the Cayman Compass.

One of the concerns highlighted by those opposed to the cruise port is that a private company, Verdant Isle Port Partners, stands to make significant profits from the project. While the company can expect to make a healthy return on their investment if it is successful, the likely profits are not spectacular in the context of a 25-year investment.

A massive coral-relocation effort for Royal Caribbean’s new cruise port at Falmouth, Jamaica, was deemed a failure by an environmental group that monitored the project.

Speaking at a public meeting in Red Bay, Tuesday, Royal Caribbean chief Michael Bayley said the larger ships, which carry more than 6,000 passengers, would not stop in Cayman unless a port is built.

Amid vocal and organised opposition to the cruise berthing project, a group of likeminded businessmen formed their own lobby group to spread a different message about the port.

Opposition politicians say they are “deeply concerned” by the visit of cruise line executives to the Cayman Islands to promote a $200-million project to build a new cruise berthing facility in George Town harbour.

While speaking at Friday’s ceremony to christen the newest jet of Cayman Airways, Premier Alden McLaughlin made a major announcement concerning another aspect of the tourism industry.