Business View Caribbean - October 2016 13
Puerto Rico Anticipates
Record-Breaking Cruise Season
Puerto Rico is on its way to breaking cruise
passenger records for the second
time in three years. The island is
the number one home port for
cruise ships in the Caribbe-
an and continues to be one
of the most popular cruise
destinations, attracting the
world’s largest vessels.
Additionally, based on de-
mand, new Puerto Rico shore
excursions and day tours for cruis-
ers have been developed to respond to
passenger’s eagerness to explore the island.
Puerto Rico’s leading port, the port of San Juan,
posted record passenger numbers in 2015 with the
arrival of 1.5 million passengers. The port is now
poised to break that record in the 2017-18 season
with an expected 1.6 million visitors, with increased
calls from Oasis-class ships plus the maiden season
of MSC’s Seaside.
Homeport passengers are also expected to grow,
as Norwegian Cruise Line returns to homeport in
San Juan, joined by other industry leaders such as
Carnival Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean, and Celebrity
Cruises, plus several luxury cruise lines. The high
level of cruise passenger volume is a testament to
Puerto Rico’s appeal to some of the largest cruise
lines in the world. Docking in Puerto Rico this year,
include Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Carnival and
MSC Cruises.
Puerto Rico is welcoming the arrival of
Quantum-class vessels and will be a
port of call for the 2016 winter sea-
son for several new ships such
as the Carnival Vista and the
world’s largest cruise ship,
Harmony of the Seas (6,780
passengers) which is sched-
uled to arrive in San Juan
on December 28. San Juan
will also be the first Caribbean
home port for the Viking Cruises,
with Viking Star sailing from Octo-
ber to April.
Ingrid Rivera Rocafort, Executive Director of the
Puerto Rico Tourism Company said the cruise indus-
try has steadily continued its growth: “The cruise
business, a vibrant industry sector for us, has post-
ed 22 percent growth over the previous four fiscal
years.” She also said that the expansion of Pier 3 in
Old San Juan was a key factor in luring “mega cruise
ships” to Puerto Rico including the Quantum of the
Seas, Anthem of the Seas, the Oasis of the Seas,
Allure of the Seas, and soon-to-arrive the Harmony
of the Seas.
The island recently hosted the 23rd Annual Florida
Caribbean Cruise Association (FCAA) Cruise Con-
ference and Trade Show in San Juan. One hundred
executives representing 19 cruise lines engaged
in business discussions with attendees during the
four-day event, plus over 750 delegates from tour
operators and fellow Caribbean destinations.
