All India, 9th Dec. 2022: Jamaica’s 2023 cruise-shipping season promises to see a major turnaround following the pandemic period. The arrival of the Wonder of the Seas – the world’s largest cruise ship – at the Falmouth Port on December 1, marked a key milestone towards this development.

Currently on a seven-day Western Caribbean cruise, the Wonder of the Seas was greeted with much fanfare on its arrival at the Falmouth Pier. From having a live reggae band, the coconut vendor, craft traders and duty-free merchants, visitors were greeted to “everything Jamaican”, interacting throughout the day with locals and with many vowing to return for longer stays.

Wonder of the Seas, which had its maiden voyage from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to the eastern Caribbean on March 4, arrived in Falmouth four days after sailing from Port Canaveral, Orlando, Florida, on November 27. The 18-deck cruise ship has capacity for 6,988 guests and 2,300 crew members.

The inaugural visit by the near 9,000-passenger and crew Royal Caribbean flagship vessel is just a prelude to the return of normality in the cruise sector. Jamaica remains the most exciting port of call in the region and will be getting a lot of calls going forward.

There is the allure of the attractions plus Jamaica’s reputation for clean water as major pull factors, noting that major companies such as Carnival, MSC, Norwegian and Disney have all made commitments alongside Royal Caribbean to send their “biggest and best” ships to Jamaica.

Along with Montego Bay, Ocho Rios, Port Royal and Port Antonio, all the ports of call will be seeing their fair share of traffic between 2023 and 2024 thanks to full cooperation and participation from the local stakeholders, including the residents, the police, and the leaders of the public and private sectors.

About Jamaica Tourist Board 

The Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), founded in 1955, is Jamaica’s national tourism agency based in the capital city of Kingston. JTB offices are also located in Montego Bay, Miami, Toronto and London. Representative offices are located in Berlin, Barcelona, Rome, Amsterdam, Mumbai, Tokyo and Paris.

In 2021, the JTB was declared ‘World’s Leading Cruise Destination,’ ‘World’s Leading Family Destination’ and ‘World’s Leading Wedding Destination’ for the second consecutive year by the World Travel Awards, which also named it the ‘Caribbean’s Leading Tourist Board’ for the 14th consecutive year; and the ‘Caribbean’s Leading Destination’ for the 16th consecutive year; as well as the ‘Caribbean’s Best Nature Destination’ and the ‘Caribbean’s Best Adventure Tourism Destination.’

In addition, Jamaica was awarded four gold 2021 Travvy Awards, including ‘Best Destination, Caribbean/Bahamas,’ ‘Best Culinary Destination –Caribbean,’ Best Travel Agent Academy Program,’; as well as a TravelAge West WAVE award for ‘International Tourism Board Providing the Best Travel Advisor Support’ for a record-setting 10th time.

In 2020, the Pacific Area Travel Writers Association (PATWA) named Jamaica the 2020 ‘Destination of the Year for Sustainable Tourism’. In 2019, TripAdvisor® ranked Jamaica as the #1 Caribbean Destination and #14 Best Destination in the World. Jamaica is home to some of the world’s best accommodations, attractions and service providers that continue to receive prominent global recognition.