Saint Lucia gears up for record cruise season

The winter cruise season in the Caribbean has begun, and the island of St. Lucia is preparing for an unprecedented influx of passengers.

The port is expected to welcome nearly 34 percent more passengers and 74 percent more cruise ship calls than during the 2023-2024 season, which runs from October to March.

Saint Lucia Cruise Port celebrated the launch of the season with a ceremony in Port Castries, accompanied by cultural events and attended by local and industry officials.

Minister of Tourism, Investment, Creative Industries, Culture and Information Hon. Dr Ernest Iler outlined the port’s optimistic outlook, saying it expected 823,132 passengers on 459 calls this year, up from 614,980 passengers on 264 calls in 2023-24.

This would set a new record for the port, surpassing its pre-pandemic best of 790,000 set in 2019.

“The start of this cruise season provides us with an excellent opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to improving the guest experience, supporting our cruise line partners and collaborating with local industry stakeholders to ensure our mutual success.” said Lancelot Arnold, General Manager of St. Lucia Cruise Port.

Read also: St. Lucia Cruise Port – berths, transport and what’s nearby

“We look forward to a busy and exciting cruise season with a positive outlook for our company and community,” he continued.

The opening ceremony was attended by Captains Evangelos Saitis and Per Olov Mathias Sebohm of Celebrity Cruises. Celebrity Summit and Royal Caribbean Rhapsody of the Seas for each ship arrived at Castries on October 10th during the Caribbean voyage.

Capacity 2158 passengers, gross cargo capacity 91,000 tons. Celebrity Summit called at Castries during its 8-day one-way voyage from Fort Lauderdale, Florida to San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Meanwhile, 78,878 gross tons Rhapsody of the Seascarrying 2,416 passengers on a similar route, arrived in Castries from San Juan in a 7-day journey.

Celebrity Summit has since returned to Castries three times, starting a series of 7-day round trips from San Juan that also called at Philipsburg, Sint Maarten; St. John’s, Antigua; Bridgetown, Barbados; and Roseau, Dominica.

It will visit Castries again on November 5, 2024 and will follow the same route until January 4, 2025.

Rhapsody of the Seas has also returned on three voyages and will next arrive on November 7, 2024, continuing her series of 7-night Southern Caribbean cruises from San Juan until April 6, 2024.

The St. Lucia Cruise Port also welcomes ships from Seven Seas Cruises, P&O Cruises, Crystal Cruises, Explora Journeys, Oceania Cruises, Viking Oceans, TUI Cruises, Holland America Line, AIDA Cruises, Disney Cruise Line, MSC Cruises and Saga Cruises during This will be the busiest year yet.

Cruise port expansion

St. Lucia’s cruise port is not only preparing for a record season, but is also expanding under the management of Global Ports Holding, which has officially took over management of operations at the beginning of 2024.

Ships are currently accepted at the cruise ports of Pointe Seraphine and La Place Carenage. Expansion plans include upgrading existing infrastructure to accommodate larger ships and increase passenger traffic.

Pointe Seraphine, about a 20-minute walk from the city center, will expand one cruise ship pier to accommodate larger cruise ships, while the smaller La Place terminal will add two berths as well as a new boardwalk to provide easy access to the city.

In addition, Global Ports Holdings is adding a new shopping center and ferry complex in the fishing village of Banannes Bay.