A record eight cruise ships called on George Town on Tuesday, bringing mixed opinions from both the passengers and local businesspeople as...

Cruisers Invade Cayman

Passengers from eight cruise ships crammed 
downtown George Town on Tuesday

Thursday, December 18, 2003

"Insane." That is the term one cruise ship visitor used to describe the conditions in George Town when eight cruise ships carrying some 20,000 passengers came to port on Tuesday.

The ships represented the highest number ever to come to port in the Cayman Islands in a single day. 

Reviews of the day were mixed. Most tourists tolerated the crowds, and some businesses experienced a boom, but there were also those visitors who were unpleasantly surprised by the swarm of people, and there were a number of businesses that actually experienced a drop in business. 

Dennis and Denise McLaughlin from Lakeland, Florida, booked their trip on Inspiration over a year ago. It was their fourth cruise, and their second time in Cayman, but they had never seen so many people at a port. 

They said they enjoyed their first trip, which included shopping, and going to the turtle farm. This time, they were planning to stay in town all day, but after coming ashore at 9:30 am, Dennis said at 11:00 am, "My wife says she's ready to go back to the ship." He added, "It's like a bunch of cattle. It reminds me of a tourist trap."

For some people, the mass of people was intimidating. Francine Fahlin from Seattle, Washington, who was here with her husband and son commented, "We're trying to figure out where to go where we can walk and get away from the crowd." 

Others were unphased by the crowd.

Rochelle Williams, from Antioch, California, on her first cruise, on the Royal Caribbean ship was not put off. She commented: "I'm enjoying myself. This is a place we'd really like to come back to. It's beautiful. There are good shops and it's so multicultural here."

Similarly, Andrew Smith from New Hampshire commented, "I've been to several Caribbean islands. Seven Mile Beach is second to nowhere. The golf course at the Links is like Paradise. I'm looking forward to coming here again."

Those who came from big cities were used to the crowds. One man with his family from California observed, "We've had no trouble getting around. It's just like San Francisco would be on a busy day."

Local business in George Town seemed to be the logical benefactors of the eight cruise ships in port.

Danell Floyd, a waitress at the waterfront Breezes by the Bay restaurant, said that she likes days when many cruise ships were in. "It is great business for us."

But her sentiments were not a reflection of most merchants on the strip. 
"Business was terrible," said Digna Ebanks, of Island Treasure. "There may have been lots of people on the streets, but no one was buying. I was told some people weren't even getting off the boats because they heard the crowds would be too much."

Andrea Wheaton is with Artifacts Ltd. "We didn't want this in the first place," she explained. "It happens every time. If there are more than five or six ships, it becomes too congested. Nobody wants to be jostled around inside a shop. We do most of our business from on-Island tourists. When they see eight ships near shore, they avoid the downtown area, and our business dwindles."

Even Barbara Taylor, who has been selling hot-dogs by the tender docks for the past eight years, noticed a change, "It was certainly hectic. When it becomes crowded like it was today, tourists will spend less. They're more nervous about taking out their money. Five boats are always better for business than eight."

Other comments included bemusement, "Is it this busy all the time?" to shock, "It is overwhelming. I would not have gotten off the ship if I had known what it would be like."

Most people agreed, however that although it was a little difficult to get around, it had not spoilt their fun.

One lady from Michigan exclaimed: "It's wonderful! I don't like crowds, but it's Christmas so you expect it." She had the following good advice; "You can cope with it if you come mentally prepared."

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