“The changes in itinerary will affect not only the Cayman Islands but other countries and ports along the western Caribbean route,” said Lyan Sierra-Caro, Account Executive in Royal Caribbean International’s Corporate Communications Department.

She explained that The Explorer of the Seas will be re-deployed to New Jersey and will run a mix of Eastern/Southern Caribbean, Bermuda and Canadian routes, while The Legend of the Seas will be re-deployed to Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. The Rhapsody of the Seas will be based in Asia next year and The Zenith, part of Celebrity Cruises, will be leaving the fleet altogether.

Despite the drop in Royal Caribbean International visits to the Islands, Joseph Woods, Manager, Cruise Operations and Security at the Cayman Islands Port Authority, said that the country’s cruise ship tourist industry remains vibrant.

At this point, he does not forecast any significant overall decrease and described the cruise industry as “a dynamic business”.

Speaking during a presentation earlier this year at the annual American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) seminar, Hon Charles Clifford, Minister of Tourism, quoted data from the 2006 Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) report on cruise tourism in the Caribbean.

He explained that 90 percent of the 1.86 million passengers arriving in Cayman waters during the 2005-06 cruise year disembarked and visited the Island.

Guests to the Island generated a total of US$179.7 million in cruise tourism expenditures, supporting 3,705 workers in the industry.

During the same seminar, Mr Clifford discussed plans for berthing facilities and said such facilities would simplify and shorten embarkation and disembarkation and would enhance the experience for the cruise guest as well as allowing more time on shore.

Mr Woods said that he is unable to give a definite date as to when berthing facilities will be constructed in the Cayman Islands.

“The matter of berthing is being addressed. Berthing facilities would be desirable to have but having none has obviously not impacted on business or we would not be getting 1.8 million passengers per year on average,” he said.

He added that in 2000 there were 612 cruise ship calls and 1 million passengers, in 2001 611 calls and 1.2 million passengers, in 2002 732 calls and 1.5 million passengers. The year 2003 saw 825 calls and 1.8 million passengers, 2004 732 calls and 1.7 million passengers (the year that Hurricane Ivan hit) and 2005, 784 calls and 1.8 million passengers. Mr Woods said that last year there were 802 calls and 1.9 million passengers.

“The Cayman Islands is a successful tender port,” he concluded.

Even with the lack of berthing facilities the Cayman Islands is receiving a large number of ships. In a Tuesday, 3 April 2007 article in the Jamaica Gleaner, tour company executives from a US-based company said they were surprised the Cayman Islands was getting more cruise ships docking than in Jamaica.

“Cayman doesn’t even have a pier, and yet they get sometimes up to nine ships per day,” said Raul Neira, Vice-Chairman of Shredd Tours and Communications Group. He went on to say this was despite the fact that the Cayman Islands does not have half the attractions Jamaica has and nothing of the quality of Dolphin Cove.