Puerto Rico Readies for Largest Cruise Ships
Thanks to a pier expansion and enhancement, Puerto Rico will welcome the two largest cruise ships in the world, Royal Caribbean International’s Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas, in 2016.
This announcement is part of the commitment made under the administration of Gov. Alejandro Garcia Padilla to attract mega-cruise ships to the island, once the renovation of the Pier 3 is completed.
About 60,000 more cruise passengers are expected to visit Old San Juan in 2016 on Royal Caribbean's Oasis and Allure of the Seas.
Puerto Rico Tourism Company’s Executive Director, Ingrid Rivera Rocafort said that the ships will visit the U.S. territory a collective total of 10 times next year. Each ship can carry nearly 6,300 passengers.
"The arrival of the two ships represents an economic impact for Puerto Rico of approximately $6.4 million, only in this first season," said Rivera Rocafort. “With an average capacity of 6,000 passengers and 2,400 crew members, the ships will set sail from Florida on seven-night itineraries, visiting several Caribbean destinations.”
Meanwhile, the Port Authority Executive Director reaffirmed the government's commitment to continue to modernize and adapt the Port of San Juan docks to the demands of the tourism market and attract more mega-cruise ships.
Puerto Rico's government is pushing to attract more cruise ships amid an eight-year recession. The island last month received a record 17,847 cruise ship passengers in one day.
