Dominica will welcome the MV Insignia of Oceania Cruises at the Roseau Cruise Ship Berth. This is the first of eight inaugural calls for the 2014/2015 cruise season.
The ship with a passenger capacity of 650 will make one (1) call to Dominica during the cruise season 2014/2015. The ship is scheduled to sail to Antigua prior to calling in at Dominica. From Dominica the ship sails to Barbados.
A Welcome Ceremony to include plaque exchange will take place aboard the ship at 10:00am. Government Officials and tourism stakeholders will be present to officially welcome the ship’s captain and crew.
Cruise tourism is a major component of Dominica’s growing tourism sector. During the 2013/2014 cruise season, there were one hundred and eighty-eight (188) calls which translated into 282,404 passengers. Approximately 191 cruise ships are expected to call to Dominica during the 2014/2015 season, bringing 292,210 visitors to the island.
DDA solicits the cooperation of all tourism stakeholders in ensuring a welcoming and enjoyable experience for the cruise visitors.
The Government of Dominica will continue its effort in promoting Dominica as a desirable cruise destination so as to increase cruise calls to Dominica.
PS. With regard to the much debated issue of the return of Carnival Cruise Lines to Dominica, as per Carnival’s own website there are only 3 Roseau calls scheduled for the period from now (15 Nov. 2014) to the end of April 2016:
– Carnival Triumph 18 Feb. 2015, arr. 0800- dep. 17.00
– Carnival Liberty 20 Oct. 2015, arr. 10.00- dep.18.00
– Carnival Pride 19 March 2016, arr. 09.00- dep.18.00
This is welcome news. However, the press release has one glaring omission. It does not say when this ship will arrive. It is currently moored in St. Philipsburg (St. Maarten) and scheduled to arrive in Dominica on Monday 17 Nov.