Executive Director of the Dominica Air and Sea Ports (DASPA) Authority Benoit Bardouille has indicated that Carnival Cruise lines, which pulled out from Dominica recently, will be making one call to the island in December.
For 21 years Carnival made weekly calls to Dominica but announced last November it would not continue, reportedly due to economic reasons.
Bardouille said discussions are continuing with the cruise lines for regular calls to Dominica.
“We do have the Victory coming in December and that is a good signal from us because persons thought it would not come back into Dominica. As we indicated it was an economic decision that was made and there was nothing that Dominica has done. We are happy that they are coming back and we are continuing to talk to the cruise lines in that regard,” he said.
yeaaaaaaaaah.. Praise the lord
Dominica should invest in a beautification project on the Bay front. Fix up all those old building, fix the sidewalks, and the streets. Get those vagrant people off the streets – it’s so annoying.
Dont even talk about the benches on the Bay Front,…… dem people not ready yet.
Dominica should invest in a beautificaion project on the Bayfront and in town. Fix up all those old buildings and fix the roads and sidewalks. Get those vagrant people off the streets. It’s really annoying.
HHHM I SUSPECT 1979 BETTER MOVE TO 1980, BECAUSE THEY MIGHT FIND HIM IN 1979 AND DO SOMETHING TO HIM
I HOPE U GUYS GET IT.ONE CALL TOO CHECK IF U GUYS PUT THINGS IN ORDER ,IF NOT CARNIVAL CRUISE WILL PULLED OUT PERMINENTLY.SPECIAL IN ROSEAU NO PROPER SIDEWALK AND DRAINAGE WHEELCHAIR PASENGERS DOESN’T HAVE ACCESS TO SHOP IN THE CITY,ROSEAU IS IN A MESS.
I hope the Govt pulls out all the stops to welcome these tourists to a clean, safe environment. More Police presence. Stop beggars from harassing the tourists. Clean the rubbish from the streets. Give the vendors proper facilities. Tourists complete feedback on every island they visit, and tell their friends back home. If they do not have a great experience in Dominica, then it will have a negative impact on future visits. There are many, many Caribbean islands for Cruise ships to visit, and I personally think Dominica is by far the most beautiful, but the first impression the visitors get from Roseau is not a good one, and in fact many tourists choose to stay on the ship. Other countries have organised taxi booking, so no rip offs and no hassle – why not Dominica?
the reason is this government and their friends… communist alone dem a fren!!!
Five years ago, a taxi driver in Dominica stated that the island cannot accomodate a large influx of tourist. This may be the reason
Mr. Benoit Bardouille’’ let us do what the Bahamas & SVG did to boost their tourism, develop an apps for iPhone so people around the world can down load it and view the country, and also build a cruise ship berth, the one in SVG is very beautiful ! let us start competing with other countries in the Caribbean…
Lemley, you can build the APP for Iphone, Android and Blackberry …and guess what…you will be the one getting paid…when you have ideas like that develop..don’t pass it on to governemnt…how many times I have to tell you that.
SOMETIME INDIVIDUALS WITH IDEAS DON’T HAVE THE CAPITAL OR EVEN TIME ( ONE MAY BE GOING TO SHCOOL ETC) TO TRANSFORM THOSE IDEAS INTO WORKING PROJECTS OR PROGRAMS . THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THROWING UR IDEAS OUT THERE. MAYBE ON DAY OUR VOICES WILL BE HEARD AND THEN THE GOVERNMENT WHICH EVER ONE IS IN POWER WILL LISTEN AND ENGAGE THE PUBLIC THROUGH SYMPOSIUMS OR OTHER MEANS OF CONSULTATION ALL IN THE VIEW TO ENHANCE THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE COUNTRY.
Do your reasearch there are Dominica Apps put there for android and iphone
Admin u must deleting some of 1979 commnets instead of posting them… she’s very negative at times!
Who said 1979 is a she? why couldn’t it be a he?
Come on Mr. Bardouille. There was no talk about the ship not coming to Dominica in the December. The Cruise line wanted to send a message to Dominica and did that.
Discussion about what? Dominica is on the schedule and has been there for the winter season. So what are you discussing with whom?
Go to the Carnival cruise website and you will see that we are there and not just once.
http://www.cruiseweb.com/CARNIVAL-CARIBBEAN-SHIP22.HTM
ohhh my mr bardouille, i would think that as comptroller you would have your facts straight. but alas to busy look at how to bring up the port duties i guess, what a fool you’ve made out of me…..kudos to Mr. Peltier for straightening this out….we are there over ten times or more… hmmmmmmm hope ur not sleeping on the job sir, cuz we at DNO and the Bloggosphere do not!!!!
Well Nathaniel……..It might show on the sight that they will be coming to Dominica more than once, but for now it’s only oNE TIME. This was not Carnival trying to send any message or fuel junk, it is much deeper than that and that last business trip our Pm just took, is not helping the situation……I wonder why our leaders cant wake up and smell the coffee.
Well it has been there for a while. And I think that it is too late to take it off now. Unless something real serious happens. I would assume that if you are right we may be off the Itenary for the next season. I sure as hell hope that you are wrong because this would be a desaster for a lot of Dominicans.
Well it has been there for a while on the plan and I think it is a bit late to change it. On the other hand if you are right then next season we will not be on the itenary. I really hope that you are wrong becase this would be bad for a lot of Dominicans.
Some of the comments are just about poking holes into Bardouille’s comment. The fact that these executives are sitting at their desks and making new negotiations with conglomorates like these massive cruise lines, is testament of the fact that work is being done behind the scenes to promote Dominica’s image abroad. Wether it is a one time trip, or a ritual event, it is still an industry mover and shaker. Now that is my take, what’s yours?
all the comptroller knows how to do is break poor dominicans back with port duties…. he is handicapped when it comes to finding innovative ways which might eventually reduce the port duties paid by people whose children send barrels for them from overseas…. sometimes that being all they have to look forward to for the year….
didnt like my so eloquently typed response admin????? booo hoooo so sad for you!!!!! im satisfied that you read it or at least one of your moderators did….. hahahahahahahahahahah
have a good weekend DNO from me sincerly
1979 u are too dam.. negative, stop that shit man and stop giving bad news on ur country. dam it man love ur f**KING country..
@ sad I’m in 100% agrement with you… 1979 just a waste of time. Go find work for you to do. dam lazy!
Sometimes no news is good news. The story said one(1) call in December. Remember that Carnival made fifty two (52) calls a year.I travelled with my family to Dominica on a Princess Cruise last year and I must say I was apalled by what greeted us on arrival at the Bayfront. The vending area looked like a scene straight out of a refugee camp in Somalia. Tattered tarps and umbrellas were blowing in the wind. Taxi drivers were overly aggressive and the vagrants in Roseau reminded me of scenes from Michael Jackson’s video “Thriller”. Despite the initial disappointment on arrival, I must say the ecotourism sites were in pristine condition. Mr.Bardouille, DASPA, Discover Dominica and the Roseau City Council has to step up to the plate if we are to compete as a serious tourism destination.
im NOT HEARING U COMPLAINING ABOUT LOCATIONS LIKE ST.LUCIA..ST LUCIA IS MUCH WORST..THE TOWN IS SMELLING..SO WHAT U TALKING ABOUT..PAY LA!!
Everyone knows St. Lucia…. prehaps they can afford to have a smelling town but NOBODY knows Dominica and we should bend over backwards to show that Dominica is ready.
Stop with your negative talk! stop it now! Best you come home to help develope the country than talk negative… That’s you all worth… talk bad…
hummm…..well well well, seems you have not travelled a whole lot or maybe you did not come to Dominica at all. I understand the way the venors set up is not the best but you’re streching it a bit. Agressive taxi men, wow, we want you to return to Dominica but first please visit, Jamaica, Dominican Repulic, St.Lucia, St.Thomas, St.Kitts and then come back to D/A. No one is saying there is not some form of agressiveness from the taxi men and even the vendors sometimes, but 95% of the time after the first NO, they will leave you alone……And for some strange reason, I do not believe you were a visitor to Dominica but rather a Dominican trying to cry down his/her own Island. I am not saying there is not room for improvement but you’re making it sound much worst than it is.
Happy to hear that it will be returning to Dominica not for its beauty
but for economical reasons.
Once when I visited Dominica I took a picture of a boat which was in the Roseau harbor, name of which is “Jubilee”. It is a lovely boat and a lovely picture. It is a treasure. I have placed the picture in my album. The morning I took it the sky was bright and sunny and the sea was calm.
I got two of them processed and gave one to a friend of mine, originally from T & T who had recently returned from a cruise.
Sorry DNO you were not operable then otherwise I would have sent this picture for you to post. :lol
ADMIN: You can still send it and we will take a look at it. [email protected]
Thank you DNO! I will try to do so.
Yall realized the article said “One call” right?
I’m happy though, Just noting that it said “one call”
ADMIN are they coming back for good? or are they coming for one day in december?
ADMIN: the story said one day only and its one day only.
Jeeeez..If you had just taken some time and reeaaaddd the article, you could have saved yourself and ADMIN some time and energy
@ Jess
True!
though i am happy that the cruise line is coming back. the excuse they gave for living is a bunch of bull. every one with common sense knows that this was not due to economic reason cause if it was why come back when 1. fuel prices instead of going done gone up and 2. world wide operating cost all across the board are showing indications of going up. why would u then return to the same place u left now that its worse.
Just be honest with the reason. But congratulations for getting them back. Dominica needs it.
hello …..read again. it said ONE call to dominica in december…….
@ Bull Crap
They may have been asked to return or their passengers requested it. If you have their Website and email address of all you should contact them and ask their reasons. For Dominica’s progress and economical reasons you could request that they return often enough. It does take one person to change the world and situations.
It is worth a try.
I am very happy that they will be back, that should help the vendors , and the taxi driver recent problem, thank you jesus.
gosh people take yall time to read….it said ONE call in December….
Come on folks, read carefully. It is just one, single, solitary call in December.
Talks are ongoing to get Carnival Cruise line back on a regular basis.
@ Eh bien
I hope Carnival Cruise decides to return on a regular basis. Let us wait and see. There seems to have been an amicable mutual experience traveling to Dominica.
U realize is only one call the cruise is making? how is that gonna solve the problem?
READ PPL READ…ENGLISH IS NOT THAT DIFFICULT!!!
Aside from the fact that the ship is making a single call in December, you should also consider that some of those same taxi drivers and vendors caused problems for tourists and locals alike when the ships were coming in. Taxis took over the Bayfront on the worst days; vendors sometimes positively flooded the sidewalks. A few of these people were also rude to tourists. Not all, mind you, but I did notice, more than once, tourists who seemed put off or surprised at the way someone tried to get them into a taxi.
So, while even one call is better than nothing for some of these people, Dominica needs a cleaner system for these vendors and taxis. It was generally too chaotic, in my opinion, when the ships were coming in regularly.