Tourism Minister Ian Douglas says he is optimistic that Dominica will bounce back following a decision by one of the country’s most popular cruise lines to terminate its services in Dominica, ending a 21-year-old relationship with the country.
The management of Carnival Victory has indicated that the high costs of fuel is the main factor for the cancellation.
Douglas said while one begs the question as the real reasons behind the decision Dominica’s tourism sector will revive.
According to him, any loss of business in the tourism industry is a serious matter because tourism is the pillar on which the economy sits right now.
“Carnival Victory happens to be one of our more popular ships and even during the Summer when the traditional cruise season has ended we get weekly calls. There are a number of persons -not only those directly involved-that will be affected by the loss but we will continue to strive.
He said Dominica is one of the most premiere destinations in the Caribbean.
“We will continue to work very hard to ensure that not only the victory comes back but continue to attract all of the cruise companies to our shores. We will continue to strive,” he said.
Douglas said while he refused to get his thoughts preoccupied with the real reasons behind the decision, “it’s mind boggling because there are destinations further south than Dominica that have not been affected”.
As a traveler who thinks Dominica is probably the best non-beachy Caribbean island, and a total underappreciated gem, I’m a little disheartened. If you’re someone who enjoys soft adventure travel, itineraries that call at Dominica are totally worth seeking out. It’s not a shopping kind of island. But unsafe? I feel MUCH less safe in Grenada, the Bahamas, Jamaica and downtown Cleveland than I do on Dominica, where I’ve found the people exceptionally friendly, the scenery lush and the vibe low-key and non-touristic
if you could not keep carnival from quitting, what makes you think you can convinced another to come. what is your answer to the question, why did carnival quite? can you grantee another line that they would not quite for the same reason?
this is another example of how this administration is mismanaging the country. The sad thing is, the opposition won’t do any better
I am very upset that Carnival has pulled Dominica from their ports of call. I have been to Dominica three times and have always been very happy to arrive and visit the beauty. We have the same tour guide each time and bring friends to the island everytime to see in person what we show them in pictures. I have never had problems with bathrooms or anything. We planned a cruise for this March and are bringing 21 friends with us. Unfortunately they will not have the joy of visiting. I am very upset with this decision and if anybody knows a way we can join together to assist the fine people of Dominica and the Carnival travelers to be able to open the port again please let me know. It is a shame that I won’t be able to see Beno and his fine crew and travel to the rain forrest for peace and tranquility.
now you talk about stake holders? well remove the political interference when the “night” has interest in wacky rollers and the police on the bay front are castigated for approaching them. police are asked; no forced to withdraw tickets and mr this and that are allowed to drive through the restricted space unchallenged like thier vehicles have sith sense and knows never to colide with a tourist so what you expect. At the same time most if not all the port officers stand idle oblivious to what is going on around them so as not to be blamed or loose friendship with the bus drivers, so what off course i am blank
Dominica compared to other ports of call is not up to the cruisers standards. I was to visit your island twice in Jan.2011. After talking to other cruisers and friends I can understand Carnival position. When traveling I expect the ports and other areas to have clean toilets, restaurants, and stores. Something no one is saying is that Carnival Corp. has other ships going to Dominica like Princess that could be cancelled also.
You might want to think about that.
Don’t forget as cruisers we will just go to a different port and spend our money there.
@Lizavier4Jesus:
I paid $10.00 for a palm leaf fan in Dominica. And I talked a man down to $10 from $28 for a necklace. I felt gouged in Dominica. However, I enjoyed the hospitality of my hosts and tour guides and the beauty of the island. Towards the end of my stay, I was content to purchase post cards. Still, I’d plan to return. :-)
So how come no one mentions the fact that Carnival wanted a complete ban on all independent tour operators on the bay front. They claimed, well cried that they were losing money to people booking tours online and wanted the govt to commit to stopping independent operators trying to get tours. If this is one of the reasons Carnival has decided to stop coming i say good riddance. The Govt put it’s foot down. Do not come to a sovereign state and make demands to accommodate you.
Carnival cruise line is the largest cruise line in the world, they own practically everyone else, individual cruise company names are maintained because they can charge according to company and expectancy.
Hopefully the quality of visitor will go up as a result of the lower end of the market being removed. we do have 3 newer Princess ships arriving this year. (also owned by Carnival).
80 % of tourism budget spent on cruise tourism which only generates 20% of tourism revenue
No the AG and the other ministers should be talking and making statements. There are serious implications for the pulling out of this cruise ship from Dominica. The senior atorney – the AG- should now use all the legal skills and advice to represent the state in this situation. There must be a real and authentic reason for terminating business with Dominica.
Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque, excellent response. While only a resident on occasion I’ve had the same kind of treatment in Roseau, I always assumed because I’m white. If a Dominican born is harassed like this then it’s easy to see what may be happening to tourists. I can easily deal with this because I’m quite familiar with it but a cruise ship passenger may feel quite intimidated or fearful.
You also have a very good point about food. Americans especially are clean freaks and are very easily repulsed by unclean facilities. Also most tend to not experiment with local cuisine (much to their detriment).
Another consideration I’ve not seen mentioned is the economy in the US is not doing well and people are really conserving and saving money. I must assume this is hitting the cruise industry very hard. Surely they are compensating by traveling to the most appealing places possible that are low cost.
Tourism isn’t going to work unless visitors have an enjoyable experience and spread the word to their friends and associates. If this is going to be a significant part of the economy then everybody needs to be ambassadors of good will and courtesy. All should recognize a part of their income and well being is derived from the money spent here on goods and services just as income from the agricultural sector does. Happy visitors will demand the cruise boats stop here. Unhappy ones will cause them to go elsewhere.
Mr Douglas must laison with the cruise lines and find out what the guests really think of our Island. Many of them enjoy totally, but i will say again make the place competitive, fix the pier, the place is too expensive compared to the other islands. Give them a reason to want to come back Douglas! It is a shame to see we are loosing so much and every one is moo moo. Dominicans are we afraid to speak up for our country?
@bwadiab: I agree with you sir/madam! This is what we as stakeholders need to do. Take things on our hands and let Carnival management know what we think and how we feel and even, what most of their passengers have said about Dominica.
It is a fact these companies are trying to cut cost, maybe we can help them cut cost and still visit our destination. We have a Venezuelan tank farm that should have been providing cheaper fuel to DOMLEC, which didn’t turnout to be true but maybe we can visit this opportunity with Carnival LLC. They could purchase cheaper fuel in Dominica for their Caribbean destinations. Just a thought!
Isn’t ALBA a socialist and anti-American concentration? Carnival is an American company … so is there more to come?
I hope that this woke some of you in the ministries up. As for what you will replace Carnival cruises with, is yet to be seen.
Take a look at Roseau and the condition of the sidewalks, the structures and traffic……..is this really attractive to tourism?
This is a wake up call.
DASPA at it again ………………. WILL THE COVER UPS NEVER STOP IN THIS HERE DOMINICA?
DID CARNIVAL CRUISE LINES PUT A CASE TO DASPA CITING A NEED FOR EXTENDED STAYOVER AT OTHER DESTINATIONS AND THE RUSH TO HIT DOMINICA CAUSING FUEL CONCERNS?
DID CARNIVAL CRUISE BEG FOR A CHANGE OF ARRIVAL DAY FROM TUESDAY TO THURSDAY ?
DID THE DASPA BOSS TURN DOWN THAT REQUEST?
It’s the ports..Alot of the tourist come from the ship and judge the ports on if they should go out or not. I remmeber ovr hearing this a few times from tourists. They get of the ships they looking for stuff to buy and just chill..Some of them even suggests which ports are worth getting off the ship for like in st.thomas where they sell $1 Heineken to tourist. And offering them cassino and slot mashings right there. Our port needs upgrading it needs to meet the standard if we consider this to be our main source of income we need to invest in order to make success u CHECK me.
Another thing they skip up n going str8 st.kitts which has one of the hiest murder and crime rates in the region. So I don’t think its anything to do with petty crimes in Dominica considering we not even making a dent on the crimes map. They maybe look at the amount of ppl getting off the ships at each island and well we maybe have one of the least. But still bad move on their paqrt. At least a warning like a year in advance would have been a better solution with their lame … sorry excuse.
You are so busy defending the PM and his dual citizenship issue, that you have no time to deal with the things that really concern you. To the next level!
So last week I posted that the govt seem nonchalant about the cancellation of the ship. I got a few negatives for that statement which really solidify that most of our voters are totally blind. The support anything that comes off the govt mouth without questions. This speak volume of the illiteracy of the voters. Now here is Mr. Douglas addressing the situation as any level headed thinking leader should.
So people stop being ridiculous think about what you are supporting and why. I am please with this statement. Rise up and hold the govt accountable for their actions regardless if you love them or not.
“Douglas said while one begs the question as the real reasons behind the decision Dominica’s tourism sector will revive.
According to him, any loss of business in the tourism industry is a serious matter because tourism is the pillar on which the economy sits right now.”
In a time and age where everyone wants to make 300-500 percent profit, I clearly understand the point that Watcher is sending out.
And not only tourist are affected by this attitude of greed. I believe that local people recognize the rest of us who are visiting from overseas, and they really do a number on us.
I remember buying four mangoes from a lady for $5.00. When my sister pointed out that that lady may have just picked up those mangoes from under a tree that may not even be hers, I realized why she approached me to buy the mangoes instead of my sister.
Carnival cruise line is a commercial enterprise and, under normal circumstances it is logical to assume that they have removed their customary tuesday visit to Dominica from their schedule it is because they no longer find it profitable to do so, and entirely understandable.If, on the other hand this is not a commercial decision and they were to remove Dominica from all their future itineraries, for instance, we would have a real problem and, first of all should put our hands into our own bosom to find out why we have fallen out of favour and effect the necessary remedies.
“It’s mind boggling!” (Ian Douglas).
The words of Ian Douglas; and so I ask what is so mind boggling about the owners of a Motor Vessel deciding to omit Dominica from its schedule?
It’s obvious, that the reasons they have decided to cut Dominica from their itinerary has nothing to do with the cost of fuel, since fusel fuel is now cheaper than it was twenty-five years ago when Dominica was added as a port-of-call on the ship’s itinerary.
With that in mind, rather than Ian pretending to be bewildered, I think Ian should now be thinking in terms of addressing the causes, the reasons which influenced the decision of the operators to turn away from our shores.
You see, in Dominica our problem is that ” anything goes ” and outsiders no matter who they are will, and must accept our system; and our way of life; even in the most backward state.
Has it occurred to Ian that perhaps the cruse operators has tolerated unbearable circumstances for all of the twenty-five years while visiting Dominica, which the Ministry Of Tourism under, every and all government, past, and present simply fail to address, or repair, thus the liner operators became tired, and just decided to quite?
Ian, it is not enough to tell people, Dominica is a nature island, come to visit, however, when personal nature calls you while touring our country, all you have to do is go into the bushes and relieve yourselves!
Whereas you intended to base your country’s economy on tourism, arrangements should be made to position toilet facility’s in convenient locations where visitors could make use of them when it becomes necessary.
In twenty-five years, what improvement have you made to the nation’s Port, and the areas where the Ships are berth, how many symposiums have you held, in the process of educating the nations public on how to deal with the visiting tourist to our island?
If I, Dominica born in the Village of Wesley, went home, taking my daughter with me and encountered the bad behavior, and conduct of our people, how much do you believe some tourrist may have suffered.
Here is my daughter’s and my experience:
On a visit to Roseau a man dressed in short pants, dirty shirt, black rubber hat on his head, wearing some plastic footwear, has two dried out coconut strung on each side of a stick, (rod) across his shoulder, this unshaven man with beards about eight inches long approached my daughter literally harassing her into buying his painted coconut shells.
It seemed a long time my daughter took explaining to the man that she knew what they were; and that she had no interest in buying his trash. Of cures, my daughter is Antiguan born, and certainly, I doubt that coconut shells could have impressed her, we personally owned baring coconut trees in Antigua, and also in Dominica.
So, what this Dominican huckster did?
He started using his filthy profanities to my daughter, once he got to that level, I decided to intervene, and I tried to calm the idiot down be telling him my name, and informing him that such as he is selling is useless to us since we, my daughter and I are local.
My words were ineffective, this man went off on me personally, he called me a bugger man, even my daughter started laughing, contending that she never knew that I was an anti-man ( anunty-man) as the say in Antigua; I mean that’s not funny.
Nonetheless, If I as a Dominica born, and my daughter who is Antigua born was subjected to such behavior, and conduct, How do we know how many complaints the ship operators may have received from their paying customers, who discouraged them from visiting Dominica?
Our problem is internal Ian.
You had better find the real reasons, and do something to prevent other ships from leaving too.
This nature island crap alone will not cut it.
Not everyone who comes to Dominica eats boil ground provisions, and boiled bananas, we should have class restaurants, and cuisines, to accommodate the sort of lifestyle of others, and let me say here a pile of chopped carrots, lettuce, and cucumbers as I saw in a basin in a place I went to eat when I was last there is not what the tourrist is looking for; we need to do better than that!
The word gets around, and if we have a deficiency in service, and sanitary conditions, that alone will cause more ships to drop out, and you Ian will fight a loosing battle trying to attract others.
Solid food for all our thoughts!
Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
this is regretable news cause this will affect the economy…
but wait.. the truth is our country has taken a course in the last years that support comunist states, we have adopted certain ideoligies supportive of these countries.. additionaly they are aware of how the big man is engage in massive coruption and has tied the hands of the churches, advocated for totalitiarian government and is heading for a socialist state (those handouts who are we fooling,,, hush hush gifts). Our economy is tied with venezuela; and big player China, who is not contributing but looting, 21st century imperialism .
imagine million dollar projects: windsor park, west coast road, etc.. who is benefitting?
so these yankees realize that.. is low medical students enrollment, no tourist boat and what next ?
these are passive economic sanctions for countries like ours who seems to adopt leftist principles…we have not fooled anybody by winning electon after so much coruption? the yankees knows much more than we believe… they have numerous examples of countries which have gone these roads ..
lets hope for the better but for now we will pay the price
@truth: The next level downwards. The Minister said, “There are a number of persons -not only those directly involved-that will be affected by the loss but we will continue to strive.” Taxi operators, vendors, tour guides and other stakeholders will feel the pain, but not Minster Ian Douglas and his Govt. colleagues. Irrespective of the ship’s pull out, he and people in his Ministry will still receive their fat salaries every month. Who cares? The economy was not doing well, yet he and his Govt. took 50% increase to be paid by Dominican tax payers, telling people it was just an adjustment in salary. On top of that, agriculture, manufacturing, tourism were all in decline, yet after the 2009 December elections, Big, Big Govt. Jobs for the boys and women. Ministers and advisers like peas. Who have to pay, the Dominican tax payers. Their salaries are assured, plus the perks for travels, monies for health insurance, plus, plus, plus. With all those advisers and Ministers, the economy is now in more shambles. So who cares? In that scenario, while the few rich and those in power are getting richer, the majority are getting poorer and poorer and poorer. The standard of living of many are going down, down, down. Tell me frankly who cares. But in all of that, many people, the poor included, still continue to blindly support the nonsense that are going on.
I’m sure you’ll find that fuel cost is only part of the reason. As someone that works for a prestige travel group I think it has more to do with the fact that they do not see Dominica as giving value for money. And the sooner the travel minister, his office and in fact all Dominicans involved in the industry wakes up to the fact that market forces evolve and the paying traveler has certain expectations.
If Dominica expects to treated on the same level as neighbouring destinations then it needs to raise the bar. I am 99% certain that the cruise ship market researcher have been seeing a steady decline in positive feedback from it’s clients and am sure they have put their concerns to the responsible parties (but have fallen on deaf ears). I have personally heard travelers voicing various displeasure’s and even on one occasion met a guide with a group of tourist just leaving the aerial tramway complaining bitterly that it was closed (this was on a cruise ship day). No one had informed the guide that the thing was not open for whatever reason. So what do you have, embarrassed guide and a bunch of tourist saying in their mind that they won’t be coming here again (and will tell their friends and rep).
The cruise ship companies are in business and are only interested in profit. They don’t care about how you or me are going to feed mouths. They have their own mouths and shareholders to feed. They always try to see into the future by using all sorts of measures – statistics, customer feedback, on the ground reports from scouts etc. So if Dominica just wants to sit there as if in a drunken stupor or suffering sun stroke then believe me that what the cruise ship company has done is just a staring measure so somebody needs to wake up quickly, smell the coffee and pour it straight with no splashes on the tablecloth ! Otherwise there could be a lot of weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Dominicans need to be better trained and made aware of what people expect. They would rather not be treated as if they are your next door neighbour. Dominicans need to travel themselves and see how others perform and the general level of professionalism elsewhere. You don’t even need money for a plane or hotel you can travel via internet.
I realise it is very hard for Dominica as investment and funds are extremely limited, but everybody involved, from the top to the bottom, need to realise you have to give some to get some, and you need to give before you get. It always frustrates me to see the vast potential of this place being let down by the very people who stand to benefit from it. Roseau needs a serious face-lift, and yes we all know that that takes a lot of money but if attitudes changed and everyone done their little bit to try and smarten the place then at least it’s a step in the right direction and travelers would have a better experience to report and spread. Just imagine if a lot of the old traditional and historic buildings were gradually restored that alone would be a great selling point in any travel brochure. Portsmouth is another sad case of neglect. Just by people picking up their trash or raking over some of the beach areas would also go a long way and doesn’t cost a penny.
Dominica is unique amongst the other islands and I could spout on and on about the different possibilities that would give it license to print money but it would be just like pissing in the wind if from top to bottom people don’t seriously wake up pull up their pants and try to be a bit more professional in whatever it is they are doing and whether or not it is their neighbour or a tourist.
I’ve gone on long enough so I think I’ll end my rant now.
Peace.
Man that have nothing to do with fuel…
I bet you, that might be motivated by the survey them tourists might be filling out on their return to the ships concerning their experience in Dominica. Minister do not look outward but rather inward and you will see the real reason…be insightful and have vision man.
Them man prefer to spend more fuel taking their customers farther south than berth in Dominica and all you saying it ‘mind boggling’. If tourism is the coner stone of the economy, then wake up and smell the coffee…maybe this might be a blessing in disguise. A good opportunity to restructure the industry….
@bwadiab
time will tell
@bwadiab:
Silly statement
I talk a-ready….
Mr. Douglas
This is not the only mind boggling thing that have happened in Dominica in recent times.
dont you find it mind boggling how Dominicans are willing to make excuses for a man who have blatantly and arrogantly showed utter disrespect for the Dominican contstitution?
Dont you find it mind boggling that the freedom that Dominicans use to enjoy iare strategically being denied them.
Dont you find it mind boggling that men who initially stood on principles based on their deep love for our country . Now are happy to sit by and let one man destroy them and country in one swipe.
Honestly as a Dominican , I find it mind boggliing at what my people have accepted as the norm.
I listened with interest to the news of the cancellation of calls by Carnival Victory, one of the ships in the Carnival Cruise Lines fleet of ships, effective November 2, 2010. From what I understand the Carnival Victory handles about 30% of current cruise passenger arrivals. This is very significant and will certainly affect the livelihoods of some of the hundreds of persons who currently depend, whether directly or indirectly, on the Cruise Tourism Sector for the livelihoods. Not only will this move affect private citizens but the public sector as well in terms of loss revenues to the port and customs and to the treasury by way of the loss of cruise passenger head tax and site passes to our ecotourism sites. Those who will be affected include, but not limited to, taxi drivers, tour guides, handicraft and souvenir vendors, food and beverage vendors, duty free shop operators, the ship’s agent, organized tour operators, operators of privately operated sites and attractions, suppliers of fresh produce (ripe bananas and cut flowers etc), the Dominica Air and Sea Ports Authority (DASPA), the Forestry, Wildlife and Parks Division, etc, etc.
The rationale for the cancellation of the Carnival Victory, according to Carnival Cruise Lines, is based on high cost of fuel among other reasons. One might ask, Why Dominica and not any of the other islands in the Carnival Victory’s itinerary, particularly since we have a “twentyone (21) year” business relationship with Carnival Cruise Lines? If we look closely at the itinerary we will discover that Dominica’s position on the itinerary makes it most logical to pull the ship out, unfortunately, than any of the other destinations if the key issue is cutting down on fuel consumption and saving the company critical revenue.
The pull out of the Carnival Victory is imminent but all is not lost, since, listening to Government and private sector officials on the DHTA show on KAIRI FM Radio some interesting observations were made; I believe it is important to reiterate some of those observations and to add my comments to the discussions as well. The need to make Dominica a premium destination, and, in particular the making the sites premium sites is a good suggestion. This is not far fetched as some people will want us to believe but this will cost some money, proper planning and commitment to come to fruition. The need to review existing port charges, site passes and passenger head taxes are also critical. The retraining/ongoing training of the destination’s front line tourism workers, particularly, the taxi drivers, vendors, hair braiders, tour guides etc, everyone involved in tourism. This hopefully will help the destination to have a cadre of well established, trained and knowledgeable tourism workers. The need for an ongoing public awareness campaign islandwide to cultivate a greater appreciation of Tourism to the socio economic development of the island. The need for improvements to the existing port infrastructure. I believe that in addition to new developments for the cruise sector, such as the proposed cruise village at Woodbridge Bay Port, there is need to improve the Cruise Cruise ship berth and the Cabrits Cruise Ship Berth. There is also need to improve existing public and private sites and encourage the development of new sites and attractions. There is also need for continued improvements to our roadways, and the roads and side walks in the city of Roseau and Portsmouth need to be improved to accommodate persons using wheel chairs. There is need to improve entrance to retail stores and store layout as well. There is need to improve the handling and sale of food and beverage. There is need for increased Police presence, and in particular police who are visitor friendly, informed and knowledgeable. There is also need to improve our capacity to respond quickly to medical emergencies…and the list can go on and on.
The bottom line for the cruise line is profitability. They are in business and so should we. We are fortunate that we have a window of two (2) months to plan for the upcoming 2010 – 2011 Cruise Tourism Season. Focus on improving the service and overall package to visitors if this country is to benefit meaningfully from Tourism…If we say TOURISM IS EVERYBODY’S BUSINESS then let’s mean what we say. TO BE CONTINUED…
Mr Douglas this is just the begging of things to come, and also this is the next level which you have my people in after we grow up on farming now i see you have in letter that tourism is what we have going on now so indeed you all kill all farmers back home , well you just start to think and ask question where you wont find any answer too them, take that we are going into the next level
thats the next level
The fuel reasoning could hold water if they were not docked while in Dominica or if after leaving Dominica they did not travel further south. I think it also has a lot to do with the quality of our tourism product. What are we offering and how appealing it is to the visitors to our shores? Do we interact with the visitors and make them feel like they are welcomed and that we actually appreciate their business? Do we point or make fun of our guests? Are we generally rude when driving, refusing at times to slow down so that our guests can cross the streets? Do we offer the visitors anything other than basic crafts and a view of our lovely city? How many times do we hassle them to a private tour on our passenger buses at the bus stops?
We have a lot to do in terms of how we deal with customers, not only visitors to our shores but everyone. We are terrible when comes to customer relationship and are generally of the idea that “You know how it is in Dominica already.”
I am still waiting to enter almost any business place and get a warm greeting and perhaps even someone offering to help.
The sad thing about all of this is that we will continue to see decline in businesses to our shores and still do nothing about it because no one sees themselves as the cause. It is always someone else fault.
@Nathaniel Peltier: I fail to see the humor in this. This is a serious blow to Dominica and it affects us all.
Are you one of those who are sitting there praying that bad things happen to our beloved country?
How many times have I heard that cruise tourism does not have a positive impact on the Dominican economy. Now that Victory decided to pull out, we crying the blues?
Having said that, they need to be proactive in trying to get more cruise lines to consider Dominica as a viable destrination.
If the ship will continue to other further destinations than D/ca, well it’s not gas problem man, …
PERSONALLY I THINK ITS NOT ONLY THE FUEL THATS THE CAUSE COME REALLY DONT YOU
SOMETIME HEAR THE PEOPLE SAYING THE BUS TRIPS ARE VERY HIGH , AND THE VENDORS WANT TO EAT TO BUT WHEN YOU TRY TO GO CRAZY ON UR PRICES WITH THE TOURIST.
YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER THEY ARE THE ONES THAT COME BACK HOME AND TELL OTHERS
ABOUT THE TRIP , AND ENCOURAGE THEM TO TAKE A TRIP BUT WHEN ME AS A DOMINICAN
IN US HEARING PEOPLE SAYING DOMINICA IS NICE BUT THEY TO EXPENSIVE THAT IS BAD
SO I THINK THE GOVERMENT HAVE TO LOOK INTO THE OVER CHARGING THE TOURIST WHILE
IN DOMINICA.
HAHAHAH. So it is time to ask yourself a question.
I think those of us who have used or are planning to use Carnival Cruise Lines should write their management and tell them how disappointed we are with this decision. Also, that we shall refuse to patronize them ever again, unless that decision is reversed. Trust me; the big wigs don’t like that type of reaction.
The excuse put forth about high the cost of fuel sounds like a smoke screen. Was there no warning signal about the possibility of Carnival Cruise Line ‘ditching’ the destination? Could the tourism folks not put forth a case for changing the schedule of the order of the ports of call so as to have the call from St. Thomas to Dominica changed to St. Thomas to St. Kitts instead of Dominica?(just a suggestion) That’s a biggggg blow, just as the upcoming cruise season is around the corner, for all concerened in DA, where “tourism is everybody’s business.”
Let us hope that the gap will be filled in the not too distant future, if we can convince another cruise line to take up the slack.