$3m boost from new cruise ship
Courtesy of The Tribune – By ALISON LOWE
The regular arrival to Bahamian shores of a new, increased size Disney cruise ship in 2011 will bring an estimated $3 million in passenger spending into the economy, in addition to $900,000 in tax revenue for the Government, the Minister of Tourism said yesterday.
The Dream, the third ship in the Disney Cruise Line fleet, is scheduled to sail three, four and five-night cruises to the Bahamas from Port Canaveral, Florida, starting on January 26.
The $900 million vessel will then call into Nassau every Monday and Friday, making a total of 92 calls in 2011.
Ahead of its official maiden voyage later this month, the Dream arrived in Nassau harbour yesterday on what tourism minister, Vincent Vanderpool Wallace, described as a “shakedown trip” – a journey from Europe to the US on which only crew, clients and other non-paying passengers were carried to iron out any kinks in its operation.
The boat is the biggest in the Disney Cruise Line Fleet and can carry up to 4,000 passengers and 1,500 crew members.
“It’s really high frequency and it’s calling only on the Bahamas, which gives it extra significance,” said Mr Vanderpool-Wallace.
The cruise ship will visit Nassau and Disney’s private island in Abaco, Castaway Cay.
“That seems to be the magic combination for cruise lines – giving people the private island experience in addition to calling on Nassau or Grand Bahama,” said Mr Vanderpool-Wallace.
Among the features on the new ship are a water slide that takes passengers beyond the boundaries of the cruise ship over the open ocean before bringing them back.
