As the cruise industry moves to a global presence, cruise guests are offered more selections than ever before. With that, the thought of taking just a Caribbean cruise might seem rather tame by today’s industry standards. But actually there has never been a better time for your group to reconsider taking that Caribbean cruise for a number of reasons.
Why the renewed interest? There are more itinerary variations and departure ports than ever before, with some of the biggest and most technically advanced and designed ships sailing to the Caribbean. Finally, a Caribbean cruise still offers one of the best cruise values around.
According to Cruise Line International Association (CLIA) the Caribbean still ranks first as far as the top cruise market. The statistics CLIA compiles on cruise destination markets and interest are based on the actual capacity of industry presence in other words, the ship capacity that is placed in each particular market. Currently the Caribbean ranks first.
One of the best thing about cruise lines is their ability to help create new destinations. When NCL started the Out Island concept back in 1977 with Great Stirrup Cay, other cruise lines followed. Royal Caribbean eventually created an out island experience beyond the traditional Bahamas one with Labadee, located on the north shores of Haiti. Premier Cruise Lines had their own private island experience off Nassau. When Holland America Lines ship Noordam sailed into the Caribbeans newest port facility, the Grand Turk Cruise Center in British West Indies, she made history. It was the official opening of this new state-of-the-art, multi-million-dollar facility, which serves as a gateway to one of the most beautiful islands in the Caribbean. This new port facility accommodates two large Super Post Panamax vessels, and also features a 13-acre complex, complete with an 800-foot white sand beach, array of shops, cabanas, and swimming pool. Its also home to the Caribbeans largest Margaritaville themed bar and restaurant, owned by Jimmy Buffet. The new Grand Turk Cruise Center was developed and is operated by the Carnival Corporation
