Six ships in port for December’s busiest day
Cruise ship in George Town
(CNS): George Town merchants had 16,643 cruise passengers to sell to Thursday, as six ships pulled into port in this December’s busiest day. Although Boxing Day is usually a red letter day for the cruise sector, today will surpass the near 10,500 passengers due to arrive 26 December. However, next week will still see almost 35,000 people visit Grand Cayman on cruise ships, as the year draws towards a close with a record-breaking number for the annual cruise headcount. Nevertheless, many downtown merchants are still complaining that they are not having a good season so far.
Those retailers willing to speak to CNS about the issue all said a similar thing, especially in jewellery stores, that passengers are visiting but they are not spending, making for busier days but less profit.
The issue of passenger numbers versus actual spend remains a very contentious issue, as government argues that cruise passengers spend more than many retailers believe is the case. The tourism ministry has also focused on that spend as the main justification for the controversial project to build a cruise berthing facility in George Town.
The minister continues to claim that the larger class of ships, some of which have said they will not tender and so will not call on Cayman, are high spenders. But given that the figures come from the cruise industry with no independent verification, the concern now for those opposed to the project is that the justification for the costly project is based of flawed statistics.
Every time I drive through town this time of year I feel so horrible for the poor experience these tourists get waiting for hours for tender boats. It’s the equivalent of having cat boats offload from cargo ships like we did fifty years ago
Luxury items are cheaper on the Internet.
Window shopping of Watches, Designer Goods, etc., then ordering online cheaper and shipped to home free or for a nominal charge is how shopping is in this day and age.
Cruisers are not cruising to shop for luxury items. They shop to view. Ask them. I do.
Foolishness! The larger ships have a higher per person spend, that’s a factual statsitic！ However，have you seen Trumps economy lately? The stock market? Would venture to guess that also has something to with cruisers spending less, wouldn’t you? Has CNS considered the recent Economic conditions when making these comments?
Whereas I’m inclined to agree that the economy is a factor, it hardly seems like a robust decision to spend $300m on a port for an industry that’s so reactive to a jumpy economy. I thought gambling was illegal?
Source of factual statistic please? (So we can put this to bed once and for all.)
It will be chaos and horrible experience without the piers. Long tender boat lines for hours and miles.
How many jewelery stores are they supposed to shop at? Literally all waterfront is full of.
The diamonds in each store are ever so slightly different.
I remember one Thanksgiving when there were 9 ships in. The highest number I’ve ever seen was 11.
It was so gross. Must have been miserable with that many in town. I always brought my lunch with me when there were so many in town just so I didn’t have to leave the office (which was located in town).
That’s why Florida is going to hell.
Eugene, going or gone to hell ?
Build the dock!
And build it onto the end of the wall!
Great news if only we had the Piers.
You’re another one who shouldn’t be trusted to vote in elections.
That is about 300k for Cayman.This does not even begin to address expenses. Go away Moses, you make money from the contracts, but poor Caymanians don’t get shit.
Instead of changing their failing business models, our waterfront merchants think it is the government’s responsibility to shovel, funnel and toss them new customers by any and all means necessary
The issue in their mind is not different generations prioritizing and spending differently it is the fact that we don’t have a concrete slab sticking into the ocean
They seem to believe they have a divine mandate to make a profit at the expense of all but themselves
In a country that pretends to detest anything liberal or socialized we really do love our corporate welfare
Horror vacui
Sounds eerily familiar.
Different words, same sentiments.
You’re welcome tho.
Many, many years ago I used to drink at the old Seaview with people who worked in the GT shops and they always said that the busier it was the less commission they made. If it’s crowded cruise shippers just look in the window and walk on by.
16,643 pax on the manifests but how many actually came ashore? I can also remember a Boxing Day just over 10 years ago when we had eight cruise ships in despite some rather unfavourable weather so 10,500 next Wednesday is not exactly a record. Someone is spinning the figures here!
3:27 Not sure if it was eight but I think you mean 2006. The sea was breaking over the wall in GT that day but even the Queen Elizabeth was anchored out there and she holds 2000+.
Re-Read the article.
2:03 Why? I you’re going to argue make your case.
Fine. “this December’s busiest day”. Line 5. (And they were short lines because of the picture.) The article did not say anything about setting daily records. Which was the objection of the original post. Just what the highest day(s) for Dec. 2018 were.
Though apparently 2018 was “a record-breaking number for the annual cruise headcount”. But that’s a different thing entirely to the OPs objection that “10,500 next Wednesday is not exactly a record”.
Case argued. Or you could just have re-read the article for yourself.
10:27 There’s a life looking for you somewhere out there 🙂
Can Port Authority kindly ask the cruise ships to turn their radar off while in port? There’s really no need for them to be cooking everyone who works in offices in town with their radar waves.
2:45 They’re just watching out for terrorists and other unwelcome guests 🙂
Joking aside, I worked in aviation for a number of years and we always kept the radar running 24/7 even when the airport was closed because it was such a pain in the butt to shut it down and relaunch it. You can’t just flick a switch like you do with a light, it probably has to reboot and re-calibrate after shutting down.
Many run their engines all day to power the ships. The fumes from those ships are highly noxious. A Carnival company was recently fined for using dirty fuel, which only made the fumes more dangerous: https://amp.theguardian.com/world/2018/nov/26/cruise-ship-captain-fined-100000-for-using-dirty-fuel
They have to have it on per International Regs.
Not enough. We need 10 ships of brain dead cruise sheep who think all of our road signs say “SLOWER THAN THE APPROACH OF DEATH”. Each ship will guarantee the purchase of one Rolex to keep Kirk Freeport in business. Passengers will not be allowed to reboard if they are not wearing their $25 ”I CAME TO THE CAYMAN ISLANDS AND ALL I WAS FORCED TO BUY WAS THIS T-SHIRT” shirt from Dart. As they queue to reboard Hamaty will be firing rum cakes at them out of a cannon. While they finally tender back to the ship they will be accosted by a video farewell from “Hon Moses Kirkconnell, Deputy Premier & Minister for Crony Capitalism” telling them they could spend another hour on shore if they just agreed to support destroying the ancient coral reefs the boats glide over without damaging them. Passengers will need to dodge further rum cake blasts to get on the ship. They will give us 5 stars. Guaranteed.
CNS, you need to bring back the LOL button for brilliant comments like this.
Late entrant for CNS comment of the year award. Bravo!
By far and away the best! Flying rum cakes! Talk about a “rum job.”
You make it so easy for whether a visitor decides to return. Don’t worry, the word is out internationally: Cayman is just another novelty to visit, but not a place to invest anymore because of the spoiled rotten natives. Ingrates living in the past who cannot reinvent themselves. Other communities in the world would be able to transform your tourism into a modern marvel, not so much for perpetual complainers of your ilk.
The “If the CIG says it’s true then it must be” mentality without actual verification is shocking. Remember Moses, if Kirk Freeport makes $10,000 in a day from 50 customers that doesn’t mean EVERY tourist off the boat spends $200.