Over 8,000 cruisers flood into George Town
(CNS): Three Carnival ships carrying 8,238 passengers docked in George Town Harbour on Wednesday, making it the busiest day since the cruise ship ban was lifted last month and a welcome surge of customers for the waterfront retailers and trip operators.
However, it was a reminder for others of just how congested the capital can get, even though the three ships all arrived under capacity, and a warning of how much worse things can get, as the cap on numbers is likely to be lifted next month.
As well as an increase in foot traffic, the roads were also very congested around the harbourfront, which has been made worse by the partial closure of Cardinall Avenue and the ongoing roadworks there just as the cruise ships return.
According to Port Authority statistics, Carnival Vista brought 4,119 passengers, Carnival Sunrise arrived with 2,470 and Carnival Paradise with 1,649.
On Thursday, the Celebrity Apex brought 2,115 people and another 1,959 visitors are expected Friday aboard the Carnival Pride, which is expected to return next Tuesday with 2,124 passengers alongside the MSC Seashore carrying 5,646 passengers for another busy day at the harbour.
- Fascinated
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As a long-time stay over visitor this is so disappointing. Cayman could have re-imagined itself with the USP of not allowing huge cruise ships. With those, Cayman is not much different from the other islands. Our retirement plan was to come for 2-3 months each winter but we’ll probably split it between Cayman and other places now.
READ THIS from Carnival’s web page regarding covid testing: “MPORTANT NOTE: Guests who are up to date with their vaccines may take their test within three days prior to sailing. Up to date means a person has received all recommended COVID-19 vaccinations, including any booster dose, when eligible. If a guest is fully vaccinated but not up to date with their vaccines (i.e., is eligible for a booster but has not received one), they must take their pre-cruise COVID-19 test within two days prior to sailing.
Example: If the sailing is on Saturday, guests who are up to date with their vaccines may take their test as early as Wednesday and as late as Saturday, if guaranteed to receive results in time for check-in. A fully vaccinated guest who is not up to date with their vaccines may take their test no earlier than Thursday and as late as Saturday.”
So if Cayman is the first port of call that would mean fully vaccinated cruisers can disembark 4-5 days AFTER their negative covid test but anyone arriving by air must test 1 days before their flight lands. Sorry but this totally complete SUCKS and PACT needs to drop the testing requirement for vaccinated travellers arriving by air.
Get it right PACT and treat residents traveling home with more respect than cruise passengers. And treat stay-over tourist with more respect than low spending cruise passengers.
This continues to make me so angry!!!
Yup! Very unfair to those who will bring more money to our economy per visitor.
And Cayman is not always the first port of call – check the itineraries for the ships calling here.
So sad to see these environmental disaster cesspools back in our waters 🙁
So wonderful to see cheap 300 lbs ‘day cruisers’ jay-walking around town in g-string bikini’s again (ask me how I know).
Talk about “a thong gone wrong”!
We need to LIMIT both the number and type of Cruise passengers per day. STOP with the cheap Carnival rat-race. We want visitors who WILL spend $ and can afford to return for a stay-over vacation. 100k wealthy tourists who spend $2000 is far more beneficial than 1m who spend $20, just do the math.
GOD bless those who aren’t as affluent, but CAYMAN isn’t for everyone.
“cheap 300 lbs ‘day cruisers’ jay-walking…”
I guess you meant to say a ‘Congo-Line’ from the Ministers YOU elected! Don’t disparage the tourists until you deal with those you elect equally. Yes, not a common thought in Cayman.
I would love to see Bush in a thong!
Conga
Whoa, whoa, whoa Richard, at least refer to the “cheap 300lb day cruisers” properly!
They are referred to as “sangwich eatas” by The Speaker of House.
And as Covid number rise due to the introduction of the new variant….
PACT strikes again (swing and a miss Kenneth)
there is higher infection rate in cayman population than on any cruise ship….try harder with your anti-cruise nonsense.
Hey Kenneth, how is the renegotiation of shore excursion deals going?
Any progress to report, or did the cruise lines just blow you a raspberry?
Kenneth negotiate?? You will wait.
*kisses teeth* Mann… I’m fully vax’d, but sick and tired of LFT’ing and wearing masks on a daily basis.
Thousands of these untested and unmasked people can flood into our island yet I can’t sit by the same table with my coworker who also tested negative an hour ago.. only for me to go to the gym unmasked, then happy hour – also unmasked per the restaurant’s instruction (we don’t do masks here).
An absolute joke at this point.
Nice that people are enjoying a nice swim in CNS’s picture. However, given that fish are cleaned there, shouldn’t there be a warning that other fish feed on discarded fish they are cleaned?
Not sure if this would attract something like barracudas, who might especially have an interest in shiny objects (such as a watch or jewelry).
Is this a safety issue for tourists swimming there? Should notice of fish cleaning be there and that shiny objects could attract barracudas.
Asking these questions because not clear whether it’s correct or not. Can anyone answer?
Not sure, so
Good questions, it can be scary seeing all the large tarpon trolling around there. There is no real danger in swimming there as barracuda mostly stick around the reefs preying on smaller fish, and mall fish generally don’t want to hang around the 5ft tarpons who could swallow them whole.
We’ve been swimming there for decades with no incidents.
Thank you. That makes sense. I have been swimming there too from childhood and never had any incidents. Asked and answered.
The fishermen need to be relocated. Their tables and tents are unhealthy and blog people from going there. The place just stinks. Bryan do something about it.
I agree Caymanians cannot get access because of these clowns. How can these people stop us from swimming on our own beach? The beach next door is worse as Kel Thompson calls it a private beach. The ministe of tourism needs Sort this mess out.
I agree put the fishermen in the new shacks on North Church Steet that Byan purchased for six million. Then they can pay government some rent.
That must have been the deal of the year. 😎😂
A deal certainly, but for who..?
This being a UDP government, there’s always a deal for somebody.
Please remove the fishermen, they create a lot of traffic mess on north church street. They also decrease the real estate value in the area. Eyesore.
Troll developers.
THis is a beautiful local and natural site.
You want to see more bars and “Made in PRC” CHinese goods on the waterfront?
The owner has undertaken to both recent governments that he will not develope the property but put it into a trust for all of the people of Cayman ONLY when the fishmongers have gone. This is a win win situation for Cayman. Bryan do something about it.
Our government needs take up th owners offer
They are not fishermen. They are middlemen.
And they are unlicensed and have no work permits.
Peddling Honduran red snapper as if its locally caught
It’s the sea. Their habitat.
Traffic was a nightmare! And no, it’s not just affecting drivers in town, when the roads on the waterfront get backed up, it slows all of the other roads down. Traffic woes in Cayman are stressing everyone out!
Lift all covid restrictions now and apologize for the continued abuse of power.
Get use to seeing those cruise ships here that’s how many caymanian feeds &pay theirs bills.thank god for those carnivals ship love it.
Bottom feeders
Absolutely wonderful to see.
For who exactly?
Most of us don’t want them here. They are very little benefit to our community and when compared to the damage they cause to our environment, its obvious they aren’t doing us any good overall.
you could say the same about stayover tourists….
No, you could not. Stayover tourism contributes to our economy in a myriad of ways — restaurants, hotels, car rental, grocery, etc. etc. Not to mention that their testing protocols are much more stringent, or at least verified by Cayman Island entities, and not cruise ship personnel.
Again, why?
Because I need to work, feed my family, afford rent, pay for the outrageous fuel and food costs!
Its easy for all you who have nice homes paid for by workers like me. I just want to survive, working as a carpenter, is not enough for me to save for a house, too expensive. And no trolls…, I am Caymanian, not Jamaican!!!
Being able to adapt to change might get you where you want to be; if you are trying to go down an avenue and its not working; maybe try another….
Sometimes in life we have to do things we don’t necessarily want to to get through it. That’s life.
I’m a Caymanian who doesn’t get to do what he wants on a daily basis but I do what I have to to make it work.
Nice homes paid for by workers like me? Explain how my house, paid for by me from my earnings at my job, was paid for by you.
How does working as a carpenter equate to bring happy to see the return of cruise passengers? How are they aiding your income?
For most of us (I’m Caymanian too but makes no difference) the cruise ships block traffic & cause a commuting nightmare. There is no additional money in my pocket (I work in an office).
What are you talking about? How do you contribute to my housing?
And carpentry should be bringing in a lot more money than cruise tourism Id guess, so double down and channel your inner Joseph sir. Godspeed
According to the port website, only 3000 were scheduled today, so one of two things happened.
The port got incorrect data or posted incorrect data.
Either way, it is another example of the tomfoolery and incompetence accepted as “just the way it is.”
CNS: There’s nothing wrong with the port website (see here). The number in brackets is the ship’s capacity (3,000 for Thursday). If you click on the ship’s name you’ll see a popup with details, including how many passengers the ship actually had (2,115).
I think you may also be confused about the days. This article was mostly about arrivals on Wednesday. All figures taken from the port website.
Ask Kenny why..don’t forget he needs votes from his Jamaican taxi drivers.
Welcome return? Not in my view! The traffic problem was a nightmare, having to watch out for large bodied tourists waddling side by side in the road.
Why on earth was the partial closure and associated works to Cardinall Avenue irresponsibly coordinated to start just as the cruise ships returned? We have had relative road sanity in that area for 2 years and then just when things are opening up again, this little spanner is added to the chaos!
Why are we allowing (worthless) cruise ship passengers to disembark without travel cayman authorization or a covid test but valuable air arrivals have to do both. We need the same rules for EVERYONE! Why are we favoring worthless cruise ship passengers over valuable air arrivals? And on this same vein – what is the tax on air arrivals vs cruise arrivals? Does anyone know. Again these should be EQUAL! Raise rue chose tax or lower the air tax. Come on Cayman Airways. Stand up and fight.
I booked our family trip quite some time ago. I refuse to cancel it and disappoint our family, but reading these comments we will not be so generous with our tips this trip and we will definitely not be buying one souvenir. BTW- not one of us is overweight. We are stay over guests. We are staying 10 nights. We already know we will not return after this trip.
Why punish low wage servers by not tipping?
Worthless?
Haven’t you heard the saying if you have nothing nice to say, then don’t say anything at all.
Traffic has been a nightmare way before the cruise ships. Don’t start blaming the cruise ships. AND…regarding the weight of the tourists, don’t think all on the island are string beans.
1) How many actually went ashore? 2) How about limiting the number of port calls per day?
I seem to remember the Minister of Tourism saying he was looking at bringing in a higher class of ships in addition to reducing numbers. So what do we get? ,three Carnival ships in one day, bringing 8238 minimal spenders to flood our shores. Many of these poor people walk to the beach as they cannot afford a US$2.50 fare. A great way to discourage our big spending stayover visitors.
$2.50 fare! What a joke. They can afford cab fare, just refuse exorbitant Cayman rates. Wake up, they have been walking to locations for years, nothing new.
6.48pm that’s the bus fare!
Just like saying people come to the US who can afford Macy’s, but go to Walmart instead.
Maybe they are walking because they enjoy finally being in the sunshine after being cooped up in the cold winter weather for months.
And yet I have to test to come home via AA on Sunday…SMH
The entry/exiting testing for cruise passengers vs air travel passengers is criminal. CIG, you are a mess of incompetence. Overnight vacationers = more money……so let’s make it hard for them to travel. 6 hrs cruisers = less money…….. so let’s make it easier for them to travel.
What a sh.t show.
You have to test to go as well
We had to test to come, 3 tests while on island and one to leave…..SMH…..and you complaining. They didn’t even take our card at the airport to prove we did this and spent all that money for. Guess it was our Cayman souvenir?