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Cruise: Puerto Rico

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Puerto Rico: Mega Cruise Ships to Call San Juan in 2016

The Port of San Juan will host 10 visits in the 2015-2016 winter season by the world’s largest cruise ships, Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas. The Puerto Rico Ports Authority expects those calls will bring a total of 60,000 passenger and generate a local economic impact amounting to $64 million.

The news follows the completion of the completion in February of the port authority’s Dock 3 expansion to allow the berthing of so-called mega-cruise ships. The work included construction of a concrete platform and creating a berth and supporting structure with a 182-foot dock extension, a baggage screening facility and various engineering features. Royal Caribbean and its affiliates have preferential use of Dock 3, which is located in the historic downtown area of San Juan and used mainly by vessels on port of call visits.

Said Ports Authority Executive Director Ingrid C. Colberg Rodríguez: "Securing the arrival of both cruise ships is possible thanks to the expansion of Dock 3 with an investment of $9.3 million to give the Port of San Juan the capability it needed and the incentives we have extended to attract cruise ships. The inter-agency efforts and support between the ports authority and the [Puerto Rico] Tourism Company have been key factors in drawing record passengers to the country."

Her sentiments were echoed by Michael Bayley, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean International, who said that the "the improvements to Dock 3 have been the keys that made this inaugural voyage a reality."

With a capacity of 6,000 passengers and manned by 2,400 crew members, the two will be sailing from their Florida homeport on seven-night itineraries to various Caribbean destinations, including San Juan.
 

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