Mega-ship tendering will be time consuming affair, says Minister

The 4th largest cruise ship in the world, the newly christened MSC Meraviglia, will be making port calls in Cayman starting in 2019.

The Meraviglia is over 1/5 of a mile long and can carry a maximum of 5,700 passengers.

The Ministry of Tourism told Cayman 27 attracting larger ships like this one is a result of its ongoing effort to ensure a future cruise berthing facility will be fully utilised once it’s constructed.

Deputy Premier and Tourism Minister Moses Kirkconnell said the vessel’s size means tendering will take additional time.

“As a result, passengers will have less time onshore to shop, take tours and visit our attractions,” said Mr. Kirkconnell in a statement. “Once the berthing facility is operational, however, passenger-time on shore will significantly increase. This will allow our tourism sector to derive greater benefit from the influx of passengers.”