Royal Caribbean announced that the cruise line will return to San Juan, Puerto Rico and Philipsburg, St. Maarten, two major cruise ports largely impacted by hurricanes earlier this year.
On November 30, ‘Freedom of the Seas’ will be the first ship in the fleet to call on San Juan, Puerto Rico.
‘Grandeur of the Seas’ will follow on December 17 as the first cruise ship to sail into, St. Maarten since Royal Caribbean’s ‘Majesty of the Seas’ arrived to provide humanitarian relief on September.
As of November. 30, all scheduled calls to San Juan and St. Thomas across 10 ships in the Royal Caribbean fleet will operate as planned.
President and CEO of Royal Caribbean International, Michael Bayley, stated: “Royal Caribbean is encouraged by the commendable progress that has been made by the governments of Puerto Rico and St. Maarten towards the recovery of these destinations and it means a lot to us that we are heading back home. We have been part of the Caribbean community for almost 50 years, and for all of us it has been paramount that we focus on supporting our long-standing partners – who feel more like family after so many years. Supporting these destinations that are so reliant on tourism is key to the future of the islands and the best thing we – as travelers and businesses – can do for the islands.”
The scheduled visits to St. Maarten will operate as planned starting on Dec. 17 with the exception of Oasis of the Seas, which will make its first call to the island on January 1 during her New Year’s Eve cruise.
