Saint Lucia Cruise Port celebrated a strong start to 2025 with the arrival of four inaugural cruise calls in January.
AIDAmar from AIDA Cruises, Odyssey of the Seas from Royal Caribbean Cruises, Majestic Princess from Princess Cruises, and Iona from P&O Cruises all made their first visits to the island.
The arrival of these four vessels brought an additional 14 875 passengers and 5 375 crew members to Port Castries.
Representatives from the Ministry of Tourism, Saint Lucia Tourism Authority, Invest Saint Lucia, Saint Lucia Air and Sea Ports Authority, port agents Cox and Company and Platinum Port Agency, as well as Saint Lucia Cruise Port, welcomed the vessels and participated in traditional plaque exchange ceremonies.
When AIDAmar called at the port here on January 4 – one of the more than 15 ports it stops at on its 43-day journey – Captain Pannzek welcomed the delegation aboard for a tour of the ship’s bridge.
Odyssey of the Seas brought 4 379 passengers and 1 633 crew members under the leadership of Captain Marek Slaby, on January 21.
Majestic Princess followed on January 27 with 3 478 passengers and 1 321 crew members. Captain Castellano Giuseppe praised the island’s warm hospitality, stating, “Saint Lucia is indeed a beautiful island with warm people, and I know the passengers and crew are keenly excited to visit the island today.”
On January 28, when Iona made her inaugural visit, the Saint Lucia Cruise Port invited owner of Top Banana souvenir store at La Place Carenage, Hidra Charlery, to be part of the delegation to welcome Captain Martin Allen and his team.. Charlery, who has been self-employed for eight years, directly benefits from the cruise industry and the influx of both passengers and crew every season.
Saint Lucia Cruise Port said it anticipates further inaugural calls and increased visitor numbers throughout the year and into the next cruise season.