Royal Caribbean director excited about Jamaica partnership
Published:Tuesday | February 15, 2011 | 12:00 AM
André Lowe, Senior Staff Reporter
HAVING INVESTED US$170 million in the construction of the new cruise port in Falmouth, Charly McDonald, a director at Royal Caribbean International, believes his employers have shown tremendous commitment and belief in Jamaica's tourism product and is looking forward to the partnership.
Royal Caribbean, one of the world's largest cruise lines, partnered with the Jamaican Government in building the multi-faceted pier and will be docking its two largest ships, the Oasis of the Seas and the Allure of the Seas, there. Royal Caribbean's Voyager of the Seas will, however, be the line's first vessel at the dock as it is scheduled to make its maiden call to Falmouth on Thursday, while the Oasis of the Seas will arrive in March.
In addition to an 11-acre wharf, the investment also includes a $45-million commercial centre, which will feature more than 100 retailers and almost as many tour operators.
Speaking exclusively to The Gleaner aboard the 3,800 capacity Navigator of the Seas during the cruise line's four-night Super Bowl at Sea cruise recently, which was staged in partnership with sport media giants ESPN, McDonald also underlined the project's value to local industries and pointed out that it would give more persons an opportunity to experience the island.
Great opportunity
"The port in Falmouth is a good measure of our commitment to Jamaica," said McDonald. "We have our biggest ships coming to the island and we will be bringing about 12,000 guests a week to Jamaica who will be able to experience the island, and I'm sure they will love it."
"It certainly will be a great opportunity for the Jamaican industries; the vendors, taxicabs, shop owners and tour operators. Our guests always come back loving their Jamaican experience," he continued.
McDonald, who has been with Royal Caribbean for more than 19 years and now serves as director of guest activities, also explained the reasons behind the cruise line's need to forge these kinds of partnerships.
"As we have gone ahead and built bigger ships, we have chosen to partner with a lot of Caribbean nations and different destinations to ensure that the port area, specifically, and the docking facilities are top-notch," McDonald explained. "If you take a look at our ships, they are essentially five-star resorts on water, and we want to ensure that when we pull into the port, that experience is transferred when our guests walk off the ship; we want them to be comfortable and be able to fully enjoy the destination."
McDonald also went on to speak about his own Jamaican experience and his delight at the company's involvement with the history-rich town. He also underlined Falmouth's location between Montego Bay and Ocho Rios as the perfect opportunity for passengers to see more of Jamaica during their stop.