Cunard and P&O Cruises will be among six Carnival Corporation brands to start calling at an $85 million new port developed by the company in the Dominican Republic.
Amber Cove – a partial filming location for the original Jurassic Park movie – will start accepting ships from October.
The new port is located on the Dominican Republic’s north coast just outside Puerto Plata.
It is expected to handle more than 250,000 cruise passengers in its first year of operation and will provide 430 local jobs.
The port will include a recreational area featuring a swimming pool, splash zone and green spaces as well as offering 40 shore excursions.
Amber Cove opens with a visit from Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Victory on October 6.
Other scheduled calls include Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 on November 22, P&O Cruises’ Azura on December 5, AIDA Cruises’ AIDAvita on December 11, Costa Cruises’ Costa Deliziosa on December 31 and Holland America Line’s Eurodam on January 19.
Additional ships from the company’s brands are due to call on the port over the winter including Carnival Cruise Line’s Fantasy, Splendor, Valor, Sunshine, Conquest and Breeze and HAL’s Nieuw Amsterdam.
These visits will consist of 57 calls by 13 different ships across the six brands between October 2015 and April 2016, accounting for more than 155,000 passengers.
Dominican Republic tourism director Francisco Javier said: “The construction of the cruise port at Amber Cove has been an incredible project for our entire country, as well as the Caribbean region as a whole.
“Carnival Corporation’s investment in Amber Cove has already proven beneficial to the economy, and we expect the investment to have a positive long-lasting economic impact.
“The new port will also give cruise passengers an opportunity to see another part of the Dominican Republic, our Amber Coast, which hasn’t been available as part of cruise itineraries in nearly 30 years.”
Carnival Corporation global port and destination development senior vice president Giora Israel said: “There are several markets that are becoming increasingly important to the cruise industry, but today the Caribbean is the single largest share of our business.
“We are constantly looking for new ways for our guests to enjoy their cruise experience, and it is always exciting to add new destinations to our itineraries, especially in the Caribbean where many of our passengers have been before.
“We are confident that our guests will love visiting Amber Cove, which we believe will quickly become a very popular port of call for our guests.
“And because Amber Cove is easily accessible, it will give our guests a convenient gateway to the Puerto Plata region, which is spectacular. And importantly, Amber Cove will allow us to offer our guests a new option in our Caribbean itineraries.”