Barbados has welcomed its first cruise vessel this calendar year.
Celebrity Millennium (pictured) called into the Caribbean island as part of a seven-night sailing from St. Maarten this week.
All passengers onboard the ship, Celebrity Cruises’ first to sail in more than a year, had been fully vaccinated prior to the call and capacity was limited to 50%.
The country’s minister of tourism and international transport, Lisa Cummins, thanked America’s Cruise Task Force and the Social Partnership of Barbados for their “months of careful planning” to get cruises to the destination up and running again.
She said Barbados is “confident” in the implementation of its new cruising protocols, which allow only ships carrying fully-vaccinated travellers.
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Josh Carroll, vice president, destination development at Royal Caribbean Group, said “every painstaking step” was taken to protect guests, crew and the residents of Barbados ahead of the sailing.
He added “We are so excited to return to Barbados for the first time in over a year. We are thankful to the Barbados government for its leadership and support to make this important milestone a reality.
“This exciting new itinerary offers vacationers so many fresh ways to experience the southern Caribbean and showcase all the splendours of Barbados’ history, culture and cuisine.”
To commemorate the occasion, a small delegation of RCCL executives were met by the country’s government officials on Monday at Bridgetown Port for a plaque exchange.