As the cruise industry to the Caribbean continues to surge, the Cayman Islands are looking to capitalize on this growth by finally expanding its berthing facilities to bring in larger cruise ships.
After months of pressure on the island nation’s government, the opportunity to modernize its ports will now be in the hands of voters as a public referendum has been approved to appear on the April 30, 2025, general elections ballot.
“This is exactly the outcome ACT has worked tirelessly to achieve,” said Association for Cruise Tourism (ACT) Executive Program Manager Ellio Soloman.
“It is a major step toward aligning Cayman’s cruise berthing infrastructure with modern standards, and we are proud that our efforts have ensured the voices of Caymanians will be heard on this critical issue,” he continued.
Since 2020, the Cayman Islands Ports has revealed plans to build two cruise ship piers in George Town harbor at a cost of $150 to $200 million, with some of the funds coming from committed cruise lines who would utilize the port, including Carnival Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean.
The George Town Port Expansion Project’s two ship piers would have the ability to welcome four ships simultaneously, including large Oasis-class vessels, which currently do not call in the Cayman Islands’ current tender-only port.
Read Also: Grand Cayman Cruise Port – Terminals, Tendering and Getting Around
Additionally, the project, which would also entrail dredging, reclamation, revetment, and breakwater projects, would add a new cruise terminal, retail space, and a transportation area in hopes of attracting major cruise lines carrying thousands of passengers.
However, the activist group Cruise Port Referendum (CPR) Cayman has been fighting the project, previously securing enough signatures to postpone the project. In 2020, voters also turned down a referendum supporting the new piers.
In September 2024, one of the CPR Cayman’s founders, Michelle Lockwood, told Cayman News Service the new berthing facility “would impact economic opportunities, the way of life on Grand Cayman, and the natural environment for generations to come.”
The decision to put the project back on the ballot gives islanders a chance to have their voices heard, and ACT is confident the vote will be in favor of the expansion.
Said Deputy Premier and Minister of Tourism Kenneth Bryan, “This bill is more than just a piece of legislation. It is a promise to our people that their voices are valued in guiding future decisions.”
Cruise Traffic Decline Adds Pressure to New Port
Proponents of the expanded cruise port cite the Cayman Islands’ steady decline in cruise passenger traffic as other nearby nations see record-breaking numbers of arrivals.
Some islanders feel the decline is due to the port’s current infrastructure, with large vessels required to drop anchor offshore and tender passengers 5 minutes to shore.
A Cayman Islands Chamber of Commerce spokesperson told Cayman Compass, “As cruise lines continue to build larger vessels, they increasingly prefer destinations with fixed piers that offer greater efficiency and safety.”
The spokesperson went on to say the “lack of such infrastructure in the Cayman Islands has disadvantaged the destination, leading to fewer ships choosing to dock here.”
Cayman Islands cruise port saw a peak of 1.8 million passengers in pre-pandemic 2019. However, the number of passengers arriving by cruise ships has dropped year over year.
Passenger arrivals fell to 1.4 million in 2022 and again to 1.2 million in 2023. Last year, arrivals declined to less than 750,000.
Royal Caribbean is a main operator in the Cayman Islands, with Brilliance of the Seas, Independence of the Seas, and Jewel of the Seas currently sailing to George Town.
Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Horizon, Carnival Sunrise, and Carnival Venezia are also visiting in February 2025.
In fact, the destination, while declining, welcomes most major cruise lines, including Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, Disney Cruise Line, and Norwegian Cruise Line.
