Celebrity Millennium officially berthed at Pointe Seraphine, Castries today, just about 7:40 a.m. bringing 414 passengers to the island, 404 of which are fully vaccinated adults, along with 10 minors.
The Ministry of Tourism, Saint Lucia Tourism Authority, Events Company of Saint Lucia along with the Saint Lucia Air and Sea Ports Authority, Management of Duty-Free Pointe Seraphine Shopping Complex – Invest Saint Lucia, employees of Tour Agents – Foster and Ince and Cox and Company Ltd. welcomed guests to the sounds of cultural steel pan music and a masquerade depicting a mini carnival. There were also warm greetings from three Saint Lucian nationals employed with Celebrity Millennium who expressed the joy of being back home and back on the job.
Prime Minister Hon. Allen Chastanet, Tourism Minister Hon. Dominic Fedee and Captain Theodoros Zakkas of Celebrity Millennium exchanged plaques commemorating the resumption of cruise services to Saint Lucia since closure to the sector amid the covid-19 pandemic.
“This is a tremendous partnership between us and the cruise industry to see the resumption of service. It has gone through hardships in recent times and welcoming the first vessel to Port Castries in the summer speaks volumes for our trajectory,” said Tourism Minister Hon. Dominic Fedee.
Lucky passengers were gifted on arrival with branded Saint Lucia keepsakes and as a measure of converting more and more cruise passengers into stayover arrivals, accommodation providers including Cap Maison, Bay Gardens Resorts, Coco Palm, Fond Doux and Justin Apartments gifted passengers with return stay packages.
The guests were all met with a full complement of protocols including health screening, conducted in a newly erected facility at the Pointe Seraphine complex. The coordinated arrival allowed visitors to disembark in groups of 25 in 30-minute intervals. All fully vaccinated adults were issued with white wristbands and allowed to enjoy expanded access to the island.
On the economic front, 8,386 individuals are re-employed within the sector including 1500 Taxi Drivers and 135 Tour Guides. 115 vendors were also equipped with personal protective equipment including distance markers, hand sanitizers, face shields, masks, and gloves, ahead of the arrival of the ship.
Additional cruise calls to Saint Lucia are tentatively scheduled for July 13, and August 10, 2021. Discussions are ongoing with other cruise lines in an effort to confirm and strengthen their itineraries.
The sight alone of the ship conveys some hope. Just give it time, they’ll soon be back.