Ship ahoy!
Published:Friday | February 18, 2011 | 12:00 AM
Ruddy Mathison, Gleaner Writer
FALMOUTH, Trelawny:
THE GEORGIAN town of Falmouth came alive yesterday as Royal Caribbean's Voyager of the Seas made its maiden call to Falmouth pier.
Residents turned out as early as 7 a.m. to witness the historic event. About 7:45 a.m., they got the first sight of Voyager piercing the calm seawaters, navigating its way to the port. The ship docked by 8:15 a.m. and, about 9:15 a.m., the first passengers, a couple, disembarked the vessel and were greeted by officials, including Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett and Falmouth Mayor Collen Gager.
The crowd waited anxiously behind a chain-link fence to see what would happen next. It was not long after that the first visitors ventured outside the gates of the terminal, putting to rest a view that was widely held by residents of Falmouth, that the cruise-ship passengers would not disembark and walk around the town, which is still under construction.
The couple, who hail from Texas in the United States, told The Gleaner they were on their second visit to Jamaica. They revealed that the main reason for choosing to sail on the ship was because they were told that Jamaica's newest port was included in the itinerary. The couple said their only plan was to walk around the town before reboarding the ship. More than 3,000 passengers were on board the cruise ship.
Statement of readiness
Meanwhile, Bartlett told The Gleaner that the arrival of Voyager was a statement of the readiness of Falmouth for prime-time cruise tourism. He said the port, when completed, will be one of the finest in the Caribbean.
"What is being done here today is the bringing of wealth to Falmouth," the minister stated.
Bartlett urged residents of Falmouth to invest in the town, noting that the people should make the development work for them.
Councillor for the Falmouth division, Garth Wilkinson, said
Meanwhile, the town, which was recently pedestrianised, was filled with activity as vendors tried to capitalise on sales.
Royal Caribbean, one of the world's largest cruise lines, partnered with the Jamaican Government in building the multifaceted pier and will be docking its two largest ships there - the Oasis of the Seas and the Allure of the Seas. The first ship was expected to dock in December and January, but was re-routed because the port was not ready. The Oasis is expected to dock at the port next month.