World’s Largest Cruise Ship to Visit St. Kitts: Allure of the Seas to be Welcomed in Grand Style

BASSETERRE (8th December 2011): St. Kitts is preparing a festive welcome for the inaugural call of Allure of the Seas at the island’s Port Zante cruise pier on Friday December 30, 2011. The Allure of the Seas is the World’s largest cruise ship and Royal Caribbean International’s newest and largest Oasis-class cruise ship, with 16 decks, and 2,700 staterooms. It carries 5,400 guests and 3000 crew, most of whom are expected to disembark at St. Kitts.

Port Zante Arrival Hall

A joint local public-private sector welcoming committee is chaired by Delcia Bradley-King, who is the Head of Corporate Affairs and Public Relations at the St. Christopher Air and Sea Ports Authority.

King said that the Allure’s inaugural visit is a strong indicator of the continuing appeal of St. Kitts as a vibrant, authentic Caribbean cruise destination and glowing testament to the versatility of the Port Zante cruise pier for accommodating all ship sizes.”On December 30th we are planning to welcome the Allure in grand style,” King said. “It is very important that we strive to ensure that every single passenger and member of crew who disembarks the ship has a truly wonderful and memorable experience in St. Kitts. We have developed a reputation in the cruise industry for favourable feedback, and we expect that the guests of the Allure will want to come back to our island and to our region.

King and her organising team plan to capitalize on the annual national carnival celebrations by introducing Allure passengers to ‘Folklore Avenue’, a cultural concept started a few years ago by the Department of Culture, when key streets leading from ship side, through Port Zante and Historic Basseterre, are closed to vehicular traffic so that the music, dancing and traditional costuming of local folkloric groups are displayed. This event will be in addition to the several popular local adventure and scenic tours which are normally available to cruise passengers.

Tourism Minister, Senator Ricky Skerritt, said that the economic impact of just one visit of the Allure to St. Kitts makes it imperative that all local people cherish the visit, and make sure that the Royal Caribbean decision-makers see St. Kitts as a worthwhile future scheduled port of call for the Allure. “we are proud of the fact that St. Kitts has been making great strides forward in the cruise industry,” said Senator Ricky Skerritt, Minister of Tourism & International Transport. “Our arrival numbers have increased steadily over the past four years and I am especially pleased that both our passenger satisfaction levels have also been on the increase. The upcoming visit to St. Kitts by the newest and largest ship in the world, Allure of the Seas, will be a very special event for our destination.”

Royal Caribbean owned ships are currently scheduled to make a total of 45 port calls to St. Kitts in the 2011-2012 season, up from 20 calls in the 2010-2011 season.