Grandeur of the Seas Returning to St Maarten on November 5th

[emoji351] Press Release | RCL Executives Meets with Port Board, Management and Minister TEATT. Eager to return to Destination

[emoji572]️PORT ST. MAARTEN – Royal Caribbean International Grandeur of the Seas will be the first commercial cruise vessel to return to the destination post-Irma on Sunday, November 5th. RCL as of that date will also be carrying out an adjusted cruise itinerary for the remainder of 2017 which will be published within short.

[emoji924] Grandeur of the Seas was launched in 1996 and is part of the Vision-class of RCL. The vessel has 11 decks and carries 2,446 passengers and 760 crew, and went through a comprehensive revitalization in Cadiz, Navantia Shipyard in May 2012.

A delegation from RCL recently met with Port St. Maarten Board, Management and Minister of Tourism & Economic Affairs Mellissa Arrindell-Doncher, about the quick recovery efforts of the destination that are underway.

Port St. Maarten Management and Board briefed the RCL delegation about the current state of affairs at the Dr. A.C. Wathey Cruise & Cargo Facilities. Information was also provided about the Great Bay Beach Promenade, the commercial center of Philipsburg, Front Street and other areas of interest from a tourism perspective.

[emoji905]RCL Executives carried out a site visit as part of their destination readiness assessment to accept cruise passengers, and the availability by early November of tours, shore excursions, shopping, beaches, and other cruise tourism related amenities.

RCL was full of praise for Port St. Maarten Board, Management and Government with respect to the diligence carried out by the aforementioned to get the country ‘cruise ready’ for November in order to bring in much needed foreign exchange into the economy that would kick-start the economic engine of the country – (cruise) tourism. [emoji322][emoji572]️

Destination stakeholders have placed much effort on safety and security over the past weeks which has allowed for normalcy to return to the daily life of the people of the country.

Clean-up efforts continue and there have been no reported health risks which demonstrates the measures taken to-date by the authorities have been adequate to protect public health.

[emoji289] Royal Caribbean International is part of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. is a global cruise vacation company that owns Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, Pullmantur, Azamara Club Cruises and CDF Croisières de France, as well as TUI Cruises through a 50 percent joint venture.

Together, these six brands operate a combined total of 43 ships with an additional six under construction contracts, and two on firm order. They operate diverse itineraries around the world that call on approximately 490 destinations on all seven continents.

[emoji572]️ Port St. Maarten Management encourages the business community and other stakeholders to remain steadfast in rebuilding the nation over the coming days and weeks in preparation for the first commercial cruise ship visits.

RCL is an award-winning global cruise brand with a 46-year legacy of innovation and introducing industry “firsts” never before seen at sea. The cruise line sails 23 of the world’s most innovative cruise ships calling on more than 288 destinations in 77 countries across six continents visiting the most popular destinations in Bermuda and the Caribbean, Europe, Canada and New England, Alaska, South America, Asia, and Australia and New Zealand.

In 2009 Royal Caribbean revolutionized the industry once again with the introduction of #OasisClass. An architectural marvel at sea, #OasisOfTheSeas and #AllureOfTheSeas span 16 decks, encompass 220,000 gross registered tons (GRT), carry 5,400 guests at double occupancy, and feature 2,700 staterooms.

Most recently, the line introduced the #QuantumClass which introduced unprecedented innovations in ship design, thrilling activities, game-changing technology, multidimensional entertainment and Dynamic Dining – a new dining concept featuring flexible dining opportunities. The Quantum class spans 18 decks, encompasses 167,800 gross registered tons, carries 4,180 guests at double occupancy and features 2,090 staterooms.

PHOTO CUTLINE: #GrandeurofTheSeas (Photo courtesy Shutterstock)

#RCl #ComeSeek #StMaarten #RoyalCaribbeanCruise #PortStMaarten

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Thanks for sharing that.

This is all very interesting. I wonder if Royal and Celebrity will be re-adjusting their other itineraries that were scheduled to stop in St. Maarten.

We will be on the Grandeur when she departs from Baltimore on Oct. 28th. As of the time of this post, the itinerary on the RCI website is not showing the St. Maarten visit on Nov. 5, 2017.

I just checked RCI's website. Under "Itinerary Updates," it says:

Grandeur of the Seas:

10/28 – St. Thomas & St. Maarten [changed] to Barbados & Martinique

This is the only update they mention for the Grandeur.

I followed the hurricanes closely, and find it hard to believe that St. Maarten and St. Thomas are anywhere near ready for visitors. Both of those islands were really hammered by the storm. The pictures from St. Maarten looked like an F5 tornado ripped everything apart. We're supposed to sail soon.... I'm sure the rampant looting and bands of lawless brigands that were attacking hotels have been brought under control, but the shops, roads, infrastructure, buildings, and vegetation looked like they were going to need a year or two before they would be back to normal. I'd be really interested to see some photos from anyone who's been there in the last week...?

Still no RCI notification that we will be visiting St. Maarten on November 5th. Our current schedule is:

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Still no RCI notification that we will be visiting St. Maarten on November 5th. Our current schedule is:

 

 

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To date, we still have not been notified by RCI that we will be going to St. Maarten on November 5th (as initially scheduled).

TUI which is linked to RCL (as in the article above) have just yesterday contacted to tell us that st Martin is being removed from our cruise in the end of Nov. So I would be surprised that RCL is sending ships in.

This could get interesting...

julesbeara - Where did you find that press release? I just looked at the itinerary updates on RCI's web site and according to the update, they will be visiting St. Maarten tomorrow to check on progress. The article lists many itineraries that were originally supposed to stop at St. Maarten but they have all been changed to something else.

julesbeara - Where did you find that press release? I just looked at the itinerary updates on RCI's web site and according to the update, they will be visiting St. Maarten tomorrow to check on progress. The article lists many itineraries that were originally supposed to stop at St. Maarten but they have all been changed to something else.

Port of St. Maarten page on Facebook and the St Martin News Network published this article too.

http://smn-news.com/st-maarten-st-martin-news/27322-rcl-executives-meets-with-port-board-management-and-minister-teatt-eager-to-return-to-destination.html

Grandeur is NOT going to Sint Maarten on November 5, 2017.

If you have any question about this, check the Royal Caribbean website or message them on Face Book.

Port of St. Maarten page on Facebook and the St Martin News Network published this article too.

 

http://smn-news.com/st-maarten-st-martin-news/27322-rcl-executives-meets-with-port-board-management-and-minister-teatt-eager-to-return-to-destination.html

Grandeur is NOT going to Sint Maarten on November 5, 2017.

 

If you have any question about this, check the Royal Caribbean website or message them on Face Book.

Agree, the Grandeur will not be going to St. Maarten on November 5, 2017. Wishful thinking on the Port’s part, as they were trying to convince RCI to have the Grandeur to visit on November 5th.

Made no mention about ensuring (i.e. Extra police presence) cruise passenger safety while visiting the port.

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As night falls, visions of Mad Max-Thunder Dome come to mind.

Ok...I'll admit to hyperbole, but do believe that there is certainly justification for increase vigilance and situational awareness on the part of passengers visiting an cause for a reasonable expectation of increase security by the host country

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