Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas to Call on St. Kitts

Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas to Call on St. Kitts

A testament to the growing infrastructure and continuing appeal of St. Kitts as a vibrant, authentic Caribbean destination for leisure tourism, the St. Kitts Tourism Authority today announces that the Allure of the Seas, Royal Caribbean International’s newest and largest Oasis-class cruise ship, will be calling at the island’s Port Zante cruise pier on December 30, 2011. The announcement follows shortly after a round of sales promotion calls to Florida-based cruise lines by a delegation led by Tourism Minister, Senator Ricky Skerritt.

“Royal Caribbean International is delighted to bring the world-renowned Allure of the Seas to St. Kitts,” said Michael Ronan, vice president of Government Relations, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.  “While Allure of the Seas is the world’s largest and most revolutionary cruise ship, the ship’s ports of call are also very important to our guests.  We look forward to bringing more of them to beautiful and vibrant St. Kitts.”

“I am 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 the passenger satisfaction level for our destination has 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.”

Allure of the Seas features 16 decks, 2,700 staterooms and carries 5,400 guests at double occupancy that could potentially disembark at St. Kitts.  The ship’s "neighborhoods," or sections of the ship, are divided into seven themed areas: Central Park, Boardwalk, the Royal Promenade, the Pool and Sports Zone, Vitality at Sea Spa and Fitness Center, Entertainment Place and Youth Zone. The ship alternates between western Caribbean and eastern Caribbean seven-night itineraries, starting from its home port in Florida.

Royal Caribbean 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.  In the 2009-2010 cruise season, St. Kitts passed the half million passenger arrival mark for the first time in its history. From March 14-17, 2011, St. Kitts will be participating in the 27th Annual Cruise Shipping Miami convention in Miami, Florida.