Dominica welcomed Carnival Triumph of Carnival Cruise Lines (CCL) last week as it made its inaugural call, arriving at the Roseau Cruise Ship Berth. With a passenger capacity of 2,754 and crew size of 1,100, Carnival Triumph sailed to the “Nature Island” from Grenada.

With the opening of the new Amber Cove port, passengers will be able to make stops along the Dominican Republic’s north Amber Coast, which has not been regularly visited on cruise itineraries since the 1980s.

Officially an overseas region of France, Martinique’s 177,786 cruise ship visitors in 2014 ranks 25th among the 28 destinations tracked by the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO). Yet last year’s cruise visitor total represents a 71 percent increase over 2013.

Cuba Cruise has made it easy for Americans to visit Cuba since the Office of Foreign Assets Control’s (OFAC) revision of travel protocols. Now that there are 12 categories of authorized travel to Cuba that require no formal application, prior permission, or post-trip report to U.S. officials.

The announcement settles speculation about the year-round homeport and itineraries for what will be Carnival’s biggest ship.

The Ruby Princess made her inaugural visit to Trinidad on Saturday, February 7, 2015. The ship which was christened in 2008 is part of the Princess Cruises cruise line and brought over three thousand passengers.