After the ship docked at approximately 8:00 a.m., Ministers of Government, led by Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, toured the new facility and welcomed the passengers to the island.

The Marella ship had around 2,000 guests aboard, with most opting to take scheduled tours to Kingston, according to local officials.

"I am currently at the Port Royal Cruise Port at Fort Charles celebrating the momentous occasion of the arrival of the Marella Discovery 2 cruise ship," Holness stated in a social media post, adding "Over 2,000 passengers are here to experience our beautiful island."

Tourism officials are hoping the new facility is a marquee port, offering something new. While the country’s other ports are good at handling multiple big ships, Port Royal’s traffic will be limited to one cruise ship at a time.

Maritime Business World