Oct. 27 – A bit of St. Thomas Cruise industry history was made Thursday when two of the world's largest cruise ships called in the Port of Charlotte Amalie as part of a three-cruise-ship day.
The calling of the Mariner of the Seas and Explorer of the Seas luxury liners represented the first time ever that two voyager-class cruise ships called on St. Thomas on the same day.
"It's a milestone for the Port for these two sophisticated and state of the art vessels to be at the Havensight cruise ship dock," said Edward E. Thomas, president and chief executive officer of the West Indian Company, Ltd. The vessels are owned and operated by Royal Caribbean.
The Mariner of the Seas was diverted to St. Thomas because its western Caribbean itinerary was interrupted by tropical weather systems throughout that region. The Explorer of the Seas makes a regular call to St. Thomas as its seven-day cruises are based in the eastern Caribbean.
RCCL's voyager-class vessels have been described in the industry as the most
innovative cruise ships at sea, with everything from a rock-climbing wall, to an ice skating rink, to a bustling boulevard lined with shops and cafes. Other voyager-class ships include: Adventure of the Seas, Navigator of the Seas, and Voyager of the Seas.
Voyager-class vessels weigh in at about 138,000 tons and can accommodate over 3,000 guests. The ship's average cruising speed is about 24 knots, according to the RCCL website.
The Carnival Victory also called on St. Thomas Thursday as a result of its western Caribbean itinerary being amended due to storm activity. This week St. Thomas saw five extra cruise ship calls due to re-routing of vessels cruising in the eastern and western Caribbean, according to officials at WICO.
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