As Puerto Rico continues to recover from damage caused by Hurricane Maria in 2017, the island saw a record number of passengers arrive by cruise ship this past fiscal year.
Not only did 1.2 million cruise passengers visit Puerto Rico this past year, but the past four months saw monthly visitor records broken. In June, nearly 135,000 cruise passengers arrived in San Juan.
Puerto Rico’s tourism company estimates that at least 1.7 million passengers will arrive this fiscal year. More than 540 cruise ship visits are scheduled, and officials say they could generate some $250 million overall for the local economy.
Gov. Ricardo Rossello said that cruise ship visits this past year brought in an estimated $152 million. Tourism accounts for roughly seven percent of the economy in Puerto Rico.
Also, two cruise ships currently homeport in San Juan and sail cruises to the Southern Caribbean.
Carnival Fascination sails seven night cruises to the Southern Caribbean with port stops that include St. Lucia, Barbados, and St. Kitts
Royal Caribbean also has a cruise ship based in San Juan. Freedom of the Seas sails a few different seven night itineraries to the Southern Caribbean from Puerto Rico.
This fall, several more cruise lines will return to sailing seasonally from San Juan including Celebrity Cruises, Viking Cruises, SeaDream Yacht Club, and Windstar Cruises.
