Cruise arrival schedule continues to change

The ports of the Dominican Republic maintain their active cruise activity agenda, but under strict health protocols related to Covid-19 and its possible variants, according to the director of the Dominican Port Authority (Apordom), Jean Luis Rodríguez.

The head of the entity revealed that so far the programming is maintained regularly without reported changes, although it is normal that there are modifications in the routes for different reasons other than the coronavirus.

In the scheduled calendar for the arrival of cruise ships in January 2022 shared by Rodríguez in this medium, it is evident that 96 vessels with tourists will dock at ports.

From January 1 to 10, 33 cruise ships were scheduled to arrive, of which 15 would do so through Puerto Plata.

From January 11 to 23, 23 cruise ships will arrive through Puerto Plata, while 15 ships with tourists will dock at the other ports.

Likewise, from January 24 to 31, 25 cruises will arrive in the country, of which 12 will do so through the ports of Puerto Plata.

Rodríguez clarified that this calendar may undergo changes generated by the cruise lines themselves, so it is a tentative document.

Health protocols

Meanwhile, the provincial director of the Ministry of Health, Jhonny Tavárez, stressed that in the Dominican ports everything is going normally and that all scheduled cruises will disembark.

This Sunday, two cruise ships had docked at the Puerto Plata Taíno Bay tourist pier. One was the Scale Lady and the other was the Norwegian Scape with 1,446 cruise passengers.

He added that the manifestos and health declarations establish that the majority of those affected are the crew members.

“We have to get used to this situation and follow protocols,” he commented when asked by Listín Diario.

Tavárez pointed out that when a passenger tests positive for the coronavirus, the ship delivers a health declaration with the names of those affected and they or the people who had contacts with those affected, as well as couples and family members, are not allowed to get off.

It is recalled that last Friday the MSC Seaview cruise ship docked in the Taíno Bay terminal with around 146 positive cases of coronavirus, of which 134 were crew members and 12 were tourists.

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