In lower than a month, the individuals of Grand Cayman will vote on whether or not to construct a brand new cruise pier with berthing services large enough for big cruise ships. Cruise passengers are all for it, however native residents have lots to consider.
This would possibly sound like a easy improve, however the building and growth of a cruise dock like that is elevating some vital questions that would have an effect on your future cruises to Grand Cayman.
Proper now, cruise ships visiting the islands have to make use of tenders, small boats that switch passengers forwards and backwards from ship to shore.
Even with the approaching vote looming, Grand Cayman is already seeing a spike in cruise visitors in 2025. Actually, early numbers present a 22% improve over final yr.
However 2024 was a slower yr for the Cayman Islands with round 750,000 visits. In distinction, the primary two months of 2025 already brough over 310,000 cruise passengers to the islands.
The “Sure” Camp: Simpler Entry and Extra Guests
Those that need an precise pier constructed argue that it’s important for the way forward for cruise tourism in Grand Cayman. They imagine that with out these services, cruise strains would possibly begin taking their larger ships to different islands with fashionable docking capabilities.
The numbers in 2025 to this point don’t bear that out, however going ahead it’s a chance.
The thought is that extra berthing may imply extra ships, doubtlessly bringing extra vacationers and boosting the native financial system.
There’s additionally the concept a docking facility would make it simpler and sooner for passengers to disembark and benefit from the islands. This implies extra time in Grand Cayman and doubtlessly extra foot visitors and extra income.
In any case, with Grand Cayman a easy stroll from the ship, extra passengers who may need stayed on the ship in any other case could determine to get pleasure from among the choices within the Cayman Islands for some time.
The “No” Camp: Needing Extra Data
Not everyone seems to be on board with a brand new docking facility although. Some native teams are strongly urging a “no” vote. They increase some severe issues that cruisers ought to concentrate on:
- Lack of Data: Proper now, voters are being requested to say “sure” and not using a clear plan. Native information shops reported that there’s no detailed price range, no particular design, and even the precise location of those potential docks isn’t set in stone. This makes it laborious to grasp the true affect of the venture.
- Environmental Worries: Grand Cayman is legendary for its lovely and vibrant coral reefs and marine life. The “no” marketing campaign say it’s not definitely worth the environmental risk. They are saying that dredging (digging up the seabed) and building within the harbor may hurt these delicate ecosystems and even injury historic shipwrecks – points of interest many cruisers come to see.
- Financial Questions: Whereas extra ships may imply extra money, some specialists are questioning whether or not constructing these costly docks will truly ship the promised financial advantages. They level out that cruise passenger numbers have been declining in lots of Caribbean locations not too long ago, even these with berthing services. There’s additionally a scarcity of clear information on what number of native residents really rely solely on cruise tourism.
What Does This Imply for Cruisers?
The vote is about to occur in 26 days, and the consequence has actual implications in your future cruise experiences in Grand Cayman.
If the “sure” vote wins out and people new docks get constructed, future cruise stops in Grand Cayman will in all probability imply a a lot smoother and faster solution to ashore. Suppose no extra ready round for these tender boats – you can simply stroll proper off the ship and begin your island journey. That additional time may actually make a distinction in how a lot you get to see and do.
I do know the final time I used to be in Grand Cayman I used to be pressed for time, and the additional time it took for tenders to get again to the ship simply added to this time crunch. I might have a lot fairly spent extra time on the Cayman Turtle Centre.
However the Cayman Islands are additionally identified for being an important place for divers and snorkelers to benefit from the vibrant marine life. Nobody desires to see that broken.
The primary subject proper now could be data. We nonetheless don’t have concrete figures with the place the berthing services could be, how a lot they’d value, or what sort of affect it could have.
And that value is one that would get handed onto cruise passengers within the type of port charges. We’ll know extra in about 4 weeks.
