197 Cruise Ship Calls Projected For 2020

October 13, 2019

A total of 197 cruise ship calls are projected in the 2020 schedule, bringing an estimated 543,000 passengers to the island, the Government said today.

A Government spokesperson said, “Bermuda’s cruise-ship schedule for 2020 includes more total calls, more passengers, and more visits distributed throughout the year—including a greater number of stops in the smaller ports of Hamilton and St George’s.

“A total of 197 cruise-ship calls are projected in the 2020 schedule, comprising 100 contract calls and 97 occasional callers, bringing an estimated 543,000 passengers to the island. Of the occasional calls by non-contract liners, 38 will visit Hamilton and St George’s, while contractual visits by larger liners will make port at the West End’s Royal Naval Dockyard.

Slideshow of various cruise ships in Bermuda:


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“St George’s is projected to receive 19 calls in 2020, up from 16 this year, and Hamilton will also receive 19—up from 13 in 2019. The increase is primarily attributed to Royal Caribbean Cruise Line’s commitment to bring six additional calls to the island with the Empress of the Seas, which will promote two-port itineraries between St George’s and Hamilton in May, July and August next year with 1,800 passengers per call.”

“Notably, next year’s cruise ship schedule continues the encouraging trend of extending the season through to December. In 2019, a third [33 percent] of cruise ships visiting Bermuda arrived during springtime months of April, May and June, while nearly a quarter [24 percent] made port here in the months of October, November and December. Overall, the majority [59.7 percent] of annual cruise visitors arrived in non-summer months [Sept through to May].

“We are delighted with the news of additional calls to St George’s and Hamilton next year, and the Ministry in partnership with the Bermuda Tourism Authority [BTA] is working diligently to attract even more calls to these smaller ports in future,” said Minister of Tourism and Transport Zane DeSilva.

“In addition, Carnival Cruise Line has committed 28 occasional calls in 2020 from New Jersey, Baltimore and Charleston ports and will attract a range of passengers interested in the diverse pursuits Bermuda offers.”

“We’ve successfully worked with non-contract cruise lines to extend the traditional season with occasional calls through the spring and fall—a strategy which aligns with the goals of the National Tourism Plan,” said BTA CEO Kevin Dallas.

“The fact most passengers are now arriving in non-summer months says it all. Greater use of ports in Hamilton and St. George’s, along with less seasonality throughout the year, creates a more sustainable industry.”

Bermuda can expect 33 further cruise calls during the remaining months of 2019. The total projected number of ship calls for this year fell slightly from 185 to 176 due to eight cancellations during recent hurricane activity in the Atlantic.

The first draft of the 2020 cruise ship schedule, which is is subject to change, is below [PDF here]

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Comments (4)

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  1. puzzled says:

    Start fishing folks.
    Your gonna need shark oil for more than a barometer.

  2. somuchless says:

    Great news. Zane can do hanky panky and play undercover Zane on 197 cruises next year. Lol

    • Truth says:

      somuchless is the current new name of the obaUBP. LOLOLOLOL

  3. Eve says:

    More cruise ships increases the ratio of cruisers vs. air arrival visitors and goes against the BTA’s own reports on the number of cruisers the Island’s infrastructure can handle. Various studies over decades have come up with approximately the same ratio of 60% air arrivals & 40% cruise ship passengers. Residents and air arrival visitors have been complaining ,for decades, about the large number of cruisers increasing the demand on buses, taxis, ferries, beach space, etc. Over the past 3 or 4 years the cruisers have been complaining about the same things too.
    I know people who were regular return (air) visitors for years who no longer come back because of overcrowding. Some have joined the cruiser ranks because of the cost and knowing how to navigate the island they can deal with the overcrowding to get their “Bermuda Fix” for 80% less, but instead of returning yearly they cruise back every 2 to 4 years. It’s obvious The Minister of Tourism and Transport and the BTA are ignoring the fact that cruiser overcrowding is having a direct affect on air visitor arrivals.
    Zane and the BTA are just like all politicians, dancing around the decline in air visitor arrivals by pointing out the number of flights cancelled due to Humberto and looky looky at increase in numbers of cruisers for 2020.