Various news sources are reporting that Carnival Cruise Line has decided to cancel calls to in Road Town, Tortola beginning in 2014. According to an article by the Virgin Islands Platinum News, the reason stated in for Carnival’s decision was that the BVI Port Authority was unable to confirm available berthing dates for the 2015 – 2016 cruise season as a result of ongoing negotiations with the government and both Norwegian Cruise Line & Disney Cruise Line.
Mark Vanterpool, Minister of Communications and Works told BVI Platinum News that once the agreements are finalized Disney Cruise Line would be sailing to Tortola beginning in January 2015 with an estimated 24 calls. Norwegian would being calling on Tortola year round in October 2014. Vanterpool mentioned that the two cruise lines would bring about 450,000 passengers to the port with a per head tax of $15, but the agreement hinges on the extension of the Road Town Cruise Pier. He stated in another article that DCL and NCL will going to have the majority of the bookings for the pier in 2015 and beyond.
Tortola Pier Project Scuttled
We previously reported that Disney and Norwegian were working with an Orlando based company to overhaul the pier area in Road Town. However, those plans appear to have been scuttled along with the partnership with the Tortola Pier Partners. In an open letter posted on the government website, Orlando Smith, Premier of the British Virgin Islands acknowledges that the rebuilding of the cruise tourism market is crucial for the local economy. Although, the previous plan, which involved the BVI leasing the land to the Tortola Pier Partners will not see the light of day, the Government of the Virgin Islands remains committed to expanding the pier and developing the adjacent land to rebuild the cruise tourism market.
Based upon today’s news it seems like plans for Disney Cruise Line to add Tortola as a port of call beginning in 2015 are close to becoming a reality. Have you cruised to Tortola?
Neat, I would love to go there, I wonder if it would be sailings on the Dream or Fantasy.
I can not imagine 5000 or even 2500 cruise guests getting off at Tortola without a complete renovation to the shopping village and surrounding areas. The bus tour of the island takes place on roads needing major widening and repair. Its a pretty island but the facilities need lots of help. I would question this Disney investment .
The DCL/NCL investment was part of the Tortola Pier Project that was scrapped…
We stopped in Tortola on the WBTA in 2011. We were NOT impressed. We were pretty much accosted by multiple cab drivers offering to take us wherever we wanted to go, and they followed us, still talking and almost pleading, after we said no. We turned around and got back on the ship and spent a wonderfully quiet day on the Magic while she was docked.
A bunch of cruising buddies did a catamaran tour that included the Soggy Dollar bar and LOVED IT (try the Painkillers, I’ve been told) in Tortola, but my own personal experience will leave me firmly attached to my deck chair if we should ever dock there again.
I have to disagree – we went on DCL to Tortola a few years back when a hurricane re-routed our Eastern itinerary and we LOVED it! It was gorgeous and we had the best time ever at Cane Garden Bay! I’ve been dying to go back so this is a wonderful development!
I loved my visit to Tortola!