The Virgin Islands Port Authority hosted a Plaque and Keys Exchange Ceremony today to commemorate the inaugural visit of the Celebrity Beyond to St. Thomas. USVI officials that presented custom-made plaques and locally made gifts to the ship’s Captain Dimitrios Kafetzis, included Annette Mauvais of St. Thomas Taxi, Rita Mayer of Virgin Port Services, Office of the Governor’s Deputy Chief of Staff Kevin Rodriquez, Assistant Tourism Commissioner Alani Henneman and VIPA Executive Director Carlton Dowe.
Dowe said, “The USVI has begun its busiest cruise season since 2019. We welcomed three Royal Caribbean Ships – to include two inaugural visits - to St. Croix last week, with a total of 68 visits scheduled for St. Croix this season. On St. Thomas, we are also seeing full cruise ports with four ships in port today. This is exciting progress for the territory’s economy, and for the businesses and residents whose livelihoods are dependent on our tourism industry. VIPA and Royal Caribbean Group announced this expected growth in our cruise industry last year at the Seatrade Cruise Global Convention. It is exhilarating to see it come to fruition,” said Dowe.
The Celebrity Beyond takes its name from the company's slogan. The third in the Edge-class, the ship is owned by Royal Caribbean Group and made its maiden voyage on April 27, 2022. The 1,073-foot ship weighs 140,600 gross tons and has 21 decks with a draught of 27 feet. A total of 2,799 passengers and 1,379 crew arrived on the Beyond today. The ship has the maximum capacity to bring 3,937 guests and 1,416 crew.
USVI cruise schedules are posted on VIPA’s website, www.viport.com/schedule-seaports.
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