Puerto Rico Welcomes One of World’s Largest Cruise Ships

SAN JUAN – Puerto Rico welcomed Sunday one of the largest cruise ships in the world, Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas, which can accommodate 6,360 passengers and 2,394 crew members and is scheduled to visit the island six more times this year, for an estimated $2.3 million injection for the Puerto Rican economy.

Gov. Alejandro García Padilla spoke in front of the 100,000-ton ship that docked in Port of San Juan’s Pier 3, which was expanded with a $9.3 million investment, and announced the near-future arrival of two more mega cruise ships.

The Allure of the Seas, which has the same design as the Oasis, but is 2 inches longer, will be arriving to the island in early summer. Meanwhile, the Harmony of the Seas – which will become the world’s largest cruise ship, able to carry 6,780 passengers and 2,300 crew members – will arrive in San Juan on Dec. 28.

“We have reason to be proud, because we have worked hard for it, especially in the tourism sector,” the governor said, adding that with the upcoming cruise ships, “we consolidated our position as a world-class destination.”

Touching upon the island’s financial debacle, he said, “We are all aware of the fiscal crisis we are facing and our struggle to get the U.S. Congress to give us the tools we are justly requesting to overcome this situation. While that is happening, we have not rested for a moment in our endeavor to build a better Puerto Rico.

“The transformation of our tourism industry is a fact. While last year we broke the record with a million and a half cruise passengers, this year we fully embarked on the mega-cruise industry,” the governor said.