Three cruise ships, with more than 1,000 passengers each, coincided over the weekend for the first time ever in the Port of Santo Domingo. Cruise ship passengers are discovering the city of Santo Domingo that is being included for the first time in the itineraries of several major cruise line companies. The ships are docking at the newly-completed west bank terminal of the Ozama River. The ships were able to enter port after the completion of dredging works recently. Other ships continue to use the east bank Sans Souci terminal, from where passengers take busses or taxis into the Colonial City which is about a half hour walk away. Recent cruise ships docking at the ports of Santo Domingo are the Bolero, Inspiration and Farlant, as well as the Emerald, Bolero, and Sea Breeze. It is expected, from the good feedback the first cruise ship passengers are giving, that there will be an increase in the number of passengers choosing itineraries that include Santo Domingo. The cruise ship traffic, however, has had a negative effect on the beach hotels closest to Santo Domingo. Provisions weren’t made to accommodate the new demand for air seats of cruise ship passengers flying into Santo Domingo to depart from here on the cruise ships. As a result, Boca Chica hoteliers are lamenting that the advent of the cruise ships has affected their occupancy which in many establishments is at a seasonal record low. Cruise ship passengers are taking up the airplane seats that already at this time of the year are limited by the large number of Dominicans that fly in for Christmas vacations. Hoteliers say that occupancy at the hotels has dropped 30 points, reflecting the unexpected boom in cruise ship travelers. The director of the Port Authority, Jose Antonio Fernandez Collado said that the government is intensifying efforts to complete the renovation of the Don Diego Port in order to offer facilities to receive three cruise ships simultaneously on the west bank. The advantage of the west bank is that passengers can easily stroll into the Colonial City of Santo Domingo for a comfortable walking tour. The cruise ship traffic to Santo Domingo is considered a plus to the Calle El Conde and Colonial City businesses.
