The Tribune

By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

Nassau Cruise Port’s top executive says “there is an opportunity to create greater efficiencies” with the COVID-19 related health questionnaires and documents that cruise passengers must complete.

Michael Maura told Tribune Business that The Bahamas’ own health travel visa should be incorporated with the cruise lines’ medical forms to ensure that passengers do not have to provide the same information twice when visiting this nation for home porting or on transient cruises.

“I do believe there is an opportunity to create greater efficiencies in the health documentation,” he explained. “By that I mean when persons have to fill out cruise industry questionnaires they also complete Bahamas health travel visas, so that they only go through that process once and that information is transmitted to the cruise line, Ministry of Tourism and Ministry of Health.

“If they have to do it for the cruise lines, incorporate what The Bahamas requires, and if you’re doing it for The Bahamas, incorporate what the cruise lines want so that people are not uploading the same information twice just to take a vacation.” Through such a system, Mr Maura argued that The Bahamas and cruise industry can eliminate waste and duplication on health protocols, and improve consumer convenience.

Mr Maura said at the weekend that the cruise port was “99 percent done” on the work required to accommodate Royal Caribbean and Crystal Cruises’ home porting, which subsequently saw the former’s Adventure of the Seas vessel arrive on Tuesday ahead of its first seven-night voyage.

“It’s all coming together,” Mr Maura said. “We did a dry run with the luggage scanners yesterday, where the team brought two to three suitcases through. We had 50 suitcases running through the system.”

He added that the former two-storey Port Department building is already “more than half-way” demolished, and said: “The two-storey portion of the building is the first part to be demolished, and we have additional folks coming in from the US with specialist equipment to work with local contractors to bring down the tower.”

Speaking to the possibilities that home porting may create for the Bahamian economy, Mr Maura added: “I’ve heard of a few Bahamians who will be sailing aboard Adventure of the Seas on this trip, and I’m sure there will be many more of us who will take advantage of this incredible opportunity,” Mr Maura said.

“This is our time to shine and to put Nassau on the map as a home porting destination of choice. We will do so with immense pride, making the Bahamian people proud and making our guests and cruise line partners excited that they chose to start and end their cruise in Nassau. This is the beginning of an incredible voyage for us all.”

He continued: “We couldn’t be happier. This vessel and all the hope that this first voyage will carry out to sea on Saturday have been a long time in the making.

“We are very appreciative that Royal Caribbean has chosen to partner with us, with the Ministry of Tourism, and all our industry partners to make this home port launch from Nassau possible. As you can imagine, we are all extremely excited and working overtime to ensure that this launch is successful.”