Nassau, Bahamas Cruise Port Activity Returns to Pre-Pandemic Levels

Passenger capacities of cruise ships calling at the Nassau, Bahamas port returned to pre-pandemic levels in July, said the port’s chief executive. The growing passenger numbers forecast a strong winter season for what is traditionally the Caribbean’s busiest cruise port.

Guest occupancy aboard cruise ships visiting Nassau in July sailed at 105 percent of capacity, five percentage points below pre-pandemic levels, said Michael Maura, Jr. CEO and director at Nassau Cruise Port Ltd., in a Nassau Tribune interview. Maura said the port’s July passenger growth exceeded the port’s projected growth rate.

Cruise ships exceed 100 percent of capacity when all lower beds are occupied and third and fourth stateroom beds are utilized. The Bahamas hosted 5.43 million cruise passengers in 2019, the most travelers among all destinations tracked by the Caribbean Tourism Organization.

Cruise ships calling at Nassau achieved 102 percent occupancy in June said Maura, continuing a steady growth trend. Operators reported 78 percent and 85 percent occupancy for April and May, respectively, after occupancies increased from 45 percent in January to 54 percent in February and to 71 percent in March.

Although Nassau’s port is currently in the traditionally slower summer period, Maura said, the port has experienced “occasional” days where as many as six cruise ships visit the port in a single day, bringing in up to 22,000 total visitors. The port is currently undergoing a $300 million renovation.

Maura said pre-pandemic occupancies averaged 108 to 110 percent of occupancy, so “by year-end from an occupancy perspective we’ll be at our benchmark,” he told the Tribune.