St. Thomas on the US Virgin Islands will welcome its first post-hurricane cruise ship call next month.
The US Virgin Islands government said Royal Caribbean’s Adventure of the Seas will be the first ship on a regular sailing since being hammered by back to back hurricanes Irma and Maria.
"Welcoming cruise visitors back to the US Virgin Islands is key to our economic recovery," US Virgin Islands tourism commissioner Beverly Nicholson-Doty said in a statement.
Adventure of the Seas docks at St. Thomas on November 10.
St. Thomas was hard hit by the hurricanes and there is still much work to do.
The cruise line said the majority of St. Thomas’s retail outlets, bars and restaurants would be open when Adventure of the Seas arrives.
By then tour operators will be ready for boat excursions around the island and excursions to area beaches.
Royal Caribbean says it is working with the government to ensure the popular Magens Bay beach area is ready to receive visitors in time for the cruise call.
"We are very excited to get back home to our friends in St. Thomas. The Caribbean is our family, having cruised there for nearly 50 years, and the long-standing relationships created in all this time are unwavering," said Michael Bayley, CEO, Royal Caribbean International.
