Jamaican authorities said that the country is “eagerly preparing” for the resumption of cruise calls by Royal Caribbean International beginning in November, as well as more than 110 planned cruise ship visits from October through April 2022 by Carnival Cruise Line.

According to a press release, Royal Caribbean intends to resume cruises with limited operations as of November, following over a year and a half hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Calls to Jamaica from the line have the potential to bring tens of thousands of passengers to the destination.

These operations are subject to continued close collaboration between Jamaican authorities and the cruise lines.

According to the press release, these cruise updates were provided during meetings with Royal Caribbean and Carnival last week in Miami. They were among a series of meetings held with travel industry leaders, including major airlines and investors, across Jamaica’s largest source markets of the United States and Canada.

The purpose of these meetings is to "drive increased arrivals into the destination in the coming weeks and months and to cement further investment in the island’s tourism sector."

Jamaica resumed welcoming cruise ships safely back to its shores in September 2021. Cruises must meet strict measures governing the restart of cruise shipping, requiring passengers over the age of 12 and crew to be fully vaccinated and for all passengers to provide evidence of negative results from a COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of sailing.

In the case of unvaccinated passengers, such as children, a PCR test is mandated. All passengers are also screened and tested (with an antigen test) on embarkation.

Jamaica has also recently announced additional airlift from key source markets, and 90 percent of planned tourist investments remaining on track.