The ultra-luxurious Seaborn Odyssey will call on Antigua on Wednesday, May 26, 2021, for technical and refueling purposes. No passengers are sailing aboard the vessel and the crew will remain on this ship during the visit. This majestic eleven-deck cruise liner, which entered service in 2009 and was refurbished in 2019, will remain in port for one day on a voyage to Philipsburg, St. Maarten.
“Antigua & Barbuda has a very strong brand presence in the luxury travel sector, so we welcome vessels like the Seaborn Odyssey at any time,” said Dona Regis-Prosper, General Manager of Antigua Cruise Port. “Technical calls like these help us to practice and reinforce our training protocols, particularly from a health and safety perspective, as we plan for the return of the same vessel on July 20.” Seabourn Odyssey will make history on July 20, 2021, as the first ship to bring passengers to Antigua & Barbuda since the voluntary suspension of the cruise industry in March 2020. This visit will be followed by the launch of the homeporting partnership between Antigua Cruise Port and Crystal Cruise Lines when Crystal Symphony sails from Antigua & Barbuda on August 5.
Regis-Prosper confirmed that “…the Antigua Cruise Port team has been working with Local Agent Bryson’s shipping in arranging the recent technical calls and warm lay ups at the port through solid relationships with our cruise partners. We work closely with several cruise brands by offering destination-focused technical, sales, and marketing advice and support, along with the Ministry of Tourism and other local partners, to ensure that their visits to our shores are as mutually beneficial as possible.” She also noted that the Seabourn team has satisfied all health and safety requirements of the Government of Antigua & Barbuda in relation to tomorrow’s stop at the port.
“This visit and the first few passenger sailings will be trial events that will give us an opportunity test our COVID-19 passenger management plans. They will also give passengers an opportunity to reacquaint themselves with cruising and to get comfortable visiting other countries again. While the movement of passengers may be more measured than it was in the pre-COVID era, I believe that we will bounce back to the previous levels of bustling traffic flowing through the port area in short order by implementing a measured, phased approach to the business.”
