Durrant Pate/Contributor

A recently revived Ocho Rios Pier officially welcomed Jamaica’s first cruise guests on Tuesday (November 11), two weeks after Hurricane Melissa’s landfall, in what industry leaders are calling an important milestone in the recovery effort.

Holland America Line’s Zuiderdam arrived in Ocho Rios at 8:00 am, making this the first ship to call since the category five storm battered western sections of the island. The stop was included as part of a 14-night Caribbean sailing that embarked in Miami, Florida on November 1. 

Holland America Line president, Beth Bodensteiner, told Cruisehive.com, “We are honoured to return to Ocho Rios and deeply grateful for the collaboration with the port, local community and tour operators. The decision was made with care and respect, knowing that tourism is vital to Jamaica’s recovery and future. Our guests are excited to bring much-needed support to the local economy.” 

The lead ship of Holland America’s Vista class is capable of carrying 1,988 guests, all of whom bring a much-needed boost to Jamaica’s tourism-dependent economy. Additionally, the 2002-launched ship brought 1,700 boxes that were packed to the brim with hurricane relief supplies, including food, water, bedding, clothing, and mattresses. The donations were dropped off at Reynold’s Pier before passengers were permitted to disembark for the day at the Turtle Bay Pier.

Other cruise lines “chipping in”

Adding to the cruise line’s generosity, dozens of Holland America Line volunteers participated in a beach cleanup in Seville, near Ocho Rios, during the port call. Later this week, guests and crew will take part in the On Deck for a Cause 5K Walk to continue raising money to support the Hurricane Melissa relief fund. In fact, two hours after the Zuiderdam arrived in Ocho Rios, MSC Cruises’ MSC Divina docked in the port.

The call was included as part of a 14-night Caribbean sailing that embarked from Miami, Florida, on November 6. Similarly, Carnival Cruise Line has also announced that Carnival Paradise will be the first ship in its fleet to return to Jamaica. The Fantasy-class cruise ship will call on Ocho Rios on November 13 as part of a six-night western Caribbean sailing that embarked from Tampa on Monday. 

She was originally supposed to visit Jamaica’s Montego Bay that day, which is the country’s second-largest cruise port, but Ocho Rios is further along in its recovery efforts and more equipped to welcome guests. Over the past couple of weeks, cruise lines like Royal Caribbean have also been stopping at Jamaica to drop off donations and supplies to aid in recovery efforts without including the destination as a standard port call.

Jamaica has set a goal to resume all tourism operations by December 15, 2025. With this goal now just over a month away, more cruise lines have begun to plan their returns to Jamaica.

For his part, Member of Parliament of Northeast St. Ann, Matthew Samuda, remarked, “On behalf of the people of St. Ann, and also representing Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett (yesterday), I want to sincerely thank Holland America Line for this incredibly timely donation of 20 pallets of food items and water to our tourism corridor. It also sends a clear message: cruise partners aren’t just coming to enjoy Jamaica, they are standing with us in recovery. Every ship that returns to Ocho Rios strengthens jobs, protects livelihoods and helps our community bounce back stronger, and we value this kind of real, practical partnership.”