PORT ST. MAARTEN – Today, Thursday, the Caribbean Princess cruise ship will be in port for fuel bunkering. The vessel belongs to Princess Cruises.
One crew member with St. Maarten heritage who works onboard the vessel, will be allowed to disembark as the person returns home, and will have to follow the public health and security protocols of the Collective Prevention Service (CPS).
All cruise vessels have to adhere to stringent public health measures as well as to the rules and regulations related to the national State of Emergency. Port St. Maarten has a “Sterile Port Protocol” in place since mid-March with respect to COVID-19 ensuring safety and security.
The Caribbean Princess is 952 feet in length and towers 19 decks high. Its inaugural cruise was in April 2004 and the vessel was christened by Jill Whelan (“Vicki” from the Love Boat). The ship was refurbished in May 2019.
Princess Cruises is a global cruise and tour company taking more than one million passengers each year to more than 300 worldwide destinations on six continents. The company was founded in 1965 and is headquartered in California, USA. Its parent company is Carnival Corporation & plc.
The cruise line extended a temporary pause of global operations through June 30 due to the global COVID-19 outbreak. The cruise line initially announced a voluntary pause for 60-days impacting voyages that departed from March 12.
Princess Cruises operates a fleet of 17 modern ships, with one on order that travels to destinations around the globe including Alaska, Caribbean, Panama Canal, Mexican Riviera, Europe, South America, Australia/New Zealand, South Pacific, Hawaii, Tahiti/French Polynesia, Asia, Africa, India, Canada/New England and world cruises.