Cruise lines cancel Puerto Rico stops over anti-government protests
Two cruise ships that were due to stop in San Juan yesterday chose to give Puerto Rico’s charismatic capital a wide berth, as mass protests calling for the resignation of Gov. Ricardo Rosselló continued.
MSC Seaside and Celebrity Equinox’s decision to cancel their scheduled stops in San Juan on Monday afternoon is reported to have cost the Caribbean island $2.5 million in lost revenue.
“The safety and security of our guests and crew is our No. 1 priority. Due to the current situation in San Juan, Puerto Rico we have made the decision to cancel MSC Seaside’s scheduled call in San Juan,” said an MSC Cruises spokesperson.
Instead of exploring historic Old San Juan, passengers spent longer than planned in St. Maarten.
MSC Seaside and Celebrity Equinox aren’t the only ships to have skipped San Juan. Last week Royal Caribbean’s 6,546-passenger Harmony of the Seas and 1,718-passenger Empress of the Seas both aborted calls to San Juan, resulting in a loss of more than $650,000 in spending according to the Puerto Rico Tourism Company (CTPR).
CTPR are said to be searching for alternative ways for the ships to reach the “island of enchantment” but there are concerns that piers at other ports such as Ponce, the southern coast’s main city, are too shallow for larger ships to berth – or else are already occupied.
The US territory is still recovering from the damage and devastation wrought by Hurricanes Maria and Irma in September in 2017, as well as tackling a mountain of debt totalling $70 billion.
Protests, which have largely been peaceful, began last week after Puerto Rico’s Center for Investigative Journalism published some 800 pages of private chats between Rosselló and his advisors. The obscene exchanges included misogynistic and homophobic messages targeting female politicians and Puerto Rican artist Ricky Martin, who came out in 2010, among others.
While Rosselló has admitted writing the messages and asked for forgiveness, he has refused to resign – although he did announce on Sunday that he wouldn’t seek reelection.
