By Dana Niland
CJ Contributor
St Maarten’s crusie renaissance continues in the wake of Hurricane Irma.
Five cruise ships with over 10,000 cruise passengers and crew are slated to visit St. Maarten on Christmas and Boxing Day.
The Marella Celebration and Royal Caribbean’s Independence of the Seas will be in port on Monday, December 25 and Grandeur of the Seas, Azamara Quest and Jewel of the Seas will be in port on Tuesday, December 26.
Each day will bring over 5,000 passengers and crew to the destination.
Marella Celebration, which will be in port on December 25, is one of the smaller ships in the Marella fleet, and was refurbished in 2012.
Independence of the Seas, Grandeur of the Seas, and Jewel of the Seas are part of the fleet of Royal Caribbean International, which is part of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., a global cruise vacation company that owns Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, Pullmantur, Azamara Club Cruises and CDF Croisières de France, as well as TUI Cruises through a 50 percent joint venture.
Together, these six brands operate a combined total of 43 ships with an additional six under construction contracts, and two on firm order.
They operate diverse itineraries around the world that call on approximately 490 destinations on all seven continents.