By the Caribbean Journal staff

Princess Cruises is returning to St Maarten on Thursday, the latest cruise line to come back to St Maarten in the wake of Hurricane Irma.

Regal Princess will be one of four cruise ships at the Port of St Maarten on Thursday, along with ms Eurodam, Silver Wind and Anthem of the Seas.

“Cruise tourism is slowly returning back to its normalcy.  The number of vessels are on the increase each month for the high season,” Port St Maarten management said in a statement. “The first four-ship day is a very positive sign.  We can all be thankful for what has been accomplished over the past months to reach where we are at today.”

Regal Princess, one of the line’s newest ships, carries over 3,500 guests, while ms Eurodam carries 2,100 passengers, Silver Wind carries 294 passengers and Royal Caribbean’s Anthem of the Seas carries 4,500 cruisers.

“With so many cruise lines returning to the destination, it once more demonstrates the commitment of the industry to the island,” Port officials said. “We also have several more lines scheduled for the coming months.”