Over 5,440 cruise passengers arrive in St Kitts aboard three ships

St Kitts and Nevis: Around 5,440 cruise passengers arrived in St. Kitts on Thursday aboard three ships. The Celebrity Beyond docked at Port Zante with 3,128 passengers, while the Marella Discovery brought 1,750 passengers to the island. The Seabourn Ovation, carrying 557 passengers, also dropped anchor off Carambola.

At least two multi-million yachts were anchored offshore Thursday.

The Celebrity Beyond and Marella Discovery docked at Port Zante. Seaborne Ovation anchored off Carambola and can be seen from Frigate Bay. On the other hand, One of the multi-million yachts anchored in the Basseterre Roadsted.

The parade of cruise ships to St. Kitts' Port Zante continued Wednesday with just over 11,000 passengers on board. Celebrity Apex arrived from San Juan, Puerto Rico with 2,777 passengers.

Some 3,609 passengers were on the Britannia which sailed in from the Turks & Caicos Islands. The Mein Schiff 2 arrived from St. Maarten with 2,724 passengers and from Antigua came the Marella Explorer 2 with 1,913 passengers.

Most of the 11,023 passengers came ashore to keep the taxi drivers, tour operators, vendors, restaurateurs and other persons in the tourism industry busy.

Two cruise ships with nearly 5,000 passengers are on their way to their respective destinations after a one-day visit to St. Kitts' Port Zante on Tuesday. The modern-edge Celebrity Ascent arrived from Dominica with 3,088 passengers and is on its way to its homeport in Port Everglades in Miami.

The Marella Discovery 2 arrived from Tortola with 1,804 passengers. Its next destination is Guadeloupe. On Wednesday, December 10, the Celebrity Apex, Britannia, Mein Schiff 2 and the Marella Explorer 2 will dock at Port Zante.

Most of the 11,675 passengers from four cruise ships which berthed on Monday at St. Kitts' Port Zante came ashore, a testament to how cruise tourism continues to have a positive impact on the local economy.

While some went on pre-booked island tours with stops at Bloody River, Caribelle Batik/Romney Manor, Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park, the Eco Park and Black Rocks, others headed for the popular beaches at Frigate Bay and the South East Peninsula.

Some walked around beautiful Basseterre stopping at places of interest - The Berkley Memorial at the Circus, the St. George's Anglican Church, the Immaculate Conception Co-Cathedral, the Cenotaph and Independence Square.

Snorkeling, sailing to Nevis, golfing, casino gambling, shopping and patronizing local bars and eating places on the island were among the activities for others.

The Norwegian Breakaway had 3,782 passengers on board. The Ariva, 5,306 passengers, the AIDAmar, 1,935 and the Silver Ray with 652 - all sailed later for their respective destinations.