Disney Cruise Line’s newest addition to its fleet – Disney Fantasy – made her inaugural call to St. Maarten Monday. Her maiden voyage or first revenue sailing will be on March 31 with a Western Caribbean Cruise. As of early April, she will call here every two weeks on Tuesday.
A plaque exchange ceremony was held on board with government and harbor officials welcoming Captain Tom Forberg, crew and passengers.
Forberg said St. Maarten is a favourite port of call for Disney fleet crew and passengers. The ship had 3,300 passengers and 1,500 crew members on this training voyage.
The captain had visited the country before aboard Disney Magic. He called the approach to berth alongside the cruise pier as "very safe."Philipsburg’s rejuvenation over the year is quite impressive, said the captain, adding that this has aided in the destination’s rank as "an excellent stop" for Disney Lines.
Harbour Group CEO Mark Mingo said Disney is "a very important line" for the destination because of the brand’s high quality. Mingo recently attended SeaTrade Miami where he and other officials had meetings to ensure lines like Disney continues to offer calls to St. Maarten.
Tourism Director May-Ling Chun, who was also at the plaque exchange, welcomed the captain, passengers and crew to the island.
After the official ceremony, invitees, including Dutch Representative Marcie Jonkers and Police Head of Immigration at airport Geronimo Juliet, were hosted to lunch by the captain. They were also given a tour of the cruise ship.