Cruise sector Stakeholders Invited to Cruise Experience Sessions on Friday and Saturday

Port St. Maarten Management is leaving no stone unturned to make sure that the first cruise passenger experience on December 4th when the first commercial cruise ship returns to the destination, will be one of discovery for the guests to return on another cruise to the destination in the future.
“We want the world to know that we are open for business and the first ambassadors to greet our guests will be our various cruise stakeholders. I want to commend Port St. Maarten management for initiating these sessions to ensure that everyone is on the same page in terms of the experience we want to provide our first guests after hurricane Irma.
“Port St. Maarten and St. Maarten in general pride ourselves on top standard and memorable experiences for cruise visitors, so we must all put our best effort forward not just in December but for the rest of the season. I look forward to high participation in the sessions from cruise stakeholders,” Minister of Tourism & Economic Affairs Mellissa Arrindell-Doncher said on Tuesday.
Port St. Maarten is organizing two stakeholders’ cruise experience sessions for Friday and Saturday, November 17th and 18th.  The sessions will be hosted at the Port Cruise Terminal Building Conference room and will be each 45 minutes. The times on Friday are from 9am to 10am; 10-am-11am; 11am-12pm; 2pm-3pm; 3pm-4pm; 4pm-5pm, and Saturday from 9am-10am; 10am-11am; 11am-12pm.
Saturday session will be catering to companies that do not have a valid Port I.D. and will be given an opportunity to still participate. All attendees must have a valid photo I.D. at hand for entry into the port facility. Companies interested should register via comments@portstmaarten.sx or via  https://www.facebook.com/stmaartentourism/ and should indicate which timeslot they would like to attend.
Former cruise line executive Mico Cascais of Carnival Cruise Line, will be on hand to provide information and tips to prepare cruise tourism stakeholders on the alignment of the cruise guest expectations with the current story and the experience they need to deliver when the first guests arrive, as well as the significance of the first cruise ship call which will shape future calls to the destination.
Mico Cascais, is a 30 year veteran of the Cruise Industry both in Ship Board Management and Corporate Management. The past 19 Years Mico was responsible for the Shore Excursion Programs, Carnival Cruise Lines offered to all its guests worldwide having had many interactions with current stakeholders in St. Maarten over the years.
Additionally, Mico was also Chairman of the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association’s (FCCA) Shore Excursion Committee for the past 18 years, traveling vastly through the Caribbean as part of this Committee.
Mico is currently the Principal of Mico Cascais, Inc. a company focused on reshaping the story and experiences cruise guests will enjoy when sailing in the Caribbean.
The two-day sessions will be for port employees who come in direct first contact with cruise passengers (security, information, other personnel), tour operators, taxi drivers, store owners (at the port and downtown), as well as other cruise passenger oriented businesses.
Viking Cruises has confirmed that the cruise ship Viking Sea will be the first commercial cruise ship to call at Port St. Maarten post-Irma on Monday, December 4th.
Port St. Maarten Management is elated to be welcoming the first commercial cruise vessel return to the destination, and appeals to call stakeholders to finalize as much as possible clean-up and remodeling tasks prior to the vessels port call.
Viking Cruises, is considered the leader in river and small ship ocean cruising, offers destination-focused itineraries designed for experienced travelers who have an interest in geography, culture and history.
The cruise vessel Viking Sea that will be calling at Port St. Maarten on December 4 was built in 2016 and has a length of 745 feet and a beam of 94.5 feet; and carries 930 guests.