Some 2,197 passengers disembarked from the Rhapsody of the Seas cruise ship this morning under the new operational plan dedicated to improving the passengers’ transit in Port.
Barbados Port Inc. (BPI) Chief Executive Officer (CEO), David Jean-Marie, reported that while some able-bodied passengers opted to walk via the clearly demarcated route to the shops and exit, the majority opted to board the shuttles deployed to move guests and luggage between the homeport terminal (Shed 3) and the pick-up/drop off area.
Two shuttles were also dedicated to travel between Shed 3 and the Bridgetown Cruise Terminal for passengers desirous of making duty-free purchases before exiting.
A steady rotation of seaport taxis stationed just outside Shed 3 took guests directly to their final destinations, including hotels, the airport and local residences.
The CEO said: “BPI security and operational teams, as well as those from Platinum Port Agency, were on hand to guide and assist the passengers. A complement of officers from Immigration and Customs and Excise also worked efficiently toward completion of passenger processing and clearance in just under 2 hours and 45 minutes, to make way for the 2,205 new guests joining throughout the day, beginning at 11 a.m.”
He noted: “This morning’s cruise operations were conducted in tandem with regular weekday cargo operations. Whereas the Rhapsody’s regular call day is a Sunday, typically a much quieter day for cargo operations, the ship schedule includes some five and eight-day cruises which will see a weekday arrival. It was intense given the high passenger and luggage volume, but the changes implemented certainly allowed for greater ease of movement, which was welcomed by the majority.
“There were some challenges experienced by those who arranged external pickups and whose drivers were denied entry into the Pickup area as they did not complete the requisite application for Port entry. We must reiterate the importance of compliance with this security protocol as a border agency.”
CEO Jean-Marie added: “BPI will undertake an internal review of this morning’s operations making modifications and improvements where necessary, prior to the vessel’s return on Sunday, January 8, 2023.”