HMC is getting a PIER!

[joyful34]

I had to reschedule our upcoming cruise and while talking to our cruise rep she said they just got an announcement about upgrades at HMC. (I was sort of complaining that the 2021 cruises only offered HMC on the 6 day trips, not the longer 7 or 8 day cruises. She said this may be why. Maybe they are curbing the flow of passengers for the year while they work on the island. (??) Anyways, it's Great news as far as I am concerned. Getting in line for the tender & possibly missing the island completely will hopefully be a thing of the past! 

 

 

Sept. 25, 2019

Breaking News: It’s Official – Two New Destination Projects in the Bahamas <> Today on Grand Bahama Island, we signed an agreement with the government of The Bahamas to build two major port developments. Under the agreement, Carnival Corporation will develop a new cruise port destination primarily for Carnival Cruise Line on Grand Bahama, and construction of a new addition on the Bahamian island of Little San Salvador, home to Holland America Line’s award-winning Half Moon Cay port. The Grand Bahama project will represent an investment of over $100 million, and the development on Little San Salvador will be an estimated $80 million investment over time.   The signing is particularly impactful as it will provide jobs and positive economic impact as The Bahamas continues to recover and rebuild from Hurricane Dorian.   The agreement was signed today at the Prime Minister's Office in Grand Bahama at a ceremony that included Dr. The Most Honorable Hubert A. Minnis, prime minister of The Commonwealth of The Bahamas; Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance The Honorable K. Peter Turnquest; Senator The Honorable Kwasi Thompson, minister of state for Grand Bahama; and other cabinet ministers.  Several Carnival Corporation and Carnival Cruise Line executives were also in attendance, including Giora Israel, David Candib, Armando Corpas and Marie McKenzie, all from Carnival Corporation's port and destination team and the leadership team for both new port projects. Also on hand were SVP of Nautical and Port Operations Terry Thornton  and Chief Communications Officer Chris Chiames, both representing Carnival Cruise Line.     “We are very pleased to announce that Carnival Corporation’s projects in the Bahamas are full speed ahead,” said Prime Minister Minnis. “These developments and the significant investment in world-class tourism and hospitality operations are such a boon for our initiatives for national prosperity and economic stability.”   Once environmental and other permitting processes are completed, construction for both projects is projected to start by mid-2020. The projects are expected to play an important role in the country’s recovery from the recent impact of Hurricane Dorian. As part of the development, our plans include construction parameters that are designed to meet or exceed guidelines for mostly withstanding the impact of a Category 5 hurricane.   "This is an exciting day for all of us involved with these two extraordinary development projects," said Israel. "We have been working with the prime minister and his staff for some time with a shared vision for our design plans, and we want to extend our sincere gratitude for their collaboration and partnership. Our collective goal is to maintain the reputation of The Bahamas as one of our most popular and welcoming destinations for years to come, and it is very rewarding to see our joint vision finalized with today's agreement."    The two developments will allow Grand Bahama and Little San Salvador to welcome guests sailing on some of our larger ships, including Mardi Gras, which will debut in August 2020.   Grand Bahama Our new Grand Bahama destination will be developed on the south side of the island in cooperation with the Grand Bahama Port Authority and the government of The Bahamas. The new destination will offer guests a uniquely Bahamian experience with a spectacular beachfront and exciting features, along with job opportunities and positive economic impact for the local community. More details will be revealed over the coming months.   Little San Salvador Half Moon Cay is well known as one of the region’s most beloved ports, visited by guests sailing with us and Holland America Line. The current development on the western side covers less than three percent of the 2,400-acre island and includes a tender marina. The new addition will be on the northern part of the island and include a pier able to accommodate larger ships. The beautiful beaches of Half Moon Cay will continue to be a main attraction.   Together, the new port expansion and existing facilities on the island of Little San Salvador will account for only about 10 percent of the island, leaving the remainder of this pristine paradise natural and untouched, as committed to in the original purchase agreement to maintain the vast majority of the island as a nature preserve and wild bird sanctuary.   In both projects, Carnival Corporation and the government of The Bahamas have established several key objectives, with a high priority on protecting the local environment, using renewable energy, significantly reducing or eliminating single-use plastics and other items, and similar environmentally friendly initiatives, as well as working with local business interests to create jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities for Bahamian residents. In addition to these port developments, the company is also further exploring opportunities to deepen its involvement in the community and local cultural events, activities and organizations.

[Butterbean1000]

Some people don't like this idea, but I think it's a positive thing.  Hopefully it will cut down on the amount of times this port is being missed due to high seas.

[five.]

Yep, we missed this port two weeks ago and another time in the past. I think it's a positive thing for sure!

[xDisconnections]

You can thank Royal Caribbean for adding a pier at Coco Cay and prompting this.

[MzOhioLady]

I think it's a great idea. I hate it when ships cannot get into HMC as well. Our Ship missed the port 2 weeks ago.

[TNcruising02]

HMC is one of my favorite places.  I am glad they are going to build a pier.

[Lottacruises]

Will this mean more than one ship will visit per day?

[crewsweeper]

21 minutes ago, Lottacruises said:

Will this mean more than one ship will visit per day?

Probably depends on the location, but that would be welcomed news since HAL has first come only ship anchored status.  Could wind up being a bit like Grand Turk.

[NCTribeFan]

Well, I've been there when there were 2 HAL ships.  It was packed (and their ships are mostly smaller than many of Carnival's).  I liked HMC much more before they built the big, ugly, loud Pirate bar and the big, ugly cabanas.

 

It's a beautiful place.  Please don't ruin it and turn it into another Grand Turk or Costa Maya.  Which, for me, is not a plus.

[Organized Chaos]

6 hours ago, joyful34 said:

I had to reschedule our upcoming cruise and while talking to our cruise rep she said they just got an announcement about upgrades at HMC. (I was sort of complaining that the 2021 cruises only offered HMC on the 6 day trips, not the longer 7 or 8 day cruises. She said this may be why. Maybe they are curbing the flow of passengers for the year while they work on the island. (??) Anyways, it's Great news as far as I am concerned. Getting in line for the tender & possibly missing the island completely will hopefully be a thing of the past!

 

This topic was discussed a few months ago when it got out that the loans were approved. I'm afraid you've just re-opened a can of worms. 😆 Not only are they building a pier, but the statement from the Bahamian bank also included Carnival's intention to make some land-based improvements on the island as well. Some are upset that this would ruin their quiet beach day or turn it into a "cookie cutter" port, like Amber Cove, or a large development like Coco Cay. I don't think they'll do something as extensive as was done on Coco Cay, though. And I don't know why people whine about Amber Cove. You don't have to stay in the port complex, you can still go off and do excursions and other things. With HMC, there's barely anything to do. If you ask me, adding other things is good. Many people don't care to sit on a beach all day, so HMC isn't a very attractive port. It's certainly not a stop my family & I are eager to go back to. But if they add some more things to do, then it'll be more attractive to more people. That's a good thing. Judging by their statement, it looks like the bulk of the new construction will be on the north side of the island, so the beach probably won't change.

[cruisinmems]

3 hours ago, Lottacruises said:

Will this mean more than one ship will visit per day?

I hope not.

[missholly24]

I'm embarrassed to admit that this is the best news I have heard all year.  This is amazing. In

reference to the statement above. I would assume they would limit it to two ships like Grand Turk

if even that. Only a guess.