Captain of the TUI Cruise vessel Mein Schiff 1, Georgios Dimou (2nd left) presents Executive Director of Jamaica Vacations (JAMVAC), Joy Roberts (left) with the ship’s token in memory of the vessel being the first to bring cruise passengers to Montego Bay after the passage of Hurricane Melissa on October 28, 2025. Sharing in the occasion are Mayor of Montego Bay, Councillor Richard Vernon (2nd right) and Chairman of the Tourism Product Development Company Limited (TPDCo) and member of the Tourism Recovery Task Force, Mr. Ian Dear. Mein Schiff has a passenger capacity of 2,894 and a crew of 1,000. It docked at the Montego Bay terminal on Monday, November 24, 2025.

Jamaica’s tourism Mecca, Montego Bay, has signalled its readiness for the phased resumption of tourism activities following Hurricane Melissa, with the homeporting of TUI Cruises’ Mein Schiff 1 vessel carrying 2,894 passengers.

Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett underscored the importance of the ship’s arrival, noting that “this is the first cruise ship to visit Montego Bay, post hurricane. So, the arrival of the Mein Schiff 1 marks the resumption of cruise shipping activities in the resort area and proves that the cruise sub-sector is rebounding strongly.” He noted that “since the passage of hurricane Melissa Jamaica has welcomed some 32,000 cruise visitors and by the end of November, 2025 we will record approximately 64,000 cruise visitors, during the recovery period. This will contribute to the economic recovery of our country and will also benefit our tourism workers.” 

Chairman of the Tourism Product Development Company Limited (TPDCo) and member of the Tourism Recovery Task Force, Mr. Ian Dear was among a party which recently welcomed Captain Georgios Dimou and his crew of 1,000 on the arrival of the German cruise ship.

Just four weeks since Hurricane Melissa began to impact the flow of both cruise and stopover visitors, Mr. Dear commended public sector entities and private sector partners for their united effort in working to restore the island’s premiere resort destination, which according to Mayor of Montego Bay, Councillor Richard Vernon, has a 50 percent economic dependence on tourism.

Abiding by the Task Force’s mandate of coordinating the reopening and recovery of Jamaica’s tourism sector, Mr. Dear disclosed that: “We have activated different clean-up crews across the resort spaces to tidy up, not only for our visitors but primarily for our citizens, and the visitors will benefit from it.” 

He also revealed that working with the St. James Municipal Corporation, a mass clean-up initiative was undertaken ahead of the arrival of the first post hurricane cruise ship. He noted that “there’s still more to be done but the work continues and we’re very happy to see this cruise ship in Montego Bay.”

(Mobay Cruise 2) Mayor of Montego Bay, Councillor Richard Vernon (right) welcomes Captain Georgios Dimou of the TUI Cruise vessel Mein Schiff 1 after it docked at the Montego Bay Cruise Terminal on Monday, November 24, 2025. Sharing in the moment are (from left) Port Manager, Roshaun Cochrane; Chairman of the Tourism Product Development Company Limited (TPDCo) and member of the Tourism Recovery Task Force, Ian Dear and Vice President Cruise Management, Port Authority of Jamaica, Mark Hylton.

For his part, Mayor Vernon also welcomed the Mein Shiff 1 “which speaks to our efforts here in Montego Bay; and it also speaks to the fact that the ships would not come unless we’re ready.” Welcoming both incoming and outgoing visitors on the ship, “aligns with what we’re trying to achieve now as a city in pivoting from care packages to economic stability, because we need to get our people back to work, and the visitors are providing this for a range of workers,” he added.

Meanwhile, Captain Dimou said being the first cruise ship to return to Montego Bay in the wake of the hurricane was very significant to him and his crew. “It’s human nature that we want to assist and being the first one means it’s going to be difficult because you have to anticipate what might go on, but everything works fine,” he expressed.

In helping with Montego Bay’s recovery, the Mein Schiff 1 also donated 12 pallets of relief items, including bottled water, food products and educational material for children.

Also present at the Montego Bay Cruise Terminal for the occasion were Vice President of Cruise Port Management, Port Authority of Jamaica, Mark Hylton; Chairman of the Tourism Recovery Task Force, John Byles; Executive Director of Jamaica Vacations (JAMVAC), Joy Roberts; and Port Manager, Roshaun Cochrane.