Bermuda is preparing for an increase in cruise ship calls in 2020, continuing the recent period of growth. Bermuda's 2020 cruise schedule includes 197 booked berthings, including more visits to St George and Hamilton, bringing an estimated 543,000 cruise tourists. In 2018, Bermuda received total 484,339 cruisers (15,9% increase over 2017).
The projected ship calls for 2019 dropped from 185 to 176 because of 8 cancellations due to weather / hurricanes. The largest vessels to Bermuda call at Royal Naval Dockyard (King’s Wharf ).
Port St George's will handle 19 cruise ship visits in 2020 (up from 16 in 2019), while Hamilton has booked 19 calls (up from 13 in 2019). Royal Caribbean’s 2020 deployment of Empress of the Seas has 6 additional Bermuda calls, with itineraries visiting both St George's and Hamilton (May, July, August). Empress OTS is primarily responsible for the increased visits to these smaller cruise ports.
Meanwhile, Carnival Cruise Line has 28 additional calls in 2020 on vessels homeported in Baltimore MD, Charleston SC and NYC (New Jersey).