Business
Two cruise ships in Philipsburg today, with three more calls through Monday, October 12
Icon of the Seas and Rhapsody of the Seas are scheduled in port today, Tuesday, October 6, according to Port St. Maarten's cruise schedule. Carnival Magic follows Wednesday, Star of the Seas on Thursday and Rhapsody of the Seas again on Monday, October 12.
By SXM Daily ยท
Two cruise ships are scheduled to be alongside in Philipsburg today, Tuesday, October 6: Icon of the Seas and Rhapsody of the Seas. Three more calls follow over the next week, according to Port St. Maarten's official cruise ship schedule.
The ship calls
Port St. Maarten's schedule lists these calls, in local time:
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Tuesday, October 6: Icon of the Seas, 5:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Rhapsody of the Seas, 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
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Wednesday, October 7: Carnival Magic, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
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Thursday, October 8: Star of the Seas, 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
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Monday, October 12: Rhapsody of the Seas, 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
The ships use the cruise piers at the Dr. A.C. Wathey Cruise and Cargo Facility in Philipsburg.
Today is the first day this month with two ships in port at the same time. The only earlier October call on the Port's schedule was Celebrity Beyond on Thursday, October 1.
What it means if you're in town
Ship days generally bring more people into Philipsburg and onto Front Street, more demand for taxis and tours, and heavier traffic around Pointe Blanche and downtown. With two ships in today, anyone driving to or through Philipsburg may want to allow extra time, particularly in the morning and late afternoon when ships arrive and leave.
For shops, restaurants, taxi drivers and tour operators, the schedule is a simple planning tool: Tuesday is the busiest-looking day of the week on paper, followed by single-ship days Wednesday, Thursday and next Monday.
SXM Daily has not seen verified passenger figures for any of these calls. Ship capacity numbers are not the same as the number of people who actually come ashore, so this article does not estimate visitor numbers.
Schedules can change
The Port says its schedule may change without notice. Anyone planning around a specific ship should check the Port St. Maarten schedule again closer to the day.
What happens next
SXM Daily will report actual passenger arrivals for this week if Port St. Maarten publishes them.
Sources
- https://gls.portstmaarten.sx/sxm/MainMenu.aspx?ShipScheduleType=2
Source: https://gls.portstmaarten.sx/sxm/MainMenu.aspx?ShipScheduleType=2