Janet Silvera, Senior Gleaner Writer
Royal Caribbean Cruise Line's Freedom of the Seas - the largest cruise ship in the world. The ship will make a maiden call at the Montego Bay Cruise Shipping Pier on Thursday. - CONTRIBUTED
WESTERN BUREAU:
THE ISLAND'S tourism capital, Montego Bay will showcase the 'Best of the Best' that Jamaica has to offer to the vibrant cruise ship industry when the world's largest liner makes its maiden call at the Montego Bay Cruise Ship Terminal this Thursday.
Jamaican companies Appleton Rum, Jablum Blue Mountain Coffee, Margarita-ville Caribbean, Chukka Caribbean Adventures, Green Grotto Caves and Dunn's River Falls, Red Stripe, Caribbean Producers, the Jamaica Tourist Board and a host of craft merchants form the impressive list of exhibitors that will showcase the island's jewels.
Scheduled to reach dockside by 6:00 a.m., the Freedom of the Seas, which is operated by Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines (RCCL) and has the capacity to accommodate 4,300 passengers plus crew, will arrive to the fanfare of the Jamaica Defence Force Band.
Reggae superstar Shaggy headlines the A1 list of performers which includes Richie Stephens and Friends, the island's most fantastic steel orchestra, Caribbean Regal, and folklore specialists Hatfield Folk and Cultural Group.
The day will climax with the farewell rhythms of the incredibly talented musicians that make up the Jamaica Constabulary Force Band.
TAKING FULL ADVANTAGE
The event, which is being coordinated by Dominique Peterkin and Turn Key Productions, organisers of the Air Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival, will see Kingston's darling of decorations, Ann-Marie Wyss, transforming the pier into old-time Jamaica.
William Tatham, vice-president of cruise shipping and marina operations at the Port Authority of Jamaica, said his company has gone all out to ensure the island is in the spotlight on Thursday.
"It's a wonderful opportunity and that is why we are taking full advantage." "There is a lot of publicity surrounding the ship at present, and we are going to capitalise on that. A lot of international media are on this maiden itinerary."
He told The Gleaner that Montego Bay had made tremendous strides and that all the elements were in place.
Freedom of the Seas will call on a weekly basis for the next year. In 2007, it will relocate to the cruise ship capital, Ocho Rios, and will be replaced by the Liberty of the Seas, its sister ship.
The Freedom of the Seas is 160,000 tonnes, making it bigger than most aircraft.
The ship has been described as the most head-turning, most innovative and most modern ship in the cruise industry.
