After 7 years of absence the first Disney Cruise Line's ship will arrive in Puntarenas Costa Rica on Sunday, April 15 out of Florida, USA.
The announcement of Disney's return to Costa Rica was made on March 7 when representatives of Costa Rica Tourism Board (ICT) were taking part in Seatrade Global Fair (Fort Lauderdale FL). The vessel that will arrive on Sunday is the 2,500-passenger Disney Wonder.
The ICT, together with tourism companies and port authorities are working on positioning Costa Rica as an attractive destination for cruise ships. This kind of work involves the participation in international fairs, and necessary improvements in the Pacific and Caribbean terminals.
During 2016-2017 season Costa Rica welcomed 100 more cruises than in 2014-2015, representing 70% growth. Out of the 250 cruises during 2016-2017, a total of 132 docked in the Caribbean, with the majority originating from the US.
Costa Rica is seeking alliances with a variety of companies to eventually become a ¨home port¨. For this to become a reality the country has a lot of improvements to make in the infrastructure and logistics, still far behind the conditions offered in Colon, Panama or Cartagena, Colombia.