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From the Blogs

Tobago Buses Roll to Meet Demand.

From Cozumel to Falmouth, governments have been working to refine the tourist experience from end to end. Now, far to the southern edge of the Caribbean, Tobago has been following the trend among ports-of-call to upgrade basic services for tourists and cruise passengers.

Part of the Trinidad-Tobago Republic located off the north-eastern edge of Venezuela, the small island has added a fleet of 50 buses and spent the past year working to train local guides.

Tourism is the primary source of income for Tobago which is considered among the best diving areas east of the Panama Canal. Also noted for fishing and its two golf courses, Tobago hopes to add the “health and wellbeing” tourist trade to its stable of options. To facilitate smoother travel across the island the fleet of buses are centrally owned and their distribution across the island designed to avoid the chaotic taxi stands seen on some islands.

The move to build local transportation infrastructure came shortly before an industry trade conference which seems to have proven fruitful, the island expects a 67% increase in cruise passengers in the year to come.

Five Things You Missed About Cruising: Winning Hearts, Minds and Permits in Charleston.

Carnival builds community connections as cruise terminal fight nears conclusion.

The irony of a legal fight over a place called Union Terminal located in Charleston, South Carolina maybe a bit obscure for most cruise aficionados. However for those seeking to drive and cruise from ports along the U.S. east coast, the battle over renovation and expansion of cruise ship facilities in Charleston is of keen interest. Likewise for Carnival Cruise Lines and its peers, better equipped facilities are essential to maintaining the port as viable in the marketplace. So it is not surprising in light of resistance to the Union Terminal project from historic conservationist groups that they would seek to build deeper connections to the community.

To that end the Post and Courier has been reporting on a number of stories and developments related to Union Terminal. First, they have reported that after innumerable delays due to scheduling conflicts, it appears that November will see the final arguments over a ruling that the groups opposing the terminal project have no standing in court proceedings. A ruling on the appeal would come at some point afterward, presumably in 2017. The key to the legal challenge lays in the permits needed for construction being tied to state agencies not local control. A federal permit administered by the Army Corps of Engineers remains in process separately.

In the meantime, Carnival has continued a six year old program of donating surplus materials from dining plates to stuffed animals and mattress' to local charities. Regardless of the outcome of the hearing in November and subsequent ruling, building long-term track records is something that will benefit Carnival and set a precedent for other lines to emulate. If it is unlikely to sway the major opponents of the Union Terminal project the public face of the reason for it will be all the more positive. The likelihood of the project eventually being approved and completed is strong by most objective points of view. The main push for improvements lays in mandates from the state capital. With the major kinetic impact growth in cruise travel originating in Charleston would have for the region, Union Terminal will come to fruition in some shape or form.