Talk On The Street: Are We Ready for Cruise Passengers?

This month, after two long years, Grand Cayman welcomed cruise passengers once again. Predictably, there have been some rumblings on the ground. This reporter took to the streets to get the true feelings of the public on the matter. The specific question posed was, “Do you feel that we are ready to welcome cruise tourism at this point, and why or why not?” Below are the responses of 12 individuals.

George, Caymanian, 44:

“We are definitely not ready, and I think most Caymanians feel the same way I do. I think it is only inviting more Covid into this island.”

Fred, Caymanian, 54:

“I worry about the fact that I see all these tourists walking around, and not one of them is wearing a mask. Were they not told about our regulations here?”

Louise, American Stayover Tourist, 35:

“I don’t understand how the government here can hold us airline passengers to a higher standard, with masks and testing, and then let cruise passengers just waltz ashore. I supported the regulations but, I think everyone, including the cruise passengers, should be held accountable.”

Joanna, Canadian on work permit, 47:

“Everywhere I go, I hear people saying the same thing—"We are not ready; this is too soon.” I agree with them. I think it is inviting a medical disaster.”

James, American, frequent visitor, 49:

“I don’t know if Cayman is ready or not but, I think it is the right time to do it. Everyone needs to realize that Covid is not going away and we need to live with it.”

Grace, Caymanian, 23:

“I think the government made all of the necessary preparations and it is a good time to welcome back cruise ships. The vaccination rate here is really high, so we should be pretty protected.”

Michael, Caymanian, 46:

“Ready or not, we are open for cruise tourists. So, everybody just needs to stop talking about it.”

Jessie, Caymanian, 56:

“We were not ready. I just think that the business owners pushed the government into this.”

Keith, Caymanian, 42:

“If there was ever a time to be cautious, it is now. We do not need another wave of Covid-19 here.”

Lisa, Caymanian,35:

“There are too many people out of work right now so opening up was the right thing to do.”

Barbara, Jamaican, permanent resident, 57:

“I would like to say that it is good thing but I just don’t think so. It is a risky decision.”

Thomas, Caymanian, 27:

“It was the right thing to do at the right time. We are almost all vaccinated and should be okay. This also allows for some Caymanians to get back to work.”