Having been spared the brunt of Hurricane Tomas, Martinique is gearing up to accommodate travelers whose original vacation plans in neighboring islands were compromised by the storm.  Most notably, five cruise ships originally slated to make port calls in St. Lucia this month have been diverted to Martinique as follows:

•  Celebrity Millennium (capacity: 1,950 passengers) – Friday, November 5, 2010
•  Celebrity Summit (capacity: 2,034 passengers) – Wednesday, November 10, 2010
•  Celebrity Millennium (capacity: 1,950 passengers) – Monday November 15, 2010
•  Silver Sea Cruises’ Silver Spirit (capacity: 540 passengers) – Sunday November 14, 2010
•  Silver Sea Cruises’ Silver Cloud (capacity: 296 passengers) – Tuesday November 16, 2010

“While our emergency services personnel are doing all they can to help the people of St. Lucia get back on their feet, we in the tourism sector are proud to do our share to help travelers fulfill their vacation dreams despite the storm,” said Karine Roy-Camille, commissioner of the Martinique Tourism Authority and head of SMCR Voyages, a cruise-specialist travel agency based in Fort-de-France.  “The ability of our ports and ground operators to quickly meet this need at a moment’s notice is a testament to Martinique’s commitment to cruise travel.”