Royal Caribbean International’s Adventure of the Seas made its arrival into Nassau today ahead of its June 12 sailing, the first cruise for the Royal Caribbean brand in North America since March 2020.

It will leave Nassau on Saturday, June 12, at reduced occupancy, commencing the first in its “7-Night Bahamas & Perfect Day” summer series.

The ship was escorted into the harbor with a grand water salute courtesy of the Nassau Harbour Pilots Association.

“We couldn’t be happier,” exclaimed Mike Maura, CEO of Nassau Cruise Port. “This vessel and all the hope that this first voyage will carry out to sea on Saturday have been a long time in the making. We are very appreciative that Royal Caribbean has chosen to partner with us, with the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, and all our industry partners to make this home port launch from Nassau possible. As you can imagine, we are all extremely excited and working overtime to ensure that this launch is successful.”

Passengers will be greeted to a warm Bahamian “Party In da Backyard” upon their arrival at the port on Saturday, which will include ice-cold Kaliks, courtesy of Commonwealth Brewery, live music, Junkanoo performances, drills by the students of the LJM Maritime Academy, and much more.

The entire event will be live streamed on the Nassau Cruise Port Facebook account beginning at 12 noon.

Maura noted that Bahamians can also participate in this exciting venture in a new way – by starting a cruise vacation in Nassau instead of flying abroad for the first time.

“I’ve heard of a few Bahamians who will be sailing aboard Adventure of the Seas on this trip and I’m sure there will be many more of us who will take advantage of this incredible opportunity,” he said. 

“This is our time to shine and to put Nassau on the map as a homeporting destination of choice,” Maura added. “We will do so with immense pride, making the Bahamian people proud and making our guests and cruise line partners excited that they chose to start and end their cruise in Nassau. This is the beginning of an incredible voyage for us all.”