Puerto Rico’s cruise sector continues to grow, according to the island’s latest projections.

The island is on pace to break its cruise passenger records for the second time in three years, led by the Port of San Juan, which set a record last year with 1.5 million passengers.

The island now projects cruise passenger visitors to break that record with 1.6 million visitors in 2017-2018, led by increased calls from Royal Caribbean’s Oasis-class ships and the maiden season of MSC’s Seaside ship.

The port also expects homeport passengers to grow, as Norwegian Cruise Line returns to homeport in Puerto Rico’s capital and other lines like Royal Caribbean and Celebrity join them.

The growth has come in large part due to the expansion of Pier 3 in Old San Juan, which paved the way for megaships to arrive in Puerto Rico.

— CJ Staff

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