THE CARNIVAL LIBERTY cruise ship returned to the Bridgetown Port today, one week after an engine room fire in St Thomas, Virgin Islands forced the cruise to be aborted.
But it was a bitter-sweet return for taxi men who ply their trade from Bridgetown. At taxi stands on Upper and Lower Broad Street, the refrain was the same – “business dead”.
As if to support the their claim, just a few visitors could be seen walking along Barbados’ main thoroughfare and the accents were mainly Spanish, suggesting passengers from Puerto Rico, where Carnival Liberty’s seven-day cruise begins.
Outside the Bridgetown Port, the picture was the same – taximen waiting for the odd job coming out of the port.
The luxury liner is popular with Barbadians, being one of the few cruise ships they can board from here.
The ship has a capacity for 2 974 passengers and 1 160 crew. On this seven-day Caribbean cruise, 70 of Carnival Liberty’s staterooms are allocated for Barbadian passengers. (GC)
