Puerto Rico closes the peak cruise season with a 43% increase in passengers

San Juan.- The Executive Director of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company (CTPR), Willianette Robles Cancel, highlighted this Friday that the 2025-2026 cruise high season, known in the industry as the winter season, closed with a 43% increase in the number of passengers.

According to the most recent data on cruise passenger movement in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, a total of 1,360,937 passengers were recorded between November 2025 and April 2026. Likewise, during this period, which historically concentrates the most cruise activity in the Caribbean, a combined total of 515 operations and calls was recorded, representing a 34% growth compared to the same period of the previous season.

"Puerto Rico continues to consolidate its leadership within the Caribbean cruise industry. This high winter season reflected extremely positive results in both passenger movement and port activity, demonstrating the confidence that the main maritime lines maintain in our island," expressed Robles Cancel.

The CTPR's executive director also pointed out that each of the months in this peak season surpassed the figures recorded during the same months of 2024, 2023, and 2022, which confirms a sustained growth trajectory for the cruise industry in Puerto Rico.

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According to the CTPR statement, the performance of the home port segment in San Juan was notable, which registered 371,536 passengers between November 2025 and April 2026, an increase of 76.6% compared to the same period of the previous season.

This segment represents one of the main engines of economic impact for the island, because it generates hotel stays, consumption in restaurants, land transportation and additional commercial activity before and after each trip.

The significant growth reflected by this home port segment is mainly due to the inclusion of the Grand Princess cruise ship and the additional departures of Royal with the Jewel of the Seas and the Brilliance of the Seas. Additionally, Norwegian Cruise Line replaced its Viva ship with the Epic, which has a greater passenger capacity, and Princess Cruises cruise line reactivated, as it had not left Puerto Rico since 2011, among others.