After seven years of absence the first Disney Cruise will arrive in Puntarenas, Costa Rica this upcoming Sunday, April 15 from Florida, USA.

The announcement of the return of the Disney Cruises to Costa Rica was made back in March 7 when representatives of the Costa Rica Tourism Board (ICT) were taking part of the Seatrade Global Fair in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States.

The ship that will arrive this Sunday is the Disney Wonder a luxury cruise ship built in 1999 with capacity for 2,500 passengers, three pools, a gym,four restaurants, a movie theater, a casino, seven bars, beauty parlor, spa, among other amenities.

“Costa Rica has a very special brand. When we talk about the country passengers’ think of nature and many things already set in their minds, so it is very easy to convince them to take the cruise and visit the country”, explained Arnaldo Zanonato, manager of Disney Cruise Line back in March.

The ICT together with port authorities and tourism companies are working on positioning the country as an attractive destination for cruise lines; this work involves the participation in international fairs, as well as necessary improvements in the Caribbean and Pacific terminals.

During the 2016-2017 season Costa Rica received 100 more cruises than in the 2014-2015 period, which represents a 70% growth; out of the 250 cruises received during 2016-2017, 132 docked in the Caribbean, the majority originating from the United States.

Costa Rica is following the necessary steps and seeking alliances with different companies to eventually become a ¨home port¨ , but for this to be a reality the country still has a lot of improvements to make in the area of infrastructure and logistics, which is still far behind and not comparable to the conditions offered in Cartagena, Colombia or Colon, Panama.