Dominican Republic cruise growth gains momentum with FCCA deal

Published on Sep 3, 2025, 1:56 pm CDTUpdated on Sep 3, 2025, 1:56 pm CDT

5 min read

The Dominican Republic has cemented a high-level partnership with the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association to speed new itineraries, training, and investment across its ports. Officials say the agreement, signed in early August 2025, elevates the country to a small group of FCCA presidential partners, a status used to fast-track route planning and on-the-ground improvements. With 2,656,305 cruise passengers recorded in 2024 and a strong 2025 trajectory, tourism leaders expect the pact to accelerate Dominican Republic cruise growth through 2026.

Key Points

Why it matters: Presidential-level FCCA status opens doors to route planning, training, and investment.
Travel impact: Added calls at La Romana and Santo Domingo, plus more embarkation choices.
What's next: MSC begins year-round La Romana homeporting in November 2026.
Growth markers: Jan-Jul 2025 cruise arrivals up 177% vs 2019, 29% vs 2023.
Industry calendar: Dominican Republic to host FCCA Pamac 2026 meetings.

Snapshot

Under a 17-month pact running through December 2026, the Dominican Republic joins a select group of FCCA presidential partners. The agreement formalizes executive-level access to cruise line decision makers, technical visits to improve guest experience in port, and priority pathways into professional training programs. It dovetails with a record 2024, when the country counted 2.66 million cruise passengers, and with 2025 momentum that far outpaces pre-pandemic baselines. Near term, operational arrangements position Norwegian Cruise Line to call at La Romana and Costa Cruises to use Santo Domingo's Sans Souci terminal in winter 2025-26. From November 2026, MSC Cruises will launch year-round homeporting from La Romana, signaling durable capacity growth.

Background

Cruise tourism has become a pillar of the Dominican visitor economy. After a breakout 2024 that set all-time records, officials project another strong year as new berths and itineraries come online. The FCCA partnership layers structured engagement onto that curve, giving port operators and destination teams direct input from senior cruise executives on shore-experience design, crowd flow, safety, and sourcing. Government leaders have also flagged port infrastructure plans, including additional capacity under study, to keep pace with demand. In parallel, the country will raise its profile on the regional calendar by hosting the FCCA's Pamac meetings in 2026, bringing key itinerary planners to the destination.

Latest Developments

FCCA pact prioritizes training, itinerary design, and executive access

The Presidential Strategic Partnership gives the Dominican Republic a seat at the table with FCCA member lines to co-develop new calls and refine guest operations. Program elements include private strategy sessions with cruise leadership, technical evaluation visits focused on the end-to-end passenger experience, and priority access to AQUILA Center for Cruise Excellence programs to upskill port and shore-side teams. Officials describe the move as a milestone that formalizes momentum built over the past two seasons and targets measurable gains in service quality, jobs, and investment through December 2026. Multiple outlets confirm the presidential-level status and the agreement's term.

Winter 2025-26: La Romana and Santo Domingo line up calls

For the upcoming winter, operational agreements highlight Norwegian Cruise Line calls at La Romana and Costa Cruises using Santo Domingo's Sans Souci terminal. NCL schedules show La Romana departures in early 2026, aligning with the winter season window, while Costa's program adds roundtrip voyages from Santo Domingo between December 2025 and March 2026. These deployments broaden embarkation options within the country and deepen the mix of Southern Caribbean routes reachable from Dominican ports. Officials frame the season as a bridge to sustained growth in 2026.

2026 and beyond: MSC to homeport year-round in La Romana

Looking further ahead, MSC Cruises will base MSC Opera in La Romana year-round from November 2026, offering 7- and 14-night Southern Caribbean itineraries. It is the line's first year-round South Caribbean program, with Fort-de-France adding as a secondary embarkation from April 2027. Year-round homeporting signals confidence in airlift, provisioning, and shore-side capacity, and it should distribute spend more evenly across the calendar. The move also supports the government's push to elevate La Romana's role within the national cruise network.

Analysis

Presidential-level FCCA status gives the Dominican Republic leverage where it counts, namely, in the closed-door planning cycles that dictate which ports win new calls. The country's recent scale, with 2.66 million cruise passengers in 2024, is meaningful, but itinerary planners weigh reliability, guest satisfaction, and operational resilience as much as raw demand. The pact's emphasis on executive engagement and AQUILA-backed training addresses those levers directly, creating a pipeline for quality improvements that matter to the lines. Near-term deployments by NCL and Costa validate demand in La Romana and Santo Domingo, while MSC's 2026 homeporting adds a structural anchor likely to lift hotel stays, provisioning contracts, and tour capacity. The growth profile is also broad-based, with January through July 2025 trending far above pre-pandemic levels. The remaining execution risk is infrastructure pacing, since new capacity and traffic management must keep step with added calls. If the government continues to deliver port upgrades on schedule and the training programs reach front-line teams, the country is positioned to turn momentum into durable market share.

Final Thoughts

The FCCA agreement is more than a headline, it is a mechanism to convert demand into dependable schedules and better guest experiences. With winter 2025-26 calls poised to expand choice at La Romana and Santo Domingo, and year-round homeporting arriving in 2026, the Dominican Republic is building for the long game. Execution on training and port readiness will determine how much of the pipeline turns into repeat calls, homeport wins, and incremental spend. For travelers and the trade, the outlook points to wider access and smoother operations powered by Dominican Republic cruise growth.