The port’s opening had been delayed several times due to construction problems.
Although the restoration of the town of Falmouth still is a work in progress, the cruise ship pier stood ready to welcome passengers with Jamaican bands and more than 100 local craft vendors.
Passengers had a choice of more than 60 tours, including river tubing, ATV tours, excursions to Montego Bay and Ocho Rios, and walking tours of the 300-year-old Georgian-style town of Falmouth.
The port’s official grand opening will take place on March 22 with the maiden visit of Royal Caribbean’s 5,400-passenger Oasis of the Seas, to be followed a week later with the Allure of the Seas’ first visit.
Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas is scheduled to arrive in Falmouth on Feb. 23, and the Navigator of the Seas will arrive on Feb. 24.