Put a Banana on Your Cruise Map

The cruise industry is going bananas. The new Banana Coast cruise port in Honduras is now officially on the cruise ship map.

The 130-passenger ship Yorktown, operated by Travel Dynamics International, can claim status as inaugurating the place. Passengers on the ship were tendered to the brand-new Banana Coast dock, where they were greeted by Garifuna musicians.

Banana Coast is located in Trujillo on the mainland of Honduras, about 32 miles south of Roatan – the country’s established port.

Themed on the early 20th-century banana trade, the new cruise hub will have duty-free shopping, a transportation center, and 10 acres of beach, and is expected to gain a pier large enough to handle two big ships.

The nearby rain forest, reef, and beach are among attractions for cruise passengers, and so is the Spanish colonial town of Trujillo itself.

Holland America Line’s Ryndam is scheduled to arrive in the Banana Coast in November and make regular calls into 2015 on Western Caribbean itineraries. Silversea Cruises, Oceania Cruises, and P&O Cruises are also Banana Coast-bound in 2014 and 2015.