Ferry service to the D.R. sets sail June 1

Marine Express and America Cruise Ferries will begin offering passenger ferry service between the port of Mayagüez and Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic starting Wednesday.
The re-start of operations comes nearly two months after the service was originally slated to set sail on March 16. However, plans were placed on hold to give the operators time to complete all the improvements needed on the 650-foot “Caribbean Fantasy” cruise ship-type ferry to be used for the overnight trip between the islands, and for regulatory agencies to okay the vessel to transport people.
Word of the postponement came in April, when Marine Express also said it would only be offering maritime cargo transportation between the islands three times a week. At the time, they had set May as the new target launch date for passenger service.
America Cruise Ferries has invested some $65 million to revive the Mayagüez-Santo Domingo route.
The carrier will sail between Mayagüez and the Dominican Republic Wednesdays and Fridays, and between San Juan and Santo Domingo on Mondays. The introductory passenger rate is $169 round-trip from Mayagüez and $189 round-trip from San Juan.