ISLAND ISOLATION: Jamaica's port authority and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. pitched the port of Falmouth as a place where passengers would dive into the historic city for "a wraparound experience not unlike Colonial Williamsburg." But their dollars have been kept at a distance.

SHIPPING OUT: Tourists emerge from a towering, 16-deck megaship docked at the Caribbean's newest cruise port and then roar out of town on air-conditioned tour buses.

CRUISE COUNTERS: The cruise industry says ships steadily bring in huge amounts of tourists who otherwise might never come at all, so any money they do spend is a gain.