- The 'Royal Princess' will leave more than 4,800 people today, including passengers and crew.
- Double stop on Sunday, with more than 10,000 people on board the 'Costa Pacifica' and the 'Anthem of the Seas'.
While a delegation from the Vigo Port Authority, headed by its President, Ignacio López-Chaves, has been promoting the Vigo terminal in Germany since last Wednesday, at one of the most important fairs in terms of cruise traffic, the 'Seatrade Europe Cruise Shipping Convention', the Transatlantic Dock will host a new stop today, Friday, that of the giant 'Royal Princess'.
Capable of moving a total of 141,000 tons, with a length of 329 meters and a beam of 44 meters, the 'Royal Princess' demonstrates, once again, the capacity of the Port of Vigo to accommodate large vessels such as this one. In fact, Vigo was the first port in Spain chosen by the cruise line 'Princess Cruises' for the call of the largest ship in its fleet – out of a total of 16 – in a ceremony that took place in June 2013.
During its stay in Vigo, the 'Royal Princess' will bring on board a total of 3,477 passengers of up to 42 different nationalities, mostly Americans (2,689 pax.), in addition to 1,326 crew members. In total, more than 4,800 people, including passengers and crew, will be in the heart of the city.
Coming from Le Havre (France), the 'Royal Princess' arrived in Vigo at 09.00 hours, where it will remain docked until 17.00 hours, at which time it will set sail for Lisbon (Portugal).
The 'Royal Princess' was built at the Fincantieri shipyards in Italy, and among the ship's new features are a spacious 'Atrium' with a wide range of entertainment and light dining options; 'deluxe' cabins with balconies; balconies in all outside cabins; a tropical island flanked by two pools with sun loungers during the day and a dance floor at night; the largest pool deck in the fleet; the 'Seawalk', a walkway on the upper deck with a glass floor; the 'SeaView Bar', a cantilevered bar with glass floors and majestic sea views; an adults-only pool with private areas; and the largest 'Movies Under the Stars' screen.
Double stop on Sunday
After today's stopover, the Port of Vigo will once again dress up in its finest on Sunday, September 13, with a double stopover, this time featuring the 'Costa Pacifica' and the 'Anthem of the Seas', which will bring more than 10,000 people to the city in a single day.
The ship known as the 'music ship', or the 'Costa Pacifica', will arrive at the Transatlantic Pier at 8:00 AM, coming from Cherbourg (Great Britain). After ten hours docked in our city, it will set sail for Lisbon (Portugal) at approximately 6:00 PM.
The Costa Pacifica was built at the Fincantieri shipyards in Italy and is 290 meters long and 35 meters wide. It has a maximum capacity of 3,780 passengers and 1,110 crew members. Conceived by cruise guru Joseph Farcus, renowned architect and interior designer, the central theme used as inspiration for the ship's concept is music. For the first time on a cruise ship, guests can enjoy a unique and immersive musical experience, which also serves as inspiration for the ship's interior design and artwork. The Costa Pacifica also features a state-of-the-art, fully equipped recording studio where passengers can sing along to their favorite songs from a playlist of approximately 700 Italian and international hits, with pre-recorded backing tracks, and record their own CDs.
One of the areas on board where the central theme of this unique ship is developed is the Theater, although the 'Costa Pacifica' also stands out for its art collection, with 308 original works and 5,929 reproductions on board.
And for younger guests, Costa offers 'PlayStation World', an area of the ship entirely dedicated to the latest generation video game console, the 'PlayStation 3'. The fun includes PlayStation afternoons on the large screen on the central deck with its outdoor pool.
For moments of relaxation, the cruise line offers passengers the 'Samsara Spa', located on two of the highest decks, with sea views, and a wide variety of treatments in its more than 6,000 m². There are also two pool areas on board, one on the decks in the central part of the ship and the other at the stern, both equipped with sliding glass roofs that offer splendid views.
In the central area, the 'Costa Pacifica' also has a giant 18 m² screen for daytime video clip screenings and nighttime feature film screenings, as well as a Formula 1 simulator.
For the most discerning palates, the 'Costa Pacifica' features the 'Ristorante Club Blue Moon' (reservations only), an elegant and sophisticated setting, with menus overseen by Ettore Bocchia, Corporate Chef of 'Costa Cruises', a restaurateur awarded a Michelin star since 2005.
The 'Costa Pacifica' has a total of 1,504 cabins, including 91 within the wellness area, 521 balcony cabins, 70 suites, all with private terraces, and 12 suites within the spa area.
It has a total of 5 restaurants and 13 bars, including the 'Cognac & Cigar' bar, the 'Coffee & Chocolate' bar and the 'Sport' bar, in addition to 4 swimming pools, 5 jacuzzis, a multi-purpose court, an outdoor jogging circuit, a casino, a disco, a dance club, a piano bar or a shopping center, among other facilities, as well as a 'Squok Club' (for younger passengers), with a children's pool.
The ship of the future
The 'Anthem of the Seas', belonging to the 'Royal Caribbean' cruise line, is scheduled to arrive at 9:30 a.m. from Lisbon, Portugal, with more than 6,000 people on board. At 3:00 p.m., it will set sail for Southampton, Great Britain.
