There will be twelve more than planned, extending the 2016 season.
The ports of Maó and Alcúdia are attracting stops by luxury, medium and small-sized cruise ships, which adapt to the port facilities and find these cities a good attraction for their passengers even in the low season.
An example of this interest in smaller ports is demonstrated by ships like the luxury vessel Tere Moana, operated by Paul Gauguin Cruises, which has just confirmed 12 new port calls to the Balearic Islands Port Authority (APB) for the months of October, November, and December: six in Alcúdia and six in Maó. The Tere Moana is a 100-meter-long cruise ship with a capacity for 90 passengers that is already a regular visitor to the port of Palma but will be calling at the ports of Alcúdia and Maó for the first time.
Specifically, the APB is promoting in specialized forums and media not only the characteristics of the ports and their services but also the destination in which they are located, with the aim of highlighting their cultural, scenic and gastronomic appeal as a tourist attraction.
With these new calls, the forecast for Alcúdia is 17 and for Maó, 99 (last year there were 85). In total, the Balearic ports will receive almost 800 calls in 2016.
In the port of Alcúdia, ships up to 200 meters long dock and have access to the new and modern passenger terminal.
Statistics confirm the increase in port calls, but also that many of these ships are repeat visitors, which highlights the shipping companies' loyalty to the destination and their confidence in the service offered by the APB.
A cruise ship arrived at the port of Alcúdia in 2008. The next one arrived in 2012. There were two calls in both 2013 and 2014. In 2015 there were five, and 17 calls are scheduled for 2016. The first to arrive in Alcúdia will be Silversea's Silver Cloud, scheduled to call in April. It will be followed by others such as the Seadream II, the Thomson Majesty (which will make four calls, the last in October), Crystal Cruises' Crystal Symphony, Phoenix Reisen's MS Albatros, Oceania Cruises' Nautica, and Paul Gauguin Cruises' Tere Moana.
