The first of seven triple port calls in 2017 has taken place. The first ships to arrive were the Boudicca, with a capacity for 850 passengers, and the Balmoral, with a capacity for 1,000 passengers. Both cruise ships belong to the Fred Olsen Cruise Lines fleet. As with other triple and quadruple port calls, and thanks to the collaboration of the Spanish Navy, one of the ships, the Balmoral, docked at La Curra pier, from where passengers can take a shuttle bus service to Plaza Héroes de Cavite, provided by the Cartagena Port Authority.
At 11:00 AM, the third cruise ship, the Majestic Princess, arrived and remained docked at the terminal until 7:00 PM. This magnificent vessel is the newest in the Princess Cruises fleet, having been launched this year, 2017, and confirms the cruise line's strong commitment to the Port of Cartagena. This year, they will repeat the experience of 2016, offering Mediterranean cruises embarking and disembarking in Cartagena. The Majestic Princess has a capacity for 3,560 passengers in 1,780 cabins. It carries a crew of over 1,300 and has 19 decks.
As is customary on first port calls, representatives from the Port Authority, the City Council, the Regional Government, and the ship's agent boarded the Majestic Princess to welcome its Captain and officers, exchanging plaques and highlighting the attractions of the port, the city, and the region. Fernando Muñoz, Head of Business Development for the Port Authority, and Javier Sánchez, representing the Blázquez Maritime Agency, were accompanied by Obdulia Gómez, Councilor for Tourism of the Cartagena City Council, and Manuel Fernández-Delgado, Director of the Tourism Institute of the Region of Murcia.
This week there will be cruise ships docked at the Port of Cartagena every day: in addition to the triple stop, on Tuesday the Silver Spirit (540 passengers), on Wednesday the Wind Surf (308 passengers), on Thursday the Wind Star (139 passengers), on Friday the Clio (88 passengers), on Saturday the Thomson Celebration (1,254 passengers) and the week will close on Sunday the Star Flyer cruise ship (170 passengers).
The cruise season is in full swing at the Port of Cartagena. Following a call in January (MSC Magnifica), the 2017 season officially began on March 13th with the arrival of the Ventura cruise ship. Throughout the year, more than 150 calls are expected, bringing over 230,000 passengers. Highlights include seven triple calls this year (April 17th, May 24th, August 13th, September 27th, October 6th and 15th, and November 4th), and a quadruple call scheduled for October 23rd.
