Valencia, October 30, 2018– This is a first: two consecutive days with five cruise ships docked simultaneously at the Port of Valencia, and with all services operating at 100% capacity to meet the needs arising from this type of traffic. In total, nine cruise ships were handled in 48 hours, which also positions October and November as the busiest months of the peak season for these types of calls at the Valencian port.
Specifically, yesterday the ships Sea Cloud, Mein Schiff II, Oriana, Wind Star, and Zenith called at the port; and today, Tuesday, in addition to the iconic Sea Cloud, which will remain throughout the day (and will stay until tomorrow), the Sea Cloud II, Costa Favolosa, Clio, and Celebrity Eclipse have docked. All of them were scheduled in advance; however, yesterday the Wind Star and the Zenith joined them, having changed their planned stop in Palma de Mallorca to Valencia due to the adverse weather conditions in the Balearic Islands.
The passengers who have arrived in Valencia have filled all the tourist offerings of Valencia and its province. The Sea Cloud, Sea Cloud II, and Clio are ships that accommodate a maximum of 100 passengers, in some cases with more crew than passengers. These are vessels with legendary histories, such as the Sea Cloud, a luxury sailing ship that participated in World War II and was sold to the United States Navy for the symbolic price of one dollar. This same ship was refurbished in 1931 as "the most luxurious ship in the world," adorned with Carrara marble, Indian silks, Sèvres porcelain, gold-plated faucets, and Fabergé eggs. In 1955, it passed into the hands of the Dominican Republic dictator Rafael Leónidas Trujillo, who christened it Angelita, in honor of one of his daughters; and with it, he would later flee his country. The Sea Cloud sailboat is 109.5 meters long, has 30 sails, four masts, a 54-meter mainmast, and a crew of 72 people.
The Sea Cloud II follows in the footsteps of its sister ship, also steeped in legend; and like the Clio, it welcomes travelers eager for nature adventures, cultural experiences, and exquisite cuisine, such as that offered by Valencia's finest restaurants. For them, birdwatching in l'Albufera, playing golf in El Saler, or exploring Valencia by bicycle are favorite activities.
Tourist offer
All these passengers brought to Valencia during the last few hours have experienced the diversity of what Valencia and other locations in the province have to offer.
Cruise lines offer these passengers different options that allow for a broad understanding of the city of Valencia: a visit to the City of Arts and Sciences, a tour of modern Valencia; the historic center, the more traditional Valencia, influenced by architecture from all its historical periods; the Fallas Museum, and everything surrounding the artistic process of creating the Fallas monuments, as well as a tour of the main hubs of the festival; and the Bioparc, the animal park with more than 4,000 animals of 250 species, among other activities that can be done in the city of Valencia.
On the larger ships, excursions have been offered to the areas surrounding the city of Valencia, highlighting the cultural, gastronomic, architectural, recreational, leisure, and commercial offerings. These include a visit to the Albufera, a Mediterranean ecosystem with more than 20,000 hectares of wild beaches, dunes, forests, rice paddies, and a huge lake where you can take a boat trip and discover the wildlife; the horchata route by bike, through a green agricultural landscape surrounding the city; a tasting of Valencian wines in Requena; the Lladró Museum in Tavernes Blanques, where you can follow the creative and manufacturing process of the pieces and an exhibition where you can purchase these artistic treasures; among many other activities.
Valenciaport expects to close the year with 197 cruise ship calls and 443,500 passengers, a figure that indicates the sector's growth is showing sustainable variation, allowing it to adapt its offerings to the pace of demand growth. In 2017, 416,938 cruise passengers were recorded.
