The Port of Tarragona reached a significant operational milestone on Sunday, August 2nd, by simultaneously welcoming three large cruise ships. The port received the MSC Virtuosa from MSC Cruises, the Norwegian Dawn from Norwegian Cruise Line, and the Viking Star from Viking Ocean Cruises. Throughout the day, a total of 12,508 passengers passed through the Balears dock facilities, amidst a flurry of embarkations, disembarkations, and transit calls.
This triple berthing brings the season's total to 37 port calls and 68,263 passengers since operations began in early April. The Port Authority maintains its forecast of closing the season with 80 port calls and 160,000 passengers, targets that would represent a new all-time record for the Port of Tarragona.
Of the three cruise ships that stopped in Tarragona on August 2, the MSC Virtuosa and the Norwegian Dawn made their first visit to the port, while the Viking Star had already docked in the city on June 21.
Arriving from Palma de Mallorca with 6,338 passengers on board, the MSC Virtuosa made a port call as part of a 14-day cruise connecting the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. Its itinerary includes stops in Southampton, Lisbon, Cádiz, Málaga, Alicante, Gibraltar, and A Coruña.
Joining the MSC Cruises fleet in 2021, this 331-meter-long vessel has 19 decks and a crew of 1,704. This was the first of two scheduled calls in Tarragona this year and is part of the 32 calls MSC Cruises has planned for the port during the 2026 season.
As for the Norwegian Dawn, 2,623 passengers disembarked and 2,647 embarked to begin an eight-day itinerary departing from Tarragona. The cruise includes stops in Palma de Mallorca, Valencia, Motril, Gibraltar, Cádiz, and Portimão, before concluding in Lisbon. The 294-meter-long ship has a crew of 1,032. This visit marks the first of the ship's two scheduled calls in Tarragona this year and is part of the three calls planned by the cruise line.
The Viking Star embarked 900 passengers for a seven-day itinerary in the Western Mediterranean, with stops in Sète, Marseille, Monte Carlo, Livorno (Florence), and Civitavecchia (Rome). The 228-meter-long ship, with a crew of 465, was making its second visit to the city and has four scheduled calls in Tarragona this season. The Viking Star is one of eight ships that Viking Ocean Cruises will deploy in Tarragona this year. The company has 17 calls scheduled and expects to carry 34,000 passengers.
A record-breaking season
Between the start of the season, on April 16, and August 2, the Tarragona Cruise Port has recorded 37 calls and 68,263 passengers.
Forecasts for the season as a whole point to 80 port calls and 160,000 passengers, figures that will allow us to surpass all previous records, driving sustainable growth and consolidating Tarragona as an emerging and fully established cruise destination.
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