Thousands of people are set to disembark and embark during the turnaround calls, with staff unloading and loading some 8,800 suitcases and accepting 16 truckloads of food and drink per voyage.
Simone Maraschi, MD, Cruise Gate Hamburg which operates Hamburg’s cruise terminals, said, ‘Ending this eventful cruise season with such a highlight is noteworthy on two counts. On one hand, it shows just how attractive and sought-after cruise trips departing from Hamburg are, even in winter. On the other hand, the logistic achievements of the employees are outstanding.’
He added, ‘Our well-practised processes at the terminal and the excellent cooperation of all parties involved make it possible to ensure efficient luggage services and smooth provisioning operations even on extremely busy turnaround days such as these. We want our guests to have the very best experience here, and we will do our utmost to make sure that they can set off on their Christmas holiday cruise carefree and relaxed.’
A popular, year-round destination
Felix Eichhorn, president of AIDA Cruises, said ‘We are delighted to see so many guests wanting to spend Christmas and the New Year with us…’ According to Eichhorn, from 2016 when AIDAprima was launched, the cruise line – in conjunction with the city and Cruise Gate Hamburg – have put considerable effort into making Hamburg a year-round destination.
‘Roughly half of all cruise ships calling at Hamburg are AIDA ships, and we offer a wide range of cruise options from the Hanseatic city throughout the year,’ he explained. ‘At the same time, we are one of the key drivers of tourism in the city; more than every second cruise passenger is an AIDA guest.’
Hamburg has been AIDAnova’s winter home port since November 11 – a first for the ship. Until May 4, the LNG-powered vessel will make 26 sailings to major West European cities, as well as Norway and Denmark on an alternate weekly schedule.
While docked at Cruise Center Steinwerder, AIDAnova will be able to run on shore power. After Altona, the terminal in Steinwerder is Hamburg’s second cruise centre with shore power infrastructure. Cruise Center HafenCity, which is currently under construction, will also sport a shore power facility.
268 calls next year
Hamburg’s 2023 cruise season runs January 1-December 31. As for the 2024 season, so far 268 calls are scheduled, of which nine will be a maiden voyage. Among the ships making the inaugural calls will be: Azamara’s Azamara Onward, Costa Cruises’ Costa Favolosa, TUI Cruises’ Mein Schiff 7, Albatros Expeditions’ Ocean Albatros, Cunard’s Queen Anne, Seabourn’s Seabourn Quest, Oceania’s Sirena, Princess Cruises’ Sky Princess, plus one ship from Disney Cruise Line, whose Disney Dream is scheduled to call at Hamburg for the first time on September 3.
Copyright © 2024. All rights reserved. Seatrade, a trading name of Informa Markets (UK) Limited.
Add Seatrade Cruise News to your Google News feed.  |
