Port accessMay has been the busiest month of the year for cruise ships calling at the Port of Bilbao terminal in Getxo. Tomorrow, 31 May, will see the arrival of the last cruise ship of the month, bringing the total number for May to 18, with more than 18,000 tourists on board.
Since the start of the season in March, 25 cruise ships and 32,643 passengers have been welcomed, in a season that is expected to end in December with more than 90 stopovers. In these first five months, five have stayed overnight: Balmoral, owned by Fred Olsen; Seadream II, run by Seadream; Star Pride, of Windstar Cruises; Le Lapérouse, owned by Ponant; and Europa, operated by Hapag Lloyd.
The MSC Poesía, the first of three cruise ships to embark passengers in Getxo, also arrived on 23 April. The other two will be Hapag Lloyd’s Europa 2, scheduled for July, offering a twelve-day itinerary with the following route: Bilbao, Gijón, A Coruña. Oporto, Lisbon, Cadiz, Marbella, Ibiza and Barcelona; and, in September, the MS Vista, of Oceania, with an eleven-day itinerary: Bilbao, Gijón, A Coruña, Oporto, Lisbon, Tangier, Almería, Cartagena, Palma de Mallorca and Barcelona.
During this period, three ships have arrived in the port for the first time: Le Lyrial, operated by Ponant; Seadream II, owned by Seadream; and Carnival Miracle, run by Carnival Cruise Line.
In terms of trade fairs and events, from 7 to 10 April, the Bilbao Port Authority was at Seatrade Cruise Global in Miami, the leading international trade fair of the sector, where it was visited by many companies interested in the excellent cruise ship facilities of the port and in Bilbao/Bizkaia/the Basque Country as an attractive destination. From 6 to 8 May, the Port Authority was also at the Cruise Europe Conference in Copenhagen and, from 9 to 11 May, took active part in the Expovacaciones fair, with a stand at the BEC.
