In 2011 there will be more than 355 calls on 66 cruise vessels from 36 brands to the Port of Copenhagen, 15% more than in 2010.
Nearly 750,000 (+13%) passengers and 200,000 crew members from more than 115 countries will be visiting Copenhagen between April and October.
“A study made by Cruise Copenhagen shows that each turnaround passenger spends on average about DKK 1,500 [E201] a day in the city, while a cruise call passenger only spends a third of this amount. Never before has Copenhagen been included so many times in the route planning of cruise lines,” says Arnt Moller Pedersen , general manager Copenhagen Malmö Port.
The cruise season is getting longer with the 2011 season beginning with Cruise & Maritime Voyages’ Ocean Countess on April 4 and ending on October 14 with a call from Fred Olsen Cruise Lines’ Boudicca. A few ships, mainly from the UK, will call again in December on Christmas markets cruises.
The biggest ship in Copenhagen in 2011 will be the 121,880gt Celebrity Eclipse with a length of 317m. As far as passenger numbers go, the biggest ship will be the Emerald Princess with a capacity of 3,194 lower berths. The smallest ship will be the 90-passenger, 2,183gt Ocean Nova.
Nine vessels will call Copenhagen for the first time in 2011 including AIDA Cruises’ AIDAsol, Phoenix Reisen’s Artania, Oceania Cruises’ Marina, TUI Cruises’ Mein Schiff 2, Cunard Line’s Queen Elizabeth and SeaDream Yacht Club’s SeaDream l .
The busiest day of 2012 will be June 4 with five turnaround and one transit call with 23,000 passengers passing through the terminals.
This season Norwegian Cruise Line has decided to move Norwegian Sun from Dover to Copenhagen to make a total of 16 turnaround calls. Come 2013, these will take place at new facilities. “We’re looking forward to quickly gaining access to the new [1,100m] quay which will enable flexible terminals and support facilities for passenger service. At the same time, the solutions for cars, buses and taxi service will become much more efficient,” says Mr Pedersen. The total investment will be about DKK 500 million (approximately US$ 90 million).
The Danish port already has 325 calls booked into 2012. “Never before have we had so many bookings at so early a stage,” says Mr Pedersen.
