Tag Archives: Zeebrugge

MSC Virtuosa the First Ship to Dock in Hamburg in 2023

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MSC Virtuosa arriving into Southampton Photo Credit Spacejunkie2 (Flickr)
The MSC Virtuosa was the first cruise ship to dock in Hamburg in 2023.

The MSC Virtuosa arrived in Hamburg on January 1, 2023, marking the beginning of this year’s cruise season. 

From January 8 to January 29, the ship will set course for the Canary Islands for three weeks. The ship will make calls in Rotterdam, Zeebrugge, Le Havre, Lisbon, Cadiz and Casablanca followed by visits to the Atlantic islands of Madeira, Tenerife, Gran Canaria and Lanzarote. On the way back to Hamburg, the MSC Virtuosa will call in La Coruna and Southampton.

The MSC Virtuosa will make several calls in Hamburg before April 16 turning around in the German port.

 In the summer of 2023, the cruise ship will then depart from Southampton, England for Norway or southern Europe. 

The MSC Euribia will then take over the trips to Hamburg from the MSC Virtuosa. In the summer of 2023, it will depart from Kiel and head to the Norwegian fjords. Throughout the 2023/2024 season, the MSC Euribia will return to Hamburg on a weekly basis.

The Port of Hamburg is expecting around 280 calls from cruise ships in 2023. The highlights in the port are the port birthday from May 5 to 7, 2023, and the Cruise Days from September 8 to 10, 2023. 

MSC Cruise to sail Winter Itineraries from Southampton

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MSC Magnifica below the Queensferry Bridge Photo credit Spacejunkie2

Sailing from mid-November until April, MSC Magnifica will call at Hamburg, Ijmuiden (Amsterdam), Zeebrugge, Le Havre and Southampton during a series of seven-night cruises.

The line said the itinerary had been created following the popularity of UK-based “sea-cations” this summer as the cruise sector made its comeback and “ongoing demand” for Northern Europe.

Passengers will benefit from extended stays in the port of up to 12 hours and embarkation will be possible in each city visited – sales open on Wednesday (6 October).

MSC’s the UK and Ireland managing director Antonio Paradiso said the Northern Pearls programme would offer Brits “direct and convenient access” to some of Europe’s best cities “for a great winter cruise”

All guests aged 12 years and above must be fully vaccinated and passengers aged 2-11 must provide proof of a negative PCR test or antigen taken within 48 hours of their cruise departure.

View Magnifica photos 

Smiles all ’round for AIDAprima

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AIDAprima's lips will shine across a total area of 150sq mtr

AIDAprima’s lips will shine across a total area of 150sq mtr

Rostock artist Feliks Büttner, creator of the signature kissing lips, eyes and waves found on the bow of every AIDA Cruises ship, faced a special challenge designing the motif for AIDAprima, currently under construction at the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries shipyard in Nagasaki, Japan.

The designer had to adapt the graphic design for the first AIDA ship to be built outside Germany, as the bow of the MHI-constructed vessel is different from the others in the fleet.

The position lights and anchor hatch in the bow section also had to be taken into account in the application of the motif in order to create its familiar three-dimensional effect. A total 342 litres of paint in 11 colours was used.

In 1996, AIDA Cruises became the first cruise line to introduce a painting on its ships’ bows.

For two decades, AIDA ships have been wearing the smile across the oceans.

When completed, AIDAprima’s kissing lips will shine across a total area of 150sq mtr. Each eye on the starboard and port side covers an area of 212sq mgr, and the blue waves on both sides of the hull fill an area of 330sq mtr. The entire painting extends over a length of 261mtr, surpassing all previous such paintings in the AIDA fleet.

The 124,500gt AIDAprima is scheduled to start its maiden cruise on October 1 from Yokohama, Japan. The 50-day journey ends on November 20 in Dubai. Following a winter season in the Middle East, the ship will depart from Dubai on March 18, 2016, headed for home port of Hamburg commencing a year-round programme of weekly cruises to Southhampton, Le Havre, Zeebrugge and Rotterdam end April.