Monday, August 25, 2014 - 09:58 by ce-press
September will be the busiest month of the year at Le Havre with 26 calls on 18 days scheduled. On September 9 and 16 there will be quadruple calls with the largest number of passengers and crew ever expected at the Cruise Terminal: 11,150 (3,050 crew/8,100 passengers) and 11,880 (3,080/8,800) respectively.
On September 16 two of the ships will be interporting, MSC Magnifica and MSC Opera, alongside Mein Schiff 1 and AIDAsol. There will also be one triple and seven double calls. From October to the end of the year, 19 calls are expected with Fred Olsen Cruise Line’s Balmoral calling December 20.
For next year 123 calls are scheduled, of which 60 will be from AIDA Cruises with eight different ships. This compares with a total of 119 this year. New to the port will be Royal Caribbean International’s newbuilding Anthem of the Seas on six calls and Saga Sapphire on three calls. The latter’s itinerary includes a call in Cherbourg which demonstrates the success of Norman destinations’ joint marketing efforts.
The 2015 Le Havre brochure has just been completed and is now being printed. Aimed as a tool for all the different cruiseline departments, including operations, it has an introduction to the local organisation and cooperation with the different stakeholders. A river cruise section has been added for the first time this year as Le Havre is keen to develop the sector. More space has been given to shore excursions including an a la carte menu on special themes such as ‘off the beaten track’.
In 2017 Le Havre’s 500th anniversary takes place. From June to October the city will become the backdrop for a packed schedule of events. The French city became a World Heritage site in 2005.
