ISABEL GARCIA
Updated Friday, February 9, 2024-00:10
Cinema What do you eat on a cruise? From acrobatic cuisine to artisanal pizzas or Michelin-starred menus
Album A journey underground through the most beautiful (and surprising) subways in the world
Historical figures. It is the balance of the cruise sector in recent times. Read
post-pandemic,
since this was precisely one of the hardest hit in the tourism sector. Spain is a clear example, since in the first nine months of 2023 its traffic increased by 75% compared to the same period of the previous year, reaching 6.1 million passengers. This is a
record
that had not been achieved before, above the levels of 2019, according to the data considered by Puertos del Estado. Hence, shipping companies around the planet face 2024 (and even beyond: sales for 2025 and 2026 are already underway with
very positive results
) with more optimism than ever. Below, their (varied) proposals.
AROUND THE GLOBE
For self-confessed cruisers (and repeat cruisers),
express crossings of three days
(be careful, they have more and more fans, both in the Mediterranean and the Caribbean), a week or even 15 days are not enough. The trips around the world offered by shipping companies such as
MSC Cruises are designed for them, which already put its
MSC World Cruise 2025
on sale months ago
aboard the
MSC Magnifica
, a 116-night trip visiting 50 destinations in 21 countries (from Spain to Italy ,
Morocco, Brazil, New Zealand or Australia
), with seven overnight stays on land (
Rio de Janeiro,
Buenos Aires or Valparaíso) and 22 places that had never appeared on their itinerary. It will be in January 2025. Meanwhile, its
MSC Poesia
has already been traveling around the world since January 7 (and will do so until April) with
173 Spaniards on board
. The shipping company of Italian origin is also celebrating, as it has just presented the campaign
A journey towards beauty
, which proposes traveling in a more
conscious and sustainable
way , maintaining a deep respect for the ocean and the planet.
Ship water park like 'MSC Seaside'.
The spot was filmed on the
MSC World Europa
ship , the first in the fleet powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG) and equipped with the latest environmental technology. On the other hand, luxury companies such as Silversea,
Regent Seven Seas Cruises,
Oceania Cruises and Azamara will also sail the planet in their exclusive ships for four months. Or more.
Royal Caribbean's
Ultimate World Cruise
lasts
274 nights
. All offer overnight stays and unique experiences such as witnessing a performance in an underground cistern in Istanbul or spending a whole day at the Taj Mahal.
Royal Caribbean's 'Wonder of Seas' ship.
THEMATIC ITINERARIES
Another of the most successful trends is that of themed cruises. There are musical ones (with
concerts, meetings with artists
and guitar courses), sports ones (to get in shape with a personal trainer or play paddle tennis or golf), diving ones (in places such as the Bahamas, the
Fiji Islands
or the Red Sea before before the political situation became complicated) and focused on cinema or television, whether sagas like
Star Wars
or series like
Friends
or
Star Trek.
Royal Caribbean
leads the latter, in which the traveler becomes part of the crew of a special ship, with filming, parties, contests and trivia.
'Star Trek' themed cruise.
Gourmet cruises also stand out, such as those of
Costa Cruises
aboard the
Costa Toscana
, with 30
gastro
spaces (11 restaurants and 19 bars and
lounges
) where you can taste sushi, pizzas, mozarellas and freshly made artisanal burrata, acrobatic cuisine in a bar teppanyaki,
nutella
crêpes ... The
Archipelago restaurant
would be missing , the first in the world to offer three menus signed by Michelin chefs on the high seas:
the Spanish Ángel León
, the French Hélène Darroze and the Italian Bruno Barbieri, with three, six and seven stars each. There are also pasta or chocolate workshops on board and talks on the history of
focaccia
, for example. They also offer
excursions with visits to wineries
, truffle tastings or courses on how to make pesto.
Japanese cooking workshop on the 'Tuscan Coast'.
BY SAILBOAT, YACHT OR CATAMARAN
Not everything is going to be gigantic ships converted into authentic cities, but it is also possible to live an adventure
on a sailboat, yacht, catamaran, schooner or even peniche
(characterized by its small size) through the Greek islands, the Balearic Islands, the Black Sea, the Caribbean, Southeast Asia, the Seychelles, South Africa and even
Oceania.
It is served on a plate by companies such as Globe Sailor, which offer both cabins on this type of boat and the possibility of renting them privately
with captain included
. There is also the option of taking
sailing
and navigation courses and participating in regattas. The company is in charge of organizing the entire trip if the client wishes: from flights to transfers, excursions or hotels that are necessary.
One of Globe Sailor's boats.
FROM THE DUERO TO THE AMAZON
The Rhine, the Danube,
the Seine, the Douro, the Tagus, the Loire,
the Guadalquivir and many other rivers that cross half the planet are the protagonists of river cruises, which gain more followers every year. To the point that some companies such as Politours
have quintupled the number of seats
on this type of journey by 2024 to 7,500, with 45 departures, given the good prospects of the sector. Most are in Spanish, but there is also room for the Japanese, Anglo-Saxon and Arabic markets. Other tour operators such as
Tui or Catai,
joined by specialized shipping companies such as CruiseEurope, Scenic, Crystal Cruises or Emerald Cruises, have also multiplied their offer. Its scope of action is not limited to Europe, but extends to more distant and exotic destinations crossing
the Nile, the Mekong, the Ganges or the Amazon,
where experiences are carried out with local communities during the excursions.
River tour aboard the 'Serenade'.
FOR FAMILIES OR 'SINGLES'
Journeys specialized in a
customer profile
are on the rise. The family members not only offer a children's or youth club to free up parents (who can dine alone or go on a hike if they want), but also a water park, cinema, merry-go-round, kart circuits, climbing wall... Who takes the cake? is Disney Cruise Line, whose cruise takes the traveler into the world of its theme parks with the help of its idols (
from Donald Duck to Spiderman
, Cinderella or the sisters from
Frozen
), with whom you can have breakfast (while eating cookies shaped like
Mickey Mouse 's face), play on deck or pilot the Millennium Falcon, the
Star Wars
spaceship
.
Mickey and Minnie Mouse and Disney Cruise Line.
Not in vain, the creative engineers who design their complexes in
Paris, Orlando or Florida
are the same as those of the ships. In addition, for the first time in its 25-year history, Disney sailed through the Mediterranean in 2023. Among the personalized cruises there would also be
adults-only
cruises , designed
for couples
(children are not welcome here), and
for singles,
whose purpose It is not about finding love (or yes...), but about having as much fun as possible between parties, games and dances.
You can follow
El Mundo Viajes
on
,
and