Split Welcomes 292 Cruise Ships with 300,000 Passengers

Port captain Vjekoslav Grgić states that the port of Split has already had three cruise ship arrivals this month, bringing German tourists, while an Italian cruise ship will arrive for Easter, which comes to Split every Sunday from March to the end of October. This is the Costa Mediterranea cruise ship with 2,500 tourists.

This year, according to announcements, could be a record year for the port of Split, as 292 cruise ships are expected to dock, što je 30 više nego lani te u Split dovesti 300 tisuća putnika, doznaje se iz Luke Split. U toj luci ističu da je interes golem te je već sada, iako se rezervacije primaju cijelu godinu, dolazak u sezoni 2017. najavilo već 229 kruzera.  Port captain Vjekoslav Grgić states that the port of Split has already had three cruise ship arrivals this month, bringing German tourists, while an Italian cruise ship will arrive for Easter, which comes to Split every Sunday from March to the end of October. This is the Costa Mediterranea cruise ship with 2,500 tourists.

– It has rarely happened that we have almost full capacity for the next season in March, and for 2018, we already have 20 registered, says Grgić.

He adds that cruise ships are usually moored in the port, and rarely anchored.

– Some moorings in the port have already been expanded, we have gained depth, and now we have greater possibilities for mooring cruise ships. Two new 300-meter-long moorings for cruise ships are still under construction, and we expect the opening of the first one at the beginning of June this year, while the second will be completed at the beginning of the next season, says Grgić.

He also emphasizes that he expects 400 arrivals in the port per season by 2018.

The Italian shipping company Costa Crociere is the most loyal to Split, as its cruise ships Costa Mediterranea and Costa Classica have been docking there for years. In 2013, they docked 23 times and brought about 34,000 passengers, last year 32 times with 72,000 passengers, while this year they announced 53 arrivals.

Although they come from all over the world, the most numerous tourists on cruise ships are from Europe, and recently from Asia. Large cruise ships stay in Split from 8 AM to 5 PM, while smaller ones may stay longer. Tourists from the cruise ships traditionally visit Trogir, Salona, Radman’s Mills, Krk, and if time allows, Medjugorje upon arriving in Split.

All cruise ships that dock in Split this season will be moored in the port, and only the largest will anchor at the entrance to the port. This refers to the 318-meter-long cruise ship Celebrity Equinox with 3,000 passengers sailing under the Maltese flag.
Cruise ships have been arriving at the port of Split for the last 16 years. Initially, about forty arrived per season. Year after year, there has been a noticeable increase in cruise ship arrivals, with a record year in 2008 with 258 arrivals and 180,000 passengers.