The first highlight of Hamburg’s upcoming cruise season was commanded by a woman: on 7 April 2018 the AIDAsol arrived in Hamburg under the navigation of Germany’s very first female cruise ship captain.
The arrival of the AIDAsol will also mark the beginning of the 2018 port season, with an expected 220 arrivals by 50 ships operated by 26 shipping companies and more than 880,000 cruise passengers – an increase of 10 per cent compared with 2017.
This year’s programme includes various other highlights:
- In May, the popular Hafengeburtstag port festival will serve as the backdrop for the ship launching ceremony of TUI’s Mein Schiff 1.
- In the course of the year, there will be nine first-time arrivals of cruise giants in Hamburg’s port – among them the AIDAnova “mega liner” with more than 5000 passengers and the MSC Meraviglia with some 4500 passengers on board. Cunard Line’s MS Queen Mary 2 will be calling at the port of Hamburg as many as five times in 2018.
First Female Ship Captain
Germany’s first female cruise ship captain, Nicole Langosch (34), was appointed only recently by AIDA Cruises and has been in command of the AIDAsol since March 2018. She is responsible for some 2200 passengers and 630 crew members aboard the ship and spends three months at sea and three months on land on a rotating basis.
Most Visits from AIDA and MSC Ships
Again in 2018, AIDA will be the shipping company with the largest number of vessels calling to the port of Hamburg: 8 vessels will be arriving 88 times. These include the AIDAcara, the AIDAsol, the AIDAaura, the AIDAluna, the AIDAmar, the AIDAnova, the AIDAperla, and the AIDAvita.
With a total of 36 arrivals in 2018, shipping company MSC Cruises is in second place. Departing from Hamburg, MSC Meraviglia and MSC Magnifica will be heading towards the UK, Iceland, and Norway (including Spitsbergen).
Hamburg Cruise Days in 2019
The boom in Hamburg’s cruise industry is perhaps most evident during the Hamburg Cruise Days (13 to 15 September 2019). During the festival, Hamburg will be the undisputed centre of the global cruise scene, with countless ocean-going vessels, spectacular ship parades, and a diverse programme on land. September 2019 will also see two travel-themed trade fairs as well as the B2B event Seatrade Europe Hamburg (11 to 13 September 2019).
Once again in 2019, light artist Michael Batz will be transforming Hamburg’s port and the Elbe into a Blue Port with his fantastic installations.
Picture: Captain Nicole Langoschby is Germany’s first female cruise ship captain (by AIDA).
