Hamburg Cruise Center announces highlights for 2010

2010 cruise season promises to be the most successful year ever for Hamburg’s port. For the first time over 100 calls are expected as well as numerous maritime events.

The 2010 season will kick off with the ship’s christening of AIDA Cruises’ “AIDAblu”. The seventh ship of the fleet with signature pouting lips will be christened at Port of Hamburg during a glamorous event on 9th February 2010. The spectacular climax will be a dazzling fireworks display in the harbour, during which red and blue light effects representing the elements ‘fire’ and ‘ice’ will illuminate the night sky over the city on the Elbe. Furthermore, in the 2010 season AIDA Cruises will, for the first time, be using Hamburg as the arrival/departure port for three of its ships – the “AIDAaura”, the “AIDAcara” and the “AIDAluna”.

The maiden voyage of the “MSC Magnifica” will be a further highlight of the 2010 season. The ship is the 11th ship to join Italian shipping line MSC Cruises’ fleet.

A total of six maiden voyages are expected in 2010. In addition to the “AIDAblu” mentioned above, the Celebrity Cruises’ “Celebrity Constellation” (24.04.); MSC Cruises’ “MSC Poesia” (15.05.); Sea Cloud Cruises’ “Sea Cloud Hussar” and Saga Cruises’ “Saga Pearl II” (12.12.) will be calling at Port of Hamburg for the first time.

The 2010 season will also see the “Queen” visiting Hamburg a total of four times. The “Queen Mary 2” will call at the port for the first time on 8th May during the ‘Hafengeburtstag Hamburg’ port festival, taking place from 7th – 9th May 2010. Three further calls are planned on 13th May and 16th and 26th August. Following the success of the mini cruises offered from/to Hamburg in 2009 they will again be on offer in 2010. The May cruise will visit Norway and Denmark while the Norwegian fjords and the North Pole are the August destinations.

Construction of the new terminal in Altona should be completed in prompt time for the Hamburg Cruise Days 2010. The terminal’s official opening is planned for the early summer. Hamburg will now be able to operate with two functional cruise terminals. It is presumed that 50 ships a year will be operated in Altona. The berth can accommodate vessels with a length of up to 300 metres.