Five ships will make Christmas calls at the port of Hamburg. The Balmoral from Fred. Olsen Cruises will call on Dec. 16, and Phoenix Reisen will see two ships off on world cruises on Dec. 20, the Amadea and the Albatros. Both ships have been docked at nearby Blohm+Voss to be made ready for their long voyages. Cunard’s Queen Victoria made her Christmas call on Dec. 11 and P&O’s Arcada on Dec. 12.

“Hamburg is a diverse port. On the one side we trust the solid and professional team work between shipyard, suppliers and operator. On the other side we value Hamburg as an outstanding homeport for our cruises. Tourist attractions, infrastructure and easy access for our guests, travelling to Hamburg from all over the country are big plusses”, said Michael Schulze, managing director for cruise at Phönix Reisen.

Altogether in 2009, Hamburg received 87 calls, including five maiden visits and numerous days with two ships simultaneously, plus one day with four ships in port at once and a christening, making the 2009 season the most successful to date for the Hamburg Cruise Center.

To meet future anticipated industry needs, Hamburg inaugurated a new terminal in Altona in August 2009, which will go into service in 2010.

Forecasting Record 2010

Next year’s forecast calls for 110 calls and 220,000 passengers, with the season officially getting underway on Feb. 5 with the arrival of AIDA Cruises’ newest club ship, the AIDAblu. She will be christened in Hamburg on Feb. 9.

Hamburg will homeport three AIDA ships in 2010 for a total of 43 cruises.

On March 6, MSC will christen its new ship, the Magnifica, in Hamburg. The godmother will be Sophia Loren.

Also during the 2010 season, Hamburg will welcome seven maiden calls.

May is expected to be the busiest month with 29 calls. A total of five ships are expected during the 821st Hamburg Port Festival (the “Hafengeburtstag’), including the Queen Mary, on May 8. The QM2 will be visiting Hamburg a total of four times in 2010.

The second Hamburg Cruise Days take place from July 30 to Aug. 1. Six cruise ships are scheduled to be in the port for the event.

Another highlight during the 2010 season will be the official opening of the terminal building in Altona.

And for the fourth year running the Hamburg cruise season will last until well into December with a number of Christmas cruises scheduled.