On July 28 the AIDAstella became the 111th cruise ship to call on Hamburg this year. The port expects altogether 176 calls for a new record year.
In the first six months of the year, Hamburg recorded a total of 271,317 passengers and 91 calls up to and including 30 June, an increase in passenger numbers of 23.8 percent compared to the same six months last year (2012: 219,153; 1st and 2nd quarter).
In May alone, 100,019 passengers from a total of 38 calls were processed at the cruise terminals in Altona, HafenCity and Überseebrücke. The record-breaking month of May has consequently delivered almost 36 percent of the total passengers handled in the first six months of 2013.
The proportion of turnaround guests that began or ended their cruise here constituted 94.5 percent in the first half-year.
For the second half of the year, Hamburg Cruise Center is expecting another 85 calls with some 230,000 passengers. As a result, the cruise port of Hamburg will hit the half-million passenger mark this year.
The first highlight of the second half-year was the maiden call of the Azamara Quest, which was celebrated with fireboats, the HHLA Shanty Choir and the traditional plaque and key ceremony on board.
The shore program included tours of Blankenese, Speicherstadt, the city center, including Jungfernstieg and Outer Alster, the Reeperbahn, and Lübeck as well as dinner in a micro-brewery.
Other Hamburg cruising highlights in the second half of the year are the maiden call of the Carnival Legend on Sept. 9 and the Christmas visits and the first call of a ship on New Year’s Eve with Fred.Olsen’s Boudicca.
