The 2018 cruise season in Hamburg started on April 7 with the AIDAsol, under the guidance of female captain Nicole Langosch.

The call marked the start of the city’s massive cruise season, with 220 calls scheduled by 50 ships and 26 cruise lines, representing 880,000 cruise passengers, according to a press release.
In May, the Hafengeburtstag port festival will serve as the backdrop for the christening ceremony of TUI’s Mein Schiff 1. The port festival, running for three days, will also see calls from Cunard and AIDA ships, with over 1 million visitors expected to line the banks of the River Elbe.

Other first time calls, according to a prepared statement, include the AIDAnova and MSC Meraviglia. In addition, the Queen Mary 2 has five scheduled calls into Hamburg in 2018.
AIDA is the port’s biggest cruise customer, with 88 calls scheduled from eight ships, including the AIDAcara, AIDAsol, AIDAaura, AIDAluna, AIDAmar, AIDAnova, AIDAperla and AIDAvita. MSC is second on the call list, with 36 calls.

There are 10-first time calls scheduled at the port in 2018.

For 2019, the port is already looking forward to Hamburg Cruise days, a three-day cruise-themed festival in September that brings out the city’s maritime spirit, with cruise calls, ship parades and more scheduled.

Hamburg Tourismus has compiled a special offer for potential new cruise passengers, as interested individuals now have the opportunity to go onboard selected ships in the port of Hamburg as part of a special guided tour.