AndalucíaAragónAsturiasIlles BalearsCanariasCantabriaCastilla y LeónCastilla-La ManchaCatalunyaExtremaduraGaliciaMadridMurciaNavarraPaís VascoLa RiojaComunitat ValencianaAndalucíaAragónAsturiasIlles BalearsCanariasCantabriaCastilla y LeónCastilla-La ManchaCatalunyaExtremaduraGaliciaMadridMurciaNavarraPaís VascoLa RiojaComunitat Valenciana
ES|EN

Diario PYME

Port of Alicante achieves record 21 cruise ship embarkations for 2026

MSC Cruceros begins a new cycle with the MSC Ópera, while Costa Cruceros and Fred.Olsen Cruise Lines join the offering.

Image of a large cruise ship docked at Alicante port at dusk, with city lights in the background.
IA

Image of a large cruise ship docked at Alicante port at dusk, with city lights in the background.

The Port of Alicante sets a new historical record with 21 cruise ship embarkations scheduled for 2026, exceeding the 20 from the previous year, thanks to the consolidation of MSC Cruceros and the addition of Costa Cruceros and Fred.Olsen Cruise Lines.

The shipping company MSC Cruceros will begin a new cycle of embarkations from its home port in Alicante on Wednesday, May 20, with the vessel MSC Ópera. This ship, 275 meters long, has a capacity for 2,679 passengers and 728 crew members, and previously visited the maritime terminal on a transit stop. The MSC Ópera will replace the MSC Orchestra on one of the main Mediterranean routes starting from the 2025 season.
The first departure of the MSC Ópera from the cruise terminal at pier 14 will mark the beginning of a total of 15 embarkations until next October. The vessel will set sail for Mahón, continuing its journey to Olbia, Genoa, Marseille, Málaga, Cádiz, and Lisbon on a ten-night itinerary. This dynamic will be repeated every ten days until October 7, with five fewer embarkations than operated in the 2025 season. Additionally, the company will complete its offering for Alicante with ten extra transit calls, featuring other ships such as the MSC Euribia, MSC Meraviglia, or MSC Magnifica.
The Port of Alicante compensates for the reduction in MSC Cruceros' homeport activity with the addition of two other shipping companies that have chosen the city for 2026. These are Costa Cruceros, contributing five embarkations with the vessel Costa Pacífica, and Fred.Olsen Cruise Lines, which includes a single departure with embarkation scheduled for October 8 with its vessel Balmoral. These additions allow the Port to reach its highest record of cruise embarkations to date, with 21, compared to 20 in 2025, all of which were from MSC Cruceros.
Contacts established by Global Ports Holding, the Port Authority, and tourism boards, through their participation in major industry fairs, predict an increase in embarkations for the 2026 season with new companies. In fact, this Tuesday, a familiarization trip has been scheduled with representatives of a renowned shipping company already included in this year's call calendar, with the intention of thoroughly exploring the destination and new embarkation possibilities from 2027. Activities include visits to monuments such as the Santa Bárbara Castle, a tapas route in Alicante's City Center, and tours of the maritime terminal and Alicante-Elche Airport facilities, as well as Elche and the Casa Sicilia winery in Novelda.
The call schedule for 2026 includes the arrival of 321 ships, with an estimated 321,563 passengers, which will set a new annual historical record, following 2025 with 252,317. As of April, cruise traffic totals 64,345 accumulated passengers, a 60.5% growth. The 2026 calendar includes 18 simultaneous double calls, and up to 17 of the ships arriving at pier 14 will do so for the first time, demonstrating Alicante's attractiveness. It is estimated that cruise passengers will generate an economic impact of over 84 million euros in the province in 2026, a 20% increase compared to previous studies.

Related News