CRUISES FROM MALAGA AND GIBRALTAR
Many people choose to cruise these days, boarding luxurious thousand-passenger vessels with swimming pools and other sports facilities and activities, a wide variety of bars and restaurants, and live entertainment, to take them in five-star comfort to fascinating, exotic destinations. From Andalucia, you can take cruises to Morocco, the Canary Islands, Madeira, and all around the Mediterranean (Portugal, France, Italy, Croatia, Greece and Turkey). Alternatively, you can join a world cruise in Gibraltar, which is a very popular port.
Cruises are becoming increasingly popular in Andalucía. In 2009 the number of tourists who arrived in the port cities of Andalusia increased by 20 per cent, with a total of 787,000. The number of passengers who took cruises in the region in 2009 was more than six million.
In terms of port facilities, in 2010, a total of 215 million euros will be spent on port infrastructure in Andalucia. The port of Tarifa, in Cadiz province, is being developed, and in the port of Malaga, the Levante Maritime Station will be completed in 2011.
MALAGA
Malaga is an ideal point to start your cruise -it is a lively city buzzing with excellent bars and restaurants, with lots of cultural attractions, from the Moorish Alcazaba to the new Picasso Museum.
Malaga´s cruise terminal has only been in operation for three years. Until recently it was just used as a stopping off point for cruises, but recently ships have started to depart from the port. The cruise ship terminal is about 30 minutes from the airport.
Here are some examples of cruise itineraries which both depart from, and return to (except where stated), the port of Malaga.
- 22 nights Barbados Cruise (one-way), with stops in Morocco and Madeira
- 12 nights San Juan, Puerto Rico Cruise (one-way) with a stop in Funchal
- 8 nights Monte Carlo Cruise with stops in Valencia, Barcelona, Sete, Cassis, St. Tropez, Antibes,
- 8 nights Pearls of the Orient Cruise with stops at Gibraltar, Lisbon, Lanzarote, Agadir and Casablanca.
- 7 nights Nice Cruise with stops in Cartagena, Formentera, Ibiza, Mahon, St Tropez, Monte Carlo,
- 7 nights `Las Culturas del Mare Nostrum` cultural family cruise with stops in Bari, Olympia, Santorini, Mykonos, Piraeus, Athens, Corfu, Dubrovnik, Venice
- 6 nights Western Med Cruise with stops in Cagliari, Civitavecchia, Ajaccio, Palma de Mallorca
- 5 nights Short Western Med Cruise with stops in Ajaccio and Provence
- 5 Night Short Western Med Cruise with stops in Palma de Mallorca, Ajaccio, Provence, Barcelona
- 5 Night Short Canary Islands Cruise with stops in Tenerife and Funchal
Companies which operate cruises departing from, and (nearly all) returning to, Malaga include Royal Caribbean, Star Clippers and Pulmantour.
GIBRALTAR
"The Rock" is a popular cruise point due to its tax-free status and British shops such as Marks&Spencers, Next and BHS. Don't miss the cable car with views over to Africa - Morocco is just 14km away - the famous Barbary apes and Upper St Michael's cave.
The new cruise ship terminal is just five minutes from the airport, and one mile from the centre of town. Up to 37 vessels dock every month, with a total of 64,000 passengers.
Many world cruises stop in Gibraltar - companies operating cruises which dock at 'the Rock' include:
P&P, Fred Olsen, Crystal, Thomson, Princess, Phoenix Reisen, Saga, Kristina, Silversea, Royal Caribbean, Voyages of Discovery, Oceana, Cunard, Azmara, Star Clippers, Disney Cruise Line, Pullmantur and MSC.
Routes from the UK with stops in Gibraltar include Southampton to Cartegena; Alicante; Toulon; and Cannes; and Liverpool to Cartagena. Other cruises
