On Monday July 20th, from 7am to 7pm, the prestigious ship the Mein Schiff 2, from TUI Cruises, called at anchor off the Mourillon beaches, Toulon.
Toulon has two cruise terminals: one downtown in the city center of Toulon (300 meters long with maximum 8.5 draught), the other across the bay in La Seyne-sur-Mer (340 meters long with 9.15 meters draught). Since the latter, able to welcome the giants of the seas, was already occupied that same day by the cruise ship Island Princess, thus, the 262,50 meters long German ship anchored in the Bay of Toulon.
The Var Chamber of Commerce and Industry, that manages the Ports of Toulon Bay, imagined a challenging way to welcome this first scheduled call at anchor: to transform the “Palais du Commerce et de la Mer”, a spacious conference hall, into an ephemeral cruise terminal able to welcome the passengers and crew members of the Mein Schiff 2 in the most effective way.
The challenge was met successfully. The first passengers, conveyed by tenders and maritime shuttles, disembarked at the PCM around 8 am; in total, with 80 back and forth journeys between the ship and the PCM, 1,300 cruise passengers (2/3 of the passengers) went ashore during the day.
In line with its strategy to focus on quality, The Var Chamber of Commerce and Industry met the expectations of the cruise passengers, setting up a Provencal market, a sound system displayed French music standards, and directional signs; even the local touristic train was there to welcome the passengers to give them a ride around Toulon and bring them to the famous beach resort of Le Mourillon.
Bilingual hostesses provided information about the touristic attractions of Toulon, and around ten coaches brought the passengers on excursion (to Aix-Marseille, Cassis, Sanary, Le Castellet…).
With 119 calls and 233,000 passengers expected for 2015 (+222% of the number of passengers since 2008), the Var Chamber of Commerce and Industry will use the Palais du commerce et de la Mer transitory terminal more often for calls at anchor in order to respond to the booming success of Toulon as a cruise destination and the arrival of bigger ships in the coming future.
The Mein Schiff 2 will berth at anchor in the Bay on Toulon on the 8th of September for the second time, and the PCM will once again become a cruise terminal to welcome its passengers and crew in the best conditions.
Contact person: Katia Bizat, tel : 04 94 22 80 08.
