There will be an expected 65 calls and 120,000 passengers on 32 different vessels, sixteen of which will dock in Tarragona for the first time.
The cruise ship La Belle des Océans belonging to CroisiEurope inaugurated the season on Wednesday 2 April having arrived from Cartagena with 98 passengers and 66 crew on board
MSC Cruceros has chosen Tarragona as its base port for the fourth consecutive year. In 2025 it will make 25 calls, 24 with the MSC Splendida, on a weekly itinerary between May and October, and one with the MSC Magnifica
This Wednesday 2 April, Port Tarragona opened its 2025 cruise season. The liner ‘La Belle des Océans belonging to CroisiEurope docked in the port at 1 pm having sailed from Cartagena with 98 passengers and 66 crew on board. Sixty-five calls are programmed this season, two more than last year, which will be a new record. Of these, 25 will be by MSC Cruises. For the fourth consecutive year, the company has chosen Tarragona as the home port for one of its weekly cruises, which will operate on Fridays between May and October. During the eight months of the 2025 season, an estimated 120,000 passengers are expected to pass through the Baleares Wharf and Tarragona Cruise Port terminal, to enjoy the tourist attractions offered by the Costa Daurada.
La Belle des Océans was the cruise ship chosen to begin the 2025 season in Port Tarragona. Belonging to CroisiEurope, it is 103 metres long with a maximum capacity of 130 passengers and 73 crew. The vessel arrived at 1 pm on Wednesday en route from Cartagena and set sail at 7 pm bound for Palamós. Tarragona was one of the stops on an itinerary visiting different Spanish ports, including Malaga, Barcelona and Roses, as well as those already mentioned, following in the footsteps of great artists such as Gaudí, Dalí and Picasso. Interestingly, La Belle des Océans is also scheduled to be the last cruise of the season calling at Tarragona, on 4 November.
Record number of calls for this season
This year, a total of 65 calls are scheduled in Port Tarragona. This means two more arrivals than last year, with the record set for calls in 2024 expected to be broken. In total, 32 different vessels will dock at the Baleares Wharf this season, 16 of which will do so for the first time.
In terms of passenger forecasts, it is estimated that some 120,000 cruise passengers will pass through the Baleares Wharf and Tarragona Cruise Port terminal; a figure in line with recent years. This passenger number estimate confirms the trend of sustainable growth that Port Tarragona, Tarragona Cruise Port and the region, represented on the Institutional Cruise Committee, have been committed to since the start of the project more than ten years ago. In this respect, it should be noted that the call and cruise passenger forecasts for 2025 fall far below the numbers recorded by the major Mediterranean cruise ports.
MSC Cruceros consolidates its commitment to Tarragona
The main bulk of calls and passengers this season will be provided by MSC Cruises. The company, the third largest globally in the cruise sector, has renewed its commitment to the destination and has consolidated Tarragona as one of its main home ports in the western Mediterranean. This year, MSC will make a total of 25 calls at Tarragona’s Baleares Wharf and always as a port of embarkation and partial disembarkation.
The company will operate from Tarragona Port with the MSC Splendida. The vessel’s first call will be on 14 April, although it will not begin its weekly itinerary from Tarragona until 16 May. From then on, every Friday until 17 October, the ship will dock in the city en route from Marseille to Valencia on an eight-day tourist cruise of Spain, France and Italy, including the ports of Livorno Civitavecchia and Genoa.
Port Tarragona at Seatrade Cruise Global in Miami
Port Tarragona will participate once again this year at Seatrade Cruise Global, the main worldwide cruise industry business-to-business event. The trade fair will be held from 7 to 10 April in Miami (USA) and Tarragona will be present on the State Ports Authority stand. Attendance at the event is designed to reinforce Tarragona’s positioning as one of the cruise destinations with the most potential in the western Mediterranean, thanks to its comprehensive tourism offer that includes heritage, gastronomy and leisure. During the four days of the fair, Port Tarragona will promote the destination in meetings with shipping companies, suppliers and agents, as well as other experts linked to the sector.
