Five of the world's newest luxury liners to make their first visit to Malaga this year

2016-02-22 09:00:00

Some of the world’s greatest cruise liners will be paying Malaga a visit for the first time this year. Five recently constructed luxury ships are scheduled to arrive in the Port, including the biggest liner in the world, Royal Caribbean’s ‘Harmony of the Seas’, due on 3 June.
At present the ‘Harmony of the Seas’ is still at the STX shipyards in Saint-Nazaire, France, and is expected to start sailing in May. In fact, the visit to the capital of the Costa del Sol will be one of the first stopovers on this gigantic ship’s inaugural voyage.
The newest member of the Oasis class will spend its first season carrying passengers on seven-night cruises of the Mediterranean from Barclona, and in November it will go on to Fort Lauderdale and cruise the Caribbean during the winter.
This ship will have seven ‘neighbourhoods’, 20 restaurants and 2,394 crew. Future passengers of the ‘Harmony of the Seas’ will be able to enjoy many exceptional facilities including three water slides, a Bionic Bar with robot waiters, which was also one of the novelties on the ‘Quantum of the Seas’, and Voom, the high-speed Internet connection which will enable passengers to share their holidays and experiences instantly on social networking sites.
The ‘Harmony of the Seas’ has 16 decks, a total weight of 227,000 tons, and capacity for 5,479 passengers in double staterooms and 2,747 cabins.
Although it cannot match the ‘Harmony of the Seas’ in size, another ship that will be visiting Malaga is ‘Le Lyrial’, which came into service last year and will be taking passengers for an eight-night cruise with stops at Gibraltar, Casablanca and Tangiers, among other ports.
This luxury ship, which offers passengers an experience similar to a private yacht, is the latest acquisition by the Ponant company. It has capacity for 265 passengers, and 139 crew.
The ship, 142 metres long and 18 metres wide, has a contemporary decor in which the colours of the Lyra constellation predominate. ‘Le Lyrial’ will arrive in Malaga for the first time on 15 April.
New line of ships
Less than a year after its inauuration, the luxury ‘Viking Star’ will also be visiting Malaga for the first time. This is part of a new line of passenger ships which offer novelties such as cabins with king-size beds, free wifi and a free excursion at each of the ports it visits.
The ship, which has nine decks and capacity for 930 passengers, is like a favourite child for the cruising industry. It offers 18 classes of accommodation in its 465 cabins and 15 different gastronomic experiences. However, what really makes it stand out is its glass swimming pool, which never fails to delight passengers.
The ‘Viking Star’ will be arriving in Malaga on 27 April, which will be the busiest day for cruise ships at the Port. It will not be the day with the highest number of passengers, though, because the ships which are scheduled to arrive are small and more exclusive, such as the Wind Surf, Corinthian, Seabourn Quest and Silver Spirit.
Nevertheless, this smaller type of cruise passenger is also important for the Port, as more companies are including Malaga on their itineraries.
27 April is also the date when the ‘National Geographic Orion’ , an expedition ship with 102 passengers, will be visiting Malaga. This ship is extremely well equipped for exploring the surroundings, with kayaks, Zodiacs, an ROV and space for divers. It is modern and elegant, with an intimate atmosphere.
This is a different way of travelling by sea. Every night the expedition community gathers in the library to discuss the day, and the theatre becomes a comfortable venue to enjoy the presentations of the speakers and expert staff on board.
Those who are keen to see the first newcomer arrive in port will have to wait until 10 April for the visit by ‘Mein Schiff 4’, the latest addition to the TUI tour operator cruise fleet.
German is the official language on board this ship, which has capacity for 2,506 passengers. With its casual style and all-inclusive concept, this latest acquisition has become a select choice among cruise enthusiasts.source surinenglish