This year’s cruise season ended on September 17 with the visit of the Bahamas-flagged, 163-meter-long ship Gemini. In 2011, cruise ships docked at the Gdynia port quays 56 times, bringing over 78,000 guests on board. The largest unit in terms of length, visiting Gdynia three times this season, was the Costa Pacifica (290.20 m), built in 2009.
This year, two more cruise ships were honored with plaques in the “Passenger Ship Avenue”. These were: Costa Pacifica (the ceremonial unveiling of the plaque took place on 07.06.2011) and Mein Schiff 2 (12.08.2011). The “Passenger Ship Avenue” in Gdynia is the only place of its kind in Poland. Starting from July 1, 2001, commemorative plaques have been embedded at the Pomeranian Quay to commemorate the largest and most beautiful cruise ships calling at Gdynia each season. The plaques are made of green Italian granite and feature the image and name of the ship, the coat of arms of Gdynia, the logo of the shipowner and the Polish agent, and the year the plaque was unveiled. The following ships already have their plaques in the Avenue: Birka Princess, Vistamar, Albatros, Lili Marleen, Grand Princess, Discovery, Star Princess, Constellation, the Baltic Cruise project, Navigator of the Seas, Hanseatic, Queen Victoria, AIDAluna, Emerald Princess, Grand Mistral, Vision of the Seas, AIDAblu, Costa Pacifica, and Mein Schiff 2. In the upcoming tourist season, the port expects visits from over 70 passenger ships.