Last 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 Gdynia’s port quays 56 times, bringing over 78,000 guests on board. The longest vessel to visit Gdynia three times during the 2011 season was the Costa Pacifica (290.2 m), built in 2009.
In 2012, the most frequent visitors to the Port of Gdynia will be the AIDAblu and AIDAsol ships, both owned and operated by AIDA Cruises. The AIDAsol will arrive in Gdynia 12 times (the first opportunity to see this vessel will be on May 9), while the AIDAblu will call at Gdynia’s quays 11 times (first arrival on June 8). The longest vessels this year will again be the Costa Pacifica (290.2 m), which can be seen at the Port of Gdynia 3 times (June 1, August 19 and 30), and the Grand Princess (July 17), which will visit Gdynia only once this season. The best day to visit the Port of Gdynia to see cruise ships will be July 19, when 3 ships will be docked: Gann (108.6 m), Marina (238 m), and Vision of the Seas (279 m).
The cruise season at the Port of Gdynia is scheduled to end on September 24, when the last announced ship, the Nautica, will visit Gdynia.
This year’s cruise season plans to expand the “Passenger Ship Avenue” in Gdynia by 1 plaque. The lucky vessel to be honored with a commemorative plaque is set to be the Marina. The unveiling of the plaque, made of green Italian granite and featuring the image and name of the ship, the coat of arms of Gdynia, the logo of the shipowner and the Polish agent, as well as the year, will most likely take place on July 25. The “Passenger Ship Avenue” is the only place of its kind in Poland. Ships that already have their plaques in the Avenue include: Birca 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.