Alcudia.Investment in both time and money in Alcudia's commercial port is beginning to pay off. The re-development of the dock and the terminal was one which had in mind attracting cruise ships. Last summer, Sea Cloud was the first ship to come to Alcudia. This summer, there are to be two more, and of these, the arrival of The World on 8 August is going to be a bit special.
The World is no ordinary cruise ship. It is a luxury, floating residence that is constantly circumnavigating the globe. Its residents own the ship's apartments and they collaborate in deciding on routes that the ship will take. And Alcudia has made it onto the ship's itinerary in the Mediterranean this summer.
The inclusion of Alcudia is testimony not just to the financial investment in the port but also to the efforts on behalf of the town hall to attract cruise ships. Key to these have been attendance at the Cruise Shipping Miami convention in Florida each year. Mayor Coloma Terrasa, councillor for tourism Josefina Linares and the town's tourism technical expert, Magdalena Truyols, were at the convention in March this year, helping to raise Alcudia's profile, while a famtrip to Alcudia last year (featuring press and cruise company representatives) also added to Alcudia's increased visibility.
The World will be in Alcudia for three days, having come from Saint Tropez. She will set sail for Ibiza at 6pm on 10 August, so the passengers and crew will have ample opportunity to experience not just Alcudia but other parts of the island. The town hall will be creating a special information centre in the port, and there are expected to be displays of local produce for sampling by the passengers, who will be greeted by a ball de bot folk dance performance. The exact number of passengers is unclear at present but could be as many as 200 in addition to the 250 crew.
This will not be the first time that The World has visited Majorca. Indeed, the ship came to Palma soon after she was launched. As my colleague Humphrey Carter recalls: she was amazing on board. And amazing she should be when she docks in Alcudia in a couple of weeks time.
On 15 September, the Prinsendam from Holland America Line will be in Alcudia as well. This classic yacht with the feel of a cruise ship can carry over 800 passengers, so she will be the largest of the ships to have come to Alcudia. Two ships are already scheduled to be in Alcudia next year. These are the Azamara Journey (up to almost 700 passengers) on 25 May and Seadream II (a smaller ship with 112 passengers and 95 crew) on 16 July.
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