First official cruise touching dock at Gibraltar since the pandemic started

Although the Rock allowed cruise ships to stop to refuel, today saw the first official cruise touching dock at Gibraltar since the pandemic started.

Wind Surf, a five-mast staysail schooner of Windstar Cruises arrived at 8am on the morning of August 13 and was expected to depart at 6pm as Gibraltar was included in its itinerary as part of their Mediterranean Cruise.

The Minister for Tourism, Vijay Daryanani, went onboard Wind Surf and was given a short tour of the ship by Captain Roman Krstanovic. He also presented the captain with a framed photograph of Gibraltar who, in return, presented the Minister with a Wind Surf plaque.

The vessel which was built in 1989 is one of the largest sailing cruise ships in the world, and can carry up to 342 passengers served by a crew of 210.

Minister Daryanani said, “I am delighted to see the return of cruising to Gibraltar. I hope this is the first of many visits to our Rock. The cruising industry worldwide has suffered immensely over the last eighteen months and our businesses have missed these calls tremendously.

“The Government is committed to increasing cruise calls to our Port. Throughout the pandemic we have been in constant communication with all cruise operators, but I want to take this one step further by engaging with them in person when travel allows.

“As the major cruise companies start working on their itineraries for 2023 and 2024, Gibraltar’s aim is to be at the forefront of their plans”.

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