The cruise season in Bodø extends in 2024 from the first call on 24 February to the last call on 26 December. 32 calls have been confirmed this year, and these are spread over ten of the year’s 12 months, writes Visit Bodø in a press release.
It is only in January and April that calls to Bodø harbor are not reported.
The 32 confirmed calls have a potential passenger capacity of 66,879 passengers.
In that case, this will be the highest number of cruise passengers who have visited Bodø in the course of a year. Just over half of the passengers are German, while a good number are British. The rest are distributed among other European guests as well as some Americans.
Already this weekend, the cruise season starts with two calls.
The first of the year
On Saturday, MS Balmoral from the British shipping company Fred calls. Olsen Cruises. There are just over 1,000 passengers on board, and they are mostly British.
The ship arrives at the harbor at 12.30, and is docked until 17.30.
Approximately 330 passengers are going on organized. According to Visit Bodø, these will visit Saltstraumen both by boat and by bus, where some include a visit to Saltstraumen’s historical experiences and others combine with a sea eagle safari. Some guests will go on a coastal walk, some will go on a snowshoe trip and others will visit the Bodø War History Museum.
The ship will visit Bodø a further six times in 2024. They represent both the first call of the year and the last call of the year.
Facts about the ship:
Shipping company Fred. Olsen Cruises Ship MS Balmoral Year of construction 1988 Gross tonnage 43,537 tons Length 217.9 meters Passenger capacity 1,325 Number of passengers on board 1,033
2140 passengers
On Sunday, Bodø will make another call, when MS AIDAsol from the German shipping company Aida cruises arrives at the port.
MS AIDAsol is carrying around 2,140 passengers, the majority of whom are German, but also some from Switzerland and Austria. The ship is docked from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
The passengers have signed up for many different excursions. Many are going to Saltstraumen. Some by bus, some by rib and some as part of a trip on to Rognan by train in return. Some are going to Kjerringøy’s old trading post, some to the Norwegian Aviation Museum, some on a snowshoe trip, some on city sightseeing and some on an introduction to Bodø trip.
The ship will visit Bodø twice more in 2024. Its sister ships MS AIDAbella and MS AIDAmar will visit Bodø eight times and once in 2024, respectively.
This means a total of 12 calls from AIDA cruises in 2024.
Facts about the ship:
Shipping company Aida Cruises Ship MS AIDAsol Year of construction 2011 Gross tonnage 71,304 tons Length 253.3 meters Passenger capacity 2,686 Number of passengers on board 2,140