Mein Schiff 4 on its way to Gothenburg

The brand new Mein Schiff 4 looked great tonight on its way from Copenhagen to Gothenburg:

 

Note that they are showing a movie on a giant screen on the upper deck.

 

Luxury cruise ship Silver Whisper early in the morning

The mid size luxury cruise ship Silver Whisper passed by early this morning (about 4 AM) on its way to Copenhagen:

This is how Silversea cruises describes the ship:
"The amenities of a grand resort. The charms of a stylish boutique hotel. Silversea’s Millennium Class ships Silver Whisper and sister ship Silver Shadow invite you to enjoy Silversea’s world-class accommodations, shipboard conviviality and warm, individualized service, paired with the enhanced spaces and amenities of a larger ship."

AIDAcara early in the morning

The AIDAcara has for the last few years been a springtime "early bird" in Öresund. Early this morning (at about 5.30 AM) she was approaching Helsingør on her way to Copenhagen:

AIDAcara close to Helsingør early in the morning.

Mein Schiff 2 early in the morning

This is Mein Schiff 2 approaching Helsingør at 5 AM this morning:

 

 

AIDABella on a rainy Sunday morning

 

On this rainy and grey Sunday morning the AIDABella  was on its way to Copenhagen.

Cruise ship Norwegian Star and container ship Vohburg meet in Øresund

Cruise ship Norwegian Star (294 m x 33 m) and container ship Vohburg (140 m x 22 m) met early this morning (05.00 AM) in Øresund:

 

 

Royal Caribbean's Adventure of the Seas in the Sound

The Adventure of the Seas, one of Royal Caribbean's cruise liners, was early this morning on its way to Copenhagen:

The 311m x 37m Adventure of the Seas is one of the largest cruise ships.

Cruise ship Horizon on its way to Gothenburg

The Maltese registry cruise ship Horizon looked great when it passed by late last night on its way from Helsinki to Gothenburg:

The 207 m x 30 m Horizon entered service already in 1990.

Mein Schiff 2 and Costa Luminosa in Øresund last night

Mein Schiff 2 and Costa Luminosa were last night going northwards in the Sound:

Mein Schiff 2 approaching Helsingborg/Helsingør last night

Costa Luminosa close to Helsingborg/Helsingør last night

Cruise ship Sea Explorer on its way to Gothenburg

The small cruise ship Sea Explorer (91 m x 15 m) was late last night in Øresund on its way to Gothenburg.

P&O's classic cruise liner Oriana in the Sound

One of the P&O cruise liners, the M/V Oriana (261 m x 36 m), entered Øresund in the early morning hours today on its way to Copenhagen. The Oriana, which was built in 1995, still has much of the classic style of earlier cruise liners.

The Oriana approaching Helsingør/Helsingborg early this morning.

AIDAcara - an early spring cruise ship in Øresund

As last year, the AIDAcara (193 m x 33 m) was one of the first early spring cruise ships in Øresund.
Here the ship is approaching Helsingør on its way to Copenhagen:

 

Copenhagen continues to be one of Europe's most popular cruise destinations

Cunard's Queen Victoria was one of the cruise ships visiting Copenhagen during the 2013 season.

Copenhagen continues to be one of Europe's most popular cruise destinations. At the end of the 2013 season (there are still five Christmas cruise calls in December) the number of calls will be 346 and the number of passengers is going to be just over 800,000:
"Copenhagen has become the natural hub for cruise traffic in northern Europe. We continue to be competitive and are attracting both new and returning guests. The location of the port in the capital is perfect. The airport is close by and Copenhagen is a city that attracts many different types of shipping line and guest – there is something for everyone here," says Arnt Møller Pedersen, COO Cruise and Ferries at CMP.
The biggest month for cruises was June, with 88 calls, followed by 86 in July and 74 in August. The season ends in December with five Christmas cruises. Of the 346 calls, 46% are turnaround calls, i.e. the ships take new passengers on board before departure and then passengers disembark when the cruise is over. Numerous changes of crew also take place in Copenhagen during the season. Copenhagen is therefore a sort of home port for these ships during the summer season in the Baltic Sea.
The rest of the calls are transit calls, which means that the ships visit for the day, allowing the passengers to spend six or seven hours as tourists in Copenhagen. Cruise passengers' and crews' consumption has been estimated as DKK 825 million per annum.*
CMP is making extensive investments to develop cruise traffic. A new cruise quay will allow 500 calls a year from the start of 2014. Three new state-of-the-art terminal buildings are also being built for the turnaround business.
"We are pleased to be able to contribute to the development of the tourist industry by creating the best possible conditions for cruise traffic," says Arnt Møller Pedersen.
Top six nations for cruise passengers in Copenhagen:
1. Germany (25%)
2. USA/Canada (22%)
3. United Kingdom (14%)
4. Italy (7%)
5. Spain (4%)
6. Australia (3%)
2013 was also the first cruise year with turnaround calls for Malmö, with the Spanish cruise operator Pullmantur's ship Empress calling ten times with just over 36,000 passengers.




The flagship of the Windstar Cruises fleet, the Wind Surf
left Copenhagen on August 19.

Next year the port of Copenhagen will have a new cruise-ship quay, which will mainly be used for so called turnaround ships - ships that changer passengers and crew in Copenhagen.

An early P&O cruise liner in Stockholm in 1905

S.S. Vectis at Christiania  (Oslo), water colour by William Lionel Wyllie
(sold  by Bonhams)

Cruising is nowadays an important part of the tourist industry, with hundreds of cruise liners plying the Seven Seas. The first years of the 20th century were still early days for cruises, but both German and British shipowners had already begun to see the vast possibilities pleasure voyages offered to them.

The first ship built exclusively for cruising was the Hamburg-America Line's  Prinzessin Victoria Luise, which was completed in 1900.

In 1904 P. & O. refitted its screw steamer Rome as a cruise liner (it had been built in 1881 for the Australian service) and renamed it Vectis. She took passengers on a variety of cruises, including Scandinavia and the Baltic.

The photograph below is from early September 1905, when Vectis visited Stockholm as part of her Baltic cruise.

The P & O cruise liner Vectis in Stockholm in 1905

The Vectis was sold to the French government in 1912, which intended to convert her to a hospital ship. For some reason this proposal did not proceed, and she was broken up the following year.