92 vessels will visit the Port of Helsinki during the cruise season, which started in April. Cruise lines say that customers are still interested in the Baltic Sea, even without St Petersburg.
 

The Port of Helsinki’s international cruise season started on 15 April when MS Bolette arrived in Helsinki.

Approximately 120,000 international cruise passengers are expected during the season.

International cruise lines say that cruise tourism in the Baltic Sea will fall on the previous year in terms of the number of both visits and vessels in service.

“Our Celebrity brand is still operating two ships in the Baltic Sea, but slightly less frequently than before. We’ll make six sailings instead of the eight we made last year,” says Lotfi Trabelsi, Director, Port Services EMEA, from the Royal Caribbean Group.

The company’s Royal Caribbean brand also has one ship in the Baltic region, which is again fewer than before the war in Ukraine.

“We expect full ships and a good season,” says Trabelsi.

TUI Cruises responds to customer wishes

TUI Cruises’ customers want to travel from Germany without flying, and the company’s Baltic Sea cruises meet this need.

“TUI Cruises is responding to this need by offering cruises with our Mein Schiff fleet from Kiel to Denmark, Sweden, Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Finland, from May to the end of September.

These cruises are extremely popular and we’re already taking bookings for summer 2024, when Mein Schiff 7 will also be in service. This ship is currently under construction at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Turku,” says Daniela Hensel, Senior Communications Manager at TUI Cruises GmbH.

After two years of pandemic restrictions, TUI Cruises is expecting 2023 occupancy rates to approach those of 2019. And 2023 could not have started any better.

“Never before in the history of TUI Cruises has demand for Mein Schiff cruises been as high as in the first weeks of this year. Many guests have already secured trips for this summer or autumn – and even for 2024. Many people are also coming aboard for the first time.”

All Royal Caribbean ships now in service

Cruise lines are finding the current atmosphere to be encouraging. All of Royal Caribbean’s ships are now sailing the seven seas.

“There is now general demand in the market, as cruises resonate with the needs of consumers who are seeking new experiences and want to spend time with family,” says Trabelsi.

TUI Cruises was the first cruise line in the world to start sailing again after the pandemic. 

“We were able to offer Mein Schiff cruises back in July 2020, albeit with some restrictions. The ships left from German ports and, as international travel was not yet possible, no shore excursions were made.

However, guests were still able to relax on board. All of TUI Cruises’ ships were back in service as of 1 April 2022, and were finally at full capacity from June onwards,” says Hensel.

“During 2022, our occupancy rate increased significantly on the previous year.” 

Baltic Sea still attractive without Russia

Royal Caribbean’s Lotfi Trabelsi says that St Petersburg used to be the main attraction for Baltic Sea cruises. Without the two days normally spent in Russia, ships can dock at other ports for longer or introduce new city destinations. However, shipping companies need to find ways of marketing new destinations.

“Although the current Baltic Sea routes offered by Celebrity Cruises no longer include Russia, I would argue that they’re as strong as any route in the world. Celebrity has several iconic capitals that offer great experiences. Ships also visit lesser-known destinations that exceed our customers’ expectations.”

According to TUI Cruises, the Baltic Sea has many other interesting places to offer in addition to St Petersburg.

“For TUI Cruises, it’s also important that ports invest in sustainability (such as shore power), coordinate customer flows with destinations (including land travel), and provide transparent berth reservation processes through a cost-effective system,” says Daniela Hensel, Senior Communications Manager at TUI Cruises GmbH.