The cruise season got under way at Bodrum Cruise Port, on the Aegean Sea in Turkey, with the arrival of two ships that delivered nearly 4,300 cruise guests on May 11, 2024. Virgin Voyages’ Resilient Lady, with a capacity for 2,800 guests, and Marella Cruises’ 2,072-guest Marella Discovery visited the destination as part of their 7-night itineraries.
Resilient Lady will be a weekly visitor to the port through October 2024, as the ship’s “Greek Island Glow” cruises include Bodrum, along with Santorini, Rhodes, and Mykonos. The vessel is homeported for the season in Piraeus (Athens). On October 27, 2024 the ship will sail a transatlantic voyage to Miami, where she will be based for the winter season.
Marella Discovery will call at Bodrum a few times during summer 2024 as part of her “Ancient Icons” itineraries roundtrip from Marmaris, Turkey. Other calls on these sailings are Alanya, Turkey; Rhodes; and Heraklion, Crete.
Several notable ships are scheduled to call during summer 2024, including Oceania Cruises’ Vista and Riviera, Seabourn’s Seabourn Encore, Emerald Cruises’ Emerald Azzurra; Crystal’s Crystal Symphony; Costa Cruises’ Costa Fortuna; Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ Seven Seas Grandeur; Ritz Carlton Yacht Club’s Evrima; and TUI Cruises’ Mein Schiff 5, among others.
Bodrum Cruise Port is managed by Global Ports Holding and, along with its cruise-tourism business, operates as an important ferry destination in the Eastern Mediterranean.
“We anticipate another successful cruise season in Bodrum this year, showcasing our impressive range of ships and our dedication to providing outstanding service to our passengers,” said Aziz Güngör, regional director of East Med for Global Ports Holding.
Bodrum Cruise Port closed the 2023 season in November with cruise arrivals that did not reach anticipated levels. Ship calls totaled 101, bringing about 100,000 cruise guests to the destination.
The numbers fell short of the predicted 138 ship calls and 125,000 guests. The final numbers from 2023 mirrored those of 2022, showing no gains.
The port operates one ship pier that can accommodate two large-sized, or four smaller cruise ships at a time. Its harbor also has capacity for up to 30 mega-yachts, and has three ferryboat ramps. Its cruise terminal offers welcome facilities, duty-free shopping, and a restaurant.
The region offers a wealth of shore excursion opportunities and features pristine beaches, oceanfront resorts, and attractions such as the medieval Bodrum Castle and the 4th century BC Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Another leading site is the Bodrum Museum of Underwater Archaeology, where visitors can view ancient relics and excavated shipwrecks.
Cruise Line, Port Team Up For Educational Project
The launch of the high cruise season at Bodrum Cruise Port featured a “social responsibility” event, as the port hosted a local school group of 30 students and their teachers. Tours were held onboard Marella Discovery and included lessons about maritime topics, cruising, and ocean conservation.
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“We are proud to be working with the Global Ports Holding on the Social Responsibility Project which is looking to educate future generations around sustainability at sea whilst improving knowledge of cruise tourism, maritime affairs and how we can preserve the natural environment in which our ships sail,” said Olivia Wells, sustainability manager at Marella Cruises.
The cruise line, owned by the TUI Group, will use the Bodrum education program as a blueprint for similar projects at other ports.
In addition to Bodrum, Global Ports Holding operates several other Mediterranean ports, including Barcelona, Catania, Cagliari, Las Palmas, Lisbon, Taranto, Tarragona, Malaga, Zadar, and others. In the Caribbean, it manages one of the region’s busiest ports, Nassau, Bahamas.
