Taranto, 11.05.2022 - At 09:00 AM the majestic Celebrity Constellation arrived in the city of Taranto for the first time, welcomed in the Great Sea by the festive water games of the tugs. The Celebrity Constellation cruise ship belongs to the fleet of the cruise line Celebrity Cruises, a brand controlled by the leading group in the cruise industry Royal Caribbean Group. The company can boast the title of "Best Premium Cruise Line" obtained by the international magazine Travel Weekly for 14 consecutive years and that of "Best Cruise Line in Europe" for 12 years by the Readers Choice Awards.
294 meters long, equipped with first-class services, the ship arrived today in Taranto from Civitavecchia during its 13-nights itinerary in the Mediterranean between the cities of Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Toulon, Nice, Livorno, Civitavecchia, Dubrovnik, Split, Koper and Ravenna.
The 1087 passengers on board, mostly from the United States, were able to choose to experience the Taranto destination through organized excursions or in total autonomy.
During the current season, four Celebrity Cruises calls are expected in the port of Taranto: already scheduled for 2020, they have been postponed to 2022 after the long period of forced stop due to the pandemic.
Today's day represents a double success for the Ionian city in view of the growth of cruise tourism. Beyond adding Celebrity Cruises to its portfolio, in fact, the port of Taranto today hosts two cruise ships at the same time for the first time, with the MSC Splendida berthed at St. Cataldo pier as every Wednesday since last April.
An important opportunity for the Ionian port which was able to count on the perfect synergy between the components of the maritime-port cluster. The great professionalism of the shipping agents - respectively Gorgoni Shipping for MSC Splendida and DANAV srl for Celebrity Constellation - supported the cruise lines, and the passenger services concessionaire Taranto Cruise Port managed the operations in whole safety and efficiency for both calls.
The Port Network Authority celebrated the Maiden Call of the Celebrity Constellation with the traditional crest exchange ceremony, which took place with the participation of the President of the Authority, the Harbor Master of Taranto port Diego Tomat and Taranto Cruise Port.
“We are thrilled with the arrival of the Celebrity Constellation and the simultaneous presence of two large ships in the port of Taranto. These are two companies among the major world players in the cruise sector” said the President Sergio Prete. “Today's day proves that the actors of the cruise industry globally recognize the potential of Taranto as a destination, for its natural beauty and its immense cultural heritage. In order to consolidate this important result, it is necessary to maintain constant the already fruitful collaboration with the actors of the territory and the port cluster, in particular by cultivating the excellent synergy with the Harbor Master's Office. The solid network of local relationships is the strength of the success of our port also with a view to achieving sustainable development”.
"We are delighted to welcome Celebrity Cruises to our Ionian port and excited about this season so full of Maiden Calls. Every day the city of Taranto confirms its brilliant charm as a cruise destination, also demonstrated by the great interest of Cruise Lines during the Seatrade Cruise Global just ended in Miami". Stephen Xuereb, president of Taranto Cruise Port, said. "We managed this first double call of two wonderful queens of the seas, MSC Splendida and Celebrity Constellation, in safety and synergy, also counting on the support of our new service made available to guests, the Guest Information Center, a modern information point structured on the needs of the cruise passengers and on the promotion of the main citizen points of interest. The evolution of Taranto as a cruise destination, in fact, necessarily goes through the promotion of the historical, artistic, naturalistic and gastronomic riches of its territory and the dynamic collaboration with the local social and institutional fabric: the first steps have been taken, now we are ready to run!"
