MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Uruguay’s cruise season moves to Punta del Este fuelled by regional demand

MSC Musica will inaugurate the cruise season in Punta del Este

Uruguay’s 2009/2010 cruise season is scheduled to begin next November 20th in Montevideo with the arrival of “Minerva” and four days later in Punta del Este with “MSC Musica”.

A total of 33 vessels and 194 calls are anticipated for this summer according to Uruguayan authorities.

However the big news this season is that the international Atlantic sea resort Punta del Este expects 113 calls compared to the 81 for Montevideo. This can be explained because three cruise operators, MSC (Mediterranean Shipping Co), Costa Cruceros and Brazil’s CVE are betting strongly in the Brazilian, Argentine and European markets, in that order.

CVE is a strong Brazilian operator which last year chartered a cruise vessel and for this season has contracted “Empress” and “Zenith” with at least nine calls each. Most of these cruises are relatively short in time with a big turnover and travelling along the Brazilian, Uruguayan and Argentine coastline.

Punta del Este as the main point of attraction is expected to receive 100.000 tourists in the next four months with intense cruise traffic in the Bay of Maldonado.

According to schedule on two occasions this summer, five cruise vessels will be anchoring in Punta del Este on the same day; four vessels on three days; six times three vessels and two cruises will coincide on fourteen days.

Lacking appropriate harbour facilities launches from the same cruise vessels will be making the “landings”.

Some of the big stars of this season in Uruguay include: “Queen Mary 2” (110.000 tons and 2.500 passengers); “Star Princess” (90.000 tons and 1.300 passengers); “Splendour of the Seas”; “Norwegian Sun” and on February 9, “Amsterdam” on a world cruise.