Cruise ships are coming back to Portoferraio. Two days ago, the Alto Fondale quay welcomed the first cruise ship of the summer season: the MS Europa, operated by Hapag Lloyd Cruises.
198m long and 24m wide, the ship brought 387 passengers – mostly German – to the Elba island port, who visited the port town before setting sail for Civitavecchia.
The Elban port is set to have a highly successful tourist season with 110 calls scheduled for 2026, i.e. 25 more than last year.
All the major cruise lines have confirmed that they will be calling this year. Their holiday packages on offer range from the luxury segment to the mainstream market. Among the year’s main highlights are the mega-yacht Vidanta World’s Elegant (owned by Vidanta World) and the Four Seasons I, the Four Seasons’ first superyacht, which will officially enter service in March.
The Nautica, operated by Oceania Cruises, which will be calling at Portoferraio for the first time, and, likewise, the Evrima, the brand-new yacht from the ultra-luxury cruise line Ritz-Carlton, which already called there in 2025 with its Luminara.
“Two port calls are also scheduled for Easter Monday,” says Giovanni Gasparini, a ship agent who owns Portoferraio’s Sacomar Shipping Agency. Next Monday the Seven Seas Splendor, a super-luxury vessel operated by Regent Seven Seas Cruises, and the Silver Shadow, operated by SilverSea Cruises, will be calling at the port.
“Despite being in the mid-Easter period, we will still see a significant increase in the number of tourists on the island over the next few days,” Mr. Gasperini adds. He looks to the future with cautious optimism: “The 110 port calls scheduled are a certainty even given the current economic climate, which remains highly uncertain,” he points out, adding, however, that the Gulf crisis is having a direct impact on the cruise industry, with many companies cancelling or rescheduling routes to the Middle East due to heightened security measures. “This scenario,” he comments, “could lead to a shift towards alternative destinations, such as the Mediterranean, and particularly the Tyrrhenian Sea, which would greatly benefit the island of Elba.”
Claudio Capuano, head of promotion at the Port Network Authority, also expressed his satisfaction over the very good start to the season: “The call schedule reflects the shipping companies’ keen interest in Portoferraio and the Island of Elba, which continues to be a highly attractive tourist destination on a national scale,” he said. “I would like to thank Cosimo de’ Medici and Port Security once again for their customary support on the quayside.”
Translation by Giles Foster
