The 2026 forecast for Portoferraio is 104 ships and 35,000-40,000 cruise passengers.
Data issued by the North Tyrrhenian Port Network Authority shows the sector’s performance on the Island of Elba has improved even compared to 2025, which had more than satisfactory results, both in terms of port bookings and the number of cruise passengers.
The year that is currently coming to a close has witnessed a total of 85 port calls and approximately 21,000 cruise passengers in transit. The forecast for 2026 is therefore 20 additional calls. The data is still being consolidated, with possible increases.
All the major cruise lines have been confirmed for this year, with proposals ranging from the luxury segment to the mass market one. Among the main new features this year are the arrival of Vidanta World’s mega yacht Elegant and the Four Seasons I, Four Seasons’ first superyacht, which is set to start operating in March.
The Nautica, owned by Oceania Cruises, is sheduled to call at Portoferraio for the first time and, likewise, the Evrima, the brand new yacht owned by the ultra-luxury company Ritz-Carton. which will thereby strengthen its presence in Elba, after its Luminara came to the Island in 2025
Ponant, the world’s top luxury cruise company, has also decided to increase the number of ports of call, from 8 in 2025 to 18 planned for 2026.
The Island Princess (owned by Island Spirit), the Silver Shadow (Silversea Cruises), and the OE Corinthian, the world’s largest sailing yacht, which is due to set sail in June 2026, are also scheduled to call for the first time..
Other new entries include the first-ever visits by the MS Hamburg (owned by MS Plantours & Partners Hamburg) and the Douglas Mawson, owned by Aurora Expeditions.
“The data confirms cruise companies’ strong interest in the Elban port,” says Port Network Authority President Davide Gariglio. “All the conditions are right for improving on the market’s already excellent performance this year,” he adds, not without claiming a small part of the merit for this result
“We like to think that the port is now more efficient, safer and more attractive thanks to the work carried out on the Alto Fondale quay,” he says, pointing out how the strategic improvements completed last year have totally redesigned the road layout, with a separate lane for buses carrying cruise ship passengers and allocating the Residenze car parks to cars waiting for ferries.
The next goal will be the ecological transformation of the port, thanks to cold ironing: “In Portoferraio, as in Piombino, the project is set to be completed by March 2026. In both ports, all the excavation work has been carried out with the laying of ducts and cables, and the construction of the conversion cabins is nearing completion. Once everything has been done, we will be able to significantly reduce pollutant emissions and also noise pollution.”
Translation by Giles Foster
