Not just Costa and MSC, here are the other cruise lines operating in the Mediterranean
Cruising is one of those experiences to have at least once in a lifetime, visiting 10 or more places in [...]
The cruise is one of those experiences to do at least once in a lifetime, visiting 10 or more places in one trip, aboard a real "mini city," is definitely a'adventure pleasant.
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There are of all kinds, for families, for couples, for singles, for teens, and offer a mixture of entertainment, culture, and relaxation. These 100,000+ ton behemoths really do have everything inside, regular rooms and suite, interior or with a small balcony overlooking the sea, restaurants, bars, stores, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, cinema, Theaters, bowling alleys, casino, SPAs and the like.
The shipping companies are diverse and scattered all over the world. In Italy we are used to them well, we have two excellencies that we export all over the world, namely MSC Cruises and Costa Cruises and offer packages for all tastes.
But in addition to Costa and MSC, there are also other cruise lines operating in the Mediterranean, with really interesting routes, let's discover them together.
The world's largest cruise lines
The cruise market is a very great and if we dig deep we find that there are 4 groups that hold the biggest slice, as much as the 90% of the market, followed by some small independent companies or those that do not belong to the larger groups.
The market leader is the Group Carnival Corporation, which has a passenger share of 48.4%, about 200,000, followed by Royal Caribbean Cruises with 23.3%, which in turn owns Royal Caribbean International with 16.4%. Coast Cruises (Italian but a brand belonging to Carnival Group) has 7.7% of the market, finally there are Norwegian Cruise Line with the 7.6% and MSC Cruises with the 7%.
Norwegian Cruise Line
Founded in Norway in 1966, honored 2 times as cruise line leader in Europe, offers its packages for the whole world and has 17 ships currently in service.
As for the Mediterranean routes touch multiple states, among the most popular being Italy, France, Spain, and Portugal with the Azores islands for the part Western; while Croatia, Greece and islands, with stops in Turkey and Israel for the Eastern.
Its largest ships are Norwegian Bliss, the ninth largest cruise ship in the world, Norwegian Encore, Norwegian Joy and Norwegian Escape all part of the Breakaway Plus Class with a capacity of 4,266 places.
Carnival Cruise Line
U.S. company founded in Miami in 1972, has a total of 24 ships cruise ships mostly built by the very Italian Fincantieri.
Its routes in Europe are varied, as far as the Mediterranean the stops are: a good chunk of Italy, Spain, France, Croatia, Montenegro, Greece and Islands, Malta and Turkey. Going beyond the Mediterranean and moving further a north, the Carnival touches the coasts of Portugal, northern Spain and France, Holland, England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.
Its largest ships are the Mardi Gras, the first ship in the fleet powered by natural gas liquefied, Carnival Panorama, Carnival Horizon, Carnival Vista, Carnival Breeze, Carnival Magic and Carnival Dream.
Royal Caribbean
Norwegian-US company based in Miami, between Royal Caribbean and Royal Caribbean International owns the major brands to the world in the cruise industry, adding up all its brands covers almost the 50% market Of cruise ships globally.
Also present in the Mediterranean, Royal Caribbean stops in Italy, Monaco, Spain, France, Greece and Islands, Croatia, Montenegro, Malta and Turkey. Royal Caribbean also has a very large offer in the seas of northern Europe reaching as far as Russia.
The company owns the 3 largest cruise ships in the world, part of the class Oasis: Oasis of the Seas, Allure of the Seas, Harmony of the Seas and Symphony of the Seas, all with the capacity to accommodate more than 6,000 passengers and a length of 365 meters.
Celebrity Cruises
Also part of the Royal Caribbean Group since its purchase in 1997, it has a fleet of 15 ships operating in the Mediterranean between Italy, the Balearic Islands, Spain, Monaco, Cannes, Greece and Turkey; as well as operating in the Northern Europe with cruises circumnavigating the United Kingdom and stopping in Holland, Norway, Estonia and Sweden.
Princess Cruises
U.S. company that is part of the Carnival Corporation Group, has a fleet of 14 ships and also operates in the Mediterranean, between Spain, France, Italy, the Adriatic and Eastern Europe; as well as offering its services in Northern Europe.
CroisiEurope
And last, how not to mention the company of river cruises number 1 in Europe: it is based in Strasbourg, France, and has a fleet of 26 ships.
As mentioned, its routes are. fluvial, ships are clearly far more small compared to the cruise ships that ply the seas, but they are a worthwhile experience.
The company started in 1993 with the first cruises on the Danube, and then gradually expanded across Europe with other major rivers such as the Rhine and its tributaries, Elbe, Seine, Loire, Moselle, Main, and Duero, connecting cities such as Koblenz, Heidelberg, Strasbourg, Vienna, Prague, Brussels, Bruges, Frankfurt, Basel, Amsterdam, Cologne, and so on.
It has been so successful that CroisiEurope has been able to expand even beyond the out of Europe, also allowing rivers to be navigated in South Africa, Vietnam, Cambodia, Russia and Egypt by traveling along the Nile.
What can I say, the choice is vast, book a cruise to this summer could prove to be a winning idea, given the norms of security that all shipping companies have put in place. Who knows whether, thanks to theadoption of health passport also in this area, the choice of cruise will prove to be the right solution Summer 2021.
