The Cruise Cafe reports that Royal Caribbean International will be repositioning Adventure of the Seas to Malaga for five months in 2010.
The move is an incredible vote of confidence for the Spanish port, which is a new departure point in Royal's 2009 brochure. Adventure's sister Navigator of the Seas will be sailing six five-night cruises from Malaga, but as they don't even depart until October this year so there's been no chance to see that all runs smoothly when it comes to getting passengers - and their luggage - from the airport and on and off the ship.
It's also an incredible vote of confidence in the UK office - this is an obvious top departure point for the Brits, after all - and the European market, suggesting a firm belief that we'll sail through the recession on this side of the Pond.
The Cruise Cafe says Adventure of the Seas will be operating 15 seven-night cruises around the Western Med between June and October 2010, followed by 10 five-night mini breaks - five heading south to Tenerife and Funchal, five calling at Ajaccio in Corsica and Villefranche.
Adventure of the Seas has sailed exclusively from San Juan, Puerto Rico, since it was launched in 2001, raising much speculation on Cruise Critic message boards as to what happens there when the ship departs.
Maybe nothing. Cruise Critic says San Juan has suffered negative feedback from cruisers in terms of the port experience. It's also not the greatest place in the world to get to. Flights from the UK have been cut and there are no direct service from the UK.
More to the point, I have nightmare memories of the airport check-in experience. Queues? Made Gatwick on a strike day look civilised. It was Third World chaos in a country that's part of the US. I wonder even half of the passengers managed to get their flight.
Jane Archer
