Azores Ports are finally welcoming cruise ships again. Nicko Cruises’ World Voyager has had a couple of voyages with calls at the islands in June.

“That is great news for us,” Ports of Azores Cruise Manager Andre Velho Cabral told Cruise Industry News.

Velho Cabral added that the pandemic-induced pause in cruise operations had lasted so long it’s now hard for him to believe that a host of cruise ships will be arriving again.

“We have about 65 cruise calls, but it’s quite difficult to imagine that those ships are all really coming,” Velho Cabral said.

Velho Cabral said that 2022 looked quite promising with “about 170 calls” scheduled and “also 2023 looks interesting, but it’ll all depend on the pandemic’s evolution.”

At the moment, Azores Ports are involved in a “major pier renovation” at Ponta Delgada.

“Most ships berth at the cruise terminal, but lately many ships call at the same time, and our commercial pier also accommodates cruise ships,” said Velho Cabral.

New pavement and height increase, more space area, new 150-ton T-Head bollards and new fenders are all being worked on, according to him.

Talking about the area’s appeal for cruise ships, Velho Cabral described the Azores as “nine amazing islands.”

“(They’re) all different in many aspects but all powered by nature, (so) an expedition cruise is a perfect way (to explore the Azores). Nevertheless, a stop by during an Atlantic crossing is quite amazing, and also all those itineraries in the Atlantic Corridor together with Madeira and Canary Islands,” he said.