As Morski writes on the 4th of November, 2020, as announcements for the 2021 cruise season seem encouraging, a new home port in Dubrovnik has been agreed upon, which should be put into proper function at the beginning of the next tourist season, according to a report from local portal Dubrovacki Dnevnik.

It refers to a ship belonging to the Ritz Carlton Yacht Collection, as was confirmed the director of the Dubrovnik Port Authority, Blaz Pezo, explaining that it is a newly built ship which is 190 metres long and can accommodate up to 300 passengers, which will slot in excellently with the encouraging announcements for the 2021 cruise season.

''It's a small luxury cruiser that would come to Dubrovnik for the first time in 2021 through the home port arrangement. So far, two ports of call have been agreed, and we expect additional announcements soon,'' said Blaz Pezo, adding that in addition to this company, home port operations in Dubrovnik will be performed by ships that have previously used the Port of Dubrovnik (Gruz) as a home port such as Marella Explorer 2, La Belle de l'Adriatique, Crystal Esprit, Sea Dream I, Sea Dream II and Viking Star. The ship Evrima should arrive in Dubrovnik for the first time in mid-June 2021.

Home port as a strategic commitment

''It's crucial for us to work on the preparations for next season and a lot of that is already well underway. We want everything to go smoothly, so we're in intensive contact with companies. Home port operations are our strategic commitment and we want to develop this because these are the passengers who most often pass through our airport and stay in our hotels. These aren't the one-day visitors upon whom the most blame was placed in terms of creating congestion on Dubrovnik's roads during the summer months. In this context, we're developing this story with the Ritz Carlton ship,'' explained the director of the Dubrovnik Port Authority.

Since the beginning of the pandemic in the world of tourism, cruise companies have suffered the most, so maintaining people's state of health on board is the most important topic that everyone in the sector is now engaged in discussing. The comprehensive health and safety protocol was first introduced by MSC Cruises this summer, whose cruise ships sail the Mediterranean. The new procedures included universal testing for COVID-19 for all guests and crew members before boarding, visits to the coast in each destination only in an organised excursion, as well as the introduction of a “COVID-19 protection plan”. Hygienic measures, social distancing, and the obligation of wearing masks have all been fully strengthened for the upcoming 2021 cruise season.

Monitoring the unfolding epidemiological situation

''All those companies have introduced strict controls and protocols. The level of protection and safety has been raised to the maximum, and they've introduced new ventilation systems, concluded contracts with various health institutions, and even provided spaces for self-isolation for those who are suspected of having contracted SARS-CoV-2. Measures and procedures were introduced on board ships to ensure the highest level of healthcare, and the possibility of spreading the COVID-19 infection was minimised. All this increases the expenses of shipping companies, so their salaries are lower, but the worst thing for them would be if nothing at all happens,'' noted Pezo.

According to him, the Port of Dubrovnik will be informed in time about the regulations and details of each company separately. Pezo pointed out that the announcements for the 2021 cruise season are, as things currently stand, excellent.

''We have information from companies and associations that they'll make maximum efforts to develop health/epidemiological measures. We'll agree on the details with the local civil protection headquarters when we get closer to the time. It remains on us to monitor the epidemiological situation as that will be crucial when it comes to the making of any decisions,'' concluded the director of the Dubrovnik Port Authority, Blaz Pezo, for the aforementioned Dubrovnik daily.

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Dubrovnik is still swamped with cruise ships, and it seems that Croatia's southernmost city is still doing better, or perhaps better to say much worse, than all Croatian ports across the country combined when it comes to the arrival of these harmful floating cities.

As Morski writes on the 10th of October, 2019, the cruise season is not over yet, and in the Port of Dubrovnik, when looking at the number of cruise ships and the number of passengers brought in by them, remains the ''top'' cruise port in the entire Croatian Adriatic.

Specifically, in the first eight months of 2019, 466 cruises made by foreign vessels on the Croatian Adriatic were realised, which is fifteen more than in the same period back in 2018. By early September, foreign cruisers had brought 733,000 passengers to the Croatian coast, up by seven percent when compared to the first eight months of last year.

The City of Dubrovnik remains the most visited cruise destination in the Croatian Adriatic, with 339 cruise ship arrivals in the first eight months of this year. Split, on the other hand, is only half as interesting as Dubrovnik when it comes to cruise ships.

In the first eight months of 2019, Split was visited by 175 cruisers, while Zadar, whose newly constructed Gaženica passenger terminal gave a concession to the consortium that was supposed to build a passenger terminal in the Port of Dubrovnik, was only visited by 77 cruisers. Hvar was visited by 71, Korčula by 66, and Šibenik by 46 cruisers, Dubrovnikpress reports.

Although it is already October, the cruise season in Dubrovnik isn't waning, so looking right to the end of this month, there are almost no days when there will not be a few cruisers arriving in the popular southern Croatian city's port.

In somewhat smaller numbers, cruise ships will continue to sail during November and December, and the last major cruise ship - Costa Deliziosa, will sail on December the 28th. When it comes to the situation with cruisers in 2020, their interest in Dubrovnik is expected to equal that of this year.

From next season onward, a shuttle will transport cruise ship passengers from the cruiser from which they've disembarked to the city's UNESCO historic core, more specifically to Pile by Libertas city buses, which have received a green light from the City Council for operational leasing for shuttle transportation. More buses will also be procured for this purpose.

As we recently reported, from January the 1st, 2021, cruisers sailing to Dubrovnik will pay a tourist tax depending on their respective passenger capacities. Based on a City Council decision, this fee ranges from 2,000 kuna for ships with a capacity of up to 200 passengers, while the maximum fee of 40,000 kuna will need to be paid by cruisers with a capacity of 3,001 passengers or more.

Make sure to follow our dedicated travel page for much more. If it's just Dubrovnik and the extreme south of Dalmatia you're interested in, give Total Dubrovnik a follow or check out Dubrovnik in a Page for all you need to know about the Pearl of the Adriatic.

As Morski.hr writes on the 11th of August, 2019, Dubrovnik Mayor Mato Franković received an official letter from the MSC Cruises executive chairman, Pierfrancesco Vago, apologising for a situation which occurred owing to the MSC Sinfonia vessel, which for the first time in two years caused a total halt in pedestrian traffic at Pile gate (western entrance to the Old City).

Pierfrancesco Vago's apology arrived to Mayor Franković after a letter of protest was sent by the mayor of Dubrovnik to CLIA Europe shortly after the unfortunate event.

The chairman of one of the world's largest cruise companies also apologised to the residents of the city for the inconvenience caused by the MSC Sinfonia mooring in the Port of Gruž earlier than envisioned.

This, as Vago says, is the result of unfortunate and unplanned circumstances. "The earlier arrival of the ship to was largely driven by adverse weather at sea, which caused Sinfonia to miss Mykonos (Greece) on the way from Venice and head directly to Dubrovnik," the memo reads.

The MSC chairman also states that, under these circumstances, the arrival of the ship was actually orally authorised by the Port Authority of Dubrovnik two hours before schedule, but that there were lapses in the MSC control mechanisms and that Sinfonia was not allowed to disembark until the regular time of arrival, thereby violating the rules of CLIA, as well as those put in place by the city itself.

"I would like to assure you personally that this event was an exception - caused by external factors and that we have introduced a new level of control without delay that will ensure that all of our arrivals are fully in line with the agreement of CLIA and the city," concludes MSC's chairman, along with the message that their commitment to their agreement with the CLIA and the wishes of the southern Croatian city remains solid.

The City of Dubrovnik recalls that on the 24th of July, 2019, the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) and the City of Dubrovnik signed an Agreement on Cooperation for the Preservation and Protection of the Cultural Heritage of Dubrovnik through Responsible Tourism Management, in order to make the UNESCO city an example of sustainable tourism in the Adriatic sea and beyond.

Make sure to follow our dedicated lifestyle page for much more. If it's just Dubrovnik and the extreme south of Dalmatia you're interested in, give Total Dubrovnik a follow or check out Dubrovnik in a Page for all you need to know about the Pearl of the Adriatic.