Port of San Diego Welcomes Two New Cruise Calls

Feb 25, 2019

Contact: Marguerite Elicone, melicone@portofsandiego.org
Two European cruise lines will be making inaugural calls on the Port of San Diego the week of February 4, 2019, further demonstrating that the Port’s cruise business is bouncing back. The first vessel to sail into San Diego will be the MSC Magnifica, arriving on Tuesday, February 5, 2019.

MSC Cruises is an international cruise line headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. MSC Magnifica will be visiting the Port of San Diego as part of a 118-day around the world cruise which features stops in two dozen countries. The ship’s transatlantic voyage began in Genoa, Italy and its most recent stop was in Cabo San Lucas. After San Diego, MSC Magnifica will visit the ports of Los Angeles and San Francisco.

MSC Magnifica is 964 feet long and features 16 decks. It has a crew of 1,038 and can accommodate approximately 3,000 passengers.

“The Port of San Diego is proud to welcome MSC Magnifica and the Phoenix Reisen Artania on their inaugural visits,” said Garry Bonelli, Chairman of the Board of Port Commissioners. “These Port calls highlight the diversity of our cruise line customers and strengthen San Diego’s reputation as a world-class destination for vacations.”

On Friday, February 8, 2019, the German Cruise Line, Phoenix Reisen, will have its vessel, Artania, berthed at the Port of San Diego. The Artania is approximately 757 feet long and has eight decks. The vessel has a crew of 537 and a capacity for 1,260 passengers.

The Artania is on a 116-day around the world cruise that left Genoa, Italy on December 22, 2018. Prior to arriving in San Diego, the ship will be in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Following San Diego, it will sail up the California coast. 

As California’s third busiest cruise port, the Port of San Diego is anticipating approximately 92 cruise calls and nearly 300,000 passengers in fiscal year 2019-2020. Its primary homeported lines are Holland America Line, Disney Cruise Line and Carnival Cruise Lines. Last year, Carnival Cruise Lines announced a return to San Diego and will be making 13 calls to the Port with the Carnival Miracle.

The cruise business is very beneficial to the region. Each homeported cruise (one that begins and ends its voyage in San Diego), has an economic impact of $2 million.

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