• 3 min de lectura
• 3 min de lectura
Santander, May 19, 2026. The president of the Port Authority of Santander (APS), César Díaz, today welcomed both cruise ships and boarded the Silver Spirit, which was docking for the first time in the Cantabrian port.
Díaz recalled, during his visit to the ship, that Cantabria is "a great cruise destination, both for its tourist attractions and for the convenience of docking in the center of Santander." Furthermore, he thanked the Government of Cantabria and the Santander City Council, with whom the APS has created the Santander Cruise Deluxe brand, for their work in organizing the calls and promoting cruise tourism in what constitutes a "clear example" of institutional collaboration.
The objective for the head of the APS is "to make Santander the reference port for premium cruises in northern Spain and to bet on the deseasonalization of tourism in the region."
The Silver Spirit, belonging to the Silver Sea shipping company, called at the port of Santander for the first time this Tuesday. The vessel, consigned by NOATUM, arrived early in the morning at the Maritime Station, located on the Almirante pier, with 650 passengers —mainly American— and a crew of 410 people.
During their stay in Cantabrian territory, numerous cruise passengers are participating in various excursions and tourist activities throughout different parts of the region, in addition to exploring Santander and enjoying its gastronomic and cultural offerings. The ship, which is 211 meters long, will remain docked in the city until eleven at night, at which point it will depart for Bilbao, having arrived from Vigo.
On the occasion of this first visit, a delegation from Santander Cruise Deluxe, headed by the president of the APS, César Díaz, presented a commemorative plaque to the ship's captain, Kulas Tomasz Piotr. The event also included the delivery of several books about Santander and Cantabria for the ship's library.
For its part, the SH Diana cruise ship, from the Swann Hellenic shipping company, docked this morning at Maliaño Pier 1-4 with 195 passengers and 140 crew on board and is scheduled to depart for the French port of Bordeaux at six in the afternoon. The ship, which is 125 meters long, is consigned by Pérez y Cía.
Upcoming Calls
Next Wednesday, May 27, the port of Santander will again host two cruise calls at its docks: the Ventura, from P&O Cruises, and the World Voyager, from Mystic Cruises.
Santander Cruise Deluxe anticipates a historic season for cruise tourism with 38 vessels and over 60,000 tourists.
In addition to being a member of associations such as CLIA or Cruise Europe and participating in specialized international fairs such as Seatrade Miami, Seatrade Europe, or the International Cruise Summit, Santander Cruise Deluxe maintains intense promotional activity throughout the year through actions such as familiarization trips with shipping companies, development of new tourist experiences, digitalization campaigns, and the creation of specific promotional material for the cruise sector.
