By
Rebecca Gibson |
Carnival Corporation & plc is to invest more than €30 million to build and operate a private cruise terminal and a car park at the port of Barcelona in Spain.
Carnival Corporation will now begin the final design process and start constructing the new terminal on the Adossat wharf in 2016. Due to open in 2018, the 11,500 sqm terminal will be the largest in Europe.
In addition, Carnival Corporation will collaborate with the port to build and open the first public parking facility on the cruise pier, providing more than 300 parking spaces for guests.
“As an all-new, next-generation cruise facility, the terminal will be designed to enhance the overall cruise experience for Carnival Corporation’s guests,” said Michel Nestour, managing director of Carnival Corporation terminal operations in Barcelona. “This will include making it easy and convenient for guests, whether they are arriving at the terminal to begin a cruise vacation, disembarking following the completion of a cruise or visiting Barcelona as one of the ports of call on a cruise. In all cases, our goal is to exceed guest expectations through every stage of the cruise experience, and this new terminal will be built to meet that goal.”
Barcelona, which already has six terminals and is Europe’s largest port, is used by seven of the company’s ten cruise line brands as both a port of call and a homeport. In 2014, its six terminals welcomed 764 cruise calls and more than 2.36 million passenger movements.
“We are excited about our ongoing partnership with Carnival Corporation to enhance our facilities at the Port of Barcelona and continue our momentum as one of the top cruise destinations in the world,” said Sixte Cambra, president of the Port Authority of Barcelona. “This new agreement ensures that we will continue to meet the growing popularity of cruising to and from Barcelona, accommodate the latest in cruise ship designs and most importantly provide cruise passengers with the highest levels of quality and service.”
Carnival Corporation already operates four ports including Puerta Maya in Cozumel, Mexico; Grand Turk Cruise Center in Turks and Caicos Islands; Mahogany Bay in Roatan, Honduras; and Long Beach in California. This October, Carnival Corporation will open a new port and destination named Amber Cove in the Puerta Plata region of the Dominican Republic, and this winter it will open a third pier at Puerta Maya port to enable it to handle three ships simultaneously.
In addition, the company has two private island destinations in the Caribbean, Princess Cays and Half Moon Cay.