Following global cruise traditions, in honor of the inaugural visit ships to the port, ceremonies were held for the installation of a memorial plaque and an exchange of keys. The first took place at Jeddah Port on Wednesday 23 November in the presence of the captain of MSC Splendida and the second took place at Yanbu Commercial Port the following day on Thursday. Throughout this season, the ship will make weekly calls at the ports of Jeddah and Yanbu on 3, 4 and 7-day cruise itineraries that also include Egypt and Jordan.
This season — This is the third official season of Cruise Saudi, and the country's ports will receive more than 75 scheduled calls from the ships of five global cruise operators.
MSC Splendida can accommodate 4,300 passengers and more than 1,000 crew members. There are plenty of entertainment and amenities for guests on board, including four swimming pools, a jogging track, a squash court and a gym, as well as the MSC Aurea spa and a sun terrace with stunning views of the open sea.
Cruise Saudi previously welcomed three other MSC cruise ships to its territory: MSC Orchestra opened the winter season last week, MSC Virtuosa visited earlier this year, and MSC Bellissima was the first ship to arrive at home port from Jeddah Port Cruise Terminal in July 2021
In addition to MSC Splendida, the following vessels are scheduled to call at Saudi ports during the current season: MSC Orchestra, MSC Sinfonia, Silversea Silver Spirit, Residences at Sea's The World, Viking Neptune, Silversea Silver Cloud and Fred . Olsen Bolett.
Since its launch in January 2021, Cruise Saudi has partnered with Mawani and other local and government organizations to equip three ports in Saudi Arabia — Jeddah, Yanbu and Dammam — the necessary infrastructure to receive cruise ships. The company has had two successful seasons in 2021 and 2022 and has welcomed over 50,000 local and international passengers from over 80 nationalities. Liners of four global cruise operators have made more than 70 voyages.