Three ships were booked at Puerto Limón, two each in Puntarenas and Quepos and one each at Playas del Coco and the islands of the Gulf of Nicoya.
Range of ship styles and itineraries
The ships — ranging from expedition to luxury to contemporary — are Seabourn Sojourn, Silver Moon, Wind Star, World Voyager, National Geographic Quest, Amadea, Caribbean Princess, Zaandam and Panorama. They're sailing on a range of itineraries from a weeklong Panama-Costa Rica cruise to world voyages.
Some calls were to stretch eight to 12 hours to give time to explore and positively impact the economy by taking tours, hiring guides, visiting national parks, buying handicrafts and tasting the gastronomy.
The six luxury and expedition ships were scheduled to spend from three to five days at Costa Rica, stopping at various ports.
'After two very difficult years for the cruise industry due to the pandemic, it is satisfying to attend nine cruise ships simultaneously with the benefit that cruise passengers bring to port communities, validating an improved 2022/23 season,' said Gustavo Alvarado, director of tourism management, Costa Rica Tourism Institute.
300 cruise calls this season
Between September 2022 and July 2023, more than 300 cruise calls are scheduled at six ports: Puntarenas, Caldera, Quepos, Golfito, Playas del Coco and Limón. Of these, 40% will be expedition and luxury cruises.
This is a 20% increase in calls from the 250 in pre-pandemic 2019.
