Le Havre, Honfleur and Rouen share positive outlook for the season aheadLe Havre, Honfleur and Rouen share positive outlook for the season ahead

Combined, the three ports clocked up 171 port calls and 301,000 passengers, but fell short of 2019 figures when they collectively received over 220 port calls and more than 450,000 passengers. According to Haropa Port, which unites the three ports with Paris under the ‘major Seine Axis river and sea port authority’ umbrella, benchmarking indicates a brighter future with several inaugural calls expected.   

Le Havre

Le Havre, which can accommodate up to four of the world’s largest cruise ships simultaneously, recorded 120 calls and 272, 804 passengers last year, down on 2019 figures when the port received 130 calls and 353,600 passengers. 

This year, 178 calls are anticipated with Compagnie Française de Croisières and Crystal Cruises arriving for the first time, with 10 calls and one call, respectively. 

Norwegian Cruise Line will increase calls from seven last year to 20 this year, and Costa Cruises will call seven times, up from four in 2022. Oceania Cruises ships will collectively make five calls and Ambassador Cruise Line's Ambience, four. Ponant’s Le Commandant Charcot is set to make an appearance, as will Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 as it embarks on a trans-Atlantic crossing.

As with Le Havre’s regular customers – AIDA Cruises and MSC Cruises – Princess Cruises will interport. AIDA is scheduled for 39 calls compared to 33 last year and MSC, which will both interport and conduct turnarounds with MSC Virtuosa and MSC Euribia, will carry out 33 calls. 

Le Havre Seine Métropole and Haropa Port are currently engaged, with the support of the Normandy Regional Government Authority, in plans for the development of cruise activity on Florida Point.   

Honfleur

Honfleur, which can manage ships up to 260 meters with a nine-meter draught, welcomed 41 calls and 21,892 passengers in 2022. In 2023, 31 calls are expected totaling 18,000 passengers. Among those, and making between one and three calls each, will be AIDA Cruises, Ambassador Cruise Line, Azamara, Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, Nicko Cruises, Phoenix Reisen, Ponant, Sea Cloud Cruises and Silversea. 

This year, Compagnie Française de Croisières’ Renaissance, Silversea’s Silver Dawn, Vantage Travel’s Ocean Odyssey, Windstar Cruises’ Star Legend and Swan Hellenic’s SH Diana will call at the port for the first time ever. 

Rouen   

Rouen counted 12 calls and 8, 676 passengers in 2022, and expects 13 calls for this year. 

Among the lines it is expected to receive are AIDA, Azamara, Fred. Olsen, Hapag-Lloyd and Windstar, with Star Legend and Hapag-Lloyd’s Hanseatic Spirit making inaugural calls. 

The port can receive cruise ships up to 240 meters with an 8.5-meter draft.