Cruise season at the Port of Santos expected to begin earlier in October

MSC Virtuosa ship gallery: vessel accommodating more than 6,000 passengers will make its debut in Brazil, with embarkations at the Port of Santos (MSC Cruzeiros/Disclosure)

The 2026/2027 cruise season at the Port of Santos is expected to begin earlier. The opening, announced last week for November 6, is now scheduled for October 23, with the Buenavista, operated by Spanish cruise line Corazul, making its first commercial voyage. In total, ten ships will make 146 calls at the Giusfredo Santini Passenger Maritime Terminal, operated by Concais, offering 606,300 berths. The season is scheduled to end on April 4.

According to Marco Ferraz, chief executive officer of the Associação Brasileira de Cruzeiros Marítimos (Clia Brasil), the cabotage vessels calling at Santos will be MSC Divina, MSC Virtuosa, MSC Musica, MSC Seaview, Costa Diadema and Buenavista. The international vessels, which operate long-haul itineraries with foreign passengers, are Zaandam, Queen Anne, Azamara Journey and Insignia.

According to Ferraz, 179,300 crew members will work aboard the cruise ships during the 92 days of operations. “December will be the busiest month, with nearly 40 calls and 214,300 berths available. On November 29 and January 17, three ships will simultaneously conduct embarkation and disembarkation operations”, the executive said.

Concais Port Operations Manager Javier Carnevale estimated that more than 900,000 people, including embarking and disembarking passengers and transit passengers, will pass through the passenger terminal during the season, generating an impact of “more than R\$1.5 billion on our region’s economy, including the creation of more than 40,000 jobs”, Carnevale said.

Buenavista

The Buenavista, operated by Corazul, will make its maiden voyage from the Port of Santos on October 23, marking the beginning of the Spanish cruise line’s operations in Brazil and worldwide, according to the company. The vessel is expected to arrive at the Port of Santos on October 20.

Launched in Spain in January, Corazul had planned the Buenavista’s maiden voyage for July, sailing through the Mediterranean before crossing the Atlantic from Portugal, with calls in Recife, Pernambuco, and Santos. However, the plan was changed, and the company decided to begin operations from Santos. “The ship is in Hong Kong (China) and will sail directly to Santos, from where we will operate our first commercial voyage on October 23,” Corazul Commercial Director Camille Appeldoorn told A Tribuna .

“Santos will be the main embarkation port, with a secondary option in Rio de Janeiro. On several itineraries, passengers will be able to begin and end their voyage in Santos or Rio,” Appeldoorn said.

The company plans to offer three- and four-night cruises, as well as some seven-night options. The idea is to provide a more affordable operation for the public. “We want to keep the cruises very short and very accessible to the general public,” the commercial director explained, adding that the itineraries include the main destinations along the Brazilian coast and that port reservations have already been confirmed.

Corazul’s strategy is to focus particularly on the Brazilian and Spanish markets. “We are not a large international ship with many international guests on board. In Brazil, our focus is on Brazilian guests. During our European summer, the focus will be on Spanish guests.”

Appeldoorn explained that “Brazil and Spain work very well together. It is the Hispanic sense of joy, family and what matters in life. If you start looking at different markets, Brazil is a perfect market for this.”

Regarding future plans, he noted that “the company is evaluating extending the season or, in the future, operating year-round in Brazil.”

Jobs

The arrival of Corazul also creates new employment opportunities. Eduardo Silveira, president of the Associação dos Profissionais do Turismo da Baixada Santista, estimates that the company will have approximately 750 crew members and, under Brazilian legislation, at least 25% of them must be Brazilian. “We are very happy to welcome it”, he said.

Profile

According to the Pesquisa Cruzeiros Marítimos Temporada 2025/2026: Estudo de Perfil e Impactos Econômicos no Brasil, 71.6% of cruise passengers spend money on tourist excursions, while 55.6% shop at local businesses. The average economic impact is estimated at R\$962.55 per cruise passenger in embarkation and disembarkation cities.

The survey also shows that 13% of passengers stay for at least one night in the embarkation or disembarkation destination. In terms of passenger profile, the average age is 45, 54.6% are women, 74% are between 26 and 55 years old, 64.3% have a university degree or higher, and 85.8% travel with companions.