The ports of Palamós and Roses expect 74 cruise calls, around 70,000 passengers, and an estimated economic impact of €6.7 million this season
The inaugural call of the Silver Muse in the port of Palamós marked the start of the 2026 cruise season on the Costa Brava
Palamós will receive 74% of its cruise calls during the low season, helping to reduce the seasonality of tourism activity
The Port of Palamós starts the 2026 cruise season this Wednesday in the Costa Brava. Forecasts for Palamós and Roses for this year are to receive a total of 70,000 cruise tourists, a thousand more than last year, which would set a new record for cruise passenger arrivals, and 74 cruise calls. Likewise, cruise activity is expected to generate an estimated economic impact of 6.7 million euros in the region, 1.5% more than last season. According to cruise industry data, passengers spend an average of €90 during a port call when visiting the destination, in addition to approximately €6 in port service fees. It should be noted that the ports of Palamós and Roses are both ports of call, where cruise ships typically dock for around ten hours before continuing their itineraries through the western Mediterranean.
This year, the ports of Palamós and Roses will welcome 17 cruise lines, and 10 cruise ships will make inaugural calls, as they will be visiting one of the two ports for the first time. The port of Palamós has kicked off the season this Wednesday, 4 of March, while the Port of Roses will begin its season on Thursday, 2 April.
The Director General of Ports de la Generalitat, Esther Roca, accompanied by the Mayor of Palamós, Maria Puig, and the Mayor of Roses, Josep M. Martínez, among other authorities and executives, has officially opened the 2026 cruise season, which has coincided with the inaugural call of the cruise ship Silver Muse.
2026 Palamós Cruise Activity
The Port of Palamós has started its cruise season this Wednesday, 4 of March and expects to finish on Sunday, 27 of December. This year, the season will last ten consecutive months, extending by one month compared to last year. The Port of Palamós expects to receive 67,000 passengers and 65 cruise calls this year, increasing the number of passengers by 3% compared to the previous season, while maintaining the same number of calls as last year.
74% of the cruise ships will arrive during the low season and the remaining 26% during the high season. Thus, the cruise passengers will help to diversify and reduce the seasonality of tourist activity in Palamós, which will boost employment and contribute to improving the economy of the municipality and its surroundings.
This season the port of Palamós will receive 13 cruise companies: Azamara, Crystal Cruises, Four Seasons Yachts, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, Marella Cruises, Oceania Cruises, Phoenix Reisen, Regent Seven Seas, Sea Cloud Cruises, Seabourn, Scenic, Silversea and Windstar.
In addition, the port of Palamós will also welcome eight inaugural calls from cruise ships: Silver Muse, Four Seasons I, Silver Shadow, Amera, Star Legend, Scenic, Eclipe II, Europa 2, and Allura.
The first cruise ship of the season
This Wednesday, the cruise ship Silver Muse has started the Costa Brava cruise season with an inaugural call in the port of Palamós. Authorities and representatives of Costa Brava Cruise Ports have presented the captain with the port plaque to commemorate the ships first visit to the port of Palamós.
The ship has arrived from the port of Palma at 8:00 a.m. and plans to depart for the port of Barcelona at 7:00 p.m. The ship has brought 583 passengers on board, the majority of which are British, North Americans, Canadians, Germans and Australians, and 413 crew members.
During their stay, cruise passengers have visited the municipality of Palamós and various locations across the region, taking excursions to Girona’s Old Town; the medieval villages of Pals and Peratallada; the historic centre of Begur; and Figueres and Púbol to explore the surrealist legacy of Salvador Dalí. Some visitors have explored Pals and its rice fields on cargo bikes, while others did so aboard a tourist train. Another group has taken part in food and wine tours to DO Empordà wineries, where they discovered a wide range of local products.
This cruise ship belongs to the North American company Silversea, a cruise line that will make 14 calls to the port of Palamós this year with four ships from its fleet: Silver Muse, Silver Shadow, Silver Ray, and Silver Spirit.
The cruise ship Silver Muse (2017) is a high-end ship with 11 decks, a length of 212,8 meters, a draft of 6.7 meters and a gross tonnage of 40,791.
