Cruise season kicks in

The 2013 cruise season gets into full swing this week with a host of liners descending on Bermuda.

Last weekend saw the arrival of the Silver Spirit into Hamilton and the Windstar into St George’s.

The Explorer of the Seas made the first of 26 calls from Cape Liberty to Dockyard yesterday.

Also, a further four cruise ships will come alongside in the next five days.

Today the Riviera and her 780 passengers will arrive from Miami and drop anchor just off Dockyard in Grassy Bay.

She sets sail for Funchal in Madeira tomorrow morning at around the same time as the Regatta gets into Hamilton.

The Regatta will be in the capital until Saturday when she heads to St George’s for the day before leaving the island at 5pm bound for San Juan, Puerto Rico.

The Carnival Legend will arrive at King’s Wharf on Friday morning, while the Seven Seas Navigator will get into Hamilton on Sunday afternoon.

She will then move up to Penno’s Wharf next Tuesday before departing for Charleston.

As far as other ships are concerned — the Oleander and Bermuda Islander are both in this week at their usual arrival times of Sunday and Thursday respectively.

The research vessel Marcus G Langseth arrived in Penno’s Wharf on Monday to pick up a team of scientists and is expected to leave Bermuda today.

Finally the Oder Gas fuel tanker is now due into the Oil Docks off St George’s on Saturday after bad weather delayed her scheduled Wednesday morning arrival.