By Luis Alonso
DP World San Antonio projects handling more than 450 thousand passengers -cumulatively- during the 2025-2026 cruise season, a goal that is expected to be reached thanks to the 15 port calls already confirmed.
From April 2017 until March 21 of this year, the concessionaire of the Port of San Antonio has received more than 433 thousand travelers aboard 141 vessels. These operations began with the arrival of the Norwegian Sun, which arrived after a failed stop in Valparaíso.
In this regard, Stephenie Dewulf, Commercial Manager of DP World San Antonio, indicated to that “this season we will have more than 450 thousand visitors in San Antonio, which is a source of pride for the entire port city, which has established itself as one of the most important destinations in Chile and on the west coast of the South Pacific.”
The first arrival was recorded on October 30 with the arrival of the Seabourn Pursuit, marking the start of a season that will extend until April 2, 2026 and that will be concluded with the return of the same vessel.
Within the schedule of port calls, the Oosterdam will be the vessel with the highest number of dockings, with four arrivals scheduled in the months of December, January, February, and March. For their part, the Seabourn Pursuit and the Marina will visit the port facility on two occasions each.
The list of vessels is completed with the arrival of the cruise ships Sapphire Princess, Costa Deliziosa, Seven Seas Splendor, Volendam, Azamara Quest, Artania, and Aurora, consolidating a season with various types of ships.
Under this context, Stephenie Dewulf emphasized that “we must continue working jointly with all public and private actors so that visitors to San Antonio receive friendly, warm, and attractive service. This involves the arrival, transportation, restaurants, commerce, hotels, guides, wineries, museums, and the safety and cleanliness of the city; it is an entire chain of actors that strengthens San Antonio as a tourist destination of excellence at the national and international level.”
The Port of San Antonio is considered by cruise lines as a homeport, which means that the vessels disembark all the passengers they have on board -or a large part of them in case of transit- and embark similar quantities to begin new itineraries.
This type of operation implies intensive logistics in a short period of time, which requires mobilizing a large number of cruisers, in addition to supplying the vessels with fuels, provisions, food, supplies, and other essential supplies.
