Rhapsody of the Seas cruise ship arrives at Ayia Napa marina

The behemoth cruise ship known as the Rhapsody of the Seas arrived at Ayia Napa marina on Thursday morning.

The ship, which is operated by international cruise operator Royal Carribbean, stopped just off the coast of Cyprus at 7.30 am, before its crew and passengers were ferried ashore in smaller vessels.

The ship is a whopping 297 metres long, has 12 decks, and a capacity of 2,200 passengers and 800 crew members and its arrival marks the second successive year that the ship has docked in Cyprus.

It was welcomed into Cyprus by Ayia Napa mayor Christos Zannettou, the marina’s chief officer Costas Fitiris, and representatives of the Tourism deputy ministry.

Upon the ship’s arrival, a commemorative plaque was awarded to the ship’s officers, while others on board were given gifts including local olive oil by the Ayia Napa municipality and the marina.

Deputy tourism minister Costas Koumis was unable to attend the ship’s arrival due to a long-running cabinet meeting, but arrived later in the afternoon and said, “we consider it extremely important that vessels of this capacity now have the opportunity to arrive at really high-quality infrastructure such as the Ayia Napa marina”.

He added that the government will “continue its efforts for even better results” in the maritime tourism sector.

Ayia Napa mayor Zannettou thanked those “who made every effort so that we could have these encouraging results both for Ayia Napa and for Cyprus in general”.

The ship’s senior officer Gary Waugh expressed “gratitude on behalf of the crew for the hospitality offered by the marina team, by the Ayia Napa mayor, and the rest of the officials”.

“It is a great experience for someone to come to Ayia Napa”, he added.

He also said “this is the second time we have visited the marina, which is an excellent project. We wish everyone the best of luck and look forward to coming back”.

The marina’s chief officer Fitiris said the ship’s arrival amounts to “a reward for the efforts made collectively by the marina, the Ayia Napa municipality, and by government agencies so that cruise ships can come into this district and specifically to the Ayia Napa marina”.

He added that an increased number of cruise ships are expected to arrive in the marina both this year and next year and said that the plans “help the region to remove the seasonality that plagues it”.

The Rhapsody of the Seas is set to depart Cyprus on Thursday evening and is expected to next visit Ayia Napa in October.