Cruise ships in Poland. Two ports, two market segments. How Gdynia and Gdańsk divided the cruise tourism market

Although they are separated by just 25 kilometres, Gdańsk and Gdynia will handle almost identical cruise traffic volumes in the 2026 season - 66 and 67 calls respectively. Yet not a single vessel appears in both schedules. This is not coincidence, but a clear reflection of how the Polish Baltic coast is split between two ports operating in fundamentally different market segments.

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06 may 2026   |   11:10   |   Source: Gazeta Morska   |   Prepared by: Kamil Kusier   |   Print

fot. Dominik Paszliński / gdansk.pl

The season begins on 9 April in Gdynia with the arrival of AIDAprima and ends on 17 December in Gdańsk, when Hanseatic Spirit calls at Westerplatte. This represents more than eight months of cruise activity – one of the longest passenger shipping seasons in the history of Polish ports. The numbers are similar, but the operational logic is entirely different.

Gdynia: mass-market cruising and large vessels

The average vessel length calling at Gdynia in 2026 is 275 metres. Ten calls involve ships exceeding 300 metres in length. Among them is Mein Schiff Relax (332.63 m), which will visit six times - the largest cruise ship ever to call at a Polish port.

Gdynia handles 17 unique vessels, but each returns multiple times - on average four calls per ship. Norwegian Sun will arrive 12 times, Sapphire Princess and MSC Magnifica nine times each, and AIDAmar seven times. This is a classic shuttle cruise model - operating within closed Baltic loops where Gdynia functions as a short turnaround or transit stop.

Onboard capacity typically ranges from 2,000 to 4,000 passengers per call. In this model, the port serves primarily as an operational waypoint rather than a destination in its own right.

Ships berth at the French Quay (Nabrzeże Francuskie), adjacent to the Emigration Museum - one of the key observation points for ship spotters. Peak season occurs in June and July. Between 25 and 27 July, three large vessels will arrive consecutively: Arcadia (285 m), Marina (239 m) and Ambience (245 m). The season concludes on 21 December with Aurora (270 m).

Gdańsk: premium and expedition cruising

Gdańsk operates on a completely different model. The average vessel length is 180 metres, and ships above 300 metres do not appear at all. The largest vessel, Viking Vela, measures 240 metres.

Despite this, the number of calls is comparable to Gdynia.

The key difference lies in the cruise operators. In 2026, Gdańsk will welcome Viking Cruises, Silversea, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, Ponant, Scenic, Regent Seven Seas and Saga Cruises. These represent the global premium and expedition cruise segment.

Passenger profiles are entirely different - typically 200 to 900 guests per ship. Lower volumes are offset by significantly higher per-passenger spending and a stronger focus on shore experiences rather than onboard scale.

The port operates across three locations:

• Westerplatte – main cruise berth for vessels 145–240 m (approx. 50 calls).
• Oliwskie Quay – 8 calls, including Spirit of Adventure and Spirit of Discovery (236 m).
• WOC II – a container terminal adapted for cruise operations, handling 8 calls of the vessel Clio (100 m) under a regular seasonal rotation.

Record diversity of flags in Gdańsk

In the 2026 cruise season, vessels calling at Gdańsk will be registered under 10 different flags – a record compared to recent years. This distribution reflects the global nature of the premium and expedition cruise sector: Bahamas, Bermuda, Croatia, France, Norway, Malta, Portugal, Sweden, United Kingdom, Marshall Islands.

Such diversity highlights the international structure of cruise ownership and registration, particularly within the luxury and expedition segment.

Extended season: Le Commandant Charcot

The most unusual element of the schedule appears at the end of the year. Le Commandant Charcot – the world’s only luxury PC2-class icebreaker operated by Ponant – will call at Gdańsk three times: on 28 November, 7 December and 16 December.

This indicates a structural shift in the port’s seasonality. Gdańsk is increasingly positioned as a transitional hub between Arctic and Antarctic deployment cycles for expedition vessels. Only a few years ago, the cruise season ended in October; today it extends almost to the end of the year.

Szczecin and Świnoujście - a separate segment

Szczecin–Świnoujście operate within a different ecosystem.

Szczecin is a river port with a maximum vessel length of 215 metres and a draught limit of 9.15 metres. It serves the Berlin–Odra–Szczecin Lagoon–Rügen route, hosting river cruise vessels typically 80–110 metres long with capacities of 80–100 passengers. Annual volumes are around 100 calls.

Świnoujście primarily functions as a ferry port, with daily connections to Sweden and Denmark operated by Polferries, Unity Line, TT-Line and Finnlines. Cruise traffic is occasional and incidental.

Poland as a segmented cruise market

From a European perspective, Poland presents a rare configuration: one country, four ports, and four distinct cruise segments.

• Gdynia – mass-market cruising and large vessels
• Gdańsk – luxury and expedition cruising
• Szczecin – river cruising
• Świnoujście – ferry-dominated traffic with occasional cruise calls

The challenge is not volume, but narrative coherence. Cruise operators planning Baltic itineraries typically see - Poland - as a single destination marker. In reality, it represents four distinct port products, each operating under a different market logic.

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