Kusadasi welcomes 2,460 passengers on enormous cruise ship

The Regal Princess aka “the floating city” is one of the world’s largest cruise ships, being 1,082 foot long and weighing 141,000 gross tonnes. The Bermuda-flagged ship disembarked at a port in Kusadasi in Turkey, which is situated in the west of the Aydin province.

The Regal Princess is set to make eight more trips to Kusadasi before the end of the cruise season in Turkey. At least 500 cruisers are planned to dock at the famous Ege Port throughout the year as Kusadasi welcomes a record number of giant vessels in 2022.

Capacity of the ship

Although the ship has the capacity to carry 3,560 passengers, there were just 2,460 passengers, although due to the pandemic, this is a huge number. Most of the tourists came from the United States. The ship has such capacity in terms of passengers due to it being 15 stories above the surface of the water.

Where did the passengers spend their time on land?

Some of the passengers chose to visit the city of Ephesus, which is steeped in history and the House of the Virgin Mary located in the Selcuk district near Izmir. Others enjoyed their time at the wonderful bazaars that Kusadasi has to offer.

What does Ephesus have to offer?

Ephesus is an ancient city that is renowned for its historical attractions, as it pays homage to three different periods in time – the revolutionary Neolithic, the divisive Hellenistic, and the influential Roman periods.

Ephesus is home to the Library of Celsus, which was the third biggest library in the Roman Empire behind Alexandria and Pergamon – and a vast theatre that had the capacity to seat 25,000 people at once.

Just over four miles out of Ephesus at Selcuk is the stone House of the Virgin Mary, which is not only an important site for Muslims, but it also considered to be one of the Holiest Christian locations.