On Thursday, the first cruise ship for fifteen months docked in Palma. TUI's Mein Schiff 2 arrived at 6am, having come from Malaga. On board were around 1,000 German tourists.
The ship's journey started in the Canaries, and the majority of the passengers were leaving it on arrival in Palma in order to fly back to Germany. The 200 or so remaining passengers went into Palma, the first cruise passengers to set foot in the city since March last year. Mein Schiff 2 is now on an itinerary of Spanish ports - along the east coast and then the south to Cadiz and back to Palma, which will be the home port until mid-July.
This is a so-called "bubble cruise". It is only stopping at Spanish ports and is subject to health protocols required by the Balearic government as well as those established by TUI Cruises.
While 800 or so passengers left the ship, a similar number joined it. The first port of call for Mein Schiff 2 will be Cartagena.