Koh Samui has finally made it as a top destination for cruise ships.
Over 50 Cruise Ship Arrivals in 2016
Over the course 2016 the island will see around 50 cruise ship arrivals. Koh Samui is now firmly on the cruise ship tour itinerary for major operators such as SilverSea, Princess Cruises and Tui Cruises.
Mein Shiff 1 anchored off Koh SamuiMein Shiff 1 by Tui Cruises
The cruise ship in the picture is Mein Shiff 1 operated by Tui Cruises when it arrived on the 5th March 2016 near Nathon town on Koh Samui. This cruise ship sailed from Singapore on the 2nd March 2016, which further stops thereafter in Bangkok, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Panang, Langkawi, Phuket and back to Singapore on the 14th, and final day, of the cruise. Cruise ships operated by Princess Cruises stop at Koh Samui on their way upto Bangkok, before crossing the Gulf of Thailand first to Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam then again back to Singapore. SilverSea cruise ships ply the route from Hong Kong to Singapore via 4 destinations in Vietnam and a stop in Bangkok before arriving in Koh Samui.
Cruise Ship passengers being transfered to Koh SamuiThe Arrival of a Cruise Ship is a Major Event
The arrival of a cruise ship at Koh Samui is a major event and lucrative (and much welcomed) money making opportunity for local businesses. The first thing you will notice in the photographs above is that the cruise ship has stopped some way away from Koh Samui. Cruise ships such as the Mein Shiff 1 carry over 2,ooo passenger and around a further 900 crew members, nearly all of whom choose to leave the ship for a day trip around the island, or simply eat some good Thai food and have a few beers in the local bars. Getting these passengers and crew members onto dry land land is itself a major operation involving three large ships during the 15 minute journey between ship and harbour.
Cruise Ships Cannot Dock At a Harbour in Koh Samui
The Gulf of Thailand is very shallow – at its deepest only 85 metres. None of the harbours in Koh Samui are deep enough for cruise ships which is why transfers from ship to harbour require a flotilla of small ships. Once on land there are no shortage of tour operators waiting to take passengers to visit Koh Samui’s many attractions.