The waves will shake the ducks on the banks of the Caen canal at the sea. The MV Clio launches the cruise season at the port of Caen-Ouistreham on April 22 and 23. This is the first of eight stopovers announced for this year, a figure down compared to previous years (12 stopovers last year). “It’s not a disappointment,” says Romain Bail, vice-president of the Caen-la-Mer agglomeration. We are fully booked on the highlight of the 80th anniversary of the Landings, which concentrates the stopovers. There is a strong event with the Olympics which attracts people other than on cruises. And we have, in addition, some technical constraints which limit us in September-October. »
2000 to 2500 passengers “and almost as many crew members” are expected at this atypical port, shared between Ouistreham, on the sea side, and Caen, on the land side. Enough to maintain the dynamic, in a well-identified register: “We are on high-end cruising, the best, with one crew member per passenger and a very personalized service,” we slip. at the captaincy. From small capacity vessels to routes along the coasts of Western and Northern Europe. The MV Clio, for example, will leave Caen to reach Copenhagen with 90 seats.
Little by little, Caen-Ouistreham made a place for itself “in a very competitive market”. “At a show not long ago, there were 800 destinations for around forty companies. You have to work together, breathes Morgan Pravos, cruise manager at the tourist office. The advantage is that we are in the heart of Normandy. » Ideal for offering excursions to emblematic sites in the region, even more so this year with the 80th anniversary of the Landings.
The D-Day beaches will be on the menu of all stopovers from April. The Dumont d'Urville, from the Ponant company, will stop at Caen on June 4 and 5 as well as June 7 and 8, in the presence of the grandson of General Eisenhower, the mastermind of Operation Overlord. The Sea Cloud Spirit and its large masts will pass through the Ouistreham locks on June 6, for three days. A spectacle also for the locals, all along the canal.
The ships go inland to the gates of the city center and this is where Caen has a lot of room for improvement in welcoming these wealthy passengers with rather high expectations. “We don't hide the fact that we've had a lot of feedback on the reception, between unclear docks and related activities that aren't clear either (prostitution, wild camps, etc.),” says Romain Bail half-heartedly.
The quays will be redone this year, as well as improvements “to improve the landscape and the route to the city center, so that it is passable and pleasant by bike and on foot,” adds Cécile Cottenceau. Also on the horizon is the rehabilitation of the old cranes from the port activity of the defunct Sociétémetallurgique de Normandie.
To turn a corner, a real cruise terminal is hoped for but suspended from studies on major projects on the Caen-la-Mer peninsula, disrupted by projected rising water levels. In the meantime, work on the Colombelles bridge on the canal will allow the passage to be widened (from 24 to 40 m). An argument to attract companies, as well as the electrification of the port, around 2027-2028, which will allow the engines of boats at the dock to be turned off.
The small Caen port is aiming for 15 calls from 2025, in the wake of Caen's millennium, and dreams of reaching 25 dates during these prosperous years. All this thanks to intense seduction operations behind the scenes to exist among the big fish of the cruise. During Covid, the Calvados port was able to make itself known by welcoming ships with forced inactivity, like the Sunstone company, which is scheduling three passages this season.