Adds picture - The Holland America cruise liner Noordam this morning became the largest cruise ship to stop off Gozo when it dropped anchor between Comino and Mgarr.

The 82,000-ton leviathan left Grand Harbour at 7.00 a.m. and sailed along Malta's East coast to Gozo, where it will be disembarking some 600 passengers for a tour lasting several hours.

This is the third Holland America Line cruise ship to call in Gozo after the Rotterdam and Prinsendam which called late last year. Mifsud Brothers Ltd. – Malta Cruise Services are handling the excursions in Gozo. Gollcher are the ship agents.

Tours have been designed to showcase the best that Gozo has to offer. These include a "Taste of Gozo" where guests have the opportunity to savour local wine and specially baked bread using a wood-burning fire together with an array of Gozitan specialities.

Families with children will be taken to Ramla il-Hamra and for the more adventurous a "Sail & Swim in the Blue Lagoon" in Comino as well as a "4x4 Safari".

There is also an "Art & Culture Tour" which takes guests to Ta' Dbiegi Crafts Center and to the workshop of a well known local sculptor. A spokesman said the buoy installed for cruise ships off Xlendi could not be used because it is meant for smaller ships.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.