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E.H. Edejer - Philstar.com
March 14, 2026 | 5:39pm
Waving Philippine and SBMA flags, SBMA employees and Freeport students welcome the MS Crystal Symphony to Subic Bay on Saturday, March 14
Taktikom
SUBIC BAY FREEPORT, Philippines — Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) employees and students from local schools welcomed the cruise liner MS Crystal Symphony early this morning, March 14, buoying hopes for the revival of Subic as a regular cruise stop in Southeast Asia.
Arriving at 7:00 a.m. with 550 tourists on board, the vessel owned by luxury travel company Abercrombie & Kent and operated for Crystal Cruises, became the first cruise ship to visit Subic this year.
The disembarked passengers boarded seven tour buses bound for historical sites and shopping malls in Subic and two other buses for the nearby Clark Freeport.
Subic is now positioning itself to become a premier cruise turnaround hub in Southeast Asia, with a P10.2-billion dedicated cruise ship terminal being planned under the stewardship of SBMA Chairman and Administrator Eduard Jose Aliño.
The SBMA Tourism Department said at least eight international cruise ships are confirmed to visit Subic Bay this year, with two other arrivals this month and another two in April.
Crystal Symphony’s visit is part of its 58-day cruise from Mombasa to Tokyo. The ship also made stops at Puerto Princesa on March 8, Coron on March 10 and Boracay on March 11, before proceeding to Manila on March 12.
On March 26, the Spirit-class cruise ship Adora Mediterranea, operated by China-based Adora Cruises, is expected to arrive here with a total of 3,592 passengers and crew. The ship currently offers itineraries in Southeast Asia from various Chinese homeports like Tianjin, Dalian, and Qingdao.
On March 30, the MS Amadea, owned by Amadea Shipping Company and operated under charter by the Germany-based Phoenix Reisen, will arrive with 916 persons on board. The liner is currently on a 146-day cruise from Bremer, Germany, to the Canary Islands and will also make scheduled stops in Manila on March 31, Romblon on April 1, Coron on April 2, and Puerto Princesa on April 3.
Meanwhile, MV Piano Land, which is operated by Corazul Cruceros, will be in Subic on April 6 and 16 with 2,722 passengers and crew.
Frequent Subic visitor Costa Serena, which is operated by the Italian cruise line Costa Crociere, was also confirmed to arrive here on October 25.
The scheduled visits, the SBMA Tourism Department said, will “add another layer of magic to life in Subic Bay” and further boost the local tourism industry.
Subic has launched a successful cruise tourism program in 2018, bringing in a total of 37 cruise liners with more than 49,000 recorded passengers until 2019 and generating an estimated P173 million in tourism receipts for Central Luzon, until the COVID-19 pandemic sidelined the cruise industry in 2020.
