October 15, 2026 — New cruise line Corazul Cruceros, launched in Spain earlier this year, is bringing its first ship to Brazil this month, with the inaugural sailing set for October 26 from Santos.
The ship
Buenavista is a 69,000-ton, 1,806-passenger ship built by Meyer Werft. It entered service in 1995 as P&O Cruises’ Oriana, was bought by Astro Ocean Cruises in 2019 for the Chinese market, and has also sailed as Piano Land. Corazul took delivery in late September; Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement handles technical management. Corazul is restoring public rooms to their original layouts and adding signs in Spanish, Portuguese and English.
Key dates
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Oct 20–21, 2026 | Arrives in Santos after repositioning from Hong Kong via Singapore and Mauritius |
| Oct 23, 2026 | Shakedown cruise |
| Oct 26, 2026 | Inaugural sailing from Santos |
| After inaugural | Short cruises to Brazilian destinations from Santos and Rio de Janeiro (schedule: TBA) |
What it means for airline travelers
- Santos is the port for São Paulo; most international flights land at São Paulo–Guarulhos (GRU), roughly a two-hour drive away depending on traffic. Rio de Janeiro departures are served by Galeão (GIG).
- A brand-new operator’s first weeks can bring schedule tweaks. If you book an early sailing, arrive a day or two before embarkation, especially if you are flying standby on long-haul routes to Brazil.
- No travel-industry or interline rates were mentioned.
Sources
- Cruise Industry News: Corazul Readies First Ship for October Debut in Brazil
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