In 2015, Liverpool Cruise Terminal is looking set for another record breaking year as as many as 54 cruise ships are set to berth there which will bring in more than 80,000 international visitors into Liverpool.
Most of these ships will range from brand new vessels to cruise liners and will be making their first voyages down the River Mersey into the world-renowned port.
The twin climaxes of the season will be two very exceptional events to celebrate the Cunards Cruise Lines 175th anniversary. On the 25th May 2015, the Cunard fleet will arrive along the River Mersey in a unique parade for Liverpool and a once-in-a-lifetime experience that will make maritime history.
On the 4th July 2015, the Cunard crown jewel Queen Mary 2 will return back to Liverpool in observance of the Britannia’s transatlantic departure exactly 175 years prior. There will be a string of events across Liverpool praising the charisma and buzz of cruise travel and how a corporation born in Liverpool altered the culture of the entire world.
The mayor of Liverpool, Joe Anderson, said:
“To have the three Cunard Queens back in their spiritual home on our beautiful waterfront will be nothing short of majestic.
“The growth of cruise calls is driven by a combination of factors, predominantly our city centre location and the sheer choice of quality experiences on the doorstep and in the surrounding region. This has again been underlined with Liverpool being named by the industry as the UK Port of Call for the second year in succession.
“I am absolutely delighted that Liverpool is once again making its mark as a great maritime destination.”
Angie Redhead, Liverpool Cruise and Operations Manager, said
“Our World class hospitality has ensured Liverpool is a firm favourite with international passenger along with the fantastic city wide support network behind our cruise operation.
“This is very important in a competitive industry where there are no second chances and a lot of destinations are vying for cruise business.”
Amongst the grand cruise liners making their first Mersey appearance in 2015 will be the brand new state-of-the-art P&O Britannia, Royal Princess, Mein Schif 4, Celebrity Silhouette, and the Spanish Pullmantur Horizon.
In the smaller ship class there are a few unique lines calling for the first time; such as the Le Boreal, and le Soleal from French organisation Ponant, and Marina and Nautica from the Oceania Cruise Line. In 2015, the city will likewise see a more distinct group of various nationalities than ever before.
During 2014 the city saw visits from 50 different vessels, which delivered 57,844 tourists to boost the local economy by around £4.49 million.
To honour these successes in 2014, a show-reel has been established that gives observations into life at a Cruise Liner Terminal and the background of passengers proceeding to the city. This can be witnessed at; http://www.cruise-liverpool.com/sunrise-to-sunset/.
To top off an amazing and outstanding year Cruise Critic.com, the cruise arm Trip Advisor and the most influential consumer review website in the cruise corporation worldwide, awarded Liverpool “UK Port of Call 2014”. This is the second year running that Liverpool has scooped the title.
Next year will also see the arrival of Regents Even Seas Voyager, which was the first ever ship to dock at the newly established cruise terminal on the 9th September 2007.
For more information on which ships are calling and when, go to www.cruise-liverpool.com/cruise-call-schedule.
Words: Daniel Smith