It’s going to be a record breaking summer for Liverpool Cruise Terminal.
June and July will be the busiest ever as they gear up to welcome 25 different vessels with 37,317 international passengers and 17,348 crew.
Highlights include Celebrity Eclipse, which returns for an overnight call on 12/13 June and the return of Royal Princess – Princess Cruises’ flagship vessel – on Sunday 10 June which recently appeared on ITV’s ‘The Cruise’ and is back in the city for the first time since 2015.
The jewel in the crown of the cruise call schedule this summer is the return of Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth on 23 July, which also coincides with the 80th anniversary of the launch Cunard’s RMS Mauretania II from Cammell Laird in Birkenhead.
An estimated 54,000 visitors will be coming ashore in the next two months, generating a predicted £2.6 million for the local economy in spending in shops, bars and restaurants.
Visitors to the Cruise Terminal this summer are in expert hands as the team at Cruise Liverpool, who won Tourism Event of the Year at the recent Liverpool City Region Tourism Awards for Disney Magic on the Mersey which was organised in partnership with the team at Liverpool Waters.
Looking to the horizon, the first phase of construction of Liverpool’s new Cruise Liner Terminal has begun. The new facility, which replace the current terminal, will enable the city to turnaround some of the world’s biggest cruise ships to its UNESCO listed World Heritage waterfront.
Councillor Wendy Simon, Deputy Mayor and cabinet member for culture, tourism and events, said: “A total of 25 ships in two months is incredible, as a city we are very proud to be the home of passenger shipping and are exceptionally excited to welcome so many visitors to the city.
“It forms a solid basis for our exciting plans for the new cruise liner terminal which are rapidly taking shape.”
Pete Murney, Liverpool’s Cruise and Operations Manager, said: “The next two months will be our busiest ever at Cruise Liverpool, and we can’t wait of visitors and crew to experience our amazing city and everything that it has to offer.”
Liza Marco, asset manager at Peel-owned Liverpool Waters, said: “To have such a busy and world-renowned cruise terminal operating at Princes Dock is something we are incredibly proud of and exactly what Peel Land and Property wanted to achieve when we gifted the land to the city.
“Not only is it fantastic to welcome so many wonderful ships to Liverpool Waters, we are also delighted to see that this summer will once again bring the Disney Magic cruise liner back to the city.
“The ship, as well as the now award-winning Magic on the Mersey event, has brought thousands of people together at Princes Dock to experience a day of entertainment and magic that only Disney can offer.”
For more information about the 2018 cruise schedule and to download a copy, visit www.cruise-liverpool.com.
Arrival and departure times are published on the Cruise Liverpool Facebook page a few days prior to the cruise ship calling – www.facebook.com/liverpoolcruiseterminal – or follow the team on Twitter & Instagram @CruiseLpool