By
Rebecca Gibson |
Liverpool Cruise Terminal is set to receive a record 52 cruise calls and 70,000 passengers during the 2014 season, marking a ten per cent increase from 2012.
Hapag-Lloyd Cruises’ Europa 2, Princess Cruises’ Ruby Princess and MSC Magnifica will all make inaugural visits to the port during the 2014 season, while Cruise and Maritime Voyages, and Fred. Olsen will continue to offer Liverpool departures. Thomson Cruises will also provide its first three Liverpool-based itineraries in May 2014.
The terminal will accommodate a growing number of split voyages, with Cunard Line’s Queen Mary 2, Queen Elizabeth and Celebrity Infinity offering passengers shorter cruises to, or from, Liverpool.
Overnight stays are also becoming increasingly popular, with the residential cruise ship The World making a return three-day visit in July 2013 and Celebrity Infinity docking overnight in July 2014, enabling passengers to attend The British Open Championship at Royal Liverpool Golf Club.
Cunard’s Queen Victoria will also remain in port overnight next May as part of a celebratory cruise marking the 100th anniversary of the launch of one of the line’s most popular vessels Aquitania, which retired after 36 years of service in 1950.
Commenting on the popularity of Liverpool’s terminal, which had 13 cruise calls when it opened for its first full season in 2008, Angie Redhead, Liverpool cruise and operations manager, said: “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.”