As their flagship vessel Minerva left Portsmouth for her last sailing of her 2011 ‘no fly’ season, heading south to the Mediterranean on her A Spanish Summer cruise,  discovery cruise line, Swan Hellenic has announced a very successful first season sailing out of their new home port of Portsmouth, the company said in a statement.

"Their ‘no fly’ programme of cruises from Portsmouth, Coast of a Kingdom, Empires of the Baltic, Call of the Arctic Tern and The Norwegian Fjords sailed with every cabin sold which demonstrated that the decision to sail from Portsmouth in 2011 had been well received by their loyal passenger following, as well as those passengers cruising with the company for the first time. Passengers appreciated the ease of access to Portsmouth by road, rail and air and the facilities offered by the new International Cruise Terminal.  Swan Hellenic’s ‘no fly’ cruises for summer 2012 from Portsmouth are already selling very well, as are the summer 2012 ‘fly cruise’ itineraries, including Black Sea Odyssey and Hellenic Highlights," Swan Hellenic said.

Colin Stone, Managing Director Swan Hellenic & Hebridean Island Cruises added: “We have been delighted with the high level of enquiries and bookings for ex Portsmouth cruises this summer.  We introduced a number of new itineraries in recognition of the Portsmouth launch and have been pleased with the positive reaction of the travel trade, with whom we have an excellent and close working relationship. Portsmouth has proved the ideal demographic location for our discovery cruise passengers, not only for its quick and ideal transport links but also for the new, highly efficient, passenger cruise terminal facility which the local authorities provided as a multi-million pound investment in the city.”