About 500 persons registered their interest in sailing across the Atlantic from Liverpool to Halifax, Boston and New York on Cunard Line's Queen Mary 2 in July 2015, when the line will offer its first crossing from the UK port since 1966, Liverpool Echo reports on its website.

Bookings will open in April, the report said.

John Cooper, Liverpool Cruise Club commercial manager, was quoted as saying: “We’ve had to go back to Cunard and request more cabins on Queen Victoria as bookings went wild. It’s incredible. Apart from a story in the echo Shipping Lines’ page we’ve not advertised and letters to regular clients have only just gone out.”

The majority of visitors to a fair arranged by Liverpool Cruise club, a local travel agency that focuses on cruises, made it clear to the cruise lines they wanted more ships sailing from Liverpool, rather than having to travel to Southampton and other south coast departure ports.

Meantime, demand was so high for the only Cunard Line sailing in and out of Liverpool this year that Liverpool Cruise Club requested more cabins onboard Queen Victoria. The ship is splitting her round- UK cruise in two so passengers can either sail into or sail from Liverpool on 30-31 May with coach travel completing the trip to or from Southampton.

Cooper said: “We’re talking to cruise lines about following the success we’ve had with Cunard splitting round Britain cruises. We’re trying to get Princess Cruises to split cruises as its liners now visit Liverpool four times a year on round Britain cruises. Princess brought extra staff because it expected to be busy at the Fair."

Cunard Line was founded in Liverpool in 1840 and the now Southampton based company will bring its three ships to the port in 2015 to commemorate the 175th anniversary of its foundation. RMS Britannia, a 1,154 gross ton wooden paddle steamer, sailed on the first Cunard voyage for Halifax and Boston on 4 July 1840.