Cruise Britain expects record season in 2023

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

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Published: 25 April 2023 25 April 2023

Cruise Britain says that the cruise sector’s post-Covid ‘year of transition’ was a success for ports and service providers around the UK and has provided the strongest possible springboard for a projected record season in 2023.

The year 2019 was the UK’s previous record season and 2022’s 2176 cruise calls only showed a drop of 22% on that record year. In terms of transit passengers enjoying a day ashore in the UK, ports welcomed nearly 1.4 million guests, around 80% of the 2019 figure.

“Looking ahead to this year, we see a very robust projected growth of 8% in terms of port calls across the UK. Some regions such as the South West, North West and Scotland are reporting likely figures in excess of this national growth rate,” Ian McQuade, chairman of Cruise Britain, said in a statement. 

“This is a fantastic projection and the strength of the immediate growth trend is testament to the increasing popularity of Britain as a cruise destination. We really can offer a port for every cruise ship currently sailing – from expedition ships to boutique and mid-range vessels up to the largest afloat.”

With each transit passenger being worth an average of £70 to the local economy every time they step ashore, the visitor figure for 2022 means a tourism injection of around £100 million to Britain’s coastal economies. The 2022 embarkation figure of 1.04 million passengers setting sail from a UK port constitutes a rebound to 94% of 2019 figures.

“Whilst Round Britain and Ireland cruise popularity continues to grow, we have now seen the successful return of itineraries where British port calls are part of a multi-country story of discovery,” McQuade said.

"In 2022, cruise passengers arrived for the day or embarked through 58 cruise ports aboard 107 individual ships, from Kirkwall and Aberdeen in the north to Guernsey in the English Channel, with the vast majority of ships calling on multiple occasions. 52 different cruise lines were welcomed and ships visited UK ports as diverse as Belfast and Bristol, Portland and Portsmouth, Douglas (Isle of Man) and Dover, and many more."

"The UK offers an incredibly diverse cruise holiday experience for guests and this is one of the most powerful reasons for the growth projections that we are seeing," commented McQuade. "Cruise Britain and all its members continues to work with cruise lines, industry partners and stakeholders, and government to support the development of cruise as a resilient and profitable sector of the travel industry."

Image: Memorial candle to the shrine of St Thomas of Canterbury that stood here from 1220 to 1538, Canterbury Cathedral, Kent

 

Couple complete equivalent of 20 marathons in lifeboat fund raising drive

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

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Published: 21 April 2023 21 April 2023

A British husband and wife team have completed the equivalent of 20 marathons as Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines’ ship Borealis travels ‘Around the World in 80 Days’ – in a bid to raise £10,000 for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) that operates lifeboats on the coasts of Britain, the company said in a statement.

Following as closely as possible in the footsteps of fictional explorer Phileas Fogg, smaller ship Borealis set sail on the ‘Around the World in 80 Days’ cruise at the end of February, with Stephen and Claire Ward, from Wellington in Somerset, among the guests due to join.

However, when Stephen was unable to join at the last minute, the couple decided to continue with the feat to complete the equivalent of 10 marathons each - with Claire tallying up her miles on board, and husband Stephen completing his ashore, including by running the Brighton Marathon earlier this month. The pair have already completed 22 marathons between them, and plan to continue to see how many they can accomplish in total.

To help the couple towards their fundraising, Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines challenged other guests and crew aboard Borealis to see if they could travel the 30,828 miles of their cruise by walking, running, cycling, swimming or any other means before the end of the cruise in May.

Guests have been competing sponsored laps of the deck and are able to log any miles walked ashore as they explore, while crew have been completing sponsored relay races in the pool, and have so far travelled 15,659 miles.

As a united team effort, Stephen, Claire, guests and crew have raised £5,055 for the RNLI – with over three weeks still to go before Borealis arrives back in Southampton on 13 May 2023.

 

P&O Cruises publishes summer 2025 programme

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

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Published: 21 April 2023 21 April 2023

P&O Cruises, the UK focused contemporary market unit in the Carnival Corporation & plc group, has released a series of holidays for summer 2025.

This includes new ports of call and itineraries alongside introductory offers, including a 10% saving on applicable Select Price holidays, as well as a 10% low deposit offer, the company said in a statement.

Holidays booked by June 5, 2023 and departing between March and October 2025 will include:

 

• 10% guest saving. Guests can save 10% on applicable Select Price summer 2025 holidays
• 10% deposit offer. Available on applicable Select Price or Early Saver holidays
• Extra guests sail free of charge. When guests book an applicable holiday departing between March and October 2025, third and fourth guests in the cabin can sail free of charge. This offer is available on selected off-peak cruises sailing from and to Southampton for six nights or more when sharing an applicable inside cabin with two adults paying full fare.

 New holiday highlights

 New British Isles cruises

• Britannia - to celebrate its 10 year anniverary, flagship Britannia will offer guests a homeland adventure on a 14-night British Isles cruise. Ports of call include Belfast where guests can explore the mythical site of The Giant’s Causeway and an overnight stay in Liverpool with the opportunity to follow in the The Beatles footsteps. Prices start from £1,179 for an inside cabin.
• Aurora – a new 16-night British Isles holiday on board Aurora will call to Waterford (from Dunmore East) in Ireland – a first for the fleet since 2015. Prices start from £1,529 for an inside cabin.

New Mediterrranean ports of call

• Arvia – P&O Cruises newest ship Arvia will call at two new ports on its Western Mediterranean itineraries, Toulon (France) with shore experiences to St Tropez and Malaga (Spain) with shore experiences to the Picasso Museum or hiking the narrow gorge of Caminito Del Rey (The King’s Little Path). Prices start from £849 for an inside cabin.
• Arcadia – Arcadia’s 19-night Mediterranean holidays will include a maiden call to Granada (from Motril) in southern Spain with shore experiences to the Alhambra, one of the finest Islamic buildings in Europe. Prices start from £1,729 for an inside cabin.

New Norway and Scandinavia itineraries

• Aurora – a new 16-night Northern Europe and Scandinavia cruise in July 2025 will include ports of call to Copenhagen and Gdansk (from Gdynia). Prices start from £1,399 for an inside cabin.
• Britannia – a new 14-night Northern Europe and Scandinavia cruise in August 2025 will include an overnight port of call to Copenhagen. Prices start from £1,099 for an inside cabin.
• Iona – On selected Iona holidays to Norway, guests will call at Flåm following successful calls in 2022. Prices start from £679 for an inside cabin.

 New time in destination

• Azura – on selected 14-night Mediterranean fly-cruise holidays on board Azura, guests will be able to enjoy two full days in Valletta to spend more time experiencing Malta’s diverse mix of culture, history and beaches. Prices start from £999 for an inside cabin.

 New USA port of call

• Aurora – on USA and Canada holidays on Aurora, guests will call to new port Rockland (Maine), famous for its lobster and windjammer boats. Prices start from £3,249 for an inside cabin (R517)

Swan Hellenic partners with JRE - Jeunes Restaurateurs

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

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Published: 21 April 2023 21 April 2023

Swan Hellenic, the Cyprus based expedition cruise line, said that it has partnered with JRE-Jeunes Restaurateurs to create Maris, a tailored dining experience, lived with the gourmet organisation’s chefs.

“Maris brings a different JRE leading light aboard in a series of exclusive cultural expedition cruises on Swan Hellenic’s elegant designer ships SH Vega and SH Diana.” 

“Here, they take guests on a parallel voyage of discovery, exploring the celebrated culinary creativity that has made their name, driven by a passion for tradition, sustainability and quality local ingredients,” the company said in a statement.