Thursday, September 9, 2021 - 17:11 by ce-press
Liverpool’s bumper cruise season is showing no signs of abating, after operators booked up more than 35 days of visits in September and October.
“Thanks to a successful collaboration between Liverpool’s Cruise Terminal and the nearby Arena and Convention Centre (ACC), the city has spent the summer months being the ‘port of choice’ for holiday makers from across the country, and in particular the north-west of England, as people clambered for their first break away following the pandemic,” said Kate Smith, passenger operations manager Liverpool Cruise Terminal.
Smooth operations between the cruise terminal and ACC were implemented by about 200 dedicated ground staff per call, facilitating passenger check-in in a Covid-safe manner.
With 45 turnaround operations scheduled in 2021, around 50,000 passengers will have embarked from Liverpool by the end of the year.
The way in which the city has handled the reopening of its cruise terminal, has lead to Disney Cruise Line choosing it for the inaugural call of Disney Magic in July as the company resumed worldwide operations. Fred Olsen Cruise Lines (FOCL) and MSC Cruises have also been sailing out of Liverpool having adapted their itineraries around the British Isles in order to meet government guidance.
As the UK government’s Covid restrictions lifted in July, Liverpool Cruise Terminal played host to the first international voyage by a UK-based operator. FOCL’s new ship, Borealis, made its debut in Liverpool prior to sailing to Iceland.
Angie Redhead, head of Cruise Liverpool, said: “It has given me no end of pleasure to see cruises coming back to Liverpool and our staff getting their hands dirty again, doing what they do best. It’s not been easy, we’ve faced many challenges over the last few months, we’ve had ups and downs like everyone, but I really want to pay credit to my colleagues who have worked, quite literally, around the clock to make sure every ship, every passenger got a safe but exhilarating experience.
“Working with ACC Liverpool to come up with an alternative check-in facility for passengers was a huge turning point for us and I’d like to make public my thanks to them for seeing the potential of the temporary facility and then making it happen.”
In May 2021 Liverpool launched its first cruise season in over 14 months.
Months of preparation behind the scenes by the Cruise Liverpool team, alongside Cruise Britain, ship operators and a host of stakeholders, meant the city - and the sector in general - was ready and waiting for the green light from government to reopen its waters.
Thanks to partnership working with Liverpool’s Arena and Convention Centre, a new ‘turnaround’ passenger facility was built a short distance from the terminal, allowing passengers to enjoy a Covid-safe, socially distanced check-in just a stone’s throw from the city’s famous waterfront.
