Cruising from the UK. Why is it all about Southampton?

As a Northern lass I have read with interest about the potential development of cruise terminals in both Hull and Liverpool.

Liverpool City Council has launched a new study to find out whether a former jetty could be transformed into a new, ultra-modern, cruise line terminal (read more here). The Princess jetty’s new terminal  would have passport control, a passenger lounge, toilets, café, coach layover area, taxi rank, pick up point and a car park.  Currently several ships dock at Liverpool, but there are very few that use it as a port of embarkation. This could mean that transatlantic crossings could once again be a regular occurence from the port.

Hull City council has allocated £9 million for funding towards a cruise terminal. The idea was first suggested three years ago and is expected to cost more than £30 million in total. Councillors agreed on Thursday to borrow a further £9.2 million for the project, but said the government has to invest in it too. Hull City Councillor Darren Hale said “This is a scheme that will be a game-changer for Hull, and we’re hoping that they can find the money – and yes we will put some money in, but it will take a much larger amount of money to happen. But these schemes do make a difference. It transformed Liverpool and we believe it will transform Hull when it happens.”

Thomson Cruises announced last week that they are set to return to use Newcastle as a base for several cruises on their ship, Celebration for sailings to the Baltics & Norwegian Fjords in  2017. This is a snub to Southampton and welcome news for Northern cruisers. The Managing Director of Thomson Cruises, Helen Caron said “I’m excited to reveal the re-introduction of ex-UK cruising to our programme in 2017. This will open up even more destinations for our customers, giving them the opportunity to create truly memorable experiences.” Read more here.

So things are looking a little less grim up North which is music to my ears. The journey down to Southampton from up here in Yorkshire always adds to the cost and is often a real hassle. If there are no suitable flights the choice is either driving or sitting on a coach for hours or getting the train down & having to change twice with all of your luggage which is a real pain. So well done Northern Ports for your vision & ambition. Let’s hope this will happen in the not too distant future.