Why Is There Not More Ships Sailing From Liverpool?

A few years back the cruise terminal at Liverpool got a big cash injection and underwent a major facelift in an attempt to bring it up to Southampton-esque standards.

An attempt that by all accounts was successful.

I took a mini cruise from there about 2 years ago and was really impressed with the job they have done. Easily capable of handling embark and disembarkation for a large ship.

But as the years have ticked on, I still see really only one Fred Olsen ship, and one CMV ship sailing from this great Northern city port.

It seems like a huge waste to me. Anyone else?

What I expected was a big name to sign a ship up there. The likes of Royal Caribbean, Carnival, MSC etc etc

Believe me the demand is there. I talk to customers from all over the country every day, and a huge number are from the North, or the surrounding areas.

What’s more, Liverpool as a home port has so much more going for it than Southampton, the culture, the history, the music. They even have some belting shopping opportunities at the Albert Docks and Liverpool One just a short distance from the port.

Don;t get me wrong I know that Southampton is very much the commercial home for the big boys of British cruising, but Liverpool would give so many more people the incentive to try the experience in general.

From a family point of view also, it’s attractive option for people further North. My own family situation changes once more in the summer as my wife and I are expecting twins (crazy I know), which will bring us up to the grand total of 3 children, and to be perfectly honest, driving them down from north Manchester to Southampton in years to come is less than top of my list. But Liverpool is about an hour or so down the motorway and would be much more appealing to me personally, should the right ship be berthed there.

I’d love to think in the future as my current child, and impending children could pick up say Britannia or Independence of the Seas in the future from Liverpool.

Size isn’t an issue either, I once boarded Grand Princess in Liverpool for a day trip visit and lunch, and she is well over 100k tonnes, carrying 3k passengers, and the ground staff coped brilliantly with the influx.

What’s more is that not only is Liverpool a great city in itself, but it’s also the doorstep to other fab Northern Cities such as my home, Manchester, just an hour or so away, the capital of football as some like to call it these days! A trip around Old Trafford or the Emptihad Stadium (sorry I’m a Red) surely a great day out for an overseas footy fan?

There is so much potential, I just hope the cruise lines can see this and can act upon it.

Love to know what folks think about the expansion of Liverpool as a genuine Southampton rival for cruising?

Would it entice you more to cruise?

Thanks for reading, and as always, until next time….