More Maiden Calls For Southampton.

This year eleven cruise ships will make their maiden voyage to Southampton, which is an increase from eight in the previous year of 2018. The first ship will be MSC Bellissima which will be welcomed at the port on March 1 with a plaque and key ceremony before the ship’s naming ceremony on March 2.

Then from May 2019 Southampton will welcome maiden calls from Celebrity Edge on the 15th May, Marella Explorer on the 17th May, Sun Princess on the 27th May and then the Norwegian Spirit on the 31st May.

Then in the summer, there will be Saga’s Spirit of Discovery, Cruise & Maritime’s Vasco De Gama and Norwegian Cruise Line’s Riviera will all make their maiden voyages to Southampton. Then into the autumn will see the arrival of the World Explorer, Norwegian Encore and MSC Grandiosa.

Alastair Welch, port director at ABP Southampton, said: “We are excited to welcome 11 cruise ships on their maiden voyages to the Port of Southampton this year. The number of cruise calls we receive at the port each year is a testament to the exemplary level of customer service and the efficient turnarounds provided by the entire port community. Cruise is a strong and growing industry and we are investing significantly in expanding our cruise infrastructure at the port to continue to meet the needs of our customers, long into the future.”

Southampton which provides four dedicated cruise terminals (Ocean Cruise, QEII, City Cruise and Mayflower Cruise) is the UK’s number one port for cruise, as well as being the cruise capital of Northern Europe. It currently welcomes more than two million passengers a year on more than 500 cruise calls. On top of that each time a ship visits the port of Southampton it generates about £2 million for the economy.

Living in the North West of England I would like to see more voyages from Liverpool, Newcastle, Hull and Scotland. For me Liverpool is only forty-five minutes away, but It breaks the monopoly of Southampton and all the other ports on the south coast getting the majority of sailings from the UK. I have many customers in the North West, North East, Yorkshire, Scotland and the Midlands and not only is it the long distance that has to be travelled there and back to the south coast it’s the all the extra cost.

What are you thoughts of Southampton have more maiden voyages in 2019? What ship or company would you like to see from your local port?

Please share your comments…