Plymouth cruise ship visits soar by more than 40 per cent
Plymouth is expected to welcome 10,000 cruise ship passengers this year.
Known for centuries as a magnet for seafarers, adventurers and explorers, the city’s rich heritage is proving ever more popular as a port of call for today’s international cruise liners, with bookings up 40 per cent from 2023.
Among the 14 vessels already confirmed this year are several making their first call to Plymouth plus several expedition vessels.
They include the first visit by Ambassador Cruise Line with their ships Ambition and Ambience, and expedition vessels such as Seabourn Venture, Exploris One, Star Legend, and Le Dumont D’urville.
The port will also welcome luxury cruise liners including Silver Dawn, Silver Spirit, Sirena and Seabourn Sojourn along with visits by German operator Phoenix Reisen with Artania, Amadea, and Amera.
The first liner arrives in April and bookings continue monthly until October with cruise lines from the USA, Germany and France represented along with UK ships.
More visits are in the pipeline for 2024 and inquiries are coming in for next year and 2026.
Amanda Lumley, Destination Plymouth’s chief executive said: “Plymouth, Britain’s Ocean City has been working hard to cement our reputation as a must-see port of call and a great many people are busy behind the scenes to make these cruise visits a huge success.
“We recently hosted a two-day familiarisation visit by some cruise industry representatives, including cruise line executives, cruise media and a cruise line ship management representative, to showcase some of the top attractions we have to offer.”
She added: “The Cruise Plymouth Partnership pulled out all of the stops to ensure our cruise industry guests’ visit was memorable.
“We’re also delighted to say the city has already achieved a reputation within the industry as one of the most welcoming ports for cruise ship visits. One passenger from Saga Cruises’ Spirit of Discovery said that, having been on over 50 cruises around the world, the welcome provided in Plymouth was ‘one of the best’ they had seen.”
The Cruise Plymouth Partnership was created in 2021 with a shared vision to increase the number of cruise ships visiting Plymouth.
