The city’s 2017 cruise season will see 10 vessels berth on the Mersey in the first 11 days including the biggest turnaround ship to ever visit Liverpool
Almost 20,000 passengers and crew will be welcomed at the terminal in this unprecedented two week opening, generating a £1.5m boost to Liverpool’s tourism economy.
And to celebrate, the city will be staging two special quayside concerts / sail away shows as part of the Cruise Terminal’s 10th Anniversary programme of events called: ‘A Decade Making Waves’.
The season will begin on Monday, 5 June with the Mersey debut of the luxury liner Silversea followed the next day by the Magellan, operated by Cruise & Maritime Voyages who have also deployed its largest ever cruise schedule out of Liverpool this year.
With a capacity of 1,500 passengers Magellan is the largest vessel to turnaround in the city and it will receive a celebratory quayside concert from 8.15pm to 9pm. The concert will feature a variety of local artists and will honour the 50th anniversary of The Beatles’ Sgt Pepper album and The Summer of Love.
A colourful confetti show will signal the ships departure at 9pm. Members of public are invited to watch the concert from Princes Parade. Artists performing include: Liverpool Ukulele Orchestra, Sing Me Merseyside Choir (80+ performers), The Night and Days, a special proclamation from Liverpool’s Town Crier and Be Talls by VIP Puppets.
Liverpool will welcome another brand new addition to the city’s cruise calendar when the Celebrity Eclipse makes her inaugural call on Wednesday, 14 June. A celebratory quayside concert will take place from 4:45pm to 5:15pm.
Liverpool is already set for a record breaking year in 2017 as 63 cruise ships are scheduled to arrive, bringing with them over 111,000 international visitors and crew to the city.
Peter Murney, Liverpool’s Cruise and Operations Manager, said: “What better way to launch our 10th year than with a record-breaking start to a record-breaking season.
“The near non-stop schedule of arrivals will certainly invoke memories of the Mersey’s maritime hey-day and with these special concerts we aim to give everyone a reason to celebrate the arrivals of these very special visitors to our river.
“We’re delighted to be welcoming newcomers such as the Silver Whisper and Celebrity Eclipse and the Magellan is a highly notable landmark as it hints at the turnaround potential of the terminal over the coming decade.”
Since Liverpool Cruise Terminal opened in 2007, it has welcomed 355 cruise ships carrying over 700,000 international passengers and crew, generated £50m to the local economy with an additional 20m GT of shipping traffic to the River Mersey.
Liverpool City Council is now looking to expand the city’s cruise sector and recently appointed a technical team to develop a new permanent Cruise Passenger Facility on the River Mersey. The team will initially work on developing a detailed design on the proposed £50m facility before submitting a planning application for the former Princes Jetty, off Princes Parade, later this year. Further applications could potentially include supplemental projects with a new 200 room hotel and 1,100+ multi-storey car park to enhance the city’s capabilities in handling the next generation of turnaround cruises.
