Empire State leaving Liverpool.
megacruise liner visits liverpool
Aug 23 2008 by Peter Elson, Liverpool Daily Post
LIVERPOOL is set to break another record when it welcomes a megacruise liner for the first time next year.
Such is the popularity of the city with US cruise passengers that Princess Cruises will deploy its new 116,000 ton megaliner, Crown Princess, on regular cruises calling at the city.
Her visits will set a new record as the biggest cruise liner to berth in the city on her 12-night round Britain trips from Southampton.
The announcement comes as Liverpool prepares to host one of the biggest weekends of Capital of Culture year, including Mathew Street Festival and the World Firefighter Games.
With Liverpool having proved itself able to attract the crucial US passenger market who fly into the UK for these voyages, Princess Cruises decided that more capacity was needed with the bigger ship.
The line?s 109,000 ton Grand Princess ? the largest cruise liner to dock in Liverpool so far ? made her fourth and final call of the season here yesterday.
Already the city?s commerce and tourism has benefited from Grand Princess disgorging 2,600 passengers ashore for the day ? a boost few other beleaguered British retail centres can enjoy.
With an extra deck of cabins, Crown Princess ? dubbed by her owners as the ?crown jewel of the fleet? ? will bring 3,080 passengers and 1,200 crew each time she calls at Liverpool.
As Princess Cruises? sales and marketing activity continue until departure day, every ship sails with a full complement of passengers.
Angie Redhead, Liverpool Cruise Terminal manager, is ?thrilled? by the news of Crown Princess?s visits in 2009 and puts the achievement down to ?good planning?.
She said: ?This all stems back to our success in handling Cunard's QE2 on her visit to inaugurate the new landing stage and terminal in October 2007.
?Both Cunard and Princess Cruises are owned by Carnival Corporation.
?Their managers were sufficiently impressed by what we did to bring Grand Princess here on her round-Britain cruises this summer.
?This has proved so popular with Liverpool named by passengers as a favourite place to visit that Princess Cruises felt it worthwhile bringing a bigger ship in next year.
?I?m so happy everything is going so well.
?Liverpool has shown its best side to so many international visitors who would never have come without the cruise terminal being open.?
Grand Princess?s Liverpool call was the first for her master, Capt Tony Herriott, in 30 years, when he was a cadet officer on a P&O cargo ship. ?Today was a very different experience from being down in the docks in 1978. It?s a wonderful location here with the Liver Buildings right in front ? one of the best in Britain,? said Capt Herriott, 49.
Concerns that the Mersey would be too tricky a river for handling these huge liners proved unfounded and the Liverpool Pilot Service now prides itself on the ease of docking such vessels.
Liverpool pilot Chris Booker, who brought Grand Princess in to Liverpool, said: ?It?s about meticulous planning.
?With a ship of this size, you can?t take any chances, but everything ran very smoothly.?
Crown Princess is the first Princess Cruises liner to offer an Engagement Under The Stars opportunity to passengers, so fiances can propose to their partners on the giant outdoor cinema screen.
Another innovation is a three-deck high performance venue, called the Piazza.
