The number of cruise ships making day long cruise calls this year will be lower than in some previous years with just 26 ships scheduled. 

Four of these calls are turn around calls by the Funchal as she embarks on a number of cruises to and from Falmouth. There is also uncertainty surrounding the call of the Deutschland after Peter Deilmann filed for bankruptcy last year.

The Port of Cork on the other hand is positively booming again with 53 ships stemmed for the season. 

Once more Falmouth will see the largest cruise ships in the world steam past the front door during the European season.

Across the Channel, the Bailiwick of Guernsey are expecting 120 cruise calls this year. On 26 days in the season more than one cruise ship will anchor off the islands. Guernsey’s unique non VAT status means cruise lines specifically target the island.

The big cruise companies such as Cunard, Princess, Royal Caribbean International , Holland America, MSC, and Celebrity are using both Cork and Guernsey.

As we know, the tendering ashore from mega cruise ships in Falmouth bay to the County wharf takes too long when dealing with thousands of passengers.

Princess Cruises, who were regular callers at Falmouth until two years ago, are making 14 cruise calls in Cobh with the Royal Princess, Regal Princess, Caribbean Princess and Sea Princess.

All four ships are too big to come alongside here until such times as the channel is dredged and a new wharf built.

The luxury end of the cruise industry appears to favour Falmouth though the smaller ships, particularly the so-called expedition ships, attract the more discerning passengers keener on flora and fauna and antiquities rather than the run of the mill general sightseeing. 

The Ocean Diamond (ex Le Diamant ), Star Legend (ex Seabourn Legend), Hebridean Princess, and Sea Cloud II which carry limited passengers are scheduled to call.

Hebridean Princess carries 50 passengers in ultimate luxury. On her nine nights Grand Celtic cruise from Oban to Portland the ship visits a variety of ports in Scotland and Ireland before coming to her “first English port of Falmouth “ according to the brochure. The cost per person on this cruise is £5,370.