Falmouth Cruise Ship Ambassadors have welcomed and said farewell to the final passengers to disembark in the port this season.

The Seabourn Pride docked alongside at Falmouth Docks at 8am and passengers were able to spend the day exploring the town and further afield before the ship left at 6pm.

Waiting to welcome the 220 or so passengers to the town were a dozen volunteer cruise ship ambassadors armed with their Welcome to Falmouth bags which contained not only a town map but a variety of leaflets from local shops and traders, many of whom offer discounts to shop in their particular store.

The bags were launched in May and it is hoped they can be expanded upon for next season. “We already have had people asking if they could be involved next year,” said Phil Boddy, secretary of the ambassadors. “We will launch them again in January/February and will ask traders then if they want to come in with us.”

The ambassadors have welcomed 38 cruise ships and their passengers and crew to Falmouth since mid April and have once again proved a valuable asset, offering guidance and information as well as a shuttle bus to take passengers into the town centre.

The team have received much positive feedback from visitors to the port. Dieter and Rosemarie Isensee said: “We have returned home after a most enjoyable cruise on the MS DEUTSCHLAND. But one of our most pleasant memories is your enthusiastic, hearty and helpful welcome in the harbour of Falmouth.

“You helped us to hire a car thus we were able to see more of your pleasant county. Once again we say ‘Thank you’ and hope you'll be able to welcome many travellers like us.”

David and Judy Barlow, of Ottawa in Canada, said: “Almost as soon as we got off the ship, we were met by a group of cheerful volunteer citizens who immediately asked if they could help us find our way to whatever we wanted to see. If it had not been for your ambassadors, we would probably still be running around Falmouth trying to get back to the ship as it sailed away from the port.

“Your ambassadors made our all too brief of a stay in Falmouth very much more enjoyable than it would have been otherwise. I wish other ports we visited during our cruise had ambassadors as Falmouth does.”