Princess Cruises certainly has Cornwall firmly in its sights as scheduled cruise calls by the Royal Class cruise ships Majestic Princess, Regal Princess and the Grand Class Caribbean Princess in 2027 and 2028 total 26 calls.
All three ships have visited the port in previous years.
The ships are conducting seven-day and 12-day UK/France cruises from Southampton.
The 330m long, 142,000 ton Royal Class ships can accommodate 3,560 guests and 1,350 crew.
Excursions from Falmouth will take in the following tourist spots: Land’s End, St Michael’s Mount, Polperro, St Ives and Tate St Ives, Fowey, Lizard Pt, and boat trips to explore St Mawes.
Next year there are 53 confirmed calls so far, making it another record year for the port.
Cruise ships, apart from injecting cash into the Cornwall economy, are responsible for over 100 pilotage acts in Falmouth.
Boarding and Landing fees are paid by the shipping company for putting a pilot onboard and taking them off the ship.
Then there is a pilotage fee covering the act of pilotage, plus harbour dues paid to Falmouth Harbour.
Without the cruise ship business the port would find it extremely difficult to sustain an economic 24 hour pilotage service in the current climate having lost almost all of the once lucrative bunkering trade.
Across the water the Isles of Scilly have welcomed 46 cruise ships carrying 19,000 passengers during the 2026 season – with not a single cancellation due to weather.
The final cruise of 2026 took place in September when Fred Olsen’s Bolette anchored in Crow Sound and passengers spent the day ashore on St Mary’s and Tresco.
Tom Jackman, managing director of Scillonian Marine Consultants, said: “Cruises are a hugely important part of our visitor economy and we hope this success encourages more cruise lines to consider our beautiful islands in future.
“Passengers can visit St Mary’s, go on excursions and wildlife spotting trips and of course visit the world-famous Abbey Garden on Tresco.
"We are working hard to grow this sector of the market and establish the Isles of Scilly as a must-visit destination on the UK cruise map.”
Fowey has welcomed 21 cruise ships this year.
The cruise industry contributes £6.3 billion annually to the UK economy, supporting 69,000 jobs.
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