#CruiseLinersLiverpool - Liverpool City which Cruise Critic awarded us the 'Best UK Port of Call' for the 2013 season is today host to Thomson Spirit, the 33,390 tons vessel is only the second of 45 cruiseships callers for 2014, writes Jehan Ashmore.
The Thomson Cruises 1,254 passenger capacity ship docked along the famous waterfront of the Irish Sea city for a turnaround call. She follows the call of Discovery which not only opened the cruise season on the Mersey in March but also in the following month across the Irish Sea in Dublin Port.
Cruiseships have berthed at Liverpool Cruise Terminal since the riverberth facility was opened in 2007. The city of course can trace its maritime heritage as the birthplace of the first passenger cruise line.
The opening of the dedicated terminal has renewed the city's rich maritime heritage links with the great ocean liners of the world past and present and that been the unique transatlantic liner, Cunard Line's 'flagship' Queen Mary 2.
Whenever Queen Mary 2 calls to the Mersey they are apt given the berth is so close to the former Cunard Line building lining the famous waterfront.
Liverpool Cruise Terminal is also opposite the iconic Royal Liver building, and such a central location, joins just a handful of cities in the world to where cruiseships can berth directly in the heart of the city, among them are Sydney, New York and Venice.
The north-western English city is close to many large population centres and is an added attraction for cruise operators to offer customers as an embarkation point for cruises around the UK, Ireland, Northern Europe and the Norwegian Fjords.
Thomson Spirit will be heading to the west coast of Ireland and with an anchor call offshore of Galway Harbour next Saturday. This been the second caller for the city, which as previously reported, welcomed the Fram last month.
