16 August 2018
Dover Cruise has had another successful month in July hosting 19 calls in total starting with visits from Crystal ‘Serenity’, Seabourn ‘Quest’ and Royal Caribbean ‘Brilliance of the Seas’.
Disney Cruise Line’s glorious ‘Disney Magic’ made her first call of the season this month. A beautiful, nostalgic ocean liner – she is always a pleasure to see in the historic Western Docks.
Celebrity Cruises ‘Celebrity Eclipse’ made her inaugural call at Dover. A magnificent Solstice-class cruise ship and at 317m with a capacity for 2,850 passengers she is the biggest to berth in the historic Western Docks to date. Whilst in dock she hosted the quarterly meeting of the members of CruiseBritain, a joint initiative between British cruise ports and service providers focussed on raising the profile of Britain as a world-class cruise destination.
Dover Cruise took the opportunity to treat the CruiseBritain delegates to a wonderful evening experiencing a true taste of Dover’s delights. The festivities began with a drinks reception at the beautifully refurbished Waterfront Bar & Lounge in the Dover Marina Hotel followed by a whistle-stop tour of Dover in an old Routemaster bus whilst listening to the vocal talents of the Swingtime Sweethearts, a successful local singing duo specialising in 1940’s wartime and swing. The bus tour ended at Dover Castle where the party continued in the exclusive Constable’s Tower; the largest gatehouse in England, with a delicious barbeque and more musical magic from the Swingtime Sweethearts and another local singing talent Nick Bosworth, who can also be seen regularly entertaining Dover Cruise passengers in the Terminals.
Port of Dover Head of Cruise, Sonia Limbrick said: “It was a privilege to host our Cruise Britain guests this month and give them a true Destination Dover experience. And an honour to have keynote speaker and Royal Caribbean’s Vice President (EMEA), Stuart Leven here to see Dover Cruise in action.
“Everyone agreed it was a wonderful occasion and a good time was had by all. My thanks go to those mentioned above and, to keep it local, suppliers including Hush Heath vineyard, Breakwater Brewery & Taproom and English Heritage who provided in-house catering at their venue, Dover Castle, for helping to make it a resounding success.
“July has been another busy month at Dover Cruise and it was wonderful to once again host our regular cruise visitors including Saga, Fred Olsen and Princess.”
Kay Greenway, CruiseBritain said: ”CruiseBritain members were delighted to take up Celebrity’s invitation to spend the day aboard Celebrity Eclipse in Dover. It was a privilege to hold our meeting on board this beautiful vessel and our thanks to Stuart Leven and Lotfi Trabelsi of Royal Caribbean International. It was also a marvellous opportunity to visit the Port of Dover and hear first-hand of the exciting Western Docks Revival plans; the Port’s hospitality was second to none and sincere thanks go to Sonia Limbrick at the Port, English Heritage who generously opened the Constable’s Tower in Dover Castle and to the Dover Marina Hotel. ”