5 September 2022
Liverpool’s cruise terminal is on course to welcome its one millionth international visitor by the end of the 2022 season, as it also gears up to celebrate its 15th anniversary.
The Cruise Liverpool team will mark the milestone with a series of celebrations across 15 days, highlighting the journey Liverpool’s cruise industry has been on since the terminal was officially opened by HRH The Duke of Kent in 2007.
In that time the terminal has welcomed more than 700 ships, and boosted the local economy by £65 million.
The anniversary celebrations will begin on Monday 5 September with the arrival of Fred Olsen Cruise Line’s Borealis, which will drop anchor to invite special guests on board for a launch event and tour of the ship. It is the first time a passenger ship in Liverpool has invited non-travelling guests on board since the Covid-19 pandemic. There will be shoreside entertainment by Merseyside drumming group Katumba Drummers as the ship departs.
The 15-day ‘sail-ebration’ will see Liverpool ONE’s ‘Tickle the Ivories’ piano on tour at the Cruise Terminal, with daily entertainment from local musicians, courtesy of Open Culture.
A special series of videos has also been commissioned to tell the story of the Cruise Terminal from the perspective of staff, trainees and volunteers.
Three special partnership arrangements will also be announced, which will improve access to careers in the cruise industry, support local tourism and reduce Cruise Liverpool’s carbon footprint.
Highlights include:
- An exciting new partnership with Strawberry Field ‘Steps to Work’ programme, allowing young people with learning disabilities to follow their passion and learn about working at a busy Cruise Terminal
- A partnership with war museum Western Approaches linking cruise passengers to one of Liverpool’s ‘hidden gems’
- The recently launched Viking Mars, a striking all-veranda ship, will make an inaugural transit call into Liverpool on Thursday 8 September
- A social media campaign highlighting why Cruise Liverpool continues to go from strength to strength
- Disney Magic sails into Liverpool on Wednesday 14 September, with Marketing Liverpool giving a special ‘behind the scenes’ look via TikTok at what it’s like to be a Disney passenger
- An inaugural visit from Hanseatic Nature on Thursday 15 September
- Details to be released of a formal partnership with the University of Liverpool on a sustainability strategy for Cruise Liverpool