The 44 ship visits - up from 29 in 2022 - saw 11 of the largest vessels at anchor in Falmouth Bay and the Carrick Roads, a short tender ride through the harbour entrance, past Pendennis and St Mawes Castles.
A further 33 cruise ships berthed at A&P Falmouth’s dock facilities near the centre of town.
Ambassador turnarounds
Ambassador Cruise Line’s Ambition made four visits to Cruise Britian member Falmouth during 2023, incorporating passenger turnarounds for the first time. Ambassador is looking to continue this offering into 2024 with several cruises from Falmouth planned.
Cruise Britain member
Falmouth Harbour CEO Miles Carden said, ‘The popularity of cruise is growing and this year has proven that Falmouth Harbour can accommodate a full range of cruise ships, working closely with Cruise Britain and port partners including A&P Falmouth and with our outstanding pilotage provision ensuring vessels can berth or anchor safely and on time.
‘We want these ships and their passengers to have the very best experience here and to come back. The value to Falmouth and Cornwall is immense: with an estimated per passenger spend of £70.’
‘The idea that Ambassador could utilise Falmouth for passenger turnarounds originated from discussions at a Cruise Britain event, demonstrates how important this networking group is to our sector,’ he added.
One of the largest callers was 331mtr long MSC Virtuosa which anchored in Falmouth Bay, overlooked on each side by Henry VIII’s twin castles.
Protecting seabeds and seagrass areas
On the sustainability front, ‘Falmouth Harbour has already taken significant steps towards protecting and improving our precious environment, including protecting sensitive seabeds and regenerating seagrass areas: the revenue and harbour dues collected from visiting cruise ships helps make these environmental schemes affordable,’ noted Carden.
April to October season
The UK south West port’s season ran from early April until the end of October, with September proving to be the busiest month with 11 cruise calls including a last-minute visit from Ponant’s Le Champlain.
And a surprising end saw an unusually long four-day visit from Saga’s Spirit of Adventure as the vessel took shelter from storm Ciaran in Falmouth.
Falmouth Harbour expects 2024 to be busier, with more than 50 cruise calls already scheduled.
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