Guernsey Prepares To Welcome Back Cruise Ships

After a break of two seasons the Channel Island of Guernsey is getting ready to welcome back cruise ships in 2022.

One of the most popular ports in the British Isles, and three-time winner of the Best UK / British Isles Port of Call category in the prestigious Cruise Critic Editors’ Picks Awards, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises’ Hanseatic Spirit will be the first cruise ship to return in April next year.

The cruise season, which runs from spring to October, will see cruise call numbers returning to pre-pandemic levels and the last ship to visit Guernsey in 2022 will be Nicko Cruises’ Vasco da Gama.

Wendy Pedder, VisitGuernsey’s Marketing Manager, Trade and Media Relations, Marketing and Tourism, said cruise ships were a vital part of the island’s tourism economy, adding:

“Over the last five years we have worked hard to establish an attractive, compelling cruise proposition that offers an unrivalled product in the British Isles. We have invested heavily in our cruise infrastructure focusing on our welcome, disembarkation process and extensive and themed shore excursion that in turn have made us attractive to the leading international cruise lines. We are delighted to be bouncing back and seeing the level of interest and commitment from the flagship cruise lines.”

P&O Cruises Britannia
P&O Cruises Britannia

Popular shore excursions include tours based around the book and film The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and sites linked to the French writer and poet Victor Hugo who spent 15 years living on the island.

A spokesman for Cruise Britain, the network of cruise ports, destinations and service providers that works with cruise operators, said:

“As a valued member of Cruise Britain the association is delighted to see the islands opening up once more to the cruise sector.

Guernsey is an integral part of Britain’s cruise mix and was easily in the top ten transit cruise ports in 2019 as it provides a unique blend of elements. The distinctive multi-island offering attracts operators looking to offer their guests a continental-flavour combination of scenery, history and beaches. A successful 2021 cruise restart in the UK has brought renewed focus on the British Isles product and Guernsey now really has the opportunity to build on existing business.”

Author Bio:

Known as the ‘River Cruise Queen’, Jeannine Williamson is an award-winning travel writer, cruise expert and our cruise correspondent, who has clocked up thousands of nautical miles.

Photographs by VisitGuernsey

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