The location of Bristol Port means that there are a huge range of easily reached excursions.  As well as some of the best known and loved attractions in the region including the cities of Bath and Bristol and charming market towns, there are a range of specialist tours to pick from which are of increasing interest: craft beers and gin distilleries; Banksy street art; authentic castle tours including afternoon tea, to name but a few. Working in partnership with Destination Bristol, work is underway to give shore excursion agents a suite of programmes, including themed content plus inspirational ideas for pre-cruise stays.

SS Great Britain (Visit Bristol)

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Cornwall is renowned for its beautiful scenery and coastline and there’s nowhere better for passengers to immerse themselves in the tranquillity of nature than in the Fowey Estuary.  Using own zodiacs or local boats, passengers embark straight from the ship on an expedition to explore the Upper Fowey Estuary.
Discover the wooded river valley and creeks, home to a diversity of wildlife and birds, then meander upstream through the saltmarshes to the ancient stannary town of Lostwithiel to visit 13th-century Restormel Castle and the eclectic mix of shops.

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The Port of Southampton and PortMiami recently signed a sister port agreement. A city twinning agreement was also signed by Southampton’s Mayor. The agreement officially links two of the world’s leading cruise ports and opens channels for cruise industry best practice in their respective areas.

ABP Southampton Port Director Alistair Welch with Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez and MiamiPort Director Juan Kuryla.

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Cowes Harbour Commission is delighted to join Cruise Britain ahead of inaugural visits from three luxury cruise lines. July 2019 marks an exciting point in the development of Cowes as an up-and-coming cruise destination port with maiden calls from The World, Seabourn Quest and Silver Wind.

Shoreside tour operators are developing new land and water-based trips to enhance the range of authentic, exclusive and bespoke experiences for cruise passengers. New excursions that are proving popular this year include ‘A Taste of Royal Cowes’, ‘The Needles by RIB’ and ‘Ventnor Botanic Gardens’.

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The nature of shipping at Portland Port is changing rapidly; as the cruise business continues to grow the Port has experienced an increasing level of demand from vessels wanting to visit, but the size of these ships is also increasing. With this in mind Portland Port has continued to invest in the development of its prime infrastructure. These investments now mean that Portland Port has the capability to accommodate bigger ships and more importantly two cruise ships at any given time.

AIDAura and Seven Seas Explorer, Portland Port,12 June 2019 © Portland Port

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The agency office of John Jolly’s in Kirkwall has been acquired by Denholm Port Services Ltd. John Jolly’s have been Denholm’s sub-agent in the Orkneys for many many years, and this move is the culmination of aclose existing relationship and shared cultural ties. Existing staff will continue to manage activities as usual and the address and email details remain unchanged. The acquisition further strengthens Denholm’s UK network and also complements the office in the Shetlands established last year.

Credit Magnus Budge

Cruise handling specialists Cruise and Passenger Services have been involved in notable firsts at three major UK ports this summer. Sister company SCH handled the maiden UK call of the futuristic Celebrity Edge on her flag-waving visit to Southampton where she embarked 2,500 passengers for the Mediterranean.

In Portsmouth, another sister company, Southern Maritime Services, supported veterans on Fred Olsen Line’s Boudicca when they visited for events surrounding the D-Day 75^th anniversary. In Liverpool, SCH has serviced maiden callers including Oceania, Norwegian Spirit and Mein Schiff 5, having renewed its agreement to support the port’s cruise operations earlier this year.

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Plymouth is a stunning city in a beautiful waterfront setting, sandwiched between the rugged landscape of Dartmoor National Park and the incredible South West coastline, there’s something here for all passengers.

The Box, a museum for the 21^st Century, will open as the flagship building for the Mayflower 400 commemorations in spring 2020 is  just one of the many exciting new attractions Plymouth has to offer. It will feature amazing new galleries filled with highlights from the city’s art, natural history, human history, archive, photographic and media collections as well as a series of high profile exhibitions and events throughout the year.

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A summer of commemoration and celebration for the Port of Dover as Fred Olsen’s Boudicca D-Day 75^th anniversary voyage set sail from Dover, followed by Saga Cruises’ Spirit of Discovery due to be named in the port on 5th July.

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Following the completion of the DEF project Leisure Excursions for Cruise & Conference in March 2019,  our South Coast Cruise Brochure is available in five languages, a perfect resource for planning! The Welcome Experience for our Cruise Visitors at Southampton and Plymouth has benefitted by introducing recognised Tourism training – Welcome Host Gold. The Southampton terminals have seen the benefit of the addition of glorious new banners showcasing the amazing experiences to be had visiting the area. This along with new branded outerwear for our Volunteers has really lifted the atmosphere that our guests step into on arrival.

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From 11 – 13 September 2019, Seatrade Europe returns bringing together key stakeholders across the cruise community to meet, discuss and innovate for the future of the industry in Hamburg, Germany.

Our conference programme will provide a unique opportunity to gain insights from some of cruising’s most powerful leaders and influencers and our delegate early-bird rate has been extended to Friday 12^th July 2019. The event will be complemented by the attendance of senior buyers, planners and key decision makers from leading cruise and ferry lines, shipyards and interior design studios from the co-located NEW Marine Interiors Cruise & Ferry Global Expo.

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