The 2024 cruise season on the UK’s Port of Dover is coming to an in depth, nonetheless, a number of cruise ships are nonetheless calling on the vacation spot as autumn takes maintain, together with Oceania Cruises’ Sirena, an upscale ship that made her inaugural go to on October 15, 2024.
The 684-guest ship referred to as at Dover on the tail-end of a 22-day voyage to Amsterdam that departed Stockholm on September 26, 2024.
Dover is commonly referred to as the port for London, since cruisers can attain the port from the capital metropolis in simply over an hour by prepare. The port usually welcomes about 250,000 cruise passengers every year and accommodates as much as three cruise ships concurrently.
“It was a pleasure to welcome Sirena, the Oceania Cruises group and their visitors to Dover on this excellent autumn day,” mentioned Peter Wright, head of cruise on the Port of Dover.
“Dover is a superb port of name presently of yr, giving visitors the chance to expertise a snapshot of Kent’s well-known tradition, heritage and countryside in someday. There are hidden gems round each nook of the county and for these seeking to journey just a little additional, London is inside simple attain,” added Wright.
Together with the long-lasting white cliffs of Dover, cruise visitors visiting the vacation spot can discover the Twelfth-century Dover Fort, go to the Dover Museum, benefit from the seaside at St. Margaret’s Bay, and tour the South Foreland Lighthouse, amongst different actions.
It was, in reality, the area’s historical past and picturesque landscapes that prompted Oceania Cruises to incorporate the port on Sirena’s itinerary.
“Calling at Dover allowed Oceania Cruises’ visitors to discover considered one of England’s most iconic maritime locations, and so they delighted within the scenic magnificence and historic appeal of the world,” mentioned Jason Value, vp of worldwide gross sales at Oceania Cruises.
Different ports that Sirena visited throughout the voyage included Helsinki and Kotka, Finland; Tallinn, Estonia; Riga, Latvia; Copenhagen, Denmark; Hamburg, Germany; Oslo, Norway; and Honfleur, France.
The ship will sail an 11-day British Isles cruise roundtrip from Amsterdam on October 23, 2024, adopted by a 16-day transatlantic crossing to New York on November 3, 2024. From there the ship will cruise to Miami and start a winter collection of Caribbean cruises from the South Florida port and Bridgetown, Barbados.
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Oceania Cruises acquired Sirena from Princess Cruises in 2016 and financed a serious renovation of the vessel. The boutique line operates eight ships. Its latest is Vista, which debuted in 2023. The brand new-build Allura is underneath development and slated to launch in summer season 2025.
Predictions Favor a Profitable 2024 Cruise Season
The Port of Dover in January 2024 predicted the yr could be considered one of its busiest, following a really profitable 2023, when six cruise ships made inaugural calls and there have been elevated visits from returning ships.
Whereas last 2024 arrival numbers will not be but out there, it’s anticipated that the port can have hosted ships from 20-plus cruise traces.
One of many ships that homeported at Dover in 2024 was Fred. Olsen Cruise Strains’ 1,400-guest Borealis, a vessel that was welcomed with water cannons and a conventional plaque change when she arrived in early July.
Borealis was based mostly in Dover via mid-August and is scheduled to return in summer season 2025, with a collection of voyages to the Norwegian fjords, Iceland, and the Azores.
But to name at Dover this season is AIDA Cruises’ AIDAbella. The two,050-guest ship will go to the port on October 30, 2024, as she begins her 20-day transatlantic crossing from Kiel, Germany, to La Romana, Dominican Republic.
