All eyes will be on Britain this year as six new ships make their debut at UK ports in the summer – with another setting sail in December.
Cruise lines have flocked to British shores because of our high vaccination rate and due to problems operating elsewhere, especially the US where there is effectively a continuing ban on sailing from American ports.
Here are the seven ships in the order they will set off on their first voyage from the UK:
May 20 (Southampton): MSC Virtuosa – the MSC Cruises ship that features a humanoid robot bartender
May 22 (Portsmouth): Viking Venus – the seventh ocean ship from Viking Cruises
July 1 (Harwich): Golden Horizon – the world’s largest tall ship, sailing for Tradewind Voyages (see story here)
July 26 (London Tilbury): Spirit of Adventure – Saga’s sister ship to Spirit of Discovery (see story here)
August 6 (Portsmouth): Scarlet Lady – the first of the Virgin Voyages fleet (see story here)
August 7 (Southampton): Iona – the long-awaited new flagship from P&O Cruises (see story here)
December 11 (London Greenwich): Seabourn Venture – the first expedition ship from Seabourn
More details on the ships can be found in my World of Cruising article.
To compare the round-Britain itineraries and fares, please click on my blog post here (Golden Horizon is part of my smaller ships round-up here)
As well as the brand-new ships, Fred Olsen will be introducing the refurbished duo it bought from Holland America Line, Borealis and Bolette.
All in all, it’s going to be a great cruising summer in the UK.
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