2013 Cruise Call Statistics

• 37 cruise ships called from April through to September carrying 21042 passengers & 11148 crew
• 12860 (39.9%) of the total passengers & crew went into town
• 320 Cornish Tour Buses left the dockside taking passengers to various attractions all over the county
• 50 Shuttle Buses (funded by A&P and BIDs) took passengers & crew from the dockside into town
• 746 passengers & crew visited the National Maritime Museum Cornwall
• And finally ..... 39 Falmouth Cruise Ship Ambassadors gave 2912 hours of their own time welcoming passengers & crew alike to our fabulous town and county!

September 2013

The Ambassadors bid farewell to Falmouth's Senior Pilot David Barnicoat as he pilots his last ship Seabourn Pride out of port upon his retirement 14th September following 37 years service (during which time he piloted in excess of 14000 ships!)

  

Presentation of the Falmouth Port Crest on 1st September by Mike Reynolds, A&P Falmouth to Captain Philip Rentell, Master of Saga Sapphire

Ambassadors tour german cruise ship AIDAcara August 2013

May 2013 - FCSA "Welcome to Falmouth" Bags

Our "Welcome to Falmouth" bags were launched during the first week of May and have already become a resounding success, attracting much publicity in the local press. This is a new innovation for us and we're delighted by it's immediate take up and success. As passengers disembark and head for the town they are handed a "Welcome to Falmouth" bag containing not only an essential town map but also a variety of leaflets from local shops & traders, many of whom offer enticing discounts to shop in their particular store. We are indebted to the following local businesses for their support and encouragement in this project:

5 DEGREES WEST BAR & GRILL / BESIDE THE WAVE GALLERY / BOW FASHIONS ACCESSORIES / THE CORNISH STORE / FALMOUTH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE & TRADE / FALMOUTH PACKET NEWSPAPER / FUEL EAT & DRINK / THE GRAPES FALMOUTH / GYLLY BEACH CAFÉ / HAWKSHEAD FAMILY OUTDOOR OUTFITTERS / NATIONAL MARITIME MUSEUM CORNWALL / PASTY PRESTO / RICK STEINS SEAFOOD RESTAURANT / THE ROYAL DUCHY HOTEL / SEASALT CORNWALL / SWEETPEA & BETTY / TRAGO MILLS / WEARNES JEWELLERS / ZIZZI RISTORANTE

May 2013 - Bad weather brings unexpected but welcome passengers to Falmouth

Due to gale force winds two ships diverted to Falmouth from their scheduled calls at St Marys, Isles of Scilly.

On Wednesday 8th May mv Astor with 488 german passengers arrived at 07.00 hrs and spent a very enjoyable day visiting the town and county and sailed at 16.00 hrs for Portland,Dorset

And the following day 9th May the very small ship Ocean Nova on charter with Noble Caledonia arrived at 06.30 hrs with 71 mainly british passengers. After returning from county tours many went into town to not only visit the shops but also take meals in several of the local restaurants. She sailed at 21.00hrs for Plymouth where the cruise ended and passengers disembarked for home.

Emerald Princess - Tuesday 7th May 2103

As the queue waiting for the tenders diminished we came across Marion Ross, a very famous lady of American TV fame. She and her co-stars from the American sitcom "Happy Days" were godparents to the ship (i.e. they named her in Athens,Greece back in 2007) and still enjoy special status whenever they travel on her. She was a charming lady, very unassuming and said that she had enjoyed her brief visit here enormously. Here's a write up from the Princess Cruise's website of that day back in May 2007. Marion is the lady dressed in yellow.

Florence Henderson, Marion Ross, Erin Moran, Susan Olsen – Emerald Princess^®

May 13, 2007 Athens (Piraeus), Greece

To christen Emerald Princess, the company reunited some of television’s most famous mothers and daughters to serve as the ship’ godmothers. The selection was especially fitting because the festivities took place in Greece, which was the birthplace of the Mother’ Day holiday.

The famous mother/daughter duos included Florence Henderson, who played “Carol Brady” on The Brady Bunch, and her TV daughter Susan Olsen, aka “Cindy Brady,” and Marion Ross, the beloved “Marion Cunningham” from the international hit, Happy Days, and her TV daughter, Erin Moran, aka “Joanie Cunningham.” The naming of Emerald Princess took place on a warm afternoon followed by a blessing by Greek Orthodox priest and a colorful performance by traditional Greek dancers. The godmothers, who hadn’t seen each other in some time, enjoyed re-acquainting themselves with their TV families.

New attractions to see in Falmouth during 2013!

London Routemaster Red Bus - All Aboard!

The Lizard Stallions

Oceania Cruises’ Marina is greeted by the Falmouth Cruise Ship Ambassadors, a winning team

On the day Falmouth expected Oceania Cruises’ Marina to come alongside - making it the largest ship to dock in this picturesque town in Cornwall - the Falmouth Cruise Ship Ambassadors were out in force.

Things did not going quite according to plan on September 11, with the ship anchoring instead in Falmouth Bay, a 20-minute tender ride from the port. This did not stop the welcome given to those passengers eager to visit this south-western corner of the UK even though time ashore was limited. Marina was due in Dover the next day on turnaround and has some distance to travel.

Falmouth has a total of 34 calls (24,486 passengers) this year (45 calls and 24,349 passengers next) and on each the Ambassadors, easily spotted in their pale blue tops. They are on the quayside, in the shuttle buses and around the town giving advice, handing out specially-prepared maps for cruise visitors, as well as leaflets to all those venturing ashore.

In the case of Marina and two other ships calling this year, an Ambassadors’ desk was set up on board. Jo Walker and Phil Boddy were doing an excellent job answering passengers’ questions while we waited for the tenders and hence setting us up to head straight into Falmouth without stopping at the quayside kiosk.

For the larger ships, shuttle buses are provided to drop passengers at the far end of town so they can walk back along the main street towards the ship/tenders at County Wharf. Close to the National Maritime Museum - opened in 2003 and well worth a visit - the shuttles are on hand to take passengers the short ride back to the wharf. For the smaller ships a shuttle is provided to this end of town.

Two of the buses are vintage, one built in 1955, and a particular hit with my American fellow travellers. While many of us enjoyed what Falmouth has to offer - including Pendennis Castle and the classic Cornish pasty - others took tours to St Ives, St Michael’s Mount and beyond. An independent hop on/hop off shuttle bus that goes around town on a virtually continuous loop and costs just £1 (or E1) for a daily ticket is a great way of getting about.

Set up in June 2006, the Ambassadors is a voluntary organisation which has since won a number of awards including the national and west of England tourism awards. Keith Collings, a retired butcher, tells me: “We are here to help and promote Falmouth. We are not here to sell.”