Thursday 26 April 2018 – Liverpool’s cruise liner season kicks off with “Black Watch”

Liverpool’s 2018 season of cruise liners visiting the city got under way today with the Fred Olsen Cruise Lines ship Black Watch which is in the city for a turnaround. The Black Watch will be a regular visitor to the city’s Cruise Liner Terminal in 2018, with another 17 visits scheduled between today and November. In fact it will be the most regular ship to visit this year by far. Her scheduled visiting dates are: 26 April, 4 May, 18 May, 3 June, 11 June, 18 June, 27 June, 12 July, 20 July, 25 July, 8 August, 17 August, 1 September, 15 September, 22 September, 18 October, 27 October, 10 November.

There will be a total of 22 different cruise ships visiting in 2018 on a total of 55 occasions. These dates are as currently scheduled, with any reviews to this schedule being published on the Cruise Liner Terminal schedule website. This years visits are (those in blue are maiden visits to Liverpool):

Le Soleal – 30 April, 8 May
Viking Sun – 10 May, 19 August, 31 August
Aida Vita – 20 May
Queen Victoria – 22 May
Saga Sapphire – 1 June
Artania – 4 June
Seven Seas Voyager – 6 June
Royal Princess – 10 June, 16 July, 28 July, 9 August
Celebrity Eclipse – 12 June, 19 July, 13 August
Nautica – 16 June, 26 June, 21 September
Magellan – 1 July, 13 July, 22 July, 29 July, 10 August, 25 August
Prinsedam – 8 July
Amadea – 18 July
Queen Elizabeth – 23 July
Marina – 4 August
Berlin – 11 August
Europa – 18 August
Aida Aura – 2 September
Disney Magic – 7 September
Europa II – 8 September
Seabourn Ovation – 19 September
Ocean Dream – 16 October.

Photo: Black Watch at Liverpool from Birkenhead. Source: WirralCam.org.

Apart from seeing some new ships this year, the highlights will be the visit of the Cunard liners Queen Victoria and Queen Victoria and the Disney Magic and the Royal Princess. Of all cruise ships that visit Liverpool these later two and any Cunard liner always get the most attention and are often the focus of waterfront celebrations including fireworks to see them off when they set sail. I imagine this year will be no exception.

Today’s ship the Black Watch is operated by the Fred Olsen Cruise Lines. She weighs 28,613 grt, has 423 rooms, can carry 804 passengers and 330 crew. The Black Watch is 205.47m long and on board you can find five restaurants, a spa, swimming pool, gym, 3d cinema, teak-lined promenade, and Jacuzzi. She underwent a major refurbishment in 2016. She was built in Finland’s Wärtsilä Helsinki Shipyard and has operated under various names and lines since 1972, but has been known as Black Watch and operated by Fred Olsen Cruise Lines since 1996, and is currently registered in Nassau in the Bahamas.