11:02am Wednesday 8th September 2010
The “In Port” article about cruise ships visiting Falmouth in September identified that the largest, the Crown Princess, with more than 3,000 passengers, would be anchored south of Black Rock on Saturday, September 4, writes Roger Browne, one of the Falmouth Volunteer Cruise Ship Ambassadors. On the day, it was anchored closer – in the Carrick Roads.
The ship’s tenders and local ferryboats brought the passengers ashore onto a pontoon at Queen’s Wharf.
Handling and marshalling was necessary for some 3,000 passengers. Many were guided onto 22 tour buses for trips around Cornwall from Lanhydrock to the east, Land’s End to the west and the Lizard to the south. Some 2,000 passengers were delivered by shuttle buses to the centre of Falmouth. All of this activity was easily supported by a team of some 20 Falmouth Volunteer Cruise Ship Ambassadors.
Our job is to welcome passengers, help with their needs and make them aware of the town’s attractions and services.
At the end of the day, the tour coaches returned to the wharf together with many passengers returning from the town. The frequency of the ferries arriving to take passengers to the ship and the time for docking the ferries and loading the passengers, resulted in a mammoth snaking queue.
It was a very demanding long wait, particularly for elderly passengers, standing for over an hour. Fortunately it was not raining.
Most of the passengers enjoyed their visit, praising in particular the friendliness and helpfulness of people they met in the town.
However, the long delay in getting back on board certainly detracted from the pleasure of their visit, and a number said they intended to complain to the ship’s owners. The above is a further indication of the vital need of bringing such a size ship directly alongside the wharf.
This would avoid the likely loss of business to the docks and town from an increasing number of such ships avoiding Falmouth if the necessary dredging of the channel to the wharf to their depth requirements is prevented.
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