All the massive cruise ships visiting Plymouth in 2025
Plymouth is set to receive a dozen visits from cruise ships this year. Ten separate vessels will dock at Britain’s Ocean City between March and September.
The list includes the return of the luxurious Ambition, and such eye-catchers as Spirit of Adventure and Silver Dawn. But the list also includes two vessels making debut stops in Plymouth: the enormous Norwegian Pearl and Vista.
Cruise ship visits gave Plymouth a £1.5m boost last year. Vessels brought 10,000 visitors, many of them spending cash in Plymouth and the surrounding areas.
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Plymouth City Centre Company’s business plan for the next five years shows Plymouth had 10 cruise ship visits in 2023 but there was an increase to 12 last year. The ambition is to grow this to 30 visits a year.
Amanda Lumley, chief executive of Destination Plymouth, said: “Plymouth has been working tirelessly to cement its reputation as a must-visit port for cruise liners, and countless individuals are working behind the scenes to ensure the success of these visits. The city’s cruise industry has continued to grow, boosting the economy and we are delighted to see the results of this collective effort from the ‘cruise partnership’ team.
“Plymouth has built such a great reputation as a key destination for cruise ships and one of the most welcoming ports for cruise passengers, and we are excited to welcome both new visitors and old friends to our port in 2025.”
The ships scheduled to visit in 2025 are:
Ambition
The luxurious £180m cruise ship made an unexpected detour to Plymouth last September and must have liked what it saw - because it is back this year. The Bahamas-flagged vessel is due to bring about 1,200 mainly British passengers when it visits twice in March.
Operated by the Ambassador Cruise Line, Ambition is due at 7am on March 11, for an 11-hour stop, and again at 7am on March 23 for a 10-hour visit. The 216m-long vessel can carry 670 crew members and is the sister ship to the enormous Ambience , which turned heads when it visited Plymouth in August 2024.
Inside Ambition are bars, six restaurants, a theatre, library, shopping galleria, fitness centre, exterior jogging and walking track, swimming pool, splash pool and active pool, plus a spa offering a sauna, steam room, hair salon and treatments.
Spirit of Adventure
The 60,000-tonne Spirit of Adventure will be bringing 950 mainly British passengers to Plymouth when it arrives at 8am on May 5 for a nine-hour stop. The 236m ship is the length of 22 buses, and is operated by Saga Cruises
Norwegian Pearl
The Norwegian Cruise Line ship will visit Plymouth for the first time on May 6, arriving at 10.30am and leaving at 6pm. It is the largest vessel due to call this year, at 294m long and carrying an expected 2,200 passengers, mostly from the USA and Canada.
Amera
The MS Amera is owned by the German operator Phoenix Reisen and has visited Britain’s Ocean City before. It is back on May 16 and will carry about 700 German-speaking guests, including Austrians and Swiss.
The 38,000-ton ship originally entered service as the Royal Viking Sun in 1988. She later sailed as the Seabourn Sun before becoming the Prinsendam in 2002. In 2019 ownership of the 204m-long ship was transferred to Phoenix Risen where it subsequently underwent a six-week renovation in Hamburg and was renamed Amera.
Crystal Serenity
The gigantic Crystal Serenity is another that is familiar with Plymouth, and will be calling twice in 2025. The Bahamas-registered vessel will weigh anchor on June 21 and again on September 4.
The vessel is expected to bring about 500 passengers, mostly Americans, on each trip. It can also hold up to 655 crew. The 240m-long vessel is operated by Crystal, part of the A&K Travel Group.
Spirit of Discovery
This Saga Cruises’ ship is described as a floating “boutique hotel”. The 236m-long boat has 10 decks and carries 987 passengers and 530 crew . It has visited Plymouth before and will arrive again on June 30, carrying 950 mostly British passengers. It is the sister ship of Spirit of Adventure.
Hebridean Princess
This vessel is literally fit for royalty, with the late Queen Elizabeth II having chartered the ship twice, including in 2006 to celebrate her 80th birthday and again in 2010 to celebrate Princess Anne's 60th birthday. The vessel, at just 72m in length being the smallest scheduled to call in Plymouth this year, will arrive on July 30.
The ship started its life as the MacBrayne car ferry and Royal Mail Ship based in Oban for 25 years. Now, the Hebridean Princess operates as a luxury cruiser with 30 spacious and elegant cabins, of which 10 are designed especially for the single traveller. Operated by Hebridean Island Cruises, it will bring 50 UK guests to Britain’s Ocean City, which it has visited before.
Vista
Oceania Cruises’ 251m vessel will make its first appearance in Plymouth on August 24 for a 13-hour stay. It will bring 1,200 US travellers to the city.
Silver Dawn
This £275m cruise ship is so luxurious it even has its own Roman-themed spa. The 213m-long Silver Dawn has been to Plymouth before and will arrive again on September 17, bringing about 500, mainly American, visitors.
The 11-deck, Bahamas-registered “mega yacht” , which also can carry 411 crew, is described by Silversea Cruises as containing “sumptuous suites, outstanding itineraries, plus cutting-edge design and technology”. The four-year-old vessel, built at a cost of about £275m, also promises its guests a “revolutionary spa and well-being concept “ called Otium which provides “onboard experiences of wellness, relaxation and indulgence through innovative treatments designed by our experts” and inspired by “the traditions of ancient Rome”. It is based on a concept “where everything from sumptuous food to spa experiences to socialising became a part of daily life for the elite”.
Sirena
This huge £150m cruise ship is another that has been to Plymouth before. It will return on September 18, bringing 600, mostly American, travellers with it.
The 11-deck, 181m-long Sirena is operated by Oceania Cruises and flies the Marshall Islands flag. It carries up to 375 crew and has 349 cabins, over five of its decks, with nine bars or restaurants.
Built in France at a cost of £150m in 1999, the vessel was formerly called the Tahitian Princess, but was renamed when Oceania Cruises took it over from Princess Cruises in 2016.
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