Port of Dover prepares to welcome first cruise visitors of 2013

Dover Cruise Port welcomes the first cruise ship of the season with the arrival of Fred Olsen's Braemar on the 25th March at the start of a 14 day cruise to the Canary Islands. The Braemar is a regular visitor to the port and joins 147 other cruise calls for 2013 including nine inaugural visits.

Those cruise lines showcasing their new ships from Dover include AIDA who has confirmed its commitment to Dover by increasing the number of calls to the Port. The AIDAstella, fresh from its maiden voyage will be offering a new four-day city tour from Dover covering Amsterdam and Hamburg.

Also making its Dover debut is Hapag Lloyd's Columbus 2 on its 14-day tour of the British Isles in addition to NCL's Norwegian Star, Princess Cruises' Sea Princess, Royal Caribbean International's Vision of the Seas, FTI Cruises' FTI Berlin, MV Explorer from Semester at Sea and MV Voyager from Voyages of Discovery.

Carnival Cruise Lines is launching its widest selection of European itineries to date with Carnival Legend offering its first Norwegian Fjords package along with 12-day cruises to the Baltic, the Mediterranean and the British Isles. In total Carnival Legend will operate a magnificent 17 European cruises visiting 34 ports across 18 countries and will also be celebrating an inaugural visit to Dover in June.

Dover Cruise Port is delighted to welcome back ships from Costa Cruises, Saga and MSC, the latter will be offering a series of Northern Europe and Mediterranean mini-cruises. Holland America's MS Ryndam will cast-off on a range of Northern European routes and in September 2013 a double dose of cruise splendour will be served up when Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity are both berthed at Dover.

Martin Lister, Planning Manager for Fred Olsen Cruise Lines, said: "We are delighted to be sailing once again from Dover; it is a very important port for Fred Olsen Cruise Lines and the experience for our guests and staff is always excellent. The port is easily reached by road and rail and we know our guests always love to sail away, enjoying the great view of the famous White Cliffs. We look forward to anther successful season sailing from this iconic port."

Kate O'Hara, Head of Business Delivery, Port of Dover commented: "This is always an exciting time of year for us as we get ready to welcome some 230,000 passengers - both repeat and new customers through Dover. The numbers are a ringing endorsement of the continued strength of the cruise business in Kent and Britain as a whole. We welcome back cruise enthusiasts and embrace new ships and their passengers who are all drawn to the diverse range of activities and attractions that the region has to offer. Customers will enjoy not only the outstanding facilities and unrivalled levels of service at the Port but also the wealth of shore excursion opportunities in this historic and beautiful county."

Picture shows the Braemar (courtesy of Fred Olsen Cruise Lines)