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Sparks fly as Liberty sails in
10:26am Monday 23rd April 2007
Comments (8)
ALREADY the sparks are flying as the world's biggest cruise ship, Liberty of the Seas, takes the starring role in some of the most spectacular celebrations ever seen in Southampton.
The first of three glittering firework displays soared into the night sky, dramatically lighting up the huge vessel last night after the ship arrived earlier in the day.
Sightseers in their thousands packed Southampton's Mayflower Park to have a grandstand view of the glittering display with Liberty of the Seas silhouetted against the soaring rockets and cascading colours of the fireworks.
Crowds were again expected to flock to the park this evening when a repeat firework display is due to take place at 9.45pm, while tomorrow the third and final event begins at 9pm as the ship is sailing for a two-night mini-cruise an hour later.
Southampton is set to become a major tourist destination over the coming days as people from all over the country converge on the city to see Liberty of the Seas, together with 14 other cruise ships expected in the port this week.
Vantage points Many people were up early yesterday morning to claim a place at vantage points all along Southampton Water as Liberty of the Seas made her dramatic entrance into port.
At first Liberty of the Seas was just a shadowy outline in the early morning mist but then, little by little, the enormity and the sheer scale of the vessel began to emerge.
Gradually the sun burned through the haze and suddenly, for the first time the vast cruise ship could be seen in all her glory.
A passing Red Funnel ferry and a handful of yachts and motor cruisers bobbed around in the wake of Liberty of the Seas and looked more like toys compared to the huge cruise ship.
The sight was simply breathtaking as the 160,000-ton ship, towering more than 200ft above the waves, eased herself up Southampton Water and gently manoeuvred alongside the City Cruise Terminal next door to Mayflower Park.
As Royal Caribbean International's latest addition to its rapidly expanding fleet entered port, maritime tradition dictated that she was greeted by the booming salutes of other cruise ships, including Oceana, Ocean Village Two and Aurora which were also in the docks.
Even the two military ships at Marchwood joined in the welcome as Liberty of the Seas replied, the deep sound of her whistles reverberating across the city.
Liberty of the Seas is the sister ship of Freedom of the Seas, which made a similar stop-off call at Southampton last year while en route to America. However in 2008 an identical third vessel, Independence of the Seas, will again arrive in the docks but this time the ship will stay and operate a summer long programme of voyages from the city.
Liberty of the Seas' presence in Southampton signals a major shift in the growth of the UK family cruising market, of which Southampton is the country's premier port.
The fact that Freedom of the Seas and Liberty of the Seas have both visited Southampton together with the news that Independence of the Seas will be based in the city next year, underlines the growing strength of the British cruise industry.
Robin Shaw, managing director of Royal Caribbean in the UK, said: "Cruise industry statistics predict that 1.35 million people in the UK will take a cruise this year, a ten per cent increase on 2006 figures.
"Given the scale of high profile recent developments in the UK cruise industry, including our intention of basing Independence of the Seas, which is still under construction, with its 3,600 passenger capacity in Southampton from spring 2008, we believe we are delivering changes that will accelerate this growth.'' Among the wide-ranging array of passenger facilities are a rock-climbing wall and an ice rink while the ship, with accommodation for up to 5,730 passengers and crew, will be the first to offer couples the chance of getting married while surfing on the vessel's FlowRider pool, scuba-diving in the ocean, hot-air ballooning or even on an Alaskan glacier.
Huge ships like Liberty of the Seas, with on-board attractions not heard of ten years ago, are attracting many first-time cruisers and are changing the old traditional image of cruising by attracting younger passengers together with more families.
Your Say YourDaily Echo
Cod Head, mayflower park shelter says...
9:45pm Mon 23 Apr 07
Darren, Southampton says...
10:08pm Wed 25 Apr 07
mike, bristol says...
5:08pm Thu 26 Apr 07
King Mush, Woolston says...
8:18pm Thu 26 Apr 07
At least its a great boost for Soton after years of downturn in passenger shipping. At least the docks are not ruled by the mad Commie scummers of years gone by. They helped screw our docks into the ground although cheap air travel tolled the death knell and led to the demise of cruising.
It would be nice to see the old £10 passage come back for our local chavs. One way ticket to Iraq!!
adam, southampton says...
2:15pm Wed 16 May 07
Darren Riche-Webber, Southampton says...
4:45pm Fri 13 Jul 07
Vickers-Armstrong (Walker)closed in the 80s. Two 1200 ft berths as far back as the 1920s. The greatest shipyard in the first half of the 20th century.
J.L. Thompsom (Wear)closed in the late 80s.
Scott Lithgow (Clyde estuary)closed in the 90s built super tankers in the 70s .
Haverton Hill (Tees) just won multi million pound deal.
Harland and Wolff, built the biggest ships in the UK. Still has overall, the biggest building dock in the world.
Swan Hunters, Ruined by the British labour government recently, built the biggest ships in mainland Britain.
Cammell Laird still around, Had the ability to build 1400 ft ships.
Vickers-Armstrong (Barrow), Now BAE, has the ability to build 1400+ ft plus ships, on a conventional way. Now being undermined by the British labour government in possibly losing out in building the CVF Carriers to France!
Graythorp Dock. By area, the worlds largest dry dock, being undermined by little hartlepool council. Could, if modernised, build the biggest ships in the world.
All euro yards recieved subsidies to modernize their yards, and build these ships. Now this must end. Labour in Finland, is some of the most expensive. Where are a lot of these cruise ships for the British market being built, in Finland. Cheap labour , is only the labour they import from outside europe.
Don't forget John Brown (Sheffield Company) Built the worlds first 1000ft ships on the Clyde in the 30s. Fairfield (BAE), 950 ft berths, Beardmore (1000 ft berth), and Workman Clark (1000ft berth), were all around there around in th 1930s.
Is that enough, Adam.
It's politics, and the Drayson's (he's a Lord) of this world that are denying us our own market. We are a rich Country, there is no excuse for building these ship abroad. If so, why do we not go abroad direct for cheaper insurance, retail, utilities, a lot of service industry type things etc, paying through the roof for homes that are not worth the cost in real terms, and all the other bubble gum industries that made the British die from a thousand cuts.
Darren Riche-Webber, Southampton says...
6:23pm Fri 13 Jul 07
Air travel led to the death of transatlantic, or Pacific travel for Ocean Liners. What you see today are cruising ships, including the QM2, which at best could be seen as a cruise liner, which is not the same. If you want to see Liners now, go to Heathrow, or Gatwick.
These are resortist ships. The holiday is the ship. If jet had never worked out, you could of seen Ocean Liners taking people acroos the atlantic, to board their cruise ships in Miami.
The RMS Queen Elizabeth is still the Biggest Ocean Liner, Passenger Liner, Express Steamer/Liner, Transatlantic Liner the world has ever seen. The difference is, she, and the Queen Mary were needed for a weekly service, and were created from a market need. Cruise ships were invented to creat a market need, which a lot of people like, but they atre not an A to B Passenger service.
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- Big deals done at Seawork exhibition
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- Seawork exhibit gets under way
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shariq muhammad, dubai ,uae says...
2:43pm Mon 23 Apr 07