GREENOCK Ocean Terminal recorded one of its busiest days in history on Monday as it welcomed two luxury cruise vessels.
MSC Virtuosa’s visit to the town saw the arrival of 4,218 guests – one of the highest figures for a single cruise call in the Peel Ports site’s history.
The 19-deck ship boasts a promenade packed with restaurants and shops, five swimming pools, a waterpark, and 21 bars – one of which features the world’s first humanoid robotic bartender, Rob.
She previously set the record for the largest cruise ship to sail into Inverclyde on her first visit in 2021.
On the same day, the terminal welcomed its first ever ‘double turnaround’ as Le Champlain brought a further 140 guests to the terminal.
Named after the French explorer of the same name, the five-deck ship features deluxe cabins equipped with private balconies.
It has a theatre, swimming pool, gym and hair salon on board, with guests also benefiting from a butler service.
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Jim McSporran, Clydeport port director, said: “It’s always a pleasure welcoming any of our cruise ships to Greenock, and liners don’t get much more eye-catching than the MSC Virtuosa and Le Champlain.
“It’s lovely to be welcoming so many to the terminal and comes on the back of us recently announcing a record year for the most liners visiting us in one season.
“It’s shaping up to be a great year – and we hope all the guests arriving today enjoy their visit to Scotland.”
Inverclyde Council leader Stephen McCabe added: “We really are on the crest of a wave with yet more ship and passenger records being broken this year as we work alongside Peel Ports and our other partners to grow Greenock and Inverclyde as a premier cruise destination.
“A key component of that is the new visitor centre which will be opening soon to complement the dedicated cruise ship berth which is already successfully up and running.
“Greenock already has a proud reputation as one of the friendliest and most picturesque ports in the world and the new visitor centre will only enhance that further for not only the 100,000-plus overseas visitors each year but the many thousands of people near and far who also come here to discover what Inverclyde has to offer.”
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