REGAL Princess became the first large cruise ship to call at Greenock in 2024 when she sailed into the Ocean Terminal yesterday morning.
The impressive vessel was bathed in morning sunshine as she berthed at the town's cruise ship terminal just before 7am.
Her passengers disembarked in their hundreds and were welcomed to Greenock by a host of greeters and guides ready to show them around the area.
The gigantic ship made the stop-off amid a 12-night tour of the British Isles, which will see her go on to visit Kirkwall, Invergordon, Edinburgh, Paris and Southampton.
Among those greeting the tourists was ex-IBM and Merchant Navy man George Brown, who now works as a guide for McGill’s ‘Local Highlights’ open top bus tour.
The 77-year-old told the Tele he was thrilled to play his part in getting the new season under way.
George said: “We take the passengers all around Inverclyde and show them the points of interest and things like that.
“It usually takes about an hour and a half, it’s a very interesting tour.
“I’ve always been interested in my home town, I was born in Greenock and I grew up in Gourock.
“It’s important to show people a good side of Inverclyde when they come here.
“There are some beautiful places around here, the Lyle Hill, the west end and the castle up at Port Glasgow are all spectacular.
“The visitors are blown away when they see some of these places.
“They love the Lyle Hill, the views and the fact that you can see the navy base over in the Holy Loch make it really special.
“I go home at night and I could sit for hours talking about the people on the bus’s lives, you tell them a story and you get a story back.
“It’s very important for local people to learn about their area and show an interest in the area too, if you show an interest you help improve the place.”
Regal Princess’s visit is the first of the 2024 season. Operated by Princess Cruise Lines and capable of carrying almost 4,300 passengers, she has become a familiar sight at Greenock Ocean Terminal in recent years.
She boasts over 1,400 balconies which give sweeping sea views for passengers and also has a glass-floor walkway extending 28 feet beyond the edge of the ship.
The gigantic vessel has also been the setting for the American and Australian versions of the reality show ‘The Real Love Boat’.
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