MS Borealis cruise ship visits Portsmouth port for Winter season

The News, Portsmouth

The News were invited on a tour of the vessel.

Transcript

00:00The lavish cruise ship Aurora Borealis has returned to Portsmouth and will be operating

00:13several winter cruises throughout the season around Christmas time. Fred Olsen have been

00:18visiting Portsmouth and using their port on and off since 2009 and have now extended their

00:24reach to tourists as part of the port's busiest ever cruise season this year.

00:30In cruises which will last all the way up until 2025, tourists will get the chance to visit so

00:36many luxurious destinations such as Morocco, the Canary Islands, parts of Spain but also

00:42get to look for the ship's namesake, Aurora Borealis, the Northern Lights in Norway. People

00:48who prefer to spend their holidays in the sun will also get a chance to visit the Caribbean

00:52on one of the voyages from Portsmouth. Portsmouth City Council owns Portsmouth

00:57International Port and as a result the more cruisers that visit the city the more funding

01:02that they get tertiary through tourism spending but also money directly into the local authority

01:07to benefit schemes which every single citizen can benefit from. The city has already seen

01:13various cruise brands visit the port throughout the entire year which include Virgin Voyages,

01:19Viking, Windscar and other famous brands which all try to offer their tourists so many wonderful

01:26destinations to go to but also an entire trip in a lap of luxury. It's estimated that every

01:33cruise call that comes into the city generates 1.5 million pounds through port fees, tertiary

01:38spending from tourists from other businesses and restaurants and other factors. This money then

01:44goes directly into the council and is often shared into continuing to operate the port itself

01:49but also into other social and infrastructure projects all across the city of various types.

01:56Council leader Steve Pitt said it was vital that the cruise seasons continue throughout this year

02:01and the rest of next year as it is of vital importance to the city economically. Andrew

02:06Williamson, the head of Ports, Cruise and Ferry said that the port has continued to grow throughout

02:11the entire time and has been expanding its reach with recently opened carbon neutral terminal but

02:17also construction work beginning to establish shore power where ships can operate through

02:22shore power instead of keeping their engines on while docked. This also expands the types of ships

02:26that can visit the port itself and with the aim of trying to gradually increase the number of

02:31cruise ships that call into the city the port is investing heavily into making that happen.

02:37The news was invited on a tour of Roro Bar Alice and on board I could see the lap of luxury which

02:42the tourists get to expect. This includes various types of restaurants which are buffet style but

02:47also dine-in and various types of cabins, piano bars and lounges where guests can relax as much as they like.

03:06so

03:36so

04:06so

04:18There's an expansive swimming pool, jacuzzi and spa on board for people to relax

04:22with also where the skylight can open during sunny days or keep them shut like on the day

04:27that I visited where storm vert was hitting the port quite heavily. As well as all the

04:32relaxing activities there was a degree of lounges and entertainment across the ship

04:37all organized for people to spend their evenings after visiting the destinations that they go to.

04:42This can include lectures, performances, magic, musical theatre and so many other things in the

04:48various lounges, the atrium and auditorium. Fred Olsen representative Martin Lister said the

04:54port itself is an ideal place for their cruise ships to dock and also visited a variety of

04:59locations primarily in the Mediterranean but also for the northern lights. He also hinted that further

05:05trips and expeditions are planned and encourages people to keep their eyes peeled for any deals

05:10that come up where they can take the holiday of a lifetime. The video of the tour on board shows all

05:15the major parts of the ship aside from the cabins. This includes all the major lounges, restaurants,

05:21swimming pool, jacuzzi, spa, gym, fitness centre and all the major amenities that visitors can

05:28access all while enjoying a well-deserved holiday.

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