By
Rebecca Gibson |
Portsmouth International Port, UK is to welcome the first cruise ship of 2016 on 15 April.
Swan Hellenic’s Minerva will sail into the port from St Malo, where she will disembark passengers and restock provisions for her next cruise. New passengers will then join the ship at Portsmouth before embarking on a two-week cruise to destinations on the Loire, Seine and Garonne in France and returning to Portsmouth on 28 April. Throughout the summer, the ship will offer nine cruises from Portsmouth, calling at ports in Europe, the Baltic, Iceland, the Norwegian fjords, the Scottish Highlands and Islands, Portugal and Spain.
Swan Hellenic is part of the All Leisure Holidays (ALH) group, which recently extended its existing contract to base ships at Portsmouth until at least 2018. ALH also owns Swan Hellenic, Voyages of Discovery and Hebridean Island Cruises and has called at Portsmouth since 2010.
Four days after Minerva departs, Phoenix Reisen’s flagship Amadea will bring 600 passengers from Hamburg, Germany and spend 12 hours in the port before departing for a three-week Mediterranean voyage.
Phoenix Reisen’s Albatros will also return to Portsmouth on 27 April, marking her first call at the port since 19 November 2015. At 205 metres in length, Albatros will be one of the largest cruise ships to visit the city this year.
Both Albatros and Amadea will make return visits to Portsmouth this season.