Post by Owen on Aug 28, 2020 6:54:19 GMT
1 ~~~ 'Ghost fleet' of empty cruise ships anchored off UK: Thousands flock for ferry trips out to ships ~~~
www.traveller.com.au/ghost-fleet-of-empty-cruise-ships-anchored-off-uk-thousands-flock-for-ferry-trips-out-to-ships-h1qbhx
Even when people can't get on board cruise ships, they're still in demand.
Ships anchored off the UK have become a major tourist attraction during the northern summer, with several local ferry companies taking guests out to see the empty ships up close.
Nicknamed "the ghost fleet", the ships belong to a variety of cruise companies and include famous vessels such as the Queen Mary 2, the Queen Elizabeth and the Allure of the Seas, a 225,282-tonne monster that's the world's fourth-largest cruise ship.
Paul Derham, 62, who runs Mudeford Ferry, kicked off the trend after asking ferry passengers if they'd be interested in going for a look at some of the anchored behemoths.
"When we came out of lockdown here, we started the ferry again and I couldn't believe how few passengers we were carrying," he told Traveller. "But when we'd drive down to get the boat ready you could see the ships in the distance, about five kilometres away. So I thought 'Cor blimey, why can't we do trips there?'"
"I just made an announcement to the passengers: 'Anyone want to go and see the cruise ships close up?'" he says. "I couldn't believe the interest on board, so we put it up on Facebook expecting to do a couple of trips and within four hours we'd filled four trips out to see them."
www.traveller.com.au/ghost-fleet-of-empty-cruise-ships-anchored-off-uk-thousands-flock-for-ferry-trips-out-to-ships-h1qbhx