This is equal parts cool, bizarre and sad at the same time.
It’s been a difficult time for cruise ship companies and cruise ship enthusiasts alike. For the most part, boats have been anchored for months due to the coronavirus pandemic, although some lines like MSC Cruises have launched itineraries overseas.
But now cruise lovers who have a hankering to be back on a ship can at least get close to one.
In a fun piece written by the blog The Points Guy, a ferry company based in Southampton, England has started up “ghost ship tours.” For a fee, Mudeford Ferry will take you on a two-and-a-half-hour journey that will take you within about 160 feet of all the empty cruise vessels anchored offshore during the cruising shutdown.
Among the ships that have been anchored off nearby Christchurch are Cunard Line’s Queen Mary 2, Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria; and P&O Cruises’ Britannia, Aurora, Arcadia and Ventura. As of this week, there also were three Marella Cruises vessels in the mix and even a Carnival Cruise Line ship, the Carnival Valor.
The Valor normally sails out of New Orleans, but it is one of the ships that Carnival has sent on long voyages around the world to repatriate crew to their home countries.
Not far from Christchurch, in Bournemouth, England, Royal Caribbean ships Anthem of the Seas and Allure of the Seas are also anchored.
The “ghost ship tours” is something of a misnomer, as small staffs of workers are on each ship to properly maintain the vessels.
