Princess schedules 26 Cornwall calls as Falmouth eyes record year

By Elena Vasquez

Princess Cruises has scheduled 26 port calls to Falmouth, Cornwall, across 2027 and 2028, while Falmouth has 53 confirmed calls for 2027 that would make another record year if the full schedule holds.

The 26 calls are assigned to Majestic Princess, Regal Princess and Caribbean Princess. All three have visited Falmouth previously, making this repeat deployment rather than a first-time port opening. They are scheduled on seven-day and 12-day UK/France cruises from Southampton.

Majestic Princess and Regal Princess are 330-metre, 142,000-ton Royal Class ships with stated capacities of 3,560 guests and 1,350 crew. Caribbean Princess is a Grand Class vessel.

What do 26 calls mean for sellers?

Falmouth's excursion roster covers Land's End, St Michael's Mount, Polperro, St Ives and Tate St Ives, Fowey, Lizard Point and boat trips to explore St Mawes. For travel sellers, that broadens potential bookable inventory across destination visits and marine excursions; no prices, sales channels, commission terms or expected spending were disclosed.

The schedule omits call dates and ship allocations, limiting inventory planning for 2027-28. The stated 3,560-guest capacity is a vessel limit, not a passenger-booking forecast, and the 26 calls do not establish Princess Cruises' local market share or excursion revenue.

How does a call generate revenue?

Falmouth's port figures attribute more than 100 pilotage acts to cruise ships. Shipping lines pay boarding and landing fees to put a pilot aboard and take the pilot off the ship, plus a separate pilotage fee covering the act itself and harbour dues paid to Falmouth Harbour.

The economic argument extends beyond visitor counts: after losing almost all of its once-lucrative bunkering trade (ship fuel sales), the port would struggle to sustain an economic 24-hour pilotage service without cruise business. For sellers, arriving ships can channel demand toward listed excursions, but no ticket value, booking share or local-supplier revenue is provided.

What has Scilly already measured?

The Isles of Scilly welcomed 46 cruise ships carrying 19,000 passengers in the 2026 season, with no cancellations attributed to weather. Those are measured arrivals and passenger counts, unlike Falmouth's forward schedules.

The season ended in September when Fred. Olsen's Bolette anchored in Crow Sound and passengers spent the day ashore on St Mary's and Tresco. Passengers can also visit St Mary's, take excursions and wildlife-spotting trips, and visit the Abbey Garden on Tresco.

Tom Jackman, managing director of Scillonian Marine Consultants, said: “Cruises are a hugely important part of our visitor economy and we hope this success encourages more cruise lines to consider our beautiful islands in future.”

His second appeal defines the distribution goal: “We are working hard to grow this sector of the market and establish the Isles of Scilly as a must-visit destination on the UK cruise map.” The statement targets additional cruise-line calls; it provides no new contract, call target or passenger-spend forecast.

How broad is the regional contribution?

Fowey has welcomed 21 cruise ships in 2026, adding a second measured Cornwall port alongside the Isles of Scilly. For sellers, the additional calls broaden the potential customer pool for excursions in Fowey and the other listed destinations, although the figures show no local conversion or revenue.

The report estimates that cruise activity contributes £6.3 billion annually to the UK economy and supports 69,000 jobs. No filings or market-sizing methodology accompanies the estimate, so it should be treated as an industry-level figure rather than a measured Cornwall or Falmouth output number.

If Falmouth's 53-call schedule holds, the commercial test will be whether added ships convert into repeat excursion sales and durable pilotage and harbour revenue, while Scillonian Marine Consultants' campaign seeks additional cruise-line calls for the islands.