- As the cruise industry has come to a standstill, many cruise ships are being moored outside of ports and harbors around the world.
- Ironically, it is now the boats themselves that are becoming the tourist attractions, especially off the south coast of England.
- Ex-cruise worker, Paul Derham, said he saw a potential business opportunity in the multiple empty cruise ships moored in the English Channel amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
A British man who posted an ad for “ghost ship” tours of the empty cruise ships moored in the English Channel said the business has proven unexpectedly popular, reads a news on UPI.
A number of cruise ships are currently being moored near Dorset, according to CNN—Royal Caribbean’s Anthem of the Seas, Jewel of the Seas, and Allure of the Seas, as well as several Cunard ships including the Queen Mary 2 and the Queen Elizabeth.
Ghost Cruise Ship Tours
Paul Derham, who runs two local ferries in Mudeford, has started running tours to take visitors up close to these giant beasts, many of which sleep thousands of guests.
Whilst they don’t always stay in the same place, Derham uses insider knowledge to track the ships’ locations—he worked in the cruise industry for 27 years.
He first advertised on the Mudeford Ferry Facebook page and found willing people to visit these ships on a 2.5 hour Ghost Ship Tour, using his ferries.
Business At Peak!
The idea has been so successful that he has had huge support from cruise enthusiasts from all over the world who want to know more about the ships, even though they can’t take a cruise themselves.
Derham is now taking up to 100 phone calls a day from people wanting to book tours or know more.
To many people, seeing one up so close can be spectacular, particularly when they cannot normally journey around them and see just how big they actually are.
The Allure of the Seas is one of the largest passenger vessels in the world. It is 1,187 feet long and accommodates 6,687 people.
Derham plans to run the cruises for as long as he can, until the weather ruins his plans or the cruise ships are back up and running again.
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Source: UPI
