Cowes Harbour Commission is working with Destination Cowes and the Island’s tourism organisation Visit Isle of Wight to promote Cowes as a destination port-of-call for cruise ships, encouraged by the rising demand in the cruise ship market, including the growth in the Northern European luxury cruises.
Cruise ship passengers are able to visit tourist attractions such as Queen Victoria’s Osborne House in East Cowes, the palatial royal residence used in the feature film Victoria and Abdul, as well as Henry VIII’s Cowes Castle, home to the Royal Yacht Squadron in the heart of Cowes.
Every year, a number of small and medium-sized cruise ships on Northern European itineraries are welcomed to the Isle of Wight.
Cruise vessels up to 150m LOA can use the Cowes anchorage in the Solent, with a five-minute tender run to Trinity Landing, while larger vessels over 150m LOA are safely anchored in the ABP Anchorage, from where it is a 15-minute tender trip ashore to the shops, galleries, and cafés.
