Majesty back in Valle Gran Rey

Valle Gran Rey in La Gomera's southwest saw the arrival of the first cruise ship this winter season yesterday morning. Once again the 679ft 'Thomson Majesty'' paid a visit to the harbour of Vueltas with her mostly British passengers. The cruise liner with a maximum capacity of 1.970 passengers had been here before last year and yesterday docked at 7.30 am to the sound of Canarian folk music and El Silbo whistling, organised by the local administration to greet the passengers. A free shuttle bus was offered to visit the distinct parts of the lower Valle Gran Rey area and the music was moved around the different 'barrios' as well. 'Her Majesty' left again at 2pm, bound for Madeira with many souvenirs bought here aboard. Some shops even completely sold out their stocks of bottled water as it was a hot day. I met some Irish passengers who told me that their short visit here was a  great discovery and they now plan to return for a longer holiday on La Gomera.

Cruise ship season 2015-16 has begun

The huge 'Mein Schiff 4' in San Sebastian de La Gomera yesterday morning.
The 2.500 passengers were welcomed with Canarian folk music (on left)

This winter's cruise ship season began yesterday with the arrival of the TUI-owned 'Mein Schiff 4' in the port of San Sebastian de La Gomera. Many more will be calling over the next few months, among them the similarly large 'Thomson Majesty' and the sailing vessel 'Sea Cloud'. The former is also scheduled to berth in the harbour of Valle Gran Rey a few times this winter.

'Majesty' cruise ship visits Valle Gran Rey

The huge (570 ft) cruise liner Thomson Majesty docked in the port of Vueltas in Valle Gran Rey on La Gomera early yesterday (Sunday) morning and stayed until late lunchtime. The restaurants, cafes and a few shops in Vueltas that open on Sundays were kept very busy as many of the estimated 1500 passengers explored the area. It was the first time a cruise ship of such dimensions berthed in Vueltas and her Majesty took up the entire length of the pier in the outer harbour. The visit was due to a very busy cruise holiday season and the pier of La Gomera's capital was occupied by another cruise ship.

By the way, the Thomson Majesty was in the headlines in February of 2013 when five of her crew died in an accident during a safety drill while visiting neighbouring La Palma island.  Read: Five crew die on cruise ship 'Thomson Majesty'

Thomson Majesty leaving Valle Gran Rey bound for Funchal on Madeira yesterday

Cruise ship season has begun

Cruise ship in the port of San Sebastian last season

Over the past few years La Gomera has been steadily gaining in popularity as a destination for cruise ships during the winter season. The pier of the island's capital San Sebastian has been extended once again during the summer, this time by a further 115 feet, to accommodate even larger cruise liners. This November alone the harbour will welcome nearly 14.000 cruise ship passengers in total. The largest cruise liner to call will be TUI-owned Mein Schiff 3 with 2500 guests aboard.

While the economic benefits of cruise ship calls are doubted by many locals, as they often see cruise ship passengers just buying a few postcards and stamps before they retire for lunch on their swimming all-inclusive hotels, the promotional value of the visits is often under-estimated. La Gomera has always scored  top marks in cruise passenger satisfaction ratings and when these passengers go back home most will recommend La Gomera for a longer holiday to their friends, relatives and neighbours and some will plan a return for a longer stay themselves. The shore excursions have also proven very popular and give direct employment for drivers and guides and additional business for restaurants and shops. Having worked as a tour guide in the past let me tell you that the tips are mostly generous anyway.

Tour buses awaiting guests one morning last winter