A new baggage handling facility for Marella Cruises has been created by the Port of Tyne.
The revamp will enable passengers to drop-off their bags, which will be security checked and loaded onto the ship, before heading straight to a dedicated car park.
Extra capacity for 1,000 bags and an additional 382 car parking spaces has been developed through the reconfiguration of the international passenger terminal in North Shields, near Newcastle upon Tyne.
A marquee will provide an undercover baggage handling facility.
The Port of Tyne’s international passenger terminal is set to welcome 59 cruise calls this year, including ten turnaround calls by Marella Cruises.
Port services commercial manager Andy Foster said: “The new car park and bag drop area is the beginning of a range of improvements to both passenger and vessel facilities at the port’s international passenger terminal.
“Providing an excellent customer experience is really important to us, and we hope this latest investment will support all cruise operators and passengers in making cruise check-in more efficient and trouble free.”
Marella Cruises head of trading and planning Neil Duncan added: “This is great news for Marella customers, as it will ensure a seamless end-to-end port experience, with much more space to manage our embarkation/debarkation operation.”
