Fred Olsen Cruises – one of the UK’s leading cruiseship operators and a firm favourite with British cruise passengers – will be a major caller at Falmouth this year with five cruise calls planned for their ships Black Watch, Balmoral and Black Prince.

The Black Watch starts off the programme when she sails from Dover on May 22 for a nine-night Around the British Isles cruise. Passengers can join at Falmouth for her next cruise which is a 15-night Baltic Explorer cruise starting from Dover the following day.

Fred Olsen Cruise Lines has announced it will retire its vessel Black Prince in October 2009.

The 441 passenger ship, which was built for the company by Flender Werft in Lubeck in 1966, will operate a series of four farewell cruises starting on September 9 from Liverpool, and ending on October 16 in Southampton.

The ship on which many people in Cornwall have enjoyed marvellous holidays will make a three-night farewell mini cruise from Liverpool on September 19 calling at Dublin, Falmouth and Southampton.

When Black Prince entered service for Fred Olsen Ltd on October 19, 1966, it was in the role of a joint passenger/freight ferry operating between the UK and the Canary islands in the winter, and the UK and Norway in the summer.

The ship was converted to a full-time cruise ship in 1987 and from February that year became a key player in the cruising market in the UK.

Fred Olsen Cruise Lines managing director Mike Rodwell said: “This is a very sad announcement for the company to make as Black Prince is one of the best loved ships that caters to the UK market, and many passengers have cruised on her so often that even they have lost track of the number of holidays they have taken. We know that there will be thousands of passengers who have sailed on her who will be very sad on that final day.”

Details of all the Fred Olsen cruises to and from Falmouth can be obtained from Newells Travel, Falmouth by telephoning 0800 008 7411.