Golden Princess, the first of the mega-cruiseships to visit the port this year, arrives tomorrow morning (Thursday) from Holyhead for a day-long cruise call that will see thousands of mainly American passengers being tendered ashore.

The 109,000 ton large resort ship could come up into the Cross Channel to anchor and moor the buoy although it is expected that the leviathan will anchor just south of Black Rock for the day, unless easterly winds and swell conditions prohibit tendering passengers ashore. The 300-metre long vessel can carry 3,100 passengers in four star luxury with 1,100 crew.

Princess Cruises, the most recognised cruise line in the world, was catapulted to stardom in 1977 when Pacific Princess was cast in a starring role on a new US television show called The Love Boat. The weekly series, which introduced millions of viewers to the still-new concept of a sea-going holiday, was an instant hit and both the company name and its "seawitch" logo have remained synonymous with cruising ever since.

Princess' modern fleet has grown considerably in recent years to include Caribbean Princess (2004), Coral Princess (2003), Dawn Princess (1997), Diamond Princess (2004), Island Princess (2003), Pacific Princess (1999), Regal Princess (1991), Royal Princess (1984), Golden Princess (2001), Grand Princess (1998), Sapphire Princess (2004), Star Princess (2002), Sun Princess (1995) and Tahitian Princess (1999). Two additional new ships will join the fleet by 2007, making it one of the most modern fleets on the high seas.

Daily food consumption aboard these ships includes: 200 pounds of salt, 960 pounds of bananas, 322 pounds of carrots, 852 pounds of shellfish, 1,431 pounds of game/poultry, 104 pounds of smoked salmon, 1,170 pounds of potatoes, 910 pounds of ice cream, 3,900 muffins, 390 pounds of bacon, 1,600 pounds of beef and 551 pounds of butter and margarine Golden Princess is followed on Friday morning by the Amadea, the former Japanese cruiseship Asuka and on Monday, the Alexander vn Humboldt berths alongside the County wharf.