MS Prinsendam cruise liner to visit Ilfracombe on Friday 22nd July

Will Ilfracombe's ship come in this time? Locals and visitors alike were left disappointed back in May after the MV Rotterdam was unable to dock at Ilfracombe Harbour due to poor weather conditions back in May. 

However, the second of the two Cruise ships to visit Ilfracombe this summer MS Prinsendam is due to dock at 8am on Friday and Ilfracombe is all set to welcome our American guests. North Devon Council's Harbourmaster, Lieutenant Commander Rob Lawson, says: "We will be monitoring the weather and sea conditions in the run up to the visit so should have a good idea of the ship's plans. There will be lots of work going into entertainment and making Ilfracombe really shine, so it will be a fantastic day to pay a visit, whatever the weather."

A full programme of events is planned for the Holland America Cruise Liner which weighs in at 38,000 tonnes and will carry 793 passengers plus 470 crew. A variety of musicians will perform on the pier and bandstand throughout the day including performances by Blazing Sounds Youth Band, Shake-a-Leg singing sea shanties, Swing Boat Jazz Band and Humdrum Conundrum street drummers. The North Devon Pipes and Drums will also be taking part in the day's entertainment marching from the Landmark to the Pier at 2pm.

Councillor Rod Donovan, Mayor of Ilfracombe, says: "The visit of the Prinsendam represents a rare event in the life of our town and we will be creating a 'festival' atmosphere to welcome our valued guests.

A variety of art, craft and local produce stalls will be trading from 10am onwards along the Seafront. Ilfracombe Arts & Crafts Society at the Emmanuel Church will have arts and crafts demonstrations and there will be craft stalls and tours of the theatre at The Landmark all day. A full programme of events is available at the visitilfracombe website.