Cruise ship visits Alicante

HUNDREDS of tourists visited Alicante as the Azura cruised in to port.

The two-week Mediterranean cruise arrived early in the morning and was the first chance passengers had of leaving the luxury ship since it left from Southampton 4 days earlier, as the first scheduled stop in Gibraltar was cancelled due to high winds.
Guests were given the option of additional excursions to neighbouring towns such as Elche but many took Alicante’s Turibus visiting the city’s sights on the open deck tourist bus. But what did visitors think about our major city? Euro Weekly News reporter Gemma Quinn went along to find out…

“I like the castle and the mixture of old and new in the town.” Said Anne Fisher, 31, who was visiting with her fiancée Carl Thomson, 31. The couple had got engaged on the ship just 2 days earlier. Carl add, “It’s our first time to Alicante but I like the mix of beach right next to an historic town.”

The Jenkinson family from North Wales had also enjoyed the beach despite the dull skies. Mum Angela commented, “It’s our first time to Alicante but I like it. The shops were very cheap so I’ve bought all my souvenirs and it was very easy to get around. I would come again and that is why we do the cruises, so we can see what places we like.”

However the whistle stop tour wasn’t favourable for everyone. Mr and Mrs Ganon said, “We haven’t seen a lot of it and what we did see seemed a little scruffy.” Valerie Mollet was equally unimpressed, “I haven’t thought a lot to Alicante, not many people spoke English and I expected more shops similar to Marks and Spencer.” For Andrea and Paul Mullin it was like coming home, “We lived here for three years so it was nice to have a little walk around but we don’t miss it.”