MV Discovery docks on its maiden call to Manila

She arrived with a toot of her foghorn and a message of cheer.

The cruise ship MV Discovery recently made its first scheduled stop in Manila with almost 600 passengers from Australia, Canada, Switzerland, Germany, United Kingdom, Ireland, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand, Serbia, and the United States aboard. The 20,000 ton cruise ship docked for a two-day stop at Pier 13 from Hong Kong.

Originating from the United Kingdom, the cruise ship is on its course to traverse the globe and give its passengers the chance to see some of the beautiful places around the world. With most of the passengers and even some of the cruise ship’s crew setting their sight and foot on Philippine soil for the first time, it was clearly a “cut loose” time for them to enjoy the warmth of Philippine sunshine and its people.

The tourists enthusiastically embraced the warm welcome and said they owed this anticipation of experiencing the country to the 237 Filipino crew members onboard the MV Discovery. “There are so many cheerful Filipino crews on the boat that we wanted to see where they come from and why they are so happy,” shares Walter Girven of Wiltshire, England.

Aside from the captivating personalities of Filipinos, the tourists were also interested in learning more about Philippine culture and heritage. It’s not easy to sum up the Philippines in two days but the cruise organizers made most of the time by arranging visits to key tourism spots in the metro - Old Manila City tour, Pagsanjan Falls, Hidden Valley in Laguna, Villa Escudero, Tagaytay Ridge, and Corregidor Island.

The MV Discovery will cruise the rest of Asia after its two day stay in the Philippines. Its next stop would be Sandakan and Kota Kinabalu in Borneo, then off to Brunei and the rest of its destination around the globe.

This cruise ship’s maiden voyage to Philippine seas is a testament to how well the rest of the world is receiving the Philippines as a prime tourism spot not only in Asia but in the rest of the world. “Our country is getting more and more into the radar, and more and more we are being included in catalogues of cruise ships,” says Eduardo Jarque Jr., Undersecretary for Tourism Planning and Promotions of the Department of Tourism (DoT).

Jarque added that from among all the ports where these cruise shops dock, it is in the Philippines that passengers get the warmest welcome.

Through the efforts of the DoT, drum and lyre bands and different dance groups meet the liners at the dock to head the welcoming committee. This gives the tourists a glimpse of our festive nature and helps set the mood for the rest of their stay in the country. A fiesta atmosphere usually pervades in the welcome reception for cruise ship passengers and crew and this alone has made Manila an important port of call.