Disclosure - We were gifted tickets on the River Cruise Explorer for the purpose of this review. All thoughts, opinions and photographs are our own.
On Sunday we braved the cold weather and took a trip on Mersey Ferries. As a family we have been going on the ferry for years and it's one of our favourite
days out. When I was younger you would board the ferry and take a round trip with amazing views of Liverpool and also The Wirral. Now there is so much more to do than just a ferry ride. You can enjoy a River Explorer Cruise which includes attractions at Seacombe and Woodside.
As we live in Liverpool we boarded the ferry at the Pier Head. Our tickets were already booked so we headed to the collection desk which is just inside the terminal building. Boarding for the ferry begins ten minutes before the departure time. From the Pier Head, departures are on the hour.
It was really cold on board the ferry but there are seating areas indoors with lovely views and the smell of fresh coffee coming from the onboard cafe.
Our ferry time was 11am and we had a packed lunch so we ate it as we sailed over to Seacombe, the first stop on our River Explorer Cruise. The journey from Pier Head to Seacombe is 20 minutes.
At Seacombe there are three attractions. Spaceport, Play Port and Cafe Cross The Mersey.
Spaceport is a minutes walk away from Seacombe Terminal and you can purchase a ferry and spaceport combined ticket online which can save you a few pounds. We have been to Spaceport in the past and we were looking forward to Sci-Fi Icons which is a collection of Star Wars Memorabilia on display. We all love Star Wars so it was a bonus that the collection was available to see when we visited.
Upon arrival the receptionist kindly informed us that the Space Dome Theatre Show was about to begin. We headed past the 'space' attractions on the ground floor to the rear of Spaceport to enter the theatre. The theatre was in the shape of a dome and when sitting we were slightly reclined so we could view the ceiling. The show was 25 minutes long and all about space and planets. it was narrated by Rupert Grint and we all really enjoyed it. It did get us all thinking whether we are alone in this galaxy or are there aliens out there?
Once the show was over we headed to the Explorer 1 Space Ride. You are sat in a Simulator watching the TV screen in front as you are zoomed through space on what looks like a rollercoaster as the seats move from side to side. It was lots of fun and we all really enjoyed it.
We headed upstairs after the ride to view the Star Wars section. There were so many costumes, props and memorabilia to view. All the costumes looked so realistic. Little J and I played a game of 'guess the character?' and ' does he have a gun or a lightsaber?' He got every question right, he does like his Star Wars.
John was interested in all the old toys and can remember having some of them when he was little. If only he still had some of them, they are collectors items now and worth a small fortune.
Although learning about Space and seeing the Star Wars Collection was fun, little J liked the interactive games the most. We all played a quiz and i was shocked by how many he got right, I'm sure most were guesses but who knows he may be a Space whizz.
In total we spent just under 2 hours in Spaceport, which included the 25 minute dome show and 4 minute ride. I suppose you can take as little or as much time as you like but keep an eye on your watch as the ferry leaves at twenty past the hour so if you just miss it you will have an hour wait.
Play Port and Cafe Cross The Mersey are located in the Seacombe terminal building. The cafe offers a wide variety of food and drink and there was plenty of seating available. Play Port is an indoor children's play area and it is not included in the price of your ticket. It is currently £3.20 Mon-Fri and £3.95 at Weekends, Bank Holidays and School Holidays. Although little J wanted to go and have a play it was very busy so it maybe popular with locals.
Next stop on our ferry trip was Woodside and the U Boat Story. When we collected our tickets we were told that the U Boat Story was included in the standard River Explorer Cruise price however it was closed. We were disappointed as there was no mention of this on the Mersey Ferry website and I had visited the site before we left to check the ferry was running despite the cold weather. The U Boat experience was closed due to ice so they cannot open it to visitors.
We had no reason to leave the ferry at Woodside so we stayed on and made our way back to the Pier Head. The boys played word games using a pen and pad little J had purchased in the Spaceport shop.
We had a lovely day on the ferry and Spaceport. It was a shame U Boat Story was closed but hopefully we will be able to visit it another time.
The River Explorer Cruise is a 50 minute round trip excluding any time you spend at the attractions. You can purchase your tickets online which saves money and they have to be booked before midnight the day before you plan to visit.
********************************************************************************
If you found this post useful there are a few ways that you could say thanks and support Playdays and Runways.
Leave us a comment below and let us know about your visit
Share This Post With Friends Who May Also Find It Useful.
Michelle
