Cruises and Cruise Liner Visits to Ireland

The Seabourn Ovation cruise liner moored in Greencastle at the start of Foyle Port’s 2024 cruise season

Foyle Port Sailing into Cruise Season with Trio Arrival

14th May 2024 Foyle Port

Foyle Port’s 2024 cruise season kicked off with the arrival of Seabourn Ovation today, the first of three cruise ship visits this week. Over ten thousand passengers and crew are expected to visit the stunning North West of Ireland from…

The dead whale was removed from the cruise ship and towed to shore in Sandy Hook, New Jersey. The endangered sei whale has undergone a necropsy, which may help determine whether or not it was killed by the ship

Sei Whale Impaled on Bow of Cruise Ship As It Docked in New York

12th May 2024 Marine Wildlife

The body of a 44-foot long endangered sei whale was found on the bow of a cruise ship as it approached New York last weekend. As CBS news reports, the carcass was discovered as the ship neared the Brooklyn Cruise…

Crowd-puller: The arrival of the Norwegian Star, the largest ever cruise ship to visit Galway Bay this weekend, is expected to draw huge crowds to flock and see the ‘star’ ship. The occasion is also to mark the first call to the mid-west port by Norwegian Cruise Line.

This Weekend Sees 'Largest Ever Cruise Ship' to Galway with Thousands on Board €350 Million Ship

10th May 2024 Galway Harbour

Galway Bay is to see one of the largest cruise ships ever to anchor offshore of the city over the weekend, as the 91,000 gross tonnage vessel arrives with passengers to explore the west of Ireland. The 2,400 passenger Norwegian…

Seabourn Venture, at anchorage off Schull Harbour in West Cork this week, is the first cruise ship of the season. The arrival of a prestigious high-end operator, Seabourn, with international visitors is a valuable contributor not only to the local economy but also to the region’s reputation and visibility.

First Cruise Caller to West Cork Welcomed as Seabourn Venture Anchors off Schull Harbour

10th May 2024 Cruise Liners

The first cruise ship of the season in West Cork was welcomed by Cork County Council to its harbours, Schull and Kinsale, located in Ireland’s largest county. The ultra-luxury expedition cruise ship Seabourn Venture, as Afloat previously reported visiting Killybegs,…

Cunard's Queen Anne arrived in the UK at the Port of Southampton for a blessing by Bishop Philip Mounstephen, Bishop of Winchester. The newbuild’s captain is Inger Klein Thorhauge, and an exchange of plaques to officially welcome the cruise ship took place at the vessel’s home port of Southampton, Hampshire, from where the newbuild made its maiden voyage on 3 May

Cunard’s Newest Ship Sails to Southampton for Inaugural Visit & Maiden Voyage

8th May 2024 Cruise Liners

Cunard Line’s Queen Anne, the newest cruise ship addition to their prestigious fleet, arrived in the UK at the Port of Southampton. This historic moment took place on the last day of April, and the occasion marks the first time…

Ultra-modern expedition cruise ship Seabourn Venture is bound for Killybegs Harbour, Co. Donegal tomorrow, 3 May, which will open the cruise season. The vessel built in 2022 has a design style likewise of the mega-private yachts.

Seabourn Set to Open Killybegs Harbour Cruise Season With Private Yacht-Like Caller

2nd May 2024 Cruise Liners

An ultra-luxury modern expedition cruise ship, the Seabourn Venture, is to call to Killybegs Harbour, Co. Donegal, tomorrow (3 May) marking the start of this year’s season, writes Jehan Ashmore On hand to welcome tourists will be the team from…

Norwegian Star in Lough Foyle on 19th October 2023. Her sister ship Norwegian Dawn is due to call on 19th August 2024

Foyle Port Prepares for Record-Breaking Cruise Season with Six Inaugural Calls

30th April 2024 Foyle Port

Derry-Londonderry's Foyle Port is gearing up for a busy cruise season, with nine cruise liners expected to visit the port between May and September, including six inaugural calls. The Port is celebrating its 170th anniversary this year and is set…

The Viking Venus cruise liner anchored off Dun Laoghaire Harbour

Viking Venus Anchors in Dublin Bay as Dun Laoghaire Welcomes First Cruise Liner of the Season

23rd April 2024 Dun Laoghaire Harbour News

This morning, the Viking Venus cruise liner anchored off Dun Laoghaire Harbour, marking the beginning of the 2024 cruise season that runs from April to October. The season includes 80 visits by cruise liners to the south Dublin town. The…

The Norwegian Star arriving in Greencastle 11th October 2023, the largest-ever cruise ship in Lough Foyle

Jails, Morgues, No Deck 13 - The New York Times on The Hidden Secrets of Cruise Ships

19th April 2024 Cruise Liners

Water parks, tattoo parlours, a jail and a morgue – these are some of the “hidden features” on cruise ships, The New York Times reports. An “entire ecosystem, often below passenger decks” is “shrouded in mystery”, the newspaper reports. “The…

This season’s first cruise ship to Dublin Port, MS Spitsbergen called with passengers disembarking in the ‘Docklands’ quarter, close to the O2 Arena. So far the small polar ship has visited Scotland, Northern Ireland, Isle of Man before in a couple of months heading for Svalbard, where the largest island in the archipelago is the ship’s namesake off northern Norway and within the Arctic Circle. Above the observation deck at the prow, when in waters off Bessaker, also in Norway, home to Hurtigruten’s famous Coastal Express. As for today, Spitsbergen arrived from Douglas, Isle of Man from where also this morning, the IOM Steam Packets fast-ferry Manannan, at 35 knots passed the Baily Lighthouse and bound for the Irish capital marking its first seasonal sailing.

Expedition Cruise Ship Sails into Dublin Port Setting the Season of Visitors to the Capital

4th April 2024 Cruise Liners

The first cruise ship to Dublin Port of this season saw the Norwegian operator of M/S Spitsbergen, Hurtigruten Expeditions, whose small yet smart red, black, and white liveried ship, sailed upriver to a berth today, writes Jehan Ashmore. The call…

Ambition of Ambassador Cruise Line was the first vessel to visit Cobh today, opening the start of a season that is also to welcome a further 100 plus calls. The 1,400 passenger guest cruise ship previously called to Belfast and beforehand became the first ever cruise ship to use the new berth at the Scottish port of Stornoway (above) on the Isle of Harris & Lewis, off the west coast. Up to now the port could only handle anchorage available for ships the size of Ambition and fleet-mate flagship Ambience which too has called to Cobh in the past two years.

Ambition Achieved as Ambassador Cruise Line's Second Ship 'Maiden Call' to Port of Cork Also Starts Season

4th April 2024 Cruise Liners

Ambition, one of two cruise ships of UK operator Ambassador Cruise Line, overnight sailed from Belfast Harbour to arrive this morning at the Port of Cork, where it made a maiden visit to Cobh, writes Jehan Ashmore. Afloat tracked yesterday…

Among the cruise ships scheduled to sail into Waterford estuary this season, Seabourn Ovation which is set to visit in May, with the majority calling beyond and up to September.

Schedule of Cruise Calls for Port of Waterford Announced for this Season

19th February 2024 Cruise Liners

Cruise ships visiting the south-east Port of Waterford will total 28 scheduled calls this season, with arrivals to take place in Belview and Dunmore East, which represents a 33% increase on last year. More than 27,000 cruise-goers this season will…

Cruise season at Cork Harbour which is to have a surge in calls with a rise of 23% this year. AFLOAT captured at Cobh, Artania last season with up 1,200 passenger guests travelling with Phoenix Reisen, which mostly caters for the German cruise market. The ship is to return twice, in May and October. As for the season’s opening caller in April, this will be MS Sirena of Oceania Cruises.

Cruise Ship Surge As Operators Head to Port of Cork for 2024 Season

24th January 2024 Cruise Liners

The cruise ship season at the Port of Cork is to have a surge in the number of vessels accommodated this year with a rise by 23% to 116 vessels. Starting in April, the season will run up to November…

Belfast Harbour announced the ‘Best UK & British Isles Port of Call’ by Cruise Critic, the port welcomed 159 cruise calls and 32 cruise lines in 2023. Afloat adds above is a Norwegian Dawn in Belfast Lough as seen from a departing Stena Line ferry.

Belfast Harbour is Named 'Best UK & Ireland Port of Call' by Cruise Critic's Editors’ Picks Awards

11th December 2023 Cruise Liners

Belfast Harbour has been recognised as the Best UK & British Isles Port of Call at this year’s Cruise Critic UK Editors’ Picks Awards. Cruise Critic, a subsidiary of TripAdvisor, is the world’s leading cruise reviews site and online cruise…

Over 180,000 passengers on 94 cruise ships were welcomed to Cork Harbour (Cobh) this year with the end of season caller today, MSC Virtuosa at 181,541 gross tonnes representing one of the largest ships of its type in the world. The most frequent caller was Regal Princess with 14 visits and a maximum passenger capacity of 3,592 for each visit to the southern cruise terminal.

Thriving Cruise Season at Port of Cork Ends With MSC Virtuosa As Final Caller

25th October 2023 Cruise Liners

The cruise ship season for the Port of Cork Company (PoCC) has been marked with a successful year as it welcomed one of the largest such ships in the world, the MSC Virtuosa which arrived to Cork Harbour today. The…

The final cruise call of the season to Belfast Harbour was by Borealis which marked the 158th cruise ship to visit this year, in what has been a record season for Cruise Belfast. The cruise ship was scheduled to arrive last Friday, however due to adverse weather conditions, the arrival of the Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines took place on the Saturday morning.

Record Cruise Season for Belfast Harbour Comes to a Close with Call by Borealis

23rd October 2023 Cruise Liners

A record cruise season for Belfast Harbour this year saw 158 calls as reported by Cruise Belfast, the partnership between the port and Visit Belfast which markets the city as a leading destination. The announcement was made as the final…