#dlharbourcruise – Dun Laoghaire Cruise Stakeholder Group has launched its 2015 cruise–liner season. 2015 is set to be the most successful cruise season for Dun Laoghaire, with an expected 100,000 passengers and crew expected to arrive into the Harbour over the next five months. A total of 21 calls will be made to Dun Laoghaire Harbour, with many of the ships involved bringing in more than 5,000 passengers and crew.
The first cruise visit of the season will take place next Tuesday, 12th May with the arrival of the Royal Princess.
The third generation cruise ship will be on its maiden voyage, and will carry over 5,000 crew and passengers. Other ships that will take in Dun Laoghaire on their maiden voyages will be:
· Splendida (21st May)
· Celebrity Silhouette (14th June)
· Star Legend (26th June)
· Britannia (14th July)
· Mein Schiff 4 (18th September)
Ahead of the calls, the Dun Laoghaire Cruise Stakeholder Group has put in place a welcome programme which will run for each cruise call. The welcome programme will comprise of:
Entertainment:
A welcome event will take place from 1pm to 3pm on each day of a cruise visit in the Lexicon Gardens. This event will feature traditional Irish dancing and music by local traditional Irish band, Celtic Hearts. This event will also be open to the public.
Ambassadors:
A team of eight local volunteers will greet each cruise arrival. The multi-lingual volunteers will be armed with local knowledge to help the cruise guests with any queries they might have. The ambassadors will also be dotted throughout the town, and will be easily identifiable in bright green jackets. The ambassadors will inform the passengers of local sights activities, and will also highlight the availability of free Wifi in the town.
Transport:
On arrival, cruise passengers will be transported by four 16-seater Mercedes mini-coaches from the harbour to the welcome event in the Lexicon Gardens. Courtesy shuttle buses will provide continuous transport services throughout the day, every day the cruise is in the harbour. The shuttle bus pick-up location will be signposted and easily identifiable for cruise crew and passengers.
Dun Laoghaire Stakeholder Group is comprised Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company, Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council and the local BID Company.
Speaking ahead of the event, Chairperson of Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company, Eithne Scott Lennon said: "We are delighted to be welcoming cruise visits in such numbers to Dun Laoghaire over the coming months.
"The forthcoming cruise season will give us a small insight into the potential which the cruise business has for Dun Laoghaire and the greater hinterland. The Harbour Company has been working collectively with the Council and local businesses to ensure that visitors get a taste of the local area through our welcome programme. Increased cruise visitors should provide a welcome boost to the local economy.
"This cruise season offers a wonderful opportunity to showcase what is available in the area for visitors, and I hope that the wider community will join in the welcome events and entertainment. While it's important to impress the cruise visitors, I also believe that more local families and people interested in ships will also come out to Dun Laoghaire and enjoy the impressive sight of these ships in our harbour. Apart from the multi-story third generation cruise ships, there will also be a selection of smaller and intriguing ships that will come right into the Harbour.
"Everyone can join in the entertainment that is being organised, and I would advise people to log onto our website or follow us on social media to get the latest updates on visits and activities," added Ms Scott Lennon.
