#QueenElizabeth – Queen Elizabeth's maiden visit off Dun Laoghaire Harbour today presented a wonderful sight, not to mention her impressive and sumptuous art-deco style interiors which pay homage to the legendary 1930's Cunard Ocean Liner RMS Queen Elizabeth, writes Jehan Ashmore.

The 'Vista' class 90,901 tonnes cruiseship, is the newest of the Cunard Line fleet and she was commissioned in 2010 and named by Queen Elizabeth II in Southampton. A portrait of the monarch by Isobel Peachey hangs in the splendid foyer of the Grand Lobby.

Captain C. Wells has command of the vessel with 2,040 guests which is close to her capacity of 2,100 passengers and almost 1,000 crew members. On the cruise of British and Irish ports which set off from Southampton at the end of July, the majority of the guests are from the UK and United States in addition to around 150 Germans who boarded in Hamburg.

Her guests can expect high standards with the history and pedigree of Cunard Line and among the features on Queen Elizabeth are the Grand Lobby with its magnificent mural of her 1930's predecessor. There are  eight restaurants, two theatres, three swimming pools and a games deck, together with a large spa and fitness centre, shopping arcade, libraries, bars, cafés, and a casino.

The library with 7,000 books is the second largest floating library in the world after Queen Mary 2 and there's also an art gallery with paintings by Irish artist Philip Gray. In addition to those who fancy a cigar one can decline to the intimate wood-panelled surroundings of Churchill's Lounge sited high above the seas.

The Queen's Room Photo: Jehan Ashmore

The Grand Lobby Photo: Jehan Ashmore

In essence the cruiseship exudes luxury that respects the golden day era of liners whilst also combining the many wonderful modern day comforts to which cruise-goers also demand.

Queen Elizabeth is due to weigh anchor 21.00hrs this evening and after a day spent at sea her next port of call is St. Peter Port, Guernsey before her return to Southampton

#cruiseliner – Dún Laoghaire Harbour Company (DLHC) is seeking to build a new quay inside the east coast harbour to facilitate to cater for a growing number of cruise liners calling to the capital's waters.

DLHC announced this morning it is working with the Dún Laoghaire Cruise Stakeholder Group to 'engage in an energetic marketing campaign to enable Dún Laoghaire to tap into the lucrative cruise market' coming to Dublin Bay.

Nearby Dublin Port handles the vast bulk of cruise liner traffic into Dublin and it also has plans to develop Dublin Harbour to cater for the massive vessels. In 2011, it announced plans for a new cruise terminal at the city centre port.

As part of the Stakeholder Group work, Dún Laoghaire Harbour Company has initiated a pre-application consultation with An Bord Pleanála under Section 37 of the Planning and Development Act, 2000, in regard to proposals for the construction of a new quay in Dún Laoghaire Harbour to cater for vessels of up to c.340m long. This, says DLHC, will ensure that the harbour is also capable of catering for the 'new generation' of larger cruise vessels.

#CruiseAnchorage - P&O Cruises Oriana anchored this morning off Dun Laoghaire Harbour and marks another visit of the famous company following fleetmate Arcadia which called earlier this month, writes Jehan Ashmore.

Oriana with a capacity for almost 2,000 passengers was completed in 1995 and the Bermuda-flagged 69,840 tonnes cruiseship had sailed overnight through the Irish Sea under the command of Captain D. Pembridge who has charge of the adults-only cruiseship.

The gloriously favourable weather conditions which saw passengers swimming during Arcadia's visit has somewhat diminished, however Oriana still offers a choice of three pools and four whirpool spas.

Guests can also avail of the many on board facilities and after taking an excursion ashore to Dun Laoghaire Harbour or trips to the capital and the neighbouring countryside, an appetite will invariably build-up. One option is The Marco Pierre White Ocean Grill restaurant situated in the sumptuous surroundings of the Curzon Room.

#WindSURF – As the five-masted Wind Surf departed Dun Laoghaire Harbour yesterday evening she began setting her sails, in stark contrast to her sister Club Med 2 as previously reported which presented only a forest of masts, writes Jehan Ashmore.

Firstly the foresail was raised as the 162m/535ft Wind Surf approached the harbour mouth and in quick succession the remaining sails where set using a self-unfurling computer-operated system from the masts that each tower 50m/164ft high. There are seven triangular sails totalling 2,600sq.m/26,881sq.feet

On board the 14,745 tonnes former Club Med I where new guests numbering 300 who had embarked in Dun Laoghaire Harbour at the Carlisle Pier. Wind Surf was making a turnaround port of call having arrived in the morning to dis-embark 280 passengers from a cruise starting in Portsmouth. Today the vessel is berthed in Belfast as part of a 7-day Gaelic Explorer cruise.

The awarding winning Wind Surf is the largest vessel in the five-strong Windstar Cruises and she launched in 1998 for then owners Club Med at a shipyard in Le Havre. She has luxurious amenities for 312 guests and with a crew of 191 that operates cruises mostly in the Mediterranean and Caribbean.

#P&OCruises – Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company welcomed today the mid-sized cruiseship Arcadia (83,500 tonnes) under the command of Captain S C Breton, who is the first female to take this position for P&O Cruises, writes Jehan Ashmore.

Arcadia had departed her homeport of Southampton on Sunday and spent a leisurely passage before arrival this morning in glassy flat-calm seas and weather conditions more akin to the Mediterranean.

Passengers swam on board two of the ships outdoor swimming pools while the 285m long cruiseship was anchored motionless in the strong blue seas of Dublin Bay.

Enjoying the weather are more than 1,900 passengers from the UK and a sprinkling of other nationalities. Eighty per cent of her guests will be taking tenders ashore to visit Dun Laoghaire or excursions into the capital and the neighbouring Wicklow mountains.

The 2005 built exclusively adult-only cruiseship will be departing around teatime this evening on the 900 nautical mile passage to the Icelandic capital Reykjavik. After visiting two more ports in Iceland as part of the 14-night cruise Arcadia heads across the North Sea with calls to Norway before returning to the familar Southampton Waters.

In recognition of the Arcadia's maiden call, presentation ceremonies took place on board between Captain Breton and Don McManus, Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company (DLHC) board member and Chairman of Dun Laoghaire Business Association and Cathaoirleach Carrie Smyth of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council. Also in attendence was David Dingle, CEO of Carnival Corporation (UK).

The cruise liner sector is a growing business within the tourism industry and Dun Laoghaire Harbour is capitalising on such strengths and following the construction of the purpose-built cruise passenger tender pontoon.

The passenger pontoon facility caters for medium and large-scale cruiseships such as the Queen Mary 2 which made her historic first call in May which marked the start of the season with 14 cruise calls to the harbour in 2013.

Within the next two months, a further seven cruise vessels are scheduled to visit Dún Laoghaire Harbour including the five-masted Wind Surf, which is due to dock within the harbour walls.

One of two swimming pools on the Arcadia and during her anchorage call in Dublin Bay. Photo Jehan Ashmore

Pictured (L-R) James Brown Deputy Captain, Don McManus (DLHC) and Chairperson Dun Laoghaire Business Association, Captain S C Breton, Cathaoirleach Carrie Smyth of DLRCoCo, David Dingle CEO Carnival Corporation (UK) and Nicky Logue, Fitzpatrick Castle Hotel. Photo: Jehan Ashmore

#SeaFrontTours–This year's Seafront Memorials Tour season starts this Sunday (30 June) in Dun Laoghaire Harbour where the waterfront is lined with historical landmarks.

Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council which organises the tours are delighted to announce the historical walks which are now in the sixth year of the Summer of Heritage Programme.

During its first five years Summer of Heritage has attracted over 20,000 visitors and been nominated for the Excellence in Local Government Award. This unique event opens up some of the County's finest heritage sites to the public free of charge.

Tim Carey, the Council's Heritage Officer, said, 'The idea of Summer of Heritage is to open people's eyes to what is on their doorstep. These are heritage sites that people may frequently pass as they go about their daily business but be completely unaware of their significance or its 'story'. This year we have expanded the programme considerably. With 15 different attractions Summer of Heritage is bigger and better than ever.'

The free 1-hour tour starting at 11.30am (held once every Sunday until 1 September) covers coastal memorials to include the Queen Victoria Fountain, George IV Memorial, the mailboat R.M.S. Leinster's anchor, the Crimean War Cannon and the 1895 Lifeboat Disaster.

Tours start at the Queen Victoria Fountain (close to DART station) in Dún Laoghaire and the maximum number of people for each tour is 20 persons.

The outdoor event is also wheelchair accessible. No pre-booking is required and places are limited so it is advisable to turn up early.

For information Tel: (01) 204 7011 or visit www.dlrevents.ie/heritage2013.html

#QM2Farewell– Queen Mary 2 under the command of master Kevin Oprey, weighed anchor in Dublin Bay yesterday evening after her historic maiden visit off Dun Laoghaire Harbour and from where a flotilla set out to take a final close-up view of the massive majestic liner, writes Jehan Ashmore.

She is certainly a vessel of superlatives, being the longest, tallest, widest and most expensive liner ever built, when launched in 2003. Among the facilities on the 14 deck liner are a 3D cinema and a planetarium.

Over 35 nationalities from every continent in the world including Ireland!... were represented among the passengers, with the majority coming from Germany (1,400) followed by the UK (760) and the US (200).

Today the liner is berthed at Liverpool Cruise Terminal. Her debut call to Dublin Bay is her third visit in Irish waters, following Cobh in 2011 and an anchorage call off Dunmore East, Waterford Estuary in 2005.

The QM2 had spent more than half a day in Dublin Bay while at anchorage with tenders kept busy plying to and fro to the passneger pontoon in the Coal Harbour while crowds of onlookers took to the seafront to view the impressive liner.

Her visit marked a significant milestone in the changing fortunes of Dun Laoghaire Harbour, as the Holyhead fast-ferry HSS Stena Explorer in recent years has reduced to a seasonal-only service. When introduced in 1996, the HSS fast-craft carried up to five round-trips daily.

To get a sense of the sheer size of the QM2 she is 72m high (keel to funnel) compared to the HSS fast-craft which is only 27.5m.

Anchor aweigh... starboard side of the liner. Photo Jehan Ashmore

The call by the famous Cunard Line 'flagship' is a major coup for Dun Laoghaire Harbour and the visit is estimated to generate a spend of €400,000 alone to the area.

Following the successful launch of the 2014 season by the QM2, the port also welcomed yesterday the small cruiseship Serenissima which docked within the harbour walls.

Over the next two months a further six cruise vessels are scheduled to visit, among them is P&O Cruises 710-passenger Adonia, which is due next week.

In total the port is to welcome be 14 callers bringing 30,000 passengers and generate an income of €3 million.

The cruising business is a growing market sector in the tourism industry and where Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company is to capitalise in this market with plans to develop a dedicated cruise terminal as part of the 'masterplan'.

The facility will be able to accommodate much larger cruiseships than present and with vessels up to 340m long.

#CruiseLiners – The dual serving liner and cruiseship Queen Mary 2 was not the only passenger vessel visiting Dublin Bay today, as the Serenissima docked within Dun Laoghaire Harbour and Artania called to Dublin Port, writes Jehan Ashmore.

The contrast could not be so diverse between the Dun Laoghaire cruise callers. The 2,620 passenger Cunard Line giant of 151,400 tonnes, making an impressive sight at anchorage (see web-cam) while Noble Caledonia's 2,500 tonnes Serenissima slipped into port berthing at Carlisle Pier. She had sailed overnight from Waterford and has accommodation for just over 100 passengers.

Serenissima is a former member of the Norwegian Hurtigruten Coastal Cruises fleet and her hull form and overall appearance certainly reflects her era. She was built in 1960 and launched as Harald Jarl serving a career along the many fjords of Norway.

As an exploration cruiseship she has also travelled to the other end of the world on cruises to the Antarctic under the name Andrea.

Also making a mid-May morning arrival albeit heading for Dublin Port was Phoenix Reisen Cruises Artania from Belfast.

The 44,500 tonnes Bermuda flagged vessel with a 1,200 passenger capacity was formerly launched for Princess Cruises as Royal Princess and christened by Diana, Princess of Wales.

#LinerQueenMary2 -RMS Queen Mary 2 the world's largest ocean liner made her maiden visit to Dublin Bay, anchoring offshore in calm sunny conditions off Dun Laoghaire Harbour early this morning.

A five star welcome saw 3,000 passengers greeted by a piper and Irish dancers, tour guides, free wireless and business offers after docking at the Old Coal Harbour.

The RMS Queen Mary II is the first of a flotilla of 14 floating visitors to dock in Dún Laoghaire this year, bringing over 30,000 cruise passengers, and generating an income of €3 million for the area. This compares with just 200 passengers arriving in the harbour in 2012.

The QM2 -the longest, tallest, widest and most expensive liner ever built - departed Greenock in Scotland yesterday for Dún Laoghaire and she will continue voyage this evening to Holyhead and Liverpool, followed by Invergordon, Stavanger in Norway and then Hamburg in Germany.

Over 35 nationalities from every continent in the world (including 6 from Ireland!) were represented among the passengers, with the majority coming from Germany (1,400) followed by the UK (760) and the US (200).

A 'mini cruise-festival' this afternoon, will celebrate the Queen Mary 2 arrival with family entertainment, boat trips circling the ship, face painting, a complimentary vintage bus, live music and dancing and special offers throughout the town.

Queen Mary 2 passengers disembark at the recently installed passenger pontoon in Dun Laoghaire's Coal harbour. Photo: Jehan Ashmore

Don McManus, Chairman of the Dún Laoghaire Business Association says excitement is rife among the Dún Laoghaire Business community: "The arrival of the Queen Mary 2 marks the beginning of a new era for Dún Laoghaire. The business community has been hugely supportive in funding the cruise welcome and associated publicity. The Queen Mary 2 alone will generate a spend in the region of €400,000 for the area. We have big plans to continue with the rapid development of the lucrative cruise market in the coming months and years."

The liner makes an impressive site from the Dun Laoghaire shoreline. Photo: Jehan Ashmore

"The cruise ship market is the fastest-growing sector in the travel and leisure industry. Globally, it is experiencing accelerated growth of 7.2 per cent per annum despite the tourism industry declining overall. It generates direct spend in Ireland in excess of €20 million per annum, however this is a tiny fraction of the €27 billion the market is worth globally.

"The continuous expansion of the market has increased demand for additional destinations for cruise line operators. By responding to the high standards set out by the cruise companies, Dún Laoghaire is capitalising on this opportunity and we anticipate rapid year on year growth for Dún Laoghaire in the industry."

"Research conducted by Fáilte Ireland in 2010 revealed that over 80% of passengers disembarking in Ireland considered Ireland an important destination in their itinerary. The opportunity is enormous. Dún Laoghaire is seizing this opportunity. By responding to what they want, we will attract the business."

The initiative is supported by Dún Laoghaire Harbour Company, Dún Laoghaire Rathdown Co. Council and the Dún Laoghaire Business Association.

PR from Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company Below:

Visit of Queen Mary 2 a Milestone in Development of Dún Laoghaire as Cruise Centre

Today (Thursday, May 16th) marks a significant milestone in the development of Dún Laoghaire Harbour as a location for visits by cruise ships, with the arrival this morning of the Queen Mary 2, flagship vessel of the famous Cunard line.

Around 4,000 passengers and 1,000 crew were on the vessel that arrived at 7.00am and will remain moored off the harbour until around 6.00pm this evening. Six further cruise vessels are expected to visit Dún Laoghaire Harbour over the next two months with a total of 14 expected over the full season.

Speaking after the arrival of the Queen Mary 2 this morning, the CEO of Dún Laoghaire Harbour Company, Gerry Dunne, said: "This is an historic day for Dún Laoghaire Harbour and augurs well for our plans to develop the harbour as the key port along the east coast for cruise visits."

"The cruise line business is a growing market sector in the tourism industry. Ireland has recently begun to capitalise on this market and over the last few years has succeeded in attracting a growing number of visits by cruise liners. However, the number of trips to Ireland represents a very small share of this potential market and the opportunity exists to grow this business to the Irish economy very significantly."

"Working with the Dún Laoghaire Cruise Stakeholder Group the Harbour Company has engaged in a vigorous marketing campaign, particularly in the United States, to enable Dún Laoghaire to tap into this lucrative market."
"To ensure that the harbour is also capable of catering for the 'new generation' of larger cruise vessels, the Stakeholder Group has initiated a Pre-Application Consultation with An Bord Pleanála under Section 37 of the Planning and Development Act, 2000 in regard to proposals for the construction of a new quay in Dún Laoghaire Harbour to cater for vessels of up to c.340m long. This is entirely consistent with the designation of Dún Laoghaire under the recently published National Ports Policy as a centre for marine related tourism and recreational activities."

"The visit of the Queen Mary 2 shows the potential of this sector of tourism to deliver significant economic benefit to Dún Laoghaire, the Greater Dublin area and the country in general".

#LinerQueenMary2- Queen Mary 2 is currently underway and bound for Dublin Bay, having departed Greenock Ocean Terminal, where she launched the cruise season at the Clyde port. Tomorrow morning the world's only 'liner' will make her historic maiden anchorage call off Dun Laoghaire Harbour, writes Jehan Ashmore.

The 345m Cunard Line 'flagship'  was the first of five cruise call scheduled in just six days to visit Greenock from where the 2,600 passenger capacity liner mostly with passengers from Germany, had embarked on a cruise starting in Hamburg.

The call of Queen Mary 2 to the Scottish port is apt in that her predecessor Queen Elizabeth otherwise affectionately known as the 'QE2' was launched downriver on Clydebank at the John Brown shipyard and entered service in 1969.

The famous liner served on the trans-Atlantic 'liner' route until replaced by the considerably larger Queen Mary 2 or also referred as 'QM2' ' in 2004. Only twice has the Queen Elizabeth 2 visited Dublin Bay, on both occasions anchoring off Dun Laoghaire Harbour.

As the expectations rise of the arrival of Queen Mary 2 on the horizon of Dublin Bay so too will the looming giant all of 151,400 tonnes. The French built liner was launched in 2003 from the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard in St. Nazaire near Nantes.

At around 06.00hrs tomorrow, a pilot cutter from Dublin Port will meet Queen Mary 2 on the fringes off the bay from where the 14 passenger deck ship will edge ever closer to anchor around an hour later some 1.2 nautical miles north-east of the East Pier lighthouse, which should give an excellent vantage point.

From around 07.30 tender craft from the liner are expected to shuttle to and fro to the cruise-dock tender pontoon in the Coal Harbour, where a 'five-star' welcome will see passengers greeted by a piper and Irish dancers as they embark.

A 'mini cruise-festival' for both cruise and domestic visitors will include family entertainment, face painting, a complimentary vintage bus and live music and dancing and special offers throughout the town.

In addition special QM2 themed boat excursions will be circling the liner during the afternoon before the liner is scheduled to depart around 17.30hrs.

It is estimated the visit to local economy will be boosted by €400,000 and places Dun Laoghaire Harbour on the map as a port of destination for larger international cruise operators.