The cruise season in Ireland begins Thursday next March 27, 2025, with the arrival of the Viking Vela carrying nearly 1,000 passengers to Dublin.
Over the coming months, Irish ports are scheduled to receive 466 cruise calls:
- Belfast 146, starting with Viking Vela on March 30,
- Cork 93, starting with the Ambassador Ambition on April 13.
- Dun Laoghaire 87, starting with Viking Vela on March 27,
- Dublin 77, including Cunard’s new build Queen Anne on May 29, significantly down from a 158 in 2018.,
- Waterford 19 staring with Ocean Nova on April 22,
- Derry 17, starting with World Explorer on May 11,
- Bantry 14 starting with World Explorer on May 9,
- Galway 14 starting with Ambassador Renaissance on May 25,
- Killybegs 12 starting with Ambassador Renaissance on May 26,
- Foynes 6, starting with Ambassador Renaissance on May 24,
- Warrenpoint 6, starting with Ponant Le Boreal on May 20,
- Dingle 4 starting with Norwegian Dawn on July 11,
- Greencastle 2: Starting with Hapag-Lloyd Europe on July 23.
Silversea’s Silver Wind is to homeport in Dubin and Silver Shadow Belfast for a series of four cruises.
Dublin Port has confirmed that cruise calls will increase to 150 once major construction works on a 400-metre quay wall have been completed,
Following more construction work, due to be completed in 2026, cruise calls will increase past 200, according to a recent briefing document for the Irish government. Larger vessels berth at Alexandra Quay and smaller ships closer to the city centre
Belfast estimated the 146 cruise calls will bring 260,000 cruise passengers and crew and add around £25m to the economy. Tourism multipliers suggest Belfast’s cruise tourism generates an estimated €27m annually and Cork’s €17m annually, based on average onshore spend of €81 per passenger and €29 per crew member.
The largest vessel to visit Dublin is the 3,560 passenger Regal Princess. The largest vessel to visit Belfast this year will once again be the 333-metre-long MSC Preziosa. Ten ships are calling for the first time.
Conor Mowlds, chair of Cruise Ireland shared: “We are working closely with Cruise Britain to grow the cruise tourism industry across both islands. We recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Cruise Britain, which aims to promote Ireland as a ‘cruising region’ allowing both organisations to tap into new markets and expand our reach.”
Celebrity Eclipse arriving in Cork
