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

24th January 2024

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. Credit: Jehan Ashmore

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 and the majority of cruise ships that will arive in Cork Harbour will be berthed at the port's dedicated deepwater cruise berth in Cobh.

Among the operators, will be Celebrity, Saga and Princess Cruises.

Opening the season will be MS Sirena, operated by Oceania Cruises, which sees the 850 passenger ship scheduled to arrive in Cork Harbour on 1 April and from then a further 100 plus callers are to visit the port.

Of the biggest cruise ship caller of the season, this is expected to be the MSC Virtuosa, with a length overall (LOA) of 331m and a guest capacity carrying almost 8,000 passengers and crew.

Last year, 94 cruise ships called to Cork along with 180,000 passengers that visited the region. In the previous year, Afloat reported the 1,200 passenger Ambience of the UK based Ambassador Cruise Line, an operator which made its Irish debut to Cork and is to return this season in May as can be consulted with the Port of Cork's cruise-call list.

Further coverage from the Irish Examiner on the cruise-sector surge.

Published in Cruise Liners

Tagged under

About The Author

Jehan Ashmore

Email The Author

Jehan Ashmore is a marine correspondent, researcher and photographer, specialising in Irish ports, shipping and the ferry sector serving the UK and directly to mainland Europe. Jehan also occasionally writes a column, 'Maritime' Dalkey for the (Dalkey Community Council Newsletter) in addition to contributing to UK marine periodicals.

We've got a favour to ask

More people are reading Afloat.ie than ever thanks to the power of the internet but we're in stormy seas because advertising revenues across the media are falling fast. Unlike many news sites, we haven’t put up a paywall because we want to keep our marine journalism open.

Afloat.ie is Ireland's only full–time marine journalism team and it takes time, money and hard work to produce our content.

So you can see why we need to ask for your help.

If everyone chipped in, we can enhance our coverage and our future would be more secure. You can help us through a small donation. Thank you.