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 cruise ship to call to Belfast this year, Fred Olsen Cruise Line’s Borealis berthed on Saturday. Due to adverse weather, the 61, 849 gross tonnes cruise ship which was to have arrived the day before, was however rescheduled to the next morning according to Belfast Harbour on social media. This took place, as Afloat can confirm the 1,353 (standard occupancy) capacity Borealis berthed after 10.30hrs with the day visit lasting until the early evening as the ship departed just after 1900hrs. 

Borealis brings to 57 ships in total calling to Belfast this cruise season and from 32 different cruise operators, carrying 320,000 passengers and crew, who received a customary warm welcome. Among them were 14 ships which made their inaugural calls.

The total of 158 calls made by cruise vessels during the 2023 season marked an 8% increase on the pre-pandemic record set in 2019. On board, passenger capacities have increased to an average of around 90% per vessel.

With increased passenger numbers, and more visitors arriving into Belfast to experience the tourism offerings across Northern Ireland, Cruise Belfast estimates that more than £20m was injected into the local economy through passenger spend alone.

This year also marked the arrival of the 2 millionth cruise visitor to Belfast Harbour since the first cruise ship called to Belfast in 1996. The milestone passenger arrived onboard the Norwegian Dawn, operated by the Norwegian Cruise Line in May this year.

A further indication of the city’s growing status in the cruise industry, Belfast has also begun to facilitate a number of cruise turnarounds during the year, the largest of which saw 1,200 US passengers from the Oceania Riviera ending their holiday in Belfast and a further 1,200 starting their trip in the city.