Belfast’s Cruise Season Concludes, Visitors Plan Future Returns

The cruise ship season in Belfast officially concluded on Monday night with the final visiting vessel departing the harbour, marking the end of a highly active year. While one particular ship received considerable attention this year, it was just one of 145 vessels that called at Belfast between April and October. BBC News NI interviewed passengers who boarded the Oceania cruise ship Sirena prior to its departure from the port. Donna Cauley, from Texas, highlighted Belfast’s heritage as a standout feature. She stated, “I got to hear about all the history, there is such great architecture here in Belfast.” Cauley added, “This is our first experience of Northern Ireland, we would love to come back but I think we would come a little earlier in the season for better weather. We had a lovely bus tour where we got to hop on and hop off.” Bob Garratt, from Gladeville, Tennessee, commented, “We have had the best thing, we finally had a proper Guinness. It is the first one and it was worth the wait. The homemade onion rings here are excellent, just as good as back home.” Robyn Snow, from New York, remarked, “We have had a wonderful experience, it was easy to navigate, we received a very warm welcome and got the maps handed straight to us. We went to visit the Crumlin Road Gaol, the Cathedral and the City Hall.” Robyn’s husband, David, shared his view: “The highlight was the Guinness sitting in a real Irish pub, you get loads of people from all over trying to pour a Guinness but they will never make it just like they do here. It is just not possible.” The visitors expressed surprise that the weather remained mostly dry throughout their stay in Belfast. One visitor noted, “When we came into the harbour this morning it was rough and when we arrived into Belfast it was flat, it’s been great. People in Belfast are very friendly and welcoming. We thought it would have rained all day, it’s cold but at least it is dry.” He further added, “The most memorable sight that I saw was the two giant cranes, that was at the shipyard. To think that is where the Titanic was, it was kind of an interesting welcome.” Joe, the manager of Sightseeing Belfast, observed, “We have had a very busy day. The season has been successful overall, it is great to meet new people from all over the world.” He also mentioned, “That is the last ship today. We will be looking forward to March 2025 then we will see the ships arriving daily again.” Gary Hall, Belfast Harbour Commercial Executive, attributed Belfast’s appeal to cruise ships to “the most famous cruise liner of them all.” He explained, “It’s the tourist product.” Hall continued, “We can visibly track our increase in cruise numbers since 2012 when Titanic Belfast opened.” He also highlighted, “And then you’ve got everything on the north coast.” Hall concluded by stating, “A lot of the feedback we get back from cruise lines is that the beauty of Northern Ireland is that you’re only 90 minutes from any end of the country.” Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for the content of external websites. Details regarding their external linking policy are available.