Dún Laoghaire rolls out red carpet for cruise ships

THE Dun Laoghaire Cruise Stakeholder Group launched its 2015 cruise season at the Harbour Lodge, Crofton Road, Dun Laoghaire last week.

With 2015 set to be the most successful cruise season for the town, an expected 100,000 passengers and crew are expected to arrive into the harbour over the next five months.

A total of 21 calls will be made to Dun Laoghaire Harbour, with many of the ships involved bringing in more than 5,000 passengers and crew at any one time.

The first cruise visit of the season took place on Tuesday, May 12 with the arrival of the Royal Princess. The third generation cruise ship, on its maiden voyage, arrived with over 5,000 crew and passengers.

Other ships that will take in Dun Laoghaire on their maiden voyages include the Splendida (on May 21), the Celebrity Silhouette (on June 14), the Star Legend (on June 26), the Britannia (on July 14) and the Mein Schiff 4 (on September 18).

Ahead of the calls, the Dun Laoghaire Cruise Stakeholder Group put in place a welcome programme that will run for each cruise call.

The welcome programme comprises events that will take place from 1pm to 3pm on each day of a cruise visit in the Lexicon Gardens.

These events feature traditional Irish dancing and music by local traditional Irish band, Celtic Hearts.

They are open to the public.

A team of eight local volunteers will also greet each cruise arrival. The multi-lingual volunteers will be armed with local knowledge to help the cruise guests with any queries they might have.

The ambassadors will also be dotted throughout the town, and will be easily identifiable in bright green jackets.

On arrival, cruise passengers will be transported by four 16-seater Mercedes mini-coaches from the harbour to the welcome event in the Lexicon Gardens. Courtesy shuttle buses will also provide continuous transport services throughout the day, for every day the cruise is in the harbour.

The shuttle bus pick-up location will be signposted and easily identifiable for cruise crew and passengers.

The chairperson of the Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company, Eithne Scott Lennon, said:

“We are delighted to be welcoming cruise visits in such numbers to Dun Laoghaire over the coming months.

“The forthcoming cruise season will give us a small insight into the potential which the cruise business has for Dun Laoghaire and the greater hinterland. The Harbour Company has been working collectively with the council and local businesses to ensure that visitors get a taste of the local area through our welcome programme. Increased cruise visitors should provide a welcome boost to the local economy.

“Everyone can join in the entertainment that is being organised, and I would advise people to log onto our website or follow us on social media to get the latest updates on visits and activities,

? added Ms Scott Lennon.