Dún Laoghaire Harbour

Dún Laoghaire ready for Record-Breaking Cruise Ship Season with 90+ Visits!

Dun Laoghaire Harbour

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Zuiderdam Cruise Liner

Over 90 cruise ships will call to Dún Laoghaire this year bringing a total of 164,000 passengers and 71,000 crew to the area. With 44% of passengers* who tender ashore visiting Dún Laoghaire Town and the surrounding area, the cruise industry is generating significant income and creating a range of job opportunities. The benefits of these cruises extend beyond the immediate tourism sector, contributing to the restoration of the historic Harbour.

Councillor Mary Hanafin, Cathaoirleach, Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council said:

“This is a very exciting time for Dun Laoghaire with thousands of visitors arriving in cruise ships. The DLR Cruise Tourism Kiosk is open daily to offer advice on local attractions, while the Dun Laoghaire Business Association operates a souvenir shop for passengers. The benefits of these cruises extend further with job creation in various roles such as tourist cabin, security staff, and Tender escort boats”.

Dún Laoghaire Harbour was the second busiest Harbour in Ireland for Cruise visits last year (65 in total) second only to Cork/Cobh** and the aim is to continue to build on this success for the years ahead.

Frank Curran, Chief Executive, Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council highlighted:

“The significant income generated from the cruise ships contributes to the restoration and repair of the 200-year-old Harbour and to future plans which include a national Water Sports Campus”.

Norwegian Cruise Lines will top the schedule with 20 visits to Dun Laoghaire this year, followed by Viking Cruise Lines who will visit 17 times.

Gabby Mallon of dlr Chamber added:

“We are thrilled to collaborate with Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council promoting Dún Laoghaire as an attractive shopping destination for the influx of International Cruise ship tourists, expected to arrive this year”.

Kyron O'Gorman from the local Powerboat School who tender in the passengers from the cruise liners highlighted:

“Our staff are early risers, waiting for the next cruise ship to come over the horizon and ready to tender them ashore. This greatly expands our marine sector in the county, creating 40 mariner sessional jobs on the water and much more ashore”.

Cruise Statistics for 2023

The combined passenger and crew complement exceeds the population of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown by nearly 1k.
The 2023 cruise season surpasses last year when 65 cruise ships arrived with 79,000 passengers and 44,000 crew.
At 333m, the longest cruise ship will be ‘MSC Preziosa’ which has a gross tonnage of 139,072t and a capacity for 4,345 passengers 1,313 crew. In a very close second place, is the ‘Regal Princess’ at 330m long. With a capacity for 3,592 passengers 1,205 crew. These enormous cruise ships are operated by MSC Cruises and Princess Cruises respectively. Both will be regular callers this year, ‘MSC Preziosa’ calling twice and ’Regal Princess’ calling 11 times.
Norwegian Cruise Lines are once again top of the schedule with frequent visits to Dun Laoghaire 20 times this year.
Viking Cruises will visit 17 times this year sending 7 different ships from their ocean going fleet.