Seabourn Pride

Another of the Seabourn Cruise Line ships was in on Saturday. This one was the Seabourn Pride. Her sister ship the Seabourn Sojourn was already in Cobh earlier in the month.

These smaller liners have beautiful lines and are in complete contrast to the awesome size of some of the other liners that call into port. These liners are all about luxury. In fact, the Seabourn Cruise Line boast that it's fleet of ships are the most luxurious liners in the World. All of it's 208 passengers on-board can expect a level of service and pampering unparalleled to that experienced on other liners.

The Seabourn Pride will be in once more this season, towards the end of September. Check out the Port of Cork's website here for a full schedule of remaining liner visits.

We've also some great value accommodation packages available if you want to plan a visit to Cobh to coincide with the visit of one of these ships, read more.....

Caribbean Princess....

 



The Caribbean Princess docked early this morning at the Cruise Terminal at the Deep Water Quay. What a magnificent ship!!! What a sight!!!







The size of these ocean going cruise liners is just breathtaking. Not only did she extend the full length of the quay but she stands so high out of the water that she dwarfs everything in her vicinity. This is quite evident in the photographs here where the Heritage Centre pales in size in comparison.

Looking at her vital statistics is quite impressive; she has 17 decks in all. In fact, she stands 15 stories clear of the water line.  She measures 951ft in length and weighs 113,000 gross tonnes....and there's over 3,500 passengers on-board, not to mention to crew. Wow!!!

Later, this evening, as she slips her moorings the local Cobh Confraternity Band will play her off. This is a sight worth seeing in itself, so do call down.

This is the first of four visits to Cobh that the Caribbean Princess will be making this season. Have a look here for the full liner schedule from the Port of Cork.

We've special accommodation deals coinciding with this year's liner visits. Check out here for further details, read more.....

A taste of summer.....

Wow, the weather over the last few days has been positively toasty. Although, it came a bit later for us here on the South coast, it has been almost Mediterranean all week. Residents checking into the hotel were reporting that it was melting up the country.

On the news it was reported that Shannon recorded the highest temperature in May in 15 years at 28 degrees. At least there was a sea breeze here cooling things down.

Yesterday, that breeze was far from cool....in fact, it was hot; almost like a hair dryer effect. What a contrast to the weather over the last number of weeks when it was much cooler than normal.

Plenty of people availed of the summery weather and were out walking or lazying about in the promenade as the pictures show. It was real weather for ice-cream and 99's. Hopefully, this is a taste of a possible Summer to come!!!

We've put together some great accommodation packages for those who wish to travel to Cobh this Summer, read more.....

Titanic Trail Harbour Tours

How appropriate, in this beautiful sunny, almost Mediterranean like weather, that the Titanic Trail Harbour Tours are starting off once again for the season. The tour is leaving Kennedy Pier, in the centre of Cobh, at 1pm this Saturday and Sunday. Daily tours will be available shortly. Tickets can be obtained from the ticket kiosk at the entrance to the pier.

This is a fabulous tour which recreates the journey that the tenders Ireland and America took when taking passengers out to the ill fated Titanic. The following extract has been taken from the Titanic Trail website....

"The Titanic Trail Harbour Tour - a fascinating harbour tour aboard the 'Bryan J' that retraces the exact journey made by passengers as they made their way from Cobh to the rendezvous point to embark RMS Titanic.

On Thursday morning, the 11th April 1912 two paddle steamers berthed patiently along the White Star Line Pier in Cobh while passengers embarked and mail was loaded. The PS Ireland and PS America slipped their moorings and proceeded with the last 123 passengers bound for Titanic, whom they would rendezvous with, as the great ship arrived at the mouth of Cork Harbour. Along the way, the vessel sailed upriver towards the railway station to pick up more mail from the mail train. From there they left to follow the natural deepwater channel to travel the 4 miles out towards Roches Point and their tragic destiny with Titanic.


Sail from Kennedy Pier to lay off the original White Star Line terminal, follow the route Titanic tenders took from there to the railway station, and finally along the natural channel to where Titanic would arrive, take in the views that they did and listen to the story of their journey related by experienced Titanic Trail guides.


Departures, in season, every day at 1pm Kennedy Pier, Cobh.

Duration: 30 to 40 minutes


Adults €9  Children under 12yrs €6  


Group and private tours available all year. All tours subject to weather and sea conditions."

Bookings can be made directly on the Titanic Trail website here.

Alternatively, you can avail of special accommodation packages at the Commodore Hotel which includes participation on this Harbour tour, read more.....

Queenstown stories - Annie Moore

Annie Moore, immortalised in Brendan Graham's song 'Isle of Hope, Isle of Tears,' was born on this day in 1874.   Annie's story so much symbolises the story of emigration in this country and in many ways symbolises the story of the American dream for many in the US. It is because of this symbolism that a statue of her with her two brothers, pictured above, was erected outside the Heritage Centre many years ago. Her story is summarised in the following extract taken from the Cobh Heritage website:-

"Annie Moore became the first ever emigrant to be processed in Ellis Island when it officially opened on 1st January 1892.   Annie and her brothers sailed from Queenstown on the SS Nevada on the 20th December and arrived after 12 days of travelling in steerage. The statue outside Cobh Heritage Centre was unveiled by President Mary Robinson on the 9th February 1993. A similar statue of Annie can be found in Ellis Island, New York which represents not only the honour of her being the first emigrant to pass through Ellis Island but also stands as a symbol of the many Irish who have embarked on that very same journey."

In many ways Annie's statue immortalises the story of the over 2.5 million Irish people who departed from Cobh (Queenstown) on their journey of emigration to a new life, to new lands. That story is exceptionally well told in 'Cobh the Queenstown Story' and a visit to the Heritage Centre is a must on any visit to Cobh.

As part of a stay at the Commodore Hotel we are currently offering packages that include a visit to 'Cobh the Queenstown Story.' read more.....

Titanic Commemorative Dinner

Pictured above is Marc Anderson, project director of Titanic 100, and his lovely wife Catriona on the red carpet at the Commodore Hotel. Marc and Catriona were attending the Cobh & Harbour Chamber's annual dinner and, boy, don't the two of them cut a dash! 

Given the year we are in, the Chamber themed their dinner as a Titanic commemorative event. It was a great affair; the menu was a recreation of a menu available on-board the Titanic and while guests sat at their tables they were entertained by a string quartet. Many of the guests turned up in period costume and you couldn't help but feel transported back to a bygone age. Guest speaker at the event was Minister Simon Coveney TD who paid tribute to all those who perished but also commented strongly on Cobh's links to Titanic and how out of such a tragedy so much good and positive things have come. Well said!!!

Ireland's oldest band....

Ireland's oldest band, the Graiguenamanagle Brass Band from Kilkenny, perform a recital in the bandstand of the Promenade this afternoon. Afterwards, they were joined by the Cobh Confraternity Brass and Reed Band for a joint performance. Its great to see these bands playing in the bandstand; this is what the bandstand was built for and harks back to an era of grandeur; the Titanic era!

Liner season kicks into gear.....

The liner season really got going over the May Bank Holiday weekend with the visits of the Emerald Princess and the Independence of the Seas. Its not that these were the first liners, for the Balmoral, Marco Polo, and Saga Pearl II had already berthed at Cobh in April, but these were the first of the super liners, the biggest liners in the World today!

Emerald Princess

The Emerald Princess arrived on Saturday 5th May and boy was she a big ship. Carrying 3,592 passengers and 1,200 crew, she was almost like a small town in her own right. The ship itself was 951 feet in length, weighed 113,000 tonnes, and was 15 stories in height. Wow!!!

The Independence
 of the Seas

She docked early in the morning and was gone again by 7pm that evening. The following day the Independence of the Seas arrived in for an overnight stay. If the Emerald could be considered big then the Independence is truly massive. For a time she was the largest cruise liner in the World. She carries 4,375 passengers and 1,200 crew. Like the Emerald she is 15 stories in height, but she is much longer at 1,112 feet. In fact, while she was berthed at the Deep Water Quay her true scale was vividly apparent. The tip of her bow was in line with the Quays Bar & Restaurant and she stretched beyond the full length of the quay, down as far as the first railway bridge. In gross tonnage terms she is also much bigger, coming in at 154,407 tonnes. Wow, again!!!

The Independence of the Seas

There is something about the Independence, though; something a bit unique that sets her apart from her contemporaries. It might be her size, it might be her scale, but for some reason she draws large crowds into Cobh....and so it was on that Bank Holiday Sunday. Crowds streamed into Cobh and there was a great carnival atmosphere. The streets were lined with stalls selling their wares, bands played in the Promenade, and, in general, there was a sense of fun amongst the throngs. The following evening she was waved off by the crowds in their hundreds, if not thousands, to a fanfare of brass tunes belted out by the local Cobh Confraternity Band. What a sight! What a sound! The Independence gently slipped her moorings as the band played 'Anchors Aweigh' with gusto. Magic!!!

Super yacht Air

The Independence had not gone long when she was replaced at the mooring barges by the super yacht Air. The Air had been anchored in the Harbour all week and had caused a bit of a stir locally. Who was on the yacht? What was it doing here? Why was it here all week? Speculation was rife that it may be Julia Roberts onboard, or was it George Clooney; what about Tiger Woods? Nobody was too sure, but whoever was onboard was well heeled, for the Air was costing $750k a week to charter. My God!!!

Costa Deliziosa

The weekend after the Bank Holiday weekend the Costa Deliziosa arrived in. She was from the same fleet of cruise liners as the Costa Concordia. Another big ship the Costa Deliziosa measured 965 feet in length and weighed 92,700 tonnes. She was 16 stories in height and carried 2,826 passengers and 1,100 crew.

The most recent cruise liner has been the Seabourn Sojourn (pictured in the main photo above) which docked at the Deep Water Quay on Wednesday of this week. Although, she is much smaller ship, coming in at 198 metres and carrying only 450 passengers, she is reputedly one of the most luxurious liners in the World. Certainly, she has some beautiful lines to her and cut a dash as she berthed at the Cruise Liner terminal.

The Independence
 of the Seas

....and so the 2012 liner season has got under way and we have many more Ocean going beauties to look forward to. According, to the Port of Cork there are still 47 liners to come including the Queen Elizabeth, the Quest for Adventure, and the Jewel of the Seas. The next truly gigantic liner to look forward to is the Caribbean Princess which is due in on Monday 28th May. She will be carrying 3,592 passengers and this will be the first of her four visits to Cobh this year.

If you'd like to visit Cobh while one of these liners are in port why not have a look at the Port of Cork's schedule of liner visits so asto plan your visit (Cruise Liner Schedule). We are also doing some special accommodation package deals at the Commodore Hotel to coincide with these visits if you'd like to stay overnight. Click here for more details. We look forward to seeing you!

Seabourn Sojourn