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