Liners in August....

August is a great month to view liners in Cobh. Over the course of the next few weeks there are over 20 liners visiting the port. A full list of the liners coming can be found on the Port of Cork's liner schedule here.

Ones to watch out for are the Caribbean Princess on Sunday 18th August. The Caribbean Princess is one of the bigger ocean going cruise liners, carrying over 3,500 passengers. The Vision of the Seas is in on Tuesday 13th August and she is carrying 2,416 passengers. The MSC Magnifica is in on Tuesday 20th August with 3,605 passengers and the Celebrity Infinity is in on Thursday 29th August with 2,450 passengers. These are some of the bigger ones, but they are all such magnificent ships that they're worth coming to Cobh to view.

If you'd fancy a break in Cobh over this period check out our Special Offers and last minute deals.

In the meantime here are a few pics of some of the ships that have visited already this year.

Liner season well under way.....

In the last two months there have been some magnificent liners in port. Some of them have been truly huge! While docked at the Deep Water Quay they have towered over the many buildings close by. In fact they are so large they dominate the view from any point in the town.

The Vision of the Seas was one of the first to visit and she was carrying 2,416 passengers. Since then there have been the Emerald Princess (3592 pax), the Caribbean Princess (3592 pax), the Costa Deliziosa (2896 pax), the Celebrity Infinity (2450 pax), Mein Schiff (2114 pax), and the MSC Magnifica (with 3605 pax). Many of these are included in the selection of photographs below.

The Caribbean Princess will in fact be calling 9 times this season.

On Monday coming, the June Bank Holiday Monday, the biggest of the lot, the Independence of the Seas will be in. The 'Independence' carries 4375 passengers and at one stage held the mantle of being the World's largest cruise liner.

Over 60 ocean going cruise liners will be visiting Cobh this year. Visit the Port of Cork Cruise Liner Schedule for a full list of those liners that are coming and the dates they will be in port. If you'd like to visit Cobh to coincide with one of these liner visits we are doing special accommodation packages. Have a look at our special offers here! Scroll down the page and look for our Cruise Liner Special.

Liner Season kicks off in Cobh.....

Liner season has kicked off here in Cobh and there have already been three liners in....the first of 64 expected this season. This year there are some really large liners calling again, amongst them the 'Independence of the Seas,' 'Vision of the Seas,' 'Brilliance of the Seas,' 'Emerald Princess,' and the 'Caribbean Princess,' to name but a few. These magnificent ships are huge being anything between 10 and 15 stories high, the length of several football pitches, and carrying in excess of 5,000 passengers and crew. They are towns in their own right!!!

Over the next few days the 'Emerald Princess' and the 'Caribbean Princess' will be calling in. In fact, the 'Caribbean Princess' will be a total of nine times this year. For a full schedule of liner visits have a look at the Port of Cork's Cruise Schedule. Why not call to Cobh to see one of these awesome ships. They dock within metres of the town centre and are viewable from many vantage points. Why not avail of our Cruise Liner Special and stay the night before and watch these leviathans dock early the next morning. There is always a great buzz in town on the day these arrives and its certainly a great reason for visiting Cobh!!!

A few recent visitors.....

The Arcadia at dock at the Deep Water Quay, Cobh.

Over the last month there have been 10 liner visits with over 11,000 passengers alighting in the Cobh area. The first to arrive was Marina on 16th June with 1,250 passengers; this was followed by the Ocean Countess on 17th June with 884 passengers, the Ocean Countess was back in on the 29th June; on the 24th June the Arcadia visited with 2,388 passengers; the Saga Sapphire on 1st July; on the 10th July the Caribbean Princess visited with 3,592 passengers; the Marco Polo, also on the 10th July with 922 passengers; and finally, the Europa on the 12th July with 408 passengers. 

Arcadia

Summer Swing in the Prom

Summer swing in the Prom

One of the highlights was the visit of the Arcadia. This is a majestic liner and is one of a number of the P.&O. Cruise Liner Fleet. To coincide with the visit the Cobh & Harbour Chamber organised one of the series of their Summer Swings in the Promenade....and so it was that this was the fourth Sunday on the trot that there was plenty of activity in the 'Prom' with music, food stalls, arts and crafts, and local entertainers. A carnival atmosphere once more prevailed. Not only was it a great attraction for passengers coming off the ship but it was also a great draw for local families with young kids in tow. Well done to all involved!!!

Marco Polo

Caribbean Princess

On the 10th July both the Caribbean Princess and the Marco Polo were in and between the two of them they brought almost 5,000 passengers to the port. This was the Princess's third visit to the port and her last visit was just over a month ago on June 9th. She has one more visit and that is on the 11th Aug. If you haven't seen her already call down to Cobh. She is one of the true gigantic ocean going liners and is a magnificent sight...well worth seeing!!!

Europa

The most recent visitor has been the Europa, which was in port this Thursday just gone. Unfortunately, the weather was taboo, and was very much typical of what we've had so far this summer. It lashed rain and many of the passengers coming off were certain to get a bit wet. This weather can't last and we're most certainly due a dry and sunny spell. Long range forecasters are predicting of good things to come....let's keep our fingers crossed!!!

In the meantime follow this link for the schedule of remaining cruise liner visits to Cobh....Cruise Liner Schedule.

If you'd like to visit Cobh to see one of these ships we're doing special packages to coincide with their visits. Follow this link for further details...Accommodation Packages.

Victorian Picnic....in the Prom!!!

On the day the Caribbean Princess called to town a great new FREE event took place. As the passengers alighted and strolled up through the town they'd have been forgiven for thinking they were transported to another age. Why were so many people dressed in Victorian & Edwardian costume? As they passed the promenade many were bewildered by the sight of so many in attire of a bygone age.

Well, at the Hotel here, we had a ringside view of the Victorian picnic in the Promenade last Sunday. What a great turnout!!! The numbers who turned out in period costumes looked marvellous. Well done to Claire Cullinane and her animation team!!!

Claire and her team have committed to dressing up in period costume for most liner visits this year and, boy, they certainly bring a touch of elegance to the town! The Victorian picnic in the Prom was Claire's idea and, ably helped by the See You in Cobh committee, she pulled off a great event...and what a great family event it was!!! Families were encouraged to bring their own picnics or buy from the stalls there and they came in their droves. Many brought their blankets with them and laid them out on the grass. What a great sight!

For those that hadn't brought their own picnic baskets there were some excellent food stalls and local food stalls at that; Truly Scrumptious, Peter Kidney, The Crepe Man and Bramley Lodge. The aroma of freshly cooked food wafted along in the breeze and was truly hard to resist.

There was great entertainment aswell. The Cobh Confraternity Brass and Reed Band played for an hour or two and two local young fiddlers also impressed. There was also many competitions with the highlight being Best Dressed Lady, Glamorous Gran, and Children's Victorian Fancy Dress. Much of the attire had been supplied by The Princess Rooms and many thanks to Sarah for having such a range and selection.

What a great afternoon! Many thanks to Claire and her gang...hopefully, we'll see more of these in the future!

Caribbean Princess - Part Deaux!

Last Sunday the Caribbean Princess docked at Cobh for the second time this season. What a magnificent ship! Thankfully, for its 3,000 passengers the weather had improved dramatically over the weekend and it was positively summery!!!

Being such a huge ship the Caribbean Princess dominated the town and could be seen from almost any point. Once again a large crowd came to Cobh to see the ship and there was a plethora of cars parked on the high road as many took advantage of high vantage points to gaze down at the ship and take a few snaps.

The Caribbean Princess will be here again on two more occasions during the season. 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.....

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