Cruise ships will make 146 calls to Belfast Harbour over the 2025 season, adding around £25m to the economy, it was announced today.
Cruise Belfast, a partnership between Belfast Harbour and Visit Belfast which markets the city as a cruise ship destination, said the first cruise call of the seven-month season will be on March 30.
There will be 146 calls by 57 ships from 31 different cruise lines — including 13 by Belfast’s most frequent caller, the Regal Princess.
During 2024, Belfast’s place in cruising folklore was secured when passengers on the Villa Vie Odyssey ended up spending more than four months in the city due to problems with the vessel.
Among the ships calling at Belfast for the first time in 2025 will be Viking’s newest vessel, the Viking Vela, which will be the first cruise ship to dock in the city in 2025.
And Virgin Voyages’s first ship, Scarlet Lady, will also be making its debut in Belfast in August.
The largest vessel that will be visiting Belfast this year will once again be the 333-metre-long MSC Preziosa.
And the harbour said that in a further signal of Belfast’s growing status in the cruise world, there will be eight turnarounds at Belfast Harbour — with passengers beginning and ending their trip in Belfast boosting overnight stays in city hotels.
Additionally, Belfast will host a partial turnaround for international travellers, mainly American tourists, embarking on Silversea’s luxury ship, Silver Shadow, for a 28-day voyage.
Passengers will also have the chance to depart from Belfast with Ambassador Cruise Line, setting sail to various destinations across Scotland and Europe.
The Regal Princess is Belfast’s most frequent cruise-ship visitor
During 2025, 10 cruise calls will be staying in the city overnight, giving passengers the opportunity to travel further in Northern Ireland and enjoy Belfast’s nightlife.
It is anticipated that the cruise season will bring a total of 225,000 passengers to Belfast, along with over 100,000 crew members, contributing an estimated £20m-£25m to the local economy.
Michael Robinson, port director of Belfast Harbour, said: “We are looking forward to another busy cruise season and to providing Belfast’s customary warm welcome to visitors from around the world.
“The cruise sector brings significant numbers of people to the city, directly supporting local tourism businesses in the economy while also boosting the profile of Northern Ireland as an international destination and we are committed to ensuring that our cruise operations are carried out in as sustainable a manner as possible.
“Belfast Harbour recently announced our single biggest investment in the port of £90m for a new deepwater quay to facilitate additional cruise business.
“We are also looking at the funding and provision of clean power solutions for cruise vessels calling to the port in the future.
“With feedback about the quality of the local offering and service continuing to be incredibly positive, we expect continued growth in the sector which is very good news for the local economy.”
Michael Robinson, port director of Belfast Harbour
Mary Jo McCanny, director of visitor experience and destination initiatives at Visit Belfast, added: “It’s exciting to see Belfast’s reputation as a must-visit destination for cruise passengers continue to grow. With 325,000 people expected this year, our Cruise Welcome Centre will provide a great big Belfast welcome as visitors arrive.
“With the addition of 10 overnight cruise calls this year, passengers will now be able to fully enjoy the city’s vibrant nightlife and excellent local food offerings.
“We are particularly excited to welcome Virgin Voyages to Belfast for the first time and plans are already underway to give them a special, red-themed reception in August.”
Naomi Waite, director of marketing at Tourism Northern Ireland, said: “Experiencing Belfast and Northern Ireland as part of a cruise itinerary can be a great taster of the destination for first-time visitors here.”