The giant 317m long cruise ship Celebrity Eclipse carrying over 4,000 passengers and crew called into Dublin Port yesterday morning on her maiden call to Ireland.
317m long Celebrity Eclipse cruise arriving in Dublin (Credit: Conor McCabe Photography)
This arrival sparks the start of Dublin Port’s 2017 cruise season which will see 130 cruise liners call into the port this year, bringing over 200,000 passengers and crew. This will be a great boost for the city and local economy.
Luxury Cruise Ship Celebrity Eclipse to make maiden call to #Dublin #dublinport #lovingdublin #cruiseship #holidays #sunshine pic.twitter.com/iKWtDFwIU6
— Michael Chester (@Chesterpics) May 10, 2017
Passengers of the Celebrity Eclipse were given an Irish welcome with a show of Irish dancing and music before they embarked on a day of shopping and sightseeing around the city. The impressive cruise ship arrived from Cobh and departed Dublin last night making its way to the next port of call Akureyri in Iceland.
Pat Ward, Head of Corporate Services, Dublin Port Company, said: “We are delighted to welcome Celebrity Eclipse on her maiden call to Dublin Port as we kick-start a record cruise season for 2017. With 130 cruise calls scheduled, it’s shaping up to be a busy season with thousands of passengers and crew set to explore the sights and sounds of the city. Ten of this year’s cruise calls are maiden voyages, confirming Dublin Port and Dublin City’s growing appeal as a marquee destination on the itineraries of the world’s leading cruise lines.”
Life aboard Celebrity Eclipse Cocktails in the Sunset Bar
The Celebrity Eclipse is a true giant of the ocean. It can carry 2,850 passengers and has 17 decks with 13 restaurants and cafes, an art gallery, spa and a library. They can enjoy the lawn club and the fine art photo studios, be entertained by glass blowing demonstrations or at the theatre, or they can spend some cash at the boutique shops or lose some at the casino, or just chill out and cool off with poolside cocktails.
The luxury liner will return to Dublin next year where she becomes the first ship of a major cruise line to call Dublin Port a ‘home port’. She will be based in Dublin Port for a mini-season of holidays to Northern Europe with over 14,000 people expected to begin their holiday from Dublin Port. This development is estimated to worth over €6 million to Dublin and will be a welcome boon to the city.
