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Belfast Telegraph
18-06-2025
- Belfast Telegraph
Regal visitor gets right royal welcome as Belfast greets its 1,500th cruise ship
Representatives of Belfast Harbour exchanged gifts with the crew of the 330m long ship, and a cake was cut onboard the Princess, with traditional Irish musicians and dancers entertaining guests. The Princess has become part of Belfast's rotation of cruise ships, stopping here as part of its fortnight-long tour of Ireland and Britain. Cruises on the Princess start at standard prices over £1,500, and for that passengers get a private cabin, some with balconies, access to numerous restaurants, a three-floor 'piazza' of shops and eateries bedecked in marble and dark wood panelling, a casino and open-air pools. It is an enormous ship, standing more than 60m tall, with the ability to carry over 3,500 guests and 1,300 crew. Those crew come from all over the world; one staff member who spoke to the Belfast Telegraph was from Zimbabwe, and works on the Princess for months at a time in between visits back home. She said she loves her job, as the role lets her out of the house after being in lockdown during the pandemic in 2020 and lets her travel internationally. The ship has been captained by Aldo Traverso, who has deep connections to the it, for the last eight years. 'I'm particularly proud to be on board Regal Princess, because I was part of the building team back in 2014,' he said. 'This vessel has a special place in my heart.' Navigating the ship is a 24-hour job, with Captain Traverso and his crew able to pilot it from the front of the bridge, and from the sides, where they can get a view down the length of the enormous vessel. 'For me, but also for many of the crew, it's actually considered home, because we love it so much, looking after our guests.' Most of the passengers on board come from North America, but on Wednesday morning many of them were disembarking and heading for taxis and buses that would ferry them all over Northern Ireland. Mary Jo McCanny, director of visitor experience at Visit Belfast, said that passengers make the most out of their 12-or-so hours in Northern Ireland, with some travelling as far away as Fermanagh and Derry. Mrs McCanny believes a cruise fits in 'really well' to Belfast's tourism offering, despite passengers spending less money on hospitality and restaurants. 'The spend is not on main meals, but is on cafes and bars, retail — they love our local gifts — tours, attractions; that's where the real money goes into from the cruise visitors.' Gary Hall, the commercial director of Belfast Harbour, estimates that cruises bring between £20-25m into Belfast's economy every year, with each passenger spending around £75 on average. Some of this income has been reinvested into welcoming more passengers. The harbour has a dedicated cruise terminal, which has information desks, and a gift shop. Music is played to give cruise guests a flavour of the city, and an acoustic duo were performing there yesterday morning. It's a far cry from when cruise ships first arrived in 1996, when they were 'taking a punt' on Belfast, in Mr Hall's words. The Harbour has expensive and extensive plans to build a new, dedicated, cruise dock and 'work has already started to develop a new quay,' said Mr Hall. 'We're investing the most the port has ever seen — £90m to develop a new deep water quay and associated infrastructure and terminal, to facilitate some of the world's largest cruise ships. 'We're really looking forward to that facility opening for the 2028 season.'
Belfast Telegraph
18-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Belfast Telegraph
Watch: Regal Princess cruise ship arrives in Belfast
Belfast Harbour has welcomed its 1,500th cruise ship, with the captain and crew of the Regal Princess taking part in a ceremony to mark the occasion.
STV News
25-05-2025
- Business
- STV News
Should councils have the power to tax cruise ships arriving in Scotland?
Businesses have weighed in on what impact a cruise ship levy would have as the Scottish Government's public consultation heads to closing date. The Scottish Government has opened public consultations on whether to give local authorities the power to impose a cruise ship passenger levy across Scottish ports. If approved, Scotland would be the first in the United Kingdom to have such a levy. This has sparked debate in Greenock, especially among business owners that used to benefit from the footfall of tourists before the terminal was moved. Mairi Coventry runs a knitting and souvenir shop off the high street in Greenock. She told STV News: 'The cruise ship passengers really gave me a boost in the summer of 2019 when I just opened my shop.' STV News Shop owner Mairi Coventry says footfall has decreased in recent years Mairi has put a map up her wall with pins on countries that people have come from all over the world to her shop, some as far as the northern tip of Russia. 'When they were using the container terminal for customers to come in, everybody walked on the main street. 'Now tourists come off a different area and they don't walk on the main street anymore and this has really hit businesses.' Even though the levy may be the final nail on the coffin for her businesses, Mairi is in support of the levy. Justina Mitchell who runs Café Mo'r suffered a similar fate. She too is in favour of the levy. 'If Inverclyde Council was getting the benefit from the money that was directly coming from these passengers and it was invested to keep people in the area, to keep people in Greenock, then yes.' STV News Tourists had their say on the cruise ship levy plans Towering over Port Greenock was the Regal Princess, carrying over 4,000 passengers, but most by-passing Inverclyde and heading towards Glasgow, Loch Lomond and Edinburgh. Passengers from the ship weren't happy about the news of a potential cruise ship levy. 'No, we are already paying enough,' said one from Australia. 'I wouldn't want to pay it, but if it happens, I'm ok with that,' said an American tourist. Another Australian couple said: 'If it means it will increase our price of fares, then it will be a bit of a challenge. 'It will affect the tourist industry.' STV News Passengers outside the terminal in Greenock 'It will just increase our rates if we want to come back on a cruise ship,' said another American tourist. Last year 1,000 cruise ships docked at Scottish ports, drawing in over one million passengers and injecting £130m into the economy. Invergordon, Kirkwall, Edinburgh, Lerwick, and Greenock are the Scottish ports that receive the highest number of cruise ship visits. Kirsty Hutchison, from Cruise Scotland, said: 'We believe a cruise levy would send the wrong signal at a time when the country is building a strong reputation as an attractive destination.'' A Scottish Government spokesperson said: 'We are aware that a cruise ship levy in Scotland would be the first such levy in the United Kingdom, and we will need to carefully consider market implications and the effect on local economies and communities of such a levy.' Port of Cromarty Firth warned a Highlands cruise levy could have a damaging impact on the regional economy, potentially costing businesses millions of pounds in revenue and adversely affecting the communities that heavily rely on the money tourism brings. Inverclyde Council said they have agreed to the levy in principle. Council leader Stephen McCabe said: 'We can spend the money in making our town centre was clean and tidy for visitors coming, which will benefit both tourist and residents. 'We can also provide support to our local tourist group and local businesses to take advantage of the tourism sector.' The consultation ends on May 30. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
STV News
16-05-2025
- Business
- STV News
Massive cruise ship carrying more than 4,000 passengers docks at Scottish port
A massive cruise ship carrying more than 4,000 passengers is the latest visitor to dock at a Scottish port. The Regal Princess is more than 1,000 feet long and carries 3,560 guests and 1,346 crew members. Across its 19 decks, the vessel offers a glass-floor walkway extending 28 feet beyond the edge of the ship, an adults-only spa, seven restaurants, 16 bars and cafes, a theatre, a casino and cinemas. The Regal Princess arrived at Greenock Ocean Terminal on Thursday and has since set off to continue its cruise. It is currently on a а 12-day round-trip of the British Isles with stops at Belfast and France. Supplied The Regal Princess is more than 1,000 feet long and carries 3,560 guests and 1,346 crew members. Supplied Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Princess cancels more than 3 months of cruises from Texas: What dates are impacted
Princess Cruises has canceled more than three months of cruises from Galveston, Texas. The cruise line scrapped all sailings between November 2026 and March 2027 aboard its Majestic Princess ship. At least a dozen itineraries were impacted, according to CruiseMapper. Princess attributed the changes to its 'broader global fleet deployment strategy.' 'We sincerely regret any inconvenience this may cause our guests and appreciate their understanding as we work to enhance our global cruise offerings,' the cruise line told USA TODAY in an emailed statement. Your cruise was canceled: Now what? Princess issued full refunds to guests booked on the voyages and is 'actively assisting them with alternative cruise options, including other sailings from Galveston and a variety of Caribbean itineraries.' The cruise line's Regal Princess ship will sail all planned cruises from the Texas port through and including March 15, 2026. 'We remain committed to delivering exceptional vacation experiences and look forward to welcoming guests aboard Majestic Princess in its soon-to-be-announced deployment,' the cruise line added. Cruise cancellations are relatively unusual but can happen for a number of other reasons, including when a ship is chartered or needs to go to dry dock. Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. You can reach him at ndiller@ This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Princess cancels 3 months of Galveston, Texas cruises
