Belfast Port Marks Major Milestone With Princess Cruises
The cruise industry at Northern Ireland’s Belfast Harbour had a modest start, welcoming just two cruise ships when operations began in 1996, but fast-forward nearly 30 years and the regional port has reached an impressive milestone.
On June 24, 2025, the port received its 1,500th cruise ship with the arrival of Princess Cruises’ 4, 200-guest Regal Princess.
Indeed, Princess Cruises has a long history of including the destination on the itineraries of its ships. Over the years, the line is responsible for delivering nearly one-third of all 2.5 million cruise visitors to the port.
Local and cruise ship officials marked the day with a celebration at the port, which typically welcomes around 60 cruise vessels each year.
“It’s an honour for Regal Princess to be a part of this significant milestone at Belfast Harbour today. Visiting this vibrant city has been met with warmth and hospitality, making it a favourite stop for our guests on their British Isles voyage,” said Aldo Traverso, captain of Regal Princess.
Port data shows that the facility, which has one berth accommodating ships up to 360 meters (1,181 feet), had 145 cruise calls from 60 ships in 2024. All told, vessels from 35 cruise lines brought 260,000 passengers and crew to Northern Ireland.
“It is a fantastic achievement to have reached this milestone of welcoming 1,500 cruise calls to Belfast Harbour. 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,” said Michael Robinson, Port Director of Belfast Harbour.
“Belfast Harbour has committed to our largest ever port investment in order to facilitate further growth of the cruise sector,” added Robinson.
The port in early 2025 unveiled a strategy plan, Advance Regional Prosperity 2025-2029, which calls for a £300 million ($408 million USD) investment during the next five years that will improve the port’s capabilities.
Plans include the development of a deepwater quay able to accommodate large cruise ships.
Viking, Virgin Voyages Ships Make Inaugural Calls in 2025
Several ships will make maiden calls to Belfast during the 2025 season, which runs until early November. They include Viking’s 998-guest Viking Vela and Virgin Voyages’ 2,770-guest Scarlet Lady. MSC Cruises’ 4,345-guest MSC Preziosa will be the largest ship to call this year.
Belfast Harbour opened its first dedicated cruise terminal in 2019. It provides transportation options for exploring the area’s top sightseeing attractions, which include the natural phenomenon Giant’s Causeway and the popular Titanic Belfast, the museum that chronicles the story of the doomed ocean liner.
Both of those sites are major tourism draws for cruise passengers. Cruise tourism contributes about £25 million ($34 million USD) in economic activity each year.
“Cruise tourism is an important part of our visitor economy, supporting local businesses and connecting millions of visitors with the culture, heritage and warm welcome that Belfast City Region is known for,” said Mary Jo McCanny, director of visitor experience and destination initiatives at Visit Belfast.
Regal Princess took part in the port’s celebration of its milestone during her 12-night “British Isles With France” cruise sailing roundtrip from Southampton. The ship departed the UK port on June 14, 2025, and called at Cork and Dublin, Ireland, before visiting Belfast.
The ship will call at three Scottish destinations plus Le Havre, France, before concluding on June 26, 2025.