Friday, December 1, 2017 - 11:31 by ce-press
Earlier this year Disney Cruise Line announced Cork on its list of first-time visits in 2018. Following successful port visits and further dialogue, DCL has confirmed not one but two calls from Disney Magic next year.
Cork has recently announced it has 100 calls booked next year, a 30% increase on this year’s 68. About 140,000 passengers and crew members visited this year.
Captain Michael McCarthy, commercial manager Port of Cork said: “Our cruise bookings have been hovering around 97 and 98 calls in the last month, and to finally hit the 100 mark is truly fantastic for the port and the region. It goes without saying that over the last two years the Port of Cork has worked incredibly hard to secure these cruise bookings and we are confident this growth can continue.”
This year Cobh was, once again, ranked second favourite cruise destination in the British Isles and Western Europe in the 2017 Cruise Critic Cruisers’ Choice Destination Awards. McCarthy commented: “As always this is a genuine collaborative team effort and it could not be done without an extremely dedicated group of people who believe in our destination. Once the liner arrives, together with Cork City Council we offer tourism ambassadors on every liner, local entertainment and then as their visit ends, we have the Cobh Brass band on the quayside as the liner departs. This all helps in making a visit to a port memorable and positive."
In the heart of Cork Harbour lies 104-acre Fortress Spike Island (pictured). It was a monastic settlement in the 7th century, an artillery fortification built in the 18th century by the British with subsequent forts built in the late 18th and early 19th century, and a prison in the 19th century where thousands of prisoners were transported from Spike to Australia.
It remained under British control following the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921 and it was only handed over in 1938 when the last British forces left. It was named Europe’s Leading Tourist Attraction at the 2017 World Travel Awards. The shortlist included the Eiffel Tower, Buckingham Palace and the Colosseum. Ireland also topped the list in 2016 with Titanic Belfast and the Guinness Storehouse in 2015.
