Foyle Port marked the beginning of the 2023 cruise season with the arrival of the Seabourn Ovation on May 12, 2023

The port welcomed Seabourn Ovation as the ship visited Lough Foyle during its 26-night British Isles and Western Europe voyage, which departed from Dover, England on April 23. Guests had the chance to briefly experience the North West before the ship anchored at Greencastle.

Foyle Port’s Chief Executive, Brian McGrath said: “We are thrilled to begin our 2023 cruise season with the welcome arrival of the Seabourn Ovation. We are delighted to have doubled our cruise calls this year with 15 ships and a total of 10,600 passengers from now until October. It’s fantastic to see the demand in leisure vessels returning following what has been a very challenging time for the industry and we look forward to welcoming international visitors to our beautiful North West shores.”

Foyle Port has doubled this year’s cruise calls with 15 ships and a total of 10,600 passengers expected to arrive from through October. The port expects to welcome maiden calls from eight ships this year, including the Renaissance.

Visit Derry’s Chief Executive, Odhran Dunne said: “With the number of cruise calls doubling this year, it is encouraging to see the cruise market return strongly as the global tourism industry continues to rebound. The Walled City continues to draw visitors from across the world thanks to the quality of our tourism offering, which is going from strength to strength. There is no doubt, cruise ships represent an important part of the visitor market to the city and region, bringing thousands of additional visitors to enjoy a range of bespoke tours across the North West or enjoy the city at their leisure. Visit Derry looks forward to working in partnership with Foyle Port to provide a warm welcome and visitor information shoreside to all the cruise passengers and crew arriving this season.”