Look inside: What it's like onboard the luxury Jewel of the Seas in Cobh
The Jewel of the Seas in Cobh on Thursday. Pictures: Denise O'Donoghue
Cruise holidays are back with a bang and its benefit on the local economy was evident in Cobh, Co Cork today as the Jewel of the Seas docked in the picturesque seaside town.
Dozens of coaches soon ferried the ship’s passengers to Cork city, Blarney, Kinsale and beyond for the day, with Royal Caribbean International’s Head of Ireland, Jennifer Callister, admitting their return to Cobh and other ports is “emotional” after the pandemic.
“We're back and it’s lovely to see the ship in Cobh. Everybody is just so excited,” Ms Callister said. “It was a bit emotional being down there watching all those coaches coming in today and thinking of all the local businesses in Cork City: they're bringing them to the English Market, they're bringing them for whiskey tasting and Irish coffee.
“All those businesses are bouncing back, which is really good. There were at least six or seven coaches just going to Blarney, to kiss the Blarney Stone.”
The Jewel of the Seas boasts 13 decks complete with a rock-climbing wall, casino, sports court, nine-hole miniature golf course, an outdoor movie screen and guests can avail of an onboard spa and gym, casino, pools, and numerous bars and restaurants as well as family-friendly options like a kids' club.
The ship’s route includes stops around the Arctic Circle, Iceland, and the British Isles but Ms Callister said passengers, particularly North American tourists, are keen to explore Ireland, and stopping at Cobh is always a special day in the itinerary. It was evident on board the almost-deserted luxury liner in the port town.
“Every time I've come to Cobh there was never anybody left on the ship, people just want to get out in Ireland and see it. It was the same in Dublin and Belfast,” she said.
“I think it's a special place here in Cobh when the ship comes in, it's absolutely beautiful. There are always ships coming in here and those itineraries in particular, you can see it in people's faces when they're coming off the ship, they’re in awe of where they are."
When it comes to their Irish customers, Ms Callister said there seems to be no destination too far for them as they emerge from the pandemic and she has noticed a trend in first-time cruisers booking what she describes as “bucket list” trips. “We've all learned over the last couple of years to do all those things that we always wanted to do. We've seen that demand is growing.
“I think Irish people are quite adventurous because we've always had to get on an aircraft to go anywhere. We've always had great leanings towards America, a lot of a lot of us have family there and there are lots of big connections and Irish people are well used to going to the States.
“People are eager to go on holidays for sure and we've noticed a big upsurge in the last couple of months. We're actually ahead of 2019, which is really heartwarming to see that that people want to go back. The booking curve is a little bit different: it's much later and even at the moment people are booking five or six weeks or five weeks out, we're seeing people booking at the last minute for sure. I think confidence is coming back and people just want to go on holidays.”
The future looks bright for Royal Caribbean too: as well as next year's strong booking trends, its fleet will grow by one new ship every 18 months over the next decade.
“2023 is going to be a busy, busy year. We're getting a lot of bookings in right now for next year and we'll start to focus on that more as we move into the next couple of months. Travel agents are really busy, which is fantastic. We're back and we're delighted to be back and we're going to be growing at a phenomenal rate for the next 10 years.”
The Jewel of the Seas’ European summer season from Amsterdam includes stops such as Iceland, the British Isles, Arctic Circle and Norwegian fjords. In September it will commence sailings between Tarragona, Spain and Athens.
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