All aboard as Jewel of the Seas to sparkle in Cobh

THE largest liner to call to Cork this year is expected in Cobh next Thursday.

The 90,000-tonne, 292-metres-long Jewel of the Seas, with 2,500 passengers and a crew of 858, is expected at Cobh at 7am, leaving at 5.30pm.

The vessel is on a 12-night cruise, taking in Stockholm, St Petersburg, Tallinn, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, the Norwegian fjords and Paris (Le Havre).

The Irish leg of the cruise takes in Dublin and Cork.

This is the second year that a liner of this size was able to call to Cobh, thanks to a €3.6 million upgrade of the moorings which was completed in time for the 2005 cruise liner season.

Until last year, Cobh was limited to vessels of 265m, which meant superliners had to call to Ringaskiddy.

The $450 million (€356m) Jewel of the Seas is Royal Caribbean’s newest cruise ship. It is two-and-a-half times the size of the Titanic and the same length as the QE2. The liner can carry up to 3,360 passengers — 1,600 more than the QE2. Many passengers are expected to disembark in Cobh for tours of Cork city and county.

The ship has three acres of external glass, a multi-million dollar art collection, 12 passenger decks and a cruising speed of 24 knots.

* The P&O liner Oriana, with 1,976 passengers and a crew of 756 is expected at 1pm, staying until 11pm.