MSC Virtuosa scheduled for Cork’s final big cruise call of 2026
The Cobh arrival follows 95 cruise calls and 160,000 passengers in Cork since April.
MSC Virtuosa was scheduled to dock in Cobh on Friday as the final big cruise ship call of Cork’s 2026 season. The visit follows 95 cruise calls and 160,000 passengers since April.
Cobh accounted for 76 ship visits during the season. Ringaskiddy received 13 calls, Bantry Bay hosted nine, and six smaller vessels visited Cork City’s deepwater berths at Kennedy Quay.
The Port of Cork Company estimates that cruise visits are worth about €17 million annually to Cork’s economy. MSC Virtuosa was also scheduled to make one of the year’s three turnaround calls, during which passengers begin or finish their cruises in Cork.
MSC Virtuosa can carry more than 6,200 passengers, while a crew figure of 1,700 was also reported. Globally, ocean-going cruise passenger numbers in 2025 were reported as 25% above the strongest year before the 2020 pandemic. The worldwide cruise fleet expanded to 327 vessels, including 17 ships that entered service in 2025. Cruise ship operators also faced sharply higher diesel costs, alongside expenses for food, drink and crew.