The CLIA Christmas Dinner in Dublin was very well attended despite the Orange weather warning. Rough skies hampered the CLIA Team’s efforts to traverse the Irish Sea. After three aborted takeoffs from London City Airport, they were grounded and Angela Sloan (Director, UK, Ireland & Europe at Uniworld Boutique River Cruise) stepped in to host proceedings.
Angela thanked guests for attending on such a blustery night and sponsors of the evening: AmaWaterways, Avalon, MSC Cruises, NCL, Princess Cruises, Uniworld and VIVA Cruises.
Repeat Cruise Customers at 92% & 72% of Non-Cruisers Ready to Cruise
She shared that “Ireland remains a key part of a global cruise industry and we are continuing to see huge growth in cruise numbers. There are two massive reasons for that. There is a repeat level of about 92% of people who have cruised before who will cruise again in the next few years. Interest in cruise for the first time is higher than ever. 72% of non-cruisers are ready to take a cruise holiday…. Cruise is a massively growing industry,” and added “especially river cruise”.
Cruise Guests for H1 2025 Grow 22.6% YOY to 34,000
Angela shared the latest CLIA statistics for Ireland covering the first half of 2025 -“Just in the first six months of this year (2025), cruise guest numbers from Ireland are a massive 22.6% year-on-year to 34,000, which is phenomenal.”
The average age remained very steady at 46.5 years old, and the average duration has remained at c. 7.5 nights. It is worth noting that the statistics from the first half of the year exclude the key summer months.
Med Top Cruise Destination Followed by the Caribbean & the Canaries
In terms of destinations, the Mediterranean remains the top destination, making up c. 53.2%, followed by the Caribbean at 21.5% and the Canaries third at 6.2%.
CLIA Calendar Dates to Remember
The CLIA calendar has several dates to be aware of:
- CLIA Riverview Conference 2026 in Amsterdam, 8 – 10 March
- CLIA Expedition Summit, 8 May 2026
- CLIA Conference in Southampton, 4-6 June 2026
There is limited availability for the Riverview Conference and CLIA Conference – registration available here.
The CLIA Expedition Summit has only recently been announced. The annual trade event will feature a ship visit to HX Expeditions’ MS Fram in Dover, giving agents the chance to step on board one of the line’s most recognised expedition vessels. MS Fram carries up to 250 guests and underwent a major refurbishment in March 2025, which introduced a new Science Centre, refreshed suites and cabins, and redesigned public areas and crew facilities.
The Summit programme will also include dedicated business sessions, networking opportunities and a pre-event dinner in Canterbury on May 7. Registration will open shortly, with over 100 agent places available. Find out more here.
New CLIA Website & Learning Platform
CLIA has also invested in a new website and learning platform with the latest cruise resources, including a library of up to 30 virtual cruise ship tours. Check it out here.
Brian Hynes – Head of Sales Ireland, The Travel Corporation
Brian Hynes, Head of Sales Ireland at The Travel Corporation, including Uniworld Boutique River Cruises, thanked the Irish travel trade for its support throughout the year and highlighted how river cruise is a significant growth segment in the cruise market. There was a nod to the number of new river cruise entrants into the Irish market and how it benefits everyone in the river cruise industry to have so many from the trade experience the products available. Uniworld had a fantastic 2026 with both higher average spend and longer duration. 2026 will see the debut of Uniworld’s newest ship, shortly after the CLIA Conference.
Sailing the Danube River, the SS Emilie will have a capacity for 154 guests on board her 135m long hull. For more, check her out here.
Brian highlighted that long-haul products are booming such as itineraries in Egypt and along the Mekong River.
Suzanne Rowe – Head of Sales Ireland, MSC Cruises
Suzanne Rowe shared that MSC Poeisa is undergoing a refurbishment with new soft furnishings, cabins and a brand-new MSC Yacht Club in April 2026. The ship will feature an upgraded wellness offering with an enhanced MSC Aurea Spa and a reimagined gym with endless ocean view and enriched dining selection featuring our guest favourites like Butcher’s Cut steakhouse, Kaito Sushi Bar and the new All-Stars Sports Bar. From April 2026, she will sail from Seattle, offering Alaska itineraries.
Suzanne added that MSC Cruises has 5 ships in the Mediterranean, more than ever before. In addition, MSC World Asia is launching towards the end of 2026 and will cruise to the Mediterranean’s most captivating cities in Winter 2026.
Suzanne highlighted that they have launched a new campaign this week that will run until the 7th April, offering flights from €99, low deposits & competitively priced drinks packages.
Katrina Latimer – Strategic Key Account Manager, Ama Waterways
Katrina Latimer (Strategic Key Account Manager, Ama Waterways) highlighted how river cruise is a newer market than ocean cruise in Ireland, “there’s a long way to go, but all the foundations are here”. From 20 ships in 2020, Ama Waterways is going to grow to a fleet of 40 ships by 2030.
Phil Shipman & Alan Sparling – Avalon Waterways
Phil Shipman, Sales Director, Globus Family of Brands including Avalon Waterways). Avalon Waterways, represented by ASM Ireland in Ireland, has just launched a brand-new website – www.avalonwaterways.ie. This features details of the extensive range of iconic itineraries and authentic experiences available on Avalon’s award-winning Suite Ships. Plus, the site details all pricing, including the flight-inclusive cruises available in Euro. For more on Avalon & their recent activity in Ireland, check out the link, Avalon Waterways Continues Investment in Ireland. Phil highlighted that it’s just the sky’s the limit, or rather, the river. Interestingly, he shared that half the sales from Ireland last year were for river cruises in France, which is different to the UK market experience.
Mark Bellows & Abbie Cook – Princess Cruises
Mark Bellows (Senior Sales Manager, Europe, Princess Cruises) presented on Princess. 2025 saw the launch of Star Princess, Princess Cruises’ newest Sphere-class ship, sister to Sun Princess. Mark highlighted that the Mediterranean itineraries proved popular and Princess Cruises will have significant capacity there next year with both Enchanted Princess and Sun Princess sailing the Med in 2026.
Abbie Cook shared that Princess Cruises has a partnership with Aer Lingus so Princess has allocated flights – this ensures easy, direct, flexible flights out of Dublin.
Princess Cruises has just launched a new incentive – ‘Value Is Princess’ V.I.P. Sale. Guests can secure their voyage with a low deposit of just €99 and enjoy savings of up to €1000 per stateroom. This limited-time offer is available from this week until 2 March 2026.
The V.I.P. Sale features over 1,800 itineraries worldwide, across seven continents, so guests can explore destinations from the Mediterranean to the Caribbean, to Alaska, Asia and more. Guests can secure the full €1000 per stateroom when booking a mini-suite for four people on a voyage that is 17 nights or longer. The promotion applies across all 17 ships in the Princess fleet. Full savings breakdown:
- Up to €90pp on cruises of 6–8 nights
- Up to €180pp on cruises of 9–16 nights
- Up to €250pp on cruises of 17+ nights
Stephen Sands, VIVA Cruises
Michelle Daniels (Country Manager for Viva Cruises – Ireland | UK | Australia | New Zealand) was also unable to travel due to weather conditions with Stephen Sands, who joined Viva Cruises as a consultant for the Irish market, stepping in. Stephen shared that Viva Boutique flagship, Viva Unique, will be christened & will launch in Venice in 2027, joining Viva Beyond in the premium offering, with sailings in France and Italy:
- Seine | Viva Beyond | 2026 – the city & sights of Paris, castles of Normandy & rugged Atlantic coast
- Italy’s Po | Viva Unique | 2027 – the beauty, culture & cuisine of Venice, Chioggia, Bologna, Cremona & Verona.
Aaron Fletcher, Business Development Manager, NCL
Aaron Fletcher (Business Development Manager, NCL) shared that Norwegian Cruise Line had their best year ever in Ireland in 2025, and he attributed it to the support from the trade for him and the product that he represents. He highlighted that the year saw the launch of NCL Aqua in March 2025, whereby NCL had 130 agents from the whole of Ireland on board. Next March, NCL will welcome yet another ship into her fleet, the Norwegian Luna.
Andy Harmer’s Message to the Irish Travel Trade
“Just a quick note to say a huge thank you to you all for joining us at our CLIA Dinner last night – we hope you enjoyed the company of some of our cruise line partners, and celebrated another successful year for the Irish cruise market.
We are deeply sorry, that despite our very best efforts, we couldn’t be with you to celebrate.
We have seen significant growth in cruising popularity amongst both UK and Irish holidaymakers this year, and we will be back to share the 2025 data in the new year.
We would like to particularly thank Angela who hosted beautifully, and indeed all of our sponsors for managing the event in our absence; and thank you again for your support of the dinner, and of the cruise industry.
We wish you the very best for the festive season!”
