The MSC Splendida, one of the world's largest cruise vessels, will arrive in Dublin Port on Monday 11 May, making it the biggest ever to visit Ireland.
The 330 metre long ship will be just one of more than 80 cruise ships that will dock in the city this year, carrying a total of 140,000 passengers.
The summer cruise season has just begun and next week will also see the 290 metre Caribbean Princess and 294 metre Queen Victoria visit, carrying 4,200 and 2,914 people on board, respectively.
The MSC Splendida holds 1,370 crew and 3,247 passengers, primarily from mainland Europe. The vessel is too large to turn in the dock and will have to reverse in or out.
The Alexandra Basin Redevelopment Project will extend the size of the port to allow the world's largest cruise liners to dock there. The €200 million project is due to start this year and will take about five years to complete.
The Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company is also planning to overhaul the harbor there, to allow larger vessels to dock. The project, however, has met opposition by business owners recently.
