Giant Transatlantic Cruise Liners in Galway (proposed)

Sponge Bob

I heard that one of the REALLY big Cruise Ship companies is considering putting (a?) cruise ship(s?) onto a New York - UK route as soon as possible if the atlantic airspace remains closed by the Icelandic volcano and that they investigated Galway Bay as a terminal option yesterday.

Given that the WEST of Ireland has very good airport and bus infrastructure they are strongly considering running a service from New York - Galway when the airspace between Ireland and the UK is open and sailing New York - Southampton direct when that airspace is closed.

The biggest of these ships can take 3-4000 passengers and the single biggest logistical problem is shuttling 3-4000 passengers off the ship and another 3-4000 on again plus all their luggage of course.

Maybe they are looking sideways at the Aran Island ferry boats which could be used for such an operation in Galway and which could easily handle those numbers over the course of a day.

I will update the thread when I hear more about this scheme.

alibabba

Sounds very fanciful

Sponge Bob

It is actually impossible anywhere else in Ireland because there are no boats to transfer people ashore and that is probably why they looked at Galway

US immigration staff in shannon and dublin can be redeployed there very quickly as well.

L1011

Blacksod Bay scheme plus 100 years?

dowlingm

Sponge Bob - would have thought Cobh would be a possibility? They have cruises coming by frequently.

Sponge Bob

Yes but it is an each way bet in effect.Cobh is possible but there are no boats to transfer them ashore, there are in Galway.

The volcano is blocking EU airspace right now but if an "Icelandic Low" system builds then the airports on the US east coast will shut as surely as ours did and then the EU airports open.

I suppose the boat is for those who simply must travel and do not want to get stranded. I reckon it would go New York - Southampton direct myself.

Chris_5339762

Cobh has had huge liners in before, would it not be possible for it just to dock at the deep water quay in Cobh?

JHMEG

What do they do once they get ashore in Galway? You can't have 4,000 people walking miles to the nearest train station.

Sponge Bob

I asked yer man again and he doesn't know what will happen if anything.

He also said that the QE2 is lying around in Dubai unused but intact and would be an ideal option The QE2 can dock in Cobh. Maybe Galway would be used as a spillover if Cobh were busy.

Maybe nothing will happen at all

I would imagine that those who must travel, would stand a better chance getting a ferry to mainland Europe (or Via UK + Eurotunnel) and a train to Spain and flying from there.

Edit: the Spanish airspace is currently still open.

Atlantic Dawn

Killybegs has the deepest port in Ireland, Cobh would also be a good option. Galway isn't too suitable as the harbour is tide dependant.

corktina

total pie in the sky nonsense...second only to the West On Track eyewash.

Zoney

corktina:

Well, if the worst comes to pass, we might be looking at months or up to a year or more of virtual no-fly around these parts!

I would suggest that will certainly result in some wacky quick-fixes.

Lets hope we're just talking days or weeks though.

jhegarty

Sponge Bob wrote: »

Yes but it is an each way bet in effect.Cobh is possible but there are no boats to transfer them ashore, there are in Galway.

All cruise ships carrier their own tenders. They can tender off a full ship in about 2 hours.

Cobh has docked the second biggest cruise ship (Independence of the Seas) and biggest ocean liner (QM2).

But cruise ship schedules are made two years in advance, so unless it's an older mothballed ship I don't see it happening.

corktina

Zoney wrote: »

corktina:

Well, if the worst comes to pass, we might be looking at months or up to a year or more of virtual no-fly around these parts!

I would suggest that will certainly result in some wacky quick-fixes.

Lets hope we're just talking days or weeks though.

It might happen, but not from Galway (or Ireland for that matter)!

Southampton or Le Havre maybe


No of course it wont, its typical 21st century overkill...everyone frightening everyone else into behaving like sheep. All scared stiff of litigation if anything did go wrong.

corktina

corktina wrote: »

It might happen, but not from Galway (or Ireland for that matter)!

Southampton or Le Havre maybe


No of course it wont, its typical 21st century overkill...everyone frightening everyone else into behaving like sheep. All scared stiff of litigation if anything did go wrong.

Ask the crew of the British Airways flight over SE Asia that!

corktina

ask them what?

FlameoftheWest

Sponge Bob wrote: »

I heard that one of the REALLY big Cruise Ship companies is considering putting (a?) cruise ship(s?) onto a New York - UK route as soon as possible if the atlantic airspace remains closed by the Icelandic volcano and that they investigated Galway Bay as a terminal option yesterday.

Given that the WEST of Ireland has very good airport and bus infrastructure they are strongly considering running a service from New York - Galway when the airspace between Ireland and the UK is open and sailing New York - Southampton direct when that airspace is closed.

The biggest of these ships can take 3-4000 passengers and the single biggest logistical problem is shuttling 3-4000 passengers off the ship and another 3-4000 on again plus all their luggage of course.

Maybe they are looking sideways at the Aran Island ferry boats which could be used for such an operation in Galway and which could easily handle those numbers over the course of a day.

I will update the thread when I hear more about this scheme.

Pie in the sky.

FlameoftheWest

alibabba wrote: »

Sounds very fanciful

Very diplomatic of you.

corktina

corktina wrote: »

ask them what?

What it's like getting the insides of your engines sandblasted with volcanic ash!

lord lucan

Plenty of spare ships off the coast of Singapore!:p:p:p

Ryanair's new cheap European travel!

Capt'n Midnight

cruise liners ?

are they OK for passenger service in the north Atlantic ?

also they'd take 5 days to get here from US, are any en-route at present ?
cruise liners aren't as fast as ocean liners

Reckon the dust would have settled by then

DWCommuter

I never heard such bollox in my life.:D

Sponge baby! Whats happened to you? Galway is now the saviour? Have you being watching Waterworld or what?

Capt'n Midnight

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

Reckon the dust would have settled by then

In every sense of the word!

Sponge Bob

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

cruise liners ?

are they OK for passenger service in the north Atlantic ?

In summer ...maybe.

Not all year round .

Sponge Bob

Sponge Bob wrote: »

In summer ...maybe.

Not all year round .

Titanic!

Sponge Bob

Cruise ships cannot handle sustained heavy swells, a liner can.

jhegarty

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

cruise liners ?

are they OK for passenger service in the north Atlantic ?

also they'd take 5 days to get here from US, are any en-route at present ?
cruise liners aren't as fast as ocean liners

Reckon the dust would have settled by then

7 days.

Cruise ships can do transatlantic , but they are not designed for it.

corktina

Deleted User wrote: »

What it's like getting the insides of your engines sandblasted with volcanic ash!

but i didnt say anything about THAT....

:rolleyes: