Port of Belfast

Cruise ships dock at one of three berths in Belfast Harbour. Cruise Belfast's passenger page names D1, Stormont Dock and Pollock Dock. Its berthing page lists D1, Stormont Wharf and Pollock Dock, and marks Stormont Wharf (Victoria Channel) as currently closed. D1 Belfast Cruise Terminal is a deepwater berth for ships up to 480 m long and 55 m wide, with a draught of 10.1 m. Pollock Dock in the Herdman Channel takes ships up to 200 m with an 8.5 m draught. The Visit Belfast Welcome Centre is a 15-minute drive from D1, and the shuttle bus from the cruise terminal drops off and picks up outside it.

D1, Stormont Dock or Pollock Dock

The berth decides how far you are from the city. Cruise Belfast puts the Welcome Centre a 10-minute drive from Stormont and Pollock docks and a 15-minute drive from D1. The sources give no walking distance for any of the three, so plan on a shuttle or a taxi. The berth also sets the taxi fare: Visit Belfast puts a taxi from the cruise terminal to the city centre at about £10 to £13 depending on the dock (undated page, read 2026-10-26).

On the quay at D1

Belfast opened the first dedicated cruise terminal on the island of Ireland. Belfast Harbour put more than £500,000 into the quayside, which now has a Visitor Information Centre managed by Visit Belfast. Visit Belfast provides tourist information at the quayside as required, with maps, brochures, a daily events listing and shuttle bus timetable information available. The terminal has free WiFi, a gift shop, washrooms with a disabled access WC, security desks and seating. Space is set aside for coaches, shuttle buses and taxis, and signs point guests to the shuttles, excursions, the taxi rank and car hire. Belfast Harbour also invested in new gangways and luggage scanners to help market Belfast as an embarkation port, and in 2025 Ambassador turnarounds started and ended the voyage for 2,500 local passengers.

The shuttle to Donegall Square North

Shuttle buses run from the cruise terminal to the Visit Belfast Welcome Centre at 9 Donegall Square North, opposite Belfast City Hall, and the shuttle drops off and picks up outside that door. The sources do not publish a shuttle ride time, a frequency or a fare. Visit Belfast says there may be a charge and that the cruise line sets it, so check your daily programme before you walk to the bus.

The taxi rank and its fares

The rank at the cruise berths is first come, first served: the first taxi serves the first passenger in the queue. Taxis there should accept card payment and must use clearly displayed meters and fare cards. Fixed-price tours cannot be negotiated at the rank, and a tour started from the rank without pre-booking through an operator is charged by the meter. The harbour company may move the rank to suit the operation at a berth. If a wheelchair user asks for a taxi and the wheelchair fits, the driver must accept the fare.

Northern Ireland sets maximum metered fares. For class A and B taxis, Monday to Friday from 6 am to 8 pm, nidirect lists a £3.20 initial charge, £4.40 for a one-mile journey and £1.86 for each extra mile (undated page, read 2026-10-26). The fare cannot be more than the meter shows. Each passenger beyond four adds £1.00. Value Cabs, one of the largest taxi firms in the city, takes bookings by phone on +(0)28 9080 9080.

Giant's Causeway by rail and bus

The Causeway is 2 miles from Bushmills and 11 miles from Coleraine. The National Trust's route from Belfast is a regular train to Coleraine, then Ulsterbus 172. It also lists Goldliner 221 and Causeway Rambler 402 and says some bus services are seasonal without naming which. The sources give no journey time from Belfast. Private hire coaches cannot park on harbour facilities and can only pick up pre-booked cruise guests, so pre-book one.

The Belfast Visitor Pass

The Belfast Visitor Pass covers all Metro and Glider services, NI Railways zone 1 and the Airport Express 600 to George Best Belfast City Airport. Zone 1 reaches between Belfast and Cultra, Jordanstown, Mossley West and Derriaghy and all stops in between. The pass cannot be used on Airport Service 300 to Belfast International Airport. A pass bought online cannot be used on the day you buy it, so buy in person at the Welcome Centre, Belfast Grand Central Station, Lanyon Place or Botanic.

Left luggage at the Welcome Centre

Left luggage is held at the Welcome Centre across from City Hall, and its hours are extended when a cruise ship is in. Visit Belfast lists it at £4 for a half day or £6 for a full day, per bag (undated page, read 2026-10-26). Belfast Harbour Police can be reached on 02890 553000.

The 2028 deepwater quay

Belfast Harbour has announced marine works on a £90 million dual-purpose deepwater quay for cruise ships and offshore wind. Stage one is expected for the 2028 cruise season, and from 2028 the majority of cruise vessels arriving will dock at the new deepwater berth.

Belfast calls and the shuttle from the Welcome Centre

WakeRadar's AIS tracking picked up 27 calls at Belfast across the dates shown above, close to 2.1 a week. Viking Ocean Cruises had the largest share of the calls. The shuttle back to the ship starts outside the Welcome Centre at Donegall Square North, and from D1 the drive is 15 minutes. Belfast Harbour lists around 150 calls a year. In 2025 it logged 147 cruise ship visits, over 300,000 passengers and crew, and ten overnight stays. Dates and times are as advised by the cruise lines and may change at short notice, so check Belfast Harbour's social media channels for updates.

How this page is made

Ship calls come from WakeRadar's AIS tracking (date range shown above). Facts were checked on 2026-10-26 against the sources below. The text is reviewed by the WakeRadar editor.

Sources

• https://www.belfast-harbour.co.uk/news/ctd1-240/
• https://cruise-belfast.co.uk/belfast-harbour-facilities/berthing-information/
• https://cruise-belfast.co.uk/passenger-information/
• https://cruise-belfast.co.uk/about-cruise-belfast/dedicated-cruise-facility/
• https://cruise-belfast.co.uk/about-cruise-belfast/dockside-welcome/
• https://visitbelfast.com/plan/getting-to-belfast-travel-options/
• https://www.belfast-harbour.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Cruise-Code-of-Conduct.pdf
• https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/taxi-fares
• https://visitbelfast.com/plan/essential-information/
• https://www.translink.co.uk/tickets/travel-cards/belfast-visitor-pass
• https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/northern-ireland/giants-causeway
• https://www.belfast-harbour.co.uk/news/final-cruise-ship-call-of-2025-marks-the-end-of-another-successful-cruise-season-for-belfast/
• https://www.belfast-harbour.co.uk/news/work-commences-on-belfast-harbours-largest-ever-port-investment-project-to-create-new-cruise-and-offshore-wind-energy-terminal/
• https://www.belfast-harbour.co.uk/port/cruise-schedule/
• https://cruise-belfast.co.uk/belfast-harbour-facilities/