Luxury liner docks in Belfast

The Crown Princess has berthed in Belfast

The largest cruise ship ever to visit Northern Ireland has docked at Belfast Lough.

The Crown Princess, owned by the third biggest cruise company in the world, arrived in the city on Thursday.

The ship is carrying 1,600 passengers and more than 600 crew.

Decked out with a casino, swimming pools and bars, the ship even has its own morgue.

As it sailed in, the German liner Deutschland was expected to depart following an overnight stay in Belfast.

And three more ships are due to arrive in the province early next week.

Tourist destinations

Their arrival will set a new record of five crew ships to sail into the province in nine days.

Designed by the world famous architect Renzo Piano, who designed the Pompidou Centre in Paris, the 70,000 tonne Crown Princess is one of the largest cruise ships in the world.

It is 800 feet long, 180 feet tall and 118 feet wide.

Its passengers and some of the crew were due to spend the day in Belfast and a fleet of coaches was lined up to take them to various tourist destinations.

Belfast Lord Mayor Jim Rodgers was at Stormont Wharf to welcome the visitors.

"By the end of the summer, 15 luxury liners will have docked in the city - more than twice the number that visited in 2000 - reflecting the enormous success of the Cruise Belfast Initiative," he said.