Portland Port gearing up for busy 2025 of cruise ship visits
Last year, more than 50 ships docked at the Dorset port
Portland Port say they're expecting 2025 to be busy, after last year saw more than 117,000 passengers on over 50 cruise ships.
Vessels docked there from 18 different lines, with nine of the stops being unscheduled - including one from the Queen Mary 2 in June (pictured above)
That made it one of the port’s most successful seasons for cruise calls in its 28-year history.
Visits are believed to contribute around £10 million to the local economy, with passengers taken into Weymouth on complimentary shuttle buses.
The figure includes money spent in shops, bars, cafes and attractions along with expenditure by the crew on days off.
During 2025, 60 cruise ships provisionally scheduled to call with over 100,000 passengers.
Ian McQuade, Portland Port general manager commercial and chair of Cruise Britain, said:
“It has been another highly successful cruise season and one of our best so far.
“Positive feedback from cruise lines and their passengers demonstrates just how much they enjoy coming to Portland for the array of local attractions and warm welcome they receive.
“The sustained demand for calls and the record number of short-notice visits is testament to relentless work behind the scenes by a dedicated team to attract and accommodate ships and bring circa £10m to the local economy.
“It also justifies the faith shown to open our £26m deepwater berth in 2023 to accommodate some of the world’s largest vessels of up to 350m in length.
“We are very grateful to all those who have contributed to the success in 2024 and have made passengers feel so welcome, including our dedicated welcome team, shuttle bus operators and all those in local shops and businesses.
“We are looking forward to another busy season in 2025 and further ahead as Portland continues to grow in popularity.”