Sitting on the southern edge of Englandโs famous Jurassic Coast, the growing Portland Port, in Dorset, is banking on a robust cruise season in 2025.
Based on scheduled port calls and turnaround voyages, the port in 2025 expects to welcome 100,000-plus cruise guest arrivals, whose onshore spending will deliver some ยฃ10 million ($12 million USD) to the region.
Sixty cruise ships from multiple lines will call at Portland, from small luxury vessels such as Hebridean Island Cruisesโ Hebridean Princess, accommodating just 50 guests, to Princess Cruisesโ Regal Princess, a mega-ship with capacity for 3,600.
Cruise lines with ships making inaugural visits to Portland in 2025 include luxe line Silversea Cruises, as both the 596-guest Silver Dawn and 608-guest Silver Spirit are set to call in September.
Portland Port in 2024 benefitted from several short-notice calls, which are made by ships for various reasons, such as inclement weather or storms that prompt an itinerary change. Port officials believe short-notice calls will add revenue in 2025 as well.
In fact, the portโs first call of 2025 was a short-notice visit by Saga Cruisesโ 1,000-guest Spirit of Discovery, due to weather.
โIt has been another highly successful cruise season and one of our best so far,โ said Ian McQuade, general manager of Portland Port and chairman of Cruise Britain.
โThe 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 ยฃ10m to the local economy,โ said McQuade.
The port manager also noted that the portโs robust numbers justify its 2022 investment to build a new deepwater berth. The ยฃ26 million ($31 million USD) construction project, completed in 2023, enables the port to accommodate ships up to 1,148 feet long.
That length allows most mega-ships to berth, including Regal Princess at 1,083 feet, but falls short of the 1,186 feet needed to host bigger ships, such as Royal Caribbeanโs Oasis-class vessels, for instance.
Cruise Totals From 2024 Show Drop in Arrivals
The 60 ships expected to visit the port in 2025 will reflect an increase from the 52 ships that called in 2024 and brought 117,000 cruise guests to Portland. The 2024 total shows a decline, however, from 2023, when 130,000 passengers visited on 56 ships.
Nonetheless, Portland Port officials are upbeat about the facilityโs performance in 2024. Virtually every major cruise line was represented, including Disney Cruise Line, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, MSC Cruises, AIDA Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, and Celebrity Cruise Line.
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Luxury cruise lines brought guests to Portland as well, such as Seabourn, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Compagnie Franรงaise de Croisiรจres, and Cunard.
Inaugural calls in 2024 were made by Cunardโs Queen Mary 2, Ponantโs Le Champlain, Oceania Cruiseโs Sirena, Regent Seven Seas Cruisesโ Seven Seas Mariner, and AIDAโs AIDAsol.
โPositive 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,โ said port manager McQuade.
Port records show that half of cruise guests book shore excursions, and most of the land tours keep visitors in the Dorset region. The famous Chesil Beach, on the Jurassic Coast, where fossil hunters gather, is just 10 miles from the port.
Many guests not on organized tours use the portโs shuttle service, which operates in the local area and to nearby Weymouth, where cruisers can browse shops and dine in a variety of restaurants.