Portland Port's cruise season officially got underway with the first visit of what is destined to be a record breaking summer.

It was the first visit to Portland Port for German cruise operator Transocean with their ship the Astor and their relatively small contingent of almost 500 passengers were more than satisfied with what Weymouth and Portland had to offer. Whilst some of them embarked on tours of the Jurassic Coast or of the Wessex Countryside and Corfe Castle, others were whisked off to Weymouth by the shuttle bus service organised by Portland Port.

The crew were also pleased with what Portland Port had to offer and commented on how smooth the overall operation was.

These are just a few of the factors that lead to Portland Port winning Cruise Insights Magazines “Most Improved Destination” award last year.

The Astor was not the only cruise vessel due to arrive on that day. A significantly larger cruise ship, the AIDAstella, was also scheduled to call at Portland Port but owing to an unfavourable weather forecast predicting gusts of gale force 9 winds it was rescheduled to Friday, May 17. It will also be AIDAstella’s first call to Portland Port.

Ian McQuade, General Manager (Commercial) said: "it was great to get the new cruise season underway with the inaugural call of the Astor.

“ It was a shame that the AIDAtella had to change her plans but we are delighted that she was able to reschedule her call and will now be visiting us on Friday.

“This year is an important one for Portland Port with regards to the cruise market and we are looking forward to welcoming 20,000 passengers to this beautiful part of England".