By
Elizabeth Robinson |
Portland Port is preparing for another record-breaking season in 2018 as it expects to welcome 32 cruise ships and nearly 39,000 passengers.
The Port’s cruise season begins on 3 April with the visit of German cruise line Phoenix Reisen’s Albatros.
“Whilst it is always exciting to see new cruise lines and new ships calling at Portland, the return of such important customers as Phoenix Reisen, Norwegian Cruise Line and TUI, is testament to the great experience their guests had when they previously called,” said Ian McQuade, general commercial manager at Portland Port. “This is essential for the long-term success of the business. Phoenix Reisen have been regular and frequent visitors to Portland and we are looking forward to seeing their vessels call a total of four times this year.”
The second cruise call of 2018 will be the inaugural visit of Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Breakaway, the longest and heaviest vessel to dock at Portland Port bringing the largest number of passengers on one ship that the port has welcomed to date.
“The inaugural call of the Norwegian Breakaway is very exciting for the port and would not have been possible without the berth extension that was opened in April last year,” said McQuade. “We hope that she will be the first of many similar sized cruise ships to visit Portland Port.”
The port has seven inaugural cruise calls booked for 2018 including Regent Seven Seas’ ships Seven Seas Explorer and Seven Seas Navigator, TUI’s Mein Schiff 3 and Seabourn’s Seabourn Ovation.