Portland welcomed two cruise ships on Sunday, August 9th, as Artania and AIDAsol made simultaneous calls at the Dorset port. The two vessels arrived at 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. respectively, creating a busy day for local cruise-related businesses before both ships continued their voyages later in the evening. The port schedule confirmed departures at 8:00 p.m. for Artania and 7:00 p.m. for AIDAsol.
Artania arrived during a 16-day voyage from Bremerhaven to Hamburg, following calls in Newcastle and a series of destinations around Britain and Ireland. The vessel, operated under charter by Phoenix Reisen, entered service in 1984 as Royal Princess and was christened in Southampton by Princess Diana. The ship underwent a major refurbishment in 2025 and currently sails under the Bahamian flag.
Built with eight passenger decks, Artania can accommodate more than 1,000 guests and a crew of more than 500. Its current itinerary forms part of Phoenix Reisen’s programme of Northern European cruises, with the ship continuing toward Hamburg after its Portland call.
AIDAsol arrived two hours later, carrying 2,000+ passengers. The 253-metre vessel was built by Meyer Werft and entered service in 2011. Its 13-day itinerary also ends in Hamburg and includes upcoming calls at Falmouth, Gijón, Bilbao-Getxo, Bordeaux, Guernsey and Cherbourg.
The simultaneous arrival of the two ships added a significant volume of cruise passengers to Portland during the peak summer season. The port's 2026 schedule also shows a continuing sequence of international cruise calls throughout August, underlining Portland's role in itineraries around the British Isles and Northern Europe.