Portland, UK

[BarbinMich]

This will be a new port for Princess in May 2020 (Regal Princess TA).  It's the first time Princess has stopped there as far as I know.  What is there to see/do?  Thanks!

[Bob++]

Portland is an island off England's Jurassic coast. Dorset Tours - https://www.visit-dorset.com/things-to-do/dorset-tours-p2583173 - run small party tours and Weymouth is only a couple of miles away - https://www.visit-dorset.com/things-to-do/jurassic-skyline-p1976133 - There is also a 16th century castle. https://www.visit-dorset.com/things-to-do/jurassic-skyline-p1976133

[John Bull]

Most cruise ships offer a shuttle service to the Victorian seaside resort of Weymouth, about 3 miles. Seafront promenade & beach and small fishing harbour separated by little streets of local shops, pubs, fish&chip shops etc. Smugglers museum.

A pleasant, laid-back & inexpensive day.

 

Portland Castle is small & unimpressive - it's not worth ear-marking, but worth exploring if you get back to the port early - it's close to the port gate 

 

There's a train service from Weymouth to the market town of Dorchester (of interest to Thomas Hardy readers).

It's also possible to use a combination of train to Wool and taxi from there to https://www.tankmuseum.org/ or http://www.monkeyworld.org/ or train to Wareham  and taxi from there to Corfe Castle.

But that requires research as to whether it suits your hours ashore.

 

Probably your best bet is to book a car/van service.

For instance west along the Jurassic coast to West Bay & Bridport (and as far as Lyme Regis if time & pocket permit).

Or east to Corfe Castle, Lulworth Cove & Durdle Door (folk often walk across the downs from Lulworth Cove and meet back up with their driver at Durdle Door)

Or north onto the Dorset Downs & meander through some of the villages - Dorset is n't over-developed like much of England.

Google those places

 

You can do the same by rented car, but the rental agencies are in industrial estates on the outskirts of Weymouth and I don't know if they offer a delivery service.

 

I vaguely recall mentions on CC that taxis aren't allowed to ply for hire at the port gate, and even pre-booked tours have to meet up outside the port.

 

Portland Bill is quite impressive as you sail away. 

BTW Portland isn't an "island", it's connected to the mainland by a shingle bank (Chesil Beach) topped by a good road.

I recall parking on the pebbly beach decades ago & getting towed out by a friendly tractor driver  

 

I've not tried using the search function since October's re-vamp  but searching "Portland"  used to bring up plenty of threads & links.

 

JB 

 

 

Edited December 3, 2018 by John Bull

[BarbinMich]

Thanks to Bob++ and John Bull for the information!  Looks like cruisers who dock there will have a variety of things to choose from.  I suppose it's too far to visit Cornwall.  We've docked in Falmouth several times on TAs and that's much closer to Cornwall.  The latter is perhaps of more interest now, at least to fans of "Poldark" on PBS.  I'm a big fan of extreme tides so that was a good reason to visit St. Ives, plus it's a very picturesque place with flower boxes on nearly every building.

[John Bull]

53 minutes ago, BarbinMich said:

Thanks to Bob++ and John Bull for the information!  Looks like cruisers who dock there will have a variety of things to choose from.  I suppose it's too far to visit Cornwall.  We've docked in Falmouth several times on TAs and that's much closer to Cornwall.  The latter is perhaps of more interest now, at least to fans of "Poldark" on PBS.  I'm a big fan of extreme tides so that was a good reason to visit St. Ives, plus it's a very picturesque place with flower boxes on nearly every building.

 

Portland isn't close to Cornwall - it's over 100 miles / 2 hours from the Cornish border at Plymouth.

Fowey isn't close to Cornwall either - it's in Cornwall. 

 

The Dorset coastline isn't as dramatic as Cornwall's but it's still well worth seeing.

If the pocket will stretch to a private tour I'd highly recommend Corfe Castle + a stop at Lulworth Cove + a stop at Durdle Door + driving back to the ship along Weymouth seafront. And if time permits, after crossing Chesil Beach on your return, continue for 5 minutes past the port turnoff & up the steep hill for a panoramic view of Weymouth Bay, the coastline, the harbour & your ship from the top of Portland Bill.

It's the sort of itinerary likely to attract sharers via your ship's RollCall.

 

I've also come across a new attraction just yards from your ship.

http://www.castletownddaycentre.com/#one

And in the harbour close to your ship are a couple of very ordinary concrete monoliths used for moorings. They're actually re-cycled sections of the "Mulberry Harbour" built at Arromanches in Normandy following the D-Day landings.

 

JB 

Edited December 3, 2018 by John Bull

[marylizcat]

The taxis hoping to do tours wait near the shuttle bus drop off point in Weymouth.

[lamchops]

We visited Portland this September and docked at the Dorset Pier. We took the ships shuttle to Weymouth and hiked over to Fort Nothe. We spent quite a bit of time there and was surprised at how well the volunteers kept the place and the information that they provided. We visited Weymouth town afterwards and wasn’t impressed. We could of been in any beach resort shopping area. 

[Bob++]

On 12/3/2018 at 7:52 PM, John Bull said:

They're actually re-cycled sections of the "Mulberry Harbour" built at Arromanches in Normandy following the D-Day landings.

 

JB 

 

>nitpick<

The Mulberry Harbour caissons, called Phoenixes, were built at various places in England and then towed across to Normandy.

 

Following the war, ten units were towed back to Portland Harbour. Eight of these were later sent to the Netherlands to block breaches in the dykes after the great storm of 31 January 1953. The two units left behind are now used as a windbreak, helping ships berth at Queen's Pier. In 2017, six statues were installed on the tops of the units, representing two British Sailors, two American GIs and two Dock workers.

Edited December 4, 2018 by Bob++

[John Bull]

1 hour ago, Bob++ said:

>nitpick<

The Mulberry Harbour caissons, called Phoenixes, were built at various places in England and then towed across to Normandy.

 

 

 

Hi Bob,

 

nit-pick of my phraseology accepted.

 

The caissons manufactured along the south coast & the Thames estuary & elsewhere then towed to an assembly point in the Solent, right outside my front window (I wasn't home at the time ).

Then towed across the Channel to build the Mulberry harbour at Arromanches (and another on Omaha beach, destroyed by a storm after a couple of weeks).

 

 JB 

Edited December 5, 2018 by John Bull

[John Bull]

Bingo! - I've just  figured how to search in this new format without bringing up multiple posts about Portland, Oregon.

 

Plenty of info about Portland, Dorset at

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=Portland&amp;type=forums_topic&amp;nodes=148

 

JB 

[sandra_t]

Yep. We used https://dorsettours.com in July and their excursions start from Portland and drop back to portland.

Edited January 28, 2019 by sandra_t

[ReligBookFreak]

On 12/3/2018 at 3:14 PM, marylizcat said:

The taxis hoping to do tours wait near the shuttle bus drop off point in Weymouth.

Where EXACTLY is the shuttle drop-off point in Weymouth?

Alan

[John Bull]

1 hour ago, ReligBookFreak said:

Where EXACTLY is the shuttle drop-off point in Weymouth?

Alan

 

Hi, Alan,

I've not cruised into Portland, but day-trip coach excursions to Weymouth drop on the Esplanade at designated places, either opposite the Fairhaven Hotel or adjacent the Pavilion forecourt. Those two places are less than a 5 minute walk apart, and convenient for the beach & the warren of little streets leading to the town harbour.

 https://goo.gl/maps/b8HVafu3LDS4yws98

 

If you want to take a train from Weymouth, ask the driver to drop you at the station - it's en-route. But I guess to get back to the ship you'd have to walk to the drop-point  (10 - 15 minutes) or take a taxi to the port (5 1/2 miles) 

 

JB 

[marylizcat]

3 hours ago, ReligBookFreak said:

Where EXACTLY is the shuttle drop-off point in Weymouth?

Alan

 

1 hour ago, John Bull said:

 

Hi, Alan,

I've not cruised into Portland, but day-trip coach excursions to Weymouth drop on the Esplanade at designated places, either opposite the Fairhaven Hotel or adjacent the Pavilion forecourt. Those two places are less than a 5 minute walk apart, and convenient for the beach & the warren of little streets leading to the town harbour.

 https://goo.gl/maps/b8HVafu3LDS4yws98

 

If you want to take a train from Weymouth, ask the driver to drop you at the station - it's en-route. But I guess to get back to the ship you'd have to walk to the drop-point  (10 - 15 minutes) or take a taxi to the port (5 1/2 miles) 

 

JB 

 

No, it is not on the Esplanade in Weymouth. It is on the Portland side of Weymouth Harbour. You have to walk a little way and then cross a bridge to get into the centre of Weymouth.

[marylizcat]

I have found a link to a map showing the drop off point  Hope this helps

[marylizcat]

 Here is the link https://www.portland-port.co.uk/welcome+to+portland+port which has useful info for cruisers to Portland.

[John Bull]

Couldn't open the map on the first of Marylizcat's posts, but got it via the portland-port link in her second one.

 

Nowhere near where I suggested it might be  

And goes nowhere near the rail station.

 

The drop point  is actually on the south side of the harbour, a pleasant 5 minute walk to the Town Bridge over the harbour to the town centre.

Probably there because from Portland the route to the Esplanade is a lot further (the route via Town Bridge is unsuitable for large vehicles).

 

Apologies for an educated but inaccurate guess. 

 

JB 

 

[FredZiffle]

On 12/3/2018 at 9:40 PM, lamchops said:

We visited Portland this September and docked at the Dorset Pier. We took the ships shuttle to Weymouth and hiked over to Fort Nothe. We spent quite a bit of time there and was surprised at how well the volunteers kept the place and the information that they provided. We visited Weymouth town afterwards and wasn’t impressed. We could of been in any beach resort shopping area. 

 

I'm trying to figure out where the cruise ships dock, but I am not seeing a Dorset Pier in Portland on Google Maps.  The pier at the end of Dock Road seems to be the most likely spot.  Can anyone confirm?

[marylizcat]

1 hour ago, FredZiffle said:

 

I'm trying to figure out where the cruise ships dock, but I am not seeing a Dorset Pier in Portland on Google Maps.  The pier at the end of Dock Road seems to be the most likely spot.  Can anyone confirm?

If you look at the shuttle bus map here https://www.portland-port.co.uk/public/files/Cruise 2018/2018 Weymouth Shuttle Bus Map for website.pdf there is an inset box which shows where the cruise terminal is.

[FredZiffle]

29 minutes ago, marylizcat said:

If you look at the shuttle bus map here https://www.portland-port.co.uk/public/files/Cruise 2018/2018 Weymouth Shuttle Bus Map for website.pdf there is an inset box which shows where the cruise terminal is.

 

Thanks for the link.  Unfortunately, the insert box doesn't show enough detail to determine where the port actually is, other than that it's in Portland.

 

[marylizcat]

12 minutes ago, FredZiffle said:

 

Thanks for the link.  Unfortunately, the insert box doesn't show enough detail to determine where the port actually is, other than that it's in Portland.

 

 

Really? Maybe you aren’t looking at it on a gadget on which you can expand it to see more clearly? It would be impossible to have a more detailed map if you look at it closely! Try again!

[marylizcat]

Anyway, yes it is the pier at the end of Dock Road, between the big breakwaters, by Castletown to the east of Portland Castle which is the first stop on the shuttle bus.

[ReligBookFreak]

1 hour ago, marylizcat said:

 

Really? Maybe you aren’t looking at it on a gadget on which you can expand it to see more clearly? It would be impossible to have a more detailed map if you look at it closely! Try again!

The map is clear regarding where the pier is located, but there is not enough detail to determine where the shuttle bus drops you off in Weymouth.

Alan

[FredZiffle]

1 hour ago, marylizcat said:

 

Really? Maybe you aren’t looking at it on a gadget on which you can expand it to see more clearly? It would be impossible to have a more detailed map if you look at it closely! Try again!

You're right. I pulled it up on my tablet instead of the laptop, and I can now see enough detail. Thanks.

[FredZiffle]

19 minutes ago, ReligBookFreak said:

The map is clear regarding where the pier is located, but there is not enough detail to determine where the shuttle bus drops you off in Weymouth.

Alan

Now that I can see. Corner of Spring Rd. and Newton's Rd.

Edited May 22, 2019 by FredZiffle