Weymouth, England port

[HollDoll]

Hi everyone!  Our cruise has a stop in Weymouth, England.  Some friends of mine who live in England are planning on meeting us there and spending the day.  I have no idea where to tell them they can meet up with us.  Can someone familiar with that port suggest a good meeting place for us to meet someone ashore?  Thanks so much for any help you can provide!

[Harters]

Is the ship stopping actually at Weymouth?  Reason for asking is that most cruise ships stop at the cruise port at nearby Portland (about 7 miles from Weymouth town centre). 

 

Assuming Portland, there will be a shuttle bus from the cruise port which drops you off at Portland Castle. Further details on the port website - https://www.portland-port.co.uk/cruise. The Castle would be the obvious place then to meet your friends. 

 

If World War 2 is of interest, there's a nice little museum only  a  few minutes stroll from the castle. Perhaps oddly, it focuses heavily on the American contribution to D-Day, rather than the British (although many American troops did embark at Weymouth). If you were thinking of starting off your day with a coffee and a chat, then the Jailhouse Cafe is only a couple of minutes drive away. Yes, it's a cafe, open to the public, at HM Prison Verne and is staffed by prisoners. 

 

If, on the other hand, the destination is actually Weymouth then it can only be docking at the town's fairly small pier (or tendering to there). I'd suggest meeting the friends at the town end of the pier. 

 

Dorset is a lovely part of the world. Last year, we had a week's holiday there, using Weymouth as a base. 

 

 

[HollDoll]

It is Portland. And thank you for your info. Is the castle where all shuttles from the ship go? Or are there alternate places. They will be coming by car. 

[MeHeartCruising]

I will add that when my NCL cruise stopped here in 2022, we also actually ported in nearby Portland.  Portland's dock is an active military installation and required you to use the shuttle bus to leave the port area.  That shuttle bus did indeed take you to a stop at nearby Portland Castle, but it also continued the drive into Weymouth.  So you could get off at either location.  Looking at Google Maps, the Weymouth bus drop location was near the intersection of Newberry Gardens and St. Leonard's Road, just a little south of Weymouth Harbor.  If your situation is the same as mine, I might suggest meeting on the Weymouth Bridge located over the Harbor. 

 

The shuttle bus between the ship and Weymouth (with stops at Portland Castle) ran throughout the day in both directions.

[HollDoll]

Thank you so much.  That is great information and just what I was looking for. 👍🏻👍🏻

[Harters]

4 hours ago, HollDoll said:

Is the castle where all shuttles from the ship go?

Yes, according to the link I gave you earlier to the port authority website.

 

It also mentions a drop off point in Weymouth itself but the friends will, IMO,  find parking at Portland much easier 

[John Bull]

6 hours ago, HollDoll said:

It is Portland. And thank you for your info. Is the castle where all shuttles from the ship go? Or are there alternate places. They will be coming by car. 

 

The half-mile shuttle from ship to Portland Castle is free,  to Weymouth (about 5 miles) most ships charge - last I heard it was £10

 

We've not been into the castle, it's quite small but dates from Henry V111's time and is in very good condition. It has plenty of free parking - because of variables of timing, probably best to meet in the castle tea-room.

There's also a bar & restaurant in Portland Marina, a five-minute waterside walk from the castle but it's quite pricey. There are only a couple of pretty basic pubs in the area.

 

The D-Day museum mentioned by @Harters is also small, but it's only a 5 minute walk back towards the ship.

And/or a drive up to a viewpoint for a panoramic view of Weymouth. Portland Harbour, the shingle spit which connects the Isle of Portland to the mainland and, under the name of Chesil Bank, continues west along the Dorset coast as far as the eye can see. 

 

But if your friends don't have a car, perhaps meet them in Weymouth at The George Inn on Custom House Quay - just a few yards down-stream from Town Bridge which you'll cross from the shuttle drop-point. 

 

JB 🙂 

Edited September 29, 2023 by John Bull

[gnome12]

1 hour ago, John Bull said:

But if your friends don't have a car, perhaps meet them in Weymouth at The George Inn on Custom House Quay - just a few yards down-stream from Town Bridge which you'll cross from the shuttle drop-point. 

The OP does state that they will be coming by car.

[John Bull]

1 minute ago, gnome12 said:

The OP does state that they will be coming by car.

 

Doh 🙄

 

JB 😏

[Harters]

9 hours ago, John Bull said:

the shingle spit which connects the Isle of Portland to the mainland and, under the name of Chesil Bank,

Depending on your plans, the Crab House  Cafe might be a fantastic lunch spot just off this road, and just as you get to the mainland, in the Wyke Regis area. Absolutely fresh seafood, with much of it fished in the area, including their own oysters raised in the "lagoon" within sight of your table. My review on another site, from last year :-

 

https://www.hungryonion.org/t/wyke-regis-dorset-crab-house-cafe/31389

[Cotswold Eagle]

17 hours ago, MeHeartCruising said:

Portland's dock is an active military installation

Although often repeated on this board, this is not strictly true. Portland hasn't been a Royal Naval base since 1996 - it is a commercial port, managed by a Port Authority, that is visited by Royal Navy vessels. It is true that they maintain very high maritime security standards, implemented through the Portland Port Police.