Aberdeen Celebrates Successful Cruise Season

Aberdeen Harbor has bid a fond farewell to another successful cruise season, with the arrival of the final vessel of the season, Hebridean Princess, a small luxury liner making its maiden voyage to the port.Carrying just 50 passengers and a crew of 38, the vessel’s ‘East Coast Adventure’ saw it berth at the harbour overnight before heading to Dundee, the East Neuk of Fife and Leith.The Princess is one of nine vessels that have called into Aberdeen Harbour since the cruise season began in May, with the MS Silver Cloud, Le Diamant and Europa also making their first visits to the port. Ray Shaw, harbour master and operations director at Aberdeen Harbour, said: “Aberdeen is an attractive destination and this has been reflected in the arrival of a number of new cruise liners to the port this season, with four vessels making maiden voyages to the city. “Our continued investment into the facilities at Aberdeen Harbour to ensure it remains the port of choice for cruise calls has seen us reap the rewards this year and with a number of vessels already booked up for the 2012 season, we hope to continue extending a welcome to cruise liners in years to come.”Although Aberdeen is mainly a commercial port, it works alongside the 14 member ports that make up Cruise Scotland, promoting the country as an attractive cruise ship destination for overseas travellers.