Shuttle Bus Service
The port provides a shuttle bus service that runs to the local town of Weymouth where there is plenty to see and do. Alternatively, if you wish to stay on the island, there is a shuttle bus stop on Portland as the bus makes its way to Weymouth.
The shuttle bus service operates continuously throughout the day and you shouldn’t be waiting any longer than 20 minutes for a bus at any time.
From where the shuttle bus service drops off at Portland Castle, you could follow the historic walking tour of Castletown. It is an easy walk over a distance of no more than one mile, which goes past two museums: Portland Castle and the fascinating Castletown D-Day Centre.
Complimentary copies of the shuttle bus map and Castletown Walking Tour are available from the quayside in the Tourist Information Facility or can be downloaded here:
Shuttle bus maps & Castletown walking tour
In order to ensure you return in time for your ships departure the last shuttle busses will leave Weymouth an hour before the ships departure, making sure you have plenty of time to return to the ship and settle in for the quayside entertainment.
Meeting friends & family for day trips
We are aware that some passengers and crew arrange to meet with friends and family outside the port. Due to changes to the layout of the port entrance, for anyone who is arranging to meet with friends or family from a cruise ship at Portland Port, we would advise the following:
- Portland Port is a commercial port, therefore for health and safety, passengers and visitors are not permitted to walk freely within the port estate
- Please ask your friends or family who are getting off the cruise ship, to board the shuttle bus from the quayside
The shuttle bus drops off and picks up at the following two locations where you could arrange to meet up in nearby public car parks:
- Outside Portland Castle
- In Weymouth (at the bottom of Spring Road)
Please note, that due to the road layout at the port gates, there is no pick-up and drop off option directly at the port entrance.
For those collecting passengers who are disembarking at Portland Port or collecting passengers with mobility issues, please email us so that we can provide more specific and relevant advice.
If you have any questions at all, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Visiting friends & family on board a cruise ship
For anyone who is planning on visiting friends and family onboard a cruise ship at Portland Port, we would advise the following:
- Visitors must be approved by the ship before it arrives in port
To ensure that your visit goes as smoothly as possible and to avoid unnecessary delays please provide us with the following information ahead of time:
- Full names of anyone who is expecting to go onboard the ship
- Your vehicle registration number
- The name(s) of the passenger(s)/crew that are being visited
This will allow us to check with the shipping agent, that approval has been given and your name(s) are on the visitor list.
Please email these details to cruise@portland-port.co.uk.
Directions upon entry
Please use the right hand lane at the port entrance. Security staff in the gatehouse will issue a parking permit and direct you to the port’s visitor car park.
Portland Port is a commercial port, therefore for health and safety, passengers and visitors are not permitted to walk freely within the port estate.
All visitors are required to park in the visitor car park and use the port’s complimentary shuttle bus service to the Cruise Terminal for check-in.
The shuttle bus stop is located opposite the visitor car park. Please use the pedestrian crossing and wait inside the bus shelter, where returning shuttle buses will stop to collect any waiting visitors.
At the entrance to the cruise berth, a security officer will board the bus to check everyone’s passes, at this point please get off the bus and enter the cruise terminal. At the reception desk in the cruise terminal, photographic identification will be checked against the security list. A picture will be taken and will be used to issue a restricted area pass.
Please click here for further information for people visiting friends & family on board a cruise ship.
For anyone with mobility issues or any other questions, please email us (cruise@portland-port.co.uk), so that we can help to the best of our ability.