Invergordon locals have their say before the arrival of first cruise ship of the season

The first cruise ship of the season is to arrive in Invergordon tomorrow – bringing a new influx of tourists to the Highlands.

The giant AIDASol has capacity for 2,300 passengers and a crew of 600 and is due to tie up at the Easter Ross port’s Quay West berth on Wednesday at 10am.

It will be a 10 hour stay – plenty of time to enjoy the town and surrounding area – before she sets sail again at about 8pm.

Invergordon is expected to welcome a staggering 150,000 passengers in 2025, with 97 cruise ship calls scheduled between now and October 29.

One day before the arrival of the first vessel, the Press and Journal visited the Easter Ross town to ask locals whether cruise liners have had a positive impact on the community.

And many business say it’s not the tourists themselves that make the biggest difference – it’s the crew members, many of whom have become familiar and friendly faces.

Invergordon locals have their say before season’s first cruise vessel

Tony Hassan, 52, owner of Buchanan’s Newsagents, said the ships have been “very positive for small businesses”.

He said: “For us, small business owners, it’s been positive.

“In the winter time there’s only the few locals, but in the summer it’s had a good impact on small local businesses.

“Passengers may not spend much time in the town, but crew members do.”

Tony does, however, fear that a new berth location for the visiting vessels may have a negative impact.

This year, through the whole season, cruisers will berth at the Quay West berth instead of the area near the lifeboat station, which is much closer to the town centre.

It is understood that passengers will be taken from the Quay West to the centre on shuttle buses.

Mr Hassan said: “With the new system, the coaches are stopping further away and people won’t be having that much time to stop, going directly to the buses.

“I fear we are not going to benefit like other years from the cruises.”

Tanstar Gifts owner Sandra Munro is also “worried” about the change of berth location.

She said: “The ships are crucial to the survival of the High Street.

“Invergordon benefits greatly from the crews and the passengers.

“Things have changed this year in the way that every cruise that comes in.

“The passengers are going to be shuttled into the town.

“The worry is that there won’t be the volume of buses to facilitate a quick transfer.

“Some of them may get stuck down there.”

Cruise ships bring money to Invergordon

Speaking on the High Street, John Conlon, 65, is yet to be convinced of the cruise ships’ benefits, saying he’s seen “neither positives or negatives” for the town.

“I haven’t seen any improvement in the town in 50 years,” he said.

Maggie Scott, manager and founder of the Hope charity shop, however, believes the cruises have been good for businesses.

She explained: “People from the cruises spend money in the community.

“I think the bus service can be a problem but apart from that is good.

“It’s good to see a buzz on the High Street and sometimes the same crew members come back every year, so you get to know them.

“It has been very positive. The shop is busy during those days.”

Similarly, Susan MacLean, who works at the Blythswood charity shop, said the ships are “good for businesses and the town” – and credits crew with making a difference.

She said: “It brings a lot of people in who are spending money in the town. It’s a wee buzz.

“Of course a lot of them go to Inverness on the tours, but some of them spend time here.

“We’ve had days in which the shop has been absolutely full of cruise liners folks, and you also have the crew that comes in.

“On those days I go home home very, very tired.”

However, not all residents think cruise ships bring a lot of money to the Easter Ross town.

Kenny Hearton, 52, argued: “Look at the town. It’s dead. A major dump.

“Cruise ships come in, passengers come off, they go to Dunrobin Castle, Inverness.

“Little bit of money gets spent in the area, but what is there for them? There is nothing.

“It’s mainly the crew that spends money here.”

Invergordon locals fear local buses will get overcrowded during cruise season

Local resident Mike Stainke, 71, told The P&J that he thinks cruise ships are “a positive thing”.

He said: “It takes people and money into the town – and it keeps the history going too.

“Invergordon has a big naval history and so this carries on that tradition of the ships using the Cromarty Firth again.

“Over I think it’s a positive thing, although there is that element where people come in and the buses take them away to Dornoch and off to Loch Ness, so there’s a sense perhaps that the town misses out on some of that.”

His friend Donald Macdonald, 63, thinks one negative impact is the overcrowding of local buses.

He said: “You’ve got a hospital appointment or something and there’s a big queue waiting to get on.”

The P&J has previously reported on the struggle Invergordon and Alness commuters face when taking the bus to Inverness during the cruise season.

And 27-year-old Ben spoke to us before jumping on the X25 service to Inverness.

He said: “I’m sure they’ll bring some positives but there’s no common courtesy and the buses are so full.”