The first cruise ship of 2023 has arrived at Portland Port this morning.

AIDAbella, which can hold 2,050 passengers, arrived at around 7am and is scheduled to depart at 7.30pm.

It is set to be another bumper cruise season for Portland Port as it welcomes 56 cruise ships carrying a total of up to 130,000 passengers between them.

The AIDAbella has carried passengers from Hamburg, Germany on what will be a 21-day trip which will also take in the Canary Islands and Spain.

AIDAbella has a crew of 607 and is part of Aida Cruises, a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation.

It is 15 years old, entered service in 2008 at a cost of $390 million, and has 1,025 passenger cabins. It was built at Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany and is the sister ship of the AIDAvida and AIDAluna.

The 252-metre ship has 13 decks, a gross tonnage of 69,203tn and a cruising speed of 20 knots. Its facilities include a nude sunbathing area towards the back of the ship.

After this week's visit the next ship will be from the same company, the AIDAaura on Tuesday, April 4.