Hundreds of American tourists basked in the sun while exploring Aberdeen today as the first cruise ship of the 2025 season sailed in.
And they had nothing but praise for the “warm welcome, the beautiful architecture and the kind local people” of the Granite City.
The Viking Vela brought nearly 1,000 visitors to the north-east this morning in a welcome boost to traders all across the region.
This is the first time the Norwegian-flagged cruise ship has glided into the city.
It is the first of one of 62 planned cruise ship visits this year, making 2025 the “busiest season” since they started coming here a few years ago.
Around 40,000 visitors will get to explore the region in the coming months, with today’s eager tourists praising the Granite City “as the best they’ve seen so far”.
We hit the city centre streets to see what they think of Aberdeen?
‘We can’t wait to explore more of Aberdeen – it’s a beautiful city’
The plaza outside Marischal College is heaving with visitors, attentively following their tour guide as he takes them through the story of Robert the Bruce.
Dozens take out their phones to capture the granite walls as they are told the history of the prominent building, glittering in the sun.
Sheila Nicholson is in awe of the “brilliant” city centre architecture, which is a far cry from the Beverly Hills mansions and palm-lined streets of her American hometown.
The 86-year-old is from Los Angeles and has just hopped off one of the tour buses with her friend Barbara Nelson.
Admiring the sun-lit Marischal College, she says: “This is our first stop so we haven’t seen much of Aberdeen yet, but everything so far has been absolutely beautiful.
“The buildings, the people, the history…It’s all been fantastic and we can’t wait to explore more of city.
“And the weather has definitely been on our side. What are all these myths about the gloomy Scottish weather? Look at this bright sun we have today!”
Taking a quick snap of the Robert the Bruce statue outside the college, Barbara adds that her favourite thing so far has been learning about the history of Scotland.
The 78-year-old smiles: “Everything in America feels so new when you compare it to the heritage there is in Scotland – the oil and gas industry, Robert the Bruce, Denis Law.
“The architecture is gorgeous, and it’s great to see the streets so busy with people.
“We totally rely on cars back in LA, while everyone here can just walk from place to place. I feel like it adds to the atmosphere.”
‘I would rather live in Aberdeen than Edinburgh’
The next couple we spot taking in the views of the world’s second largest granite building is James and Florence, from Canada.
The pair have come to the north-east after a day in Edinburgh – and despite the capital’s reputation as a must-visit destination for tourists, they say they much prefer Aberdeen.
Florence says: “We went a beautiful walk around Aberdeen this morning and I must admit, I would prefer to live here than in Edinburgh.
“Aberdeen has a lot more space to walk around, and it’s a lot less busy.”
Her husband James chimes in: “It’s all so impressive and well kept up.”
Are tourists put off by the Union Street works?
After watching the crowd take in the story of Denis Law’s long and illustrious career, we stop to chat to Bob and Susan Bonnie who have came all the way from Austin, Texas.
The couple went for a “major hike along the beaches to see the bird colonies” this morning before diving into the urban scenes of Aberdeen city centre.
“It’s all been stunning!” Bob chirps.
One city centre landmark which their group – comprising mainly of Americans and Canadians – probably didn’t have on their maps was the Union Street roadworks.
The Granite Mile has been undergoing its biggest transformation in 200 years over the past 12 months, and is perhaps not the prettiest site to greet tourists with.
However, Bob and Susan don’t seem to mind.
More so, they think this is a “positive sign of progress”.
“It’s the same wherever you go,” an optimistic Susan tells us.
“It’s a sign of progress for the city.”
As we pass Mackie’s ice cream shop, Susan chuckles: “I just wish I had more time to try the lemon meringue ice cream!”
Meanwhile, Bob and Joy, from Colorado, marked a very special occasion with their trip to Aberdeen today.
The couple celebrating their 50th anniversary echo Susan’s words, saying that even with the works, the Granite City has topped all the other locations they have visited so far.
‘The local people make visiting Aberdeen an exuberant experience’
For Sam and Sue Pohl, the best thing about Aberdeen is the “gracious” local people, who “make you feel welcome and are always willing to help”.
The couple is from a small place in Indiana, so they can relate to the Granite City a lot more than perhaps those coming from bigger cities like New York.
This is their first trip to Scotland, which they describe as an “exuberant experience full of lovely surprises”.
“We took a walk around the shops in the city centre, and everybody has been so welcoming and so gracious with us.
“The bagpipes performance in the morning was great and the people are so welcoming – we’ve enjoyed every bit of our stay here.
“It’s a short trip, but we will definitely look to come back for a longer holiday.”
What do Americans think of Aberdeen compared to London?
As the crowd of impressed tourists head back to their bus, we catch one last chat with Dave Harms, from Iowa.
Singing the praises of the city’s most famous landmark, he gazes up at Marischal College as he tells us: “Aberdeen is very impressive, it’s combining the old and the new, it’s all amazing.”
What parts of Aberdeen would you show off to impress a first time visitor? Let us know in our comments section below
“One thing I like is the easiness of getting about and how close together everything is.
“We were recently in London, and whilst it was an interesting place, it was very, very busy. Aberdeen is much more relaxed.”
Dave also shares the opinion that the ongoing city centre roadworks are a positive.
He points out: “It’s an upcoming and vibrant city, the works are a sign of progress.”
The tourists then headed back to the boat, which our reporter had a look around while it was docked…
Take sneak-peek inside luxury Viking cruise ship as it marks maiden visit to Port of Aberdeen
Read more:
- Which cruise ships are visiting Aberdeen in 2025?
- Tourism bosses say thousands of Aberdeen cruise ship visitors ‘won’t be deterred by city centre chaos’
- Look inside life on ultra-luxury yacht with submarine, TWO helicopters and personal butlers
- ‘It’s better than Edinburgh!’ A day in the life of a cruise ship visitor seeing Old Aberdeen for the first time
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