A cruise ship paying her maiden visit to mainland Scotland yesterday lived up to her name by sprinkling a little Disney Magic on the Highlands.
The impressive liner created a spectacle when she arrived at the Cromarty Firth port of Invergordon, with Mickey and Minnie Mouse and a host of other Disney characters on board.
The 965ft Disney Magic, operated by Disney Cruise Lines, was also carrying 2,700 passengers and 950 crew members.
Many of the visitors headed off on excursions to tourist attractions across the region, including Urquhart Castle, Inverness, Culloden Battlefield, Clava Cairns, Cawdor Castle and a cruise on Loch Ness.
But they also spent time in Invergordon, enjoying the sunshine and the party atmosphere created by the ceilidh band and pipe band playing in the Natal Gardens during the afternoon.
Crowds of sightseers flocked to the Easter Ross town to see the cruise liner and take photographs.
The visit will also have provided a welcome economic boost to the area as the 63 cruise ships visiting Invergordon this year are estimated to be worth £11million to the wider Highland economy.
Disney Magic is on a 12-day cruise of Britain and Ireland, including maiden visits to ports in France and Guernsey.
During each of the maiden stops, Captain Andy McRonald, who is originally from Portsoy, and shipboard officials are inviting community leaders and local officials onboard for a traditional maritime plaque exchange ceremony to welcome the new ship and guests to port.
The captain said: “These inaugural calls are not only a milestone in our Disney Cruise Line history, they give our guests the opportunity to create even more magical memories when sailing with us.”
Councillor Martin Rattray, Cromarty Firth, was one of the local dignitaries welcomed aboard.
He said: “There has been huge excitement for the past few weeks about the Disney Magic coming in and the town was very busy.
“As cruise liners are getting bigger, they are bringing in much larger numbers of visitors, which is hugely important to the whole Highland economy.”
Cruise development manager for the Port of Cromarty Firth Captain Iain Dunderdale described the visit as “a fabulous opportunity for the port”.
He said: “It was a pleasure to welcome Captain Andy McRonald, Mickey and Minnie Mouse and the rest of their Disney friends to the Highlands for the first time.
“They even had an extra special welcome from a pod of dolphins as they entered the port.”
