The largest cruise liner to ever to dock at the Easter Ross port of Invergordon has brought with her over 4,000 passengers.

The Crown Princess cruise arrived in the Highlands for the first time as part of her Britain and Ireland cruise. The number of passengers onboard was nearly twice the population of the town.

The visitors – whose presence is a boost to the local economy - were greeted by a piper as they disembarked.

When asked what they hoped to see on their whistle-stop tour of the Highlands one tourist replied: “The Loch Ness Monster of course…I adore castles, I must have lived in a castle in a previous life, I just love them so much."

The 19-deck liner boasts one of the largest floating casinos on any cruise ship operating around Britain, while outside areas boast swimming pools, bars and beauty therapy services.

Captain Iain Dunderdale of Cruise Highlands Ltd, said: "The arrival of Crown Princess at Invergordon, with its record number of passengers, shows how far the Scottish Highlands has come in terms of cruise tourism in a period of just a few short years. Invergordon now ranks in the top tier of cruise ports, alongside Amsterdam, Bergen, Copenhagen and Reykjavik.

"Large cruise liners such as the Crown Princess, which will be calling at Invergordon four times this season, provide an enormous boost to the local economy. Around 50 cruise ships will visit the area this summer, bringing visitors from across the world."

Captain of the cruise ship Nick Nash said of Invergordon: "For our passengers it’s a great experience coming through the cliff heads at the entrance to the Cromarty Firth, and then there's a beautiful docking pier and then they've got such a great look of traditional Scotland here."