flossie009

No, Leith can only accept the smallest cruise ships due to the size of the entry lock. There are various locations used for cruise ships to access Edinburgh (https://cruiseportwiki.com/Edinburgh) If your schedule says that you will tender into Newhaven then that is likely where you will anchor. Still convenient for a tram ride into Edinburgh and a short distance to see the Royal Yacht Britannia When Navigator could not enter Leith dock this morning, the Captain did look at alternatives. However another cruise ship was occupying the anchorage at Newhaven and Rosyth had some technical difficulty.

Yes, hope we can get into dock tomorrow morning - Captain says he is aiming for 04:30am. Also hope we can leave again in the afternoon …………. otherwise we risk being late to our next port, Hamburg. We will miss the piper who was meant to be coming on board for a local show this evening 😉

Very disappointing (& costly) for anyone with independent tours booked, or for those with tickets for the Tattoo or other Edinburgh Festival events. Problem seems to have been with navigating the narrow channel & lock into Leith harbour, due to adverse wind. Not sure why we couldn’t have anchored off Newhaven & tendered in - presumably too late to make the alternative arrangements and/or sea swells not suitable.

No - we considered getting tickets earlier this year but with the vagaries of cruising and Scottish weather decided against. Also the pipes are not our favourite! (weren’t they invented by the Irish and given to the Scots as a joke?) btw, Luke sends his best regards. He and is team are doing a good job. Looks like they will be under pressure with changes again today as we should have docked in Leith at 06:45; it is now 08:30 and we are still sculling around off North Berwick. As I write this Captain Aris has just announced that we cannot dock today (due to wind????). So a day at sea then he will try again tomorrow 🤨

During their work in the Orkneys the Italians built a chapel using materials they were given or acquired The interior decoration is fabulous; mostly painted onto the plasterboard lining of the corrugated iron hut The 3D effect achieved by the artists is truly amazing The chapel was restored in the 1960s, under the supervision of one of the Italians who had done much of the work during the war The column of the font was formed from a wagon spring coated with cement. After our very short time in the Orkneys we are now heading towards Leith, where we will spend 2 days exploring Edinburgh and the surrounding area.

During our tour we passed Scapa Flow and our local guide gave us the very interesting history of the area during the two world wars. This included the fascinating story of the 1200 Italian POWs who were taken to the Orkneys during WW2 to help construct the blocking causeways used to protect the British naval fleet from enemy submarine attack. One of the causeways, with some of the earlier block ships used to protect Scapa Flow previously

An early start this morning for our tour around the southern Orkney Islands. The furthest south we went was to a small coastal village on South Ronaldsay - remarkably quiet & peaceful before 9am on a Monday morning

No not on Shetland or on the Orkneys, but we did see many Greylag geese on their way south. We encountered hundreds of puffins while in Honningsvaag, Norway (post #34) - on the water fishing and being harried by other seabirds for their catch; too small and fast for any pictures. The boat crew shared this picture of a puffin in one of the thousands of nesting burrows on the island we circled during our tour.

Shetland ponies near Scalloway All the attention was too much for this little one, only 2-3 months old

Today we are in the Shetland Islands. Approaching Lerwick After a champagne & caviar breakfast it was off to see the pleasant Scottish lady from U.K. Border Force, who kindly approved us sassenachs landing in Scotland. After lunch we are off to see some Shetland ponies.

Last night the after dinner show was a guest entertainer, pianist Tim Brumfield Today is a sunny saturday sea day. Officers Challenge this morning was won (again) by the officers; giving Captain Aris bragging rights for his noon announcement, which today he preceded with Greek music. Tonight there is a 6pm “James Bond” show by the Production Company, which appropriately follows a Martini tasting. Then after dinner one of the talented singers, Miles Obrey, is presenting a cabaret in Galileo’s Passages today includes a short history of the ship:

@mrlevin GM Michael sends his regards. He is missing you ………. and the Norwegian beer.

Navigator will be in dock for a refresh from September 09 to 21. Mainly technical work but also some carpets being replaced and the teak planking on the Pool Deck will be spruced up. We were also glad to see that Regent are progressively changing the balcony door mechanisms to make them easier to open. Having suffered sticking and/or whistling doors in the past on other ships (especially Explorer & Splendor) we hope this retrofit is introduced fleet wide.

Some photos from our tour today in the Lofoten Islands: A facility for the upkeep of the local fishing fleet - a huge tonnage of fish being landed in this area. Last night David had the fresh Norwegian Halibut brought on board a couple of days ago. The chef says he has also acquired some local Hake for the menu. Although the weather was cool, we saw some brave souls swimming in the icy waters of the fjord A beautiful view from our balcony on Navigator today. The building on the left is a new fish farm research facility. Tonight we are in Leknes port till 8pm then we set sail south towards the Scottish Islands then overnight in Edinburgh (Leith) next Tuesday / Wednesday

Ours writes very well

In the case of our insurance it is a fixed amount: “……£150 for each port stop shown on your schedule that is cancelled by the cruise operator after your vessel has left the first port” I doubt that a substitution would be considered as a cancellation, but have never felt the need to make a claim

Ray takes over from Dru as CD in Amsterdam at the end of this cruise. (I understand that he is joining the ship a few days early, in Edinburgh next week, as he doesn’t like flying)

The Regent U.K. office does not open on Sundays 🤨 🤔

Here is the Regent Destinations guidance from the cruise that we are enjoying at present: A simple process that is very similar on all Regent ships. The process works well when guests adhere to the advice given, and if they remain patient if unforeseen delays occur (Unfortunately patience is not a concept understood by all 🤨) Only one person needs to present the tour tickets for the group but all must be available ready to leave the ship.

Having had an inconvenient time in Europe for reservations for some time we have never bothered to try to book immediately the window opens …………. but we have always got the excursions and dining times that we wanted.

I understand that the problem occurred when the Captain heard that all public service vehicles can get free electric power in Norway 😉 Unfortunately the ship’s extension lead would not stretch from Honningsvaag to Hammerfest 🤣 😂 We were very relieved when power was restored ………… and hot coffee arrived. I bet Navigator’s Chief Engineer and engine maintenance crew were under extreme pressure during the night. Well done to them for getting the problem fixed 🙂

A Mermaid Vesper Martini

We chose to go on a “Bird Safari”, and from the boat saw lots of different species including Puffins and majestic Sea Eagles. Plus a small whale and some grey seals in the water. Cold but clear; it started raining as we boarded our bus for the return trip across the island - lots of reindeer to be seen grazing either side of the road. Only 15 of us on this paid trip so not crowded on the bus or the boat. Hot chocolate with Kahlua went down well on our return to Navigator

Yes, Mermaid Gin (and vodka) is available in all the bars on Navigator ………………. luring sailors onto the icy rocks 🍸 🍹 Best wishes for the rest of your cruise. Here on Navigator we are heading up towards North Cape …………. looks like we may have to wrap up warm for our excursion bird watching tomorrow.