Ultimate World Cruise 245 days and all the parts. Ongoing review, questions, opinion

[Tom.in.nc]

Glascow photos 

 

Friendly Scots gave Wellington a “hat” to keep off the pigeon poop. No matter how the town officials tried to stop them, new cones reappear as soon as they are removed.

Edited September 6, 2019 by Tom.in.nc

[Heidi13]

2 hours ago, Jim Avery said:

Greetings from chilly, drizzly Scotland.  As high winds caused our scheduled stop in Holyhead, Wales, to be cancelled, Viking managed on short notice to put together a stop at Greenock with several tours to Glasgow and district.  The area of Wales was full of historic areas but the tour of Glasgow was interesting and well done given the timing.  The ship has been riding very well with no excessive motion.  I think the type of stabilizers on the Sun  work nicely.  Chengkp75 would know more about the type and engineering involved so maybe we shall hear from him.  I was just a lowly boat driver.  But then my favorite bartenderess refers to me as Captain every time I show up.  Tells others I am the "spare Captain" in case of need.  The crew continues to be great and a few favorites from the Inaugural as well as this cruise are leaving in Bergen.  A good number of passengers seem to be leaving in Bergen as well.  Guess we will have some new troops arriving.  🍸

A typically "dreich" day on the West Coast of Scotland, sadly I remember them well. Hope the wee nip of nectar, upon disembarkation, provided some protection against the "harr"

 

Pity about the weather, as on a nice day a trip over the Erskine Bridge to Loch Lomond is brilliant.

[Jim Avery]

In Explorer’s starting with a Viking Royale. Wee dram later.🍸

[NY Nick]

Saw a few on board pics in the Jan 4th thread.  First time on a Viking Ocean cruise and glad to see a few pics from on board.  I'm a neat casual guy and don't think I'll be bringing a jacket or tie.  What seems to be the popular dress code on board?  

[SantaFe1]

2 hours ago, NY Nick said:

Saw a few on board pics in the Jan 4th thread.  First time on a Viking Ocean cruise and glad to see a few pics from on board.  I'm a neat casual guy and don't think I'll be bringing a jacket or tie.  What seems to be the popular dress code on board?  

Well, on our 2019 world cruise of 128 days, I think I saw a tie only once.  Jackets, however, we saw a lot, mostly in the specialty restaurants.  Unfortunately we saw some not quite presentable, imo, outfits in all venues.  My husband wore khakis and a jacket in the specialty restaurants, and just khakis and a polo or collared shirt in the restaurant, and in World Cafe, just about anything.  Casual reigns, especially on a long cruise.  But this is a topic that generates a lot of dissension.

Edited September 7, 2019 by SantaFe1

[Jim Avery]

Belfast, home of the Titanic.  The weather is quite pleasant compared to Glasgow.  Cool but dry and not too windy.  Belfast to be honest has never been on my must see list but has beautiful buildings in the city center.  Not much different from some other UK cities.  Topped up the snack locker in our room and are looking forward to the party for past World Cruisers.  There were tours to several outlying areas so hopefully someone who took them will chip in and give a description of their day.

[lackcreativity]

2 hours ago, Jim Avery said:

Belfast, home of the Titanic.  The weather is quite pleasant compared to Glasgow.  Cool but dry and not too windy.  Belfast to be honest has never been on my must see list but has beautiful buildings in the city center.  Not much different from some other UK cities.  Topped up the snack locker in our room and are looking forward to the party for past World Cruisers.  There were tours to several outlying areas so hopefully someone who took them will chip in and give a description of their day.

Belfast is also the home of the incredible Titanic Museum. It is really comprehensive, starting with the who and how of the building of the ship, then the ship itself with mock-ups of a first class cabin and a steerage berth, the passengers, the sinking of the ship, and the aftermath. Really worth the price of admission. (Plus, the huge soundstage for the filming of much of Game of Thrones is right next door!)

[Tom.in.nc]

Day in St. Patrick Country 

[Jim Avery]

Tucked in a wee loch. Ullapool.

 

[SantaFe1]

40 minutes ago, Jim Avery said:

Tucked in a wee loch. Ullapool.

 

What a great picture!  

[TayanaLorna]

Love all the pix.  Thanks.

[brownblonde]

Where are you now about 1 month to be in NYC

 

[Jim Avery]

Running a bit behind.  All this leisure is hard work.... Ullapool was a lovely village with a nice pub.  We did walkabout on a partly sunny and comfortable day.  Cullen Skink (not very nice name) was lunch.  A stew of haddock, potatoes, onions, similar to New England fish chowder.  Delicious.  Especially with a pint of the local brew.  The next day/stop of Kirkwall weather was totally opposite.  Cold, windy, rainy.  But we had an excellent guide and got to see the ancient standing stones and other ancient features.  As an amateur Naval Historian and former seaman I particularly enjoyed seeing Scapa Flow.  Our guide was very well informed and made the tour.  We stopped for a while in the village of Stromness and had local ice cream.  By the time we were returning to the docks the rain stopped and weather improved immensely.  As we have been told, in Scotland you get 4 seasons in a day.  Not the first time we heard this. 

Today we were in Edinburgh.  Surprisingly we anchored out and tendered in.  Originally we were to dock in Rosyth but I guess we got bumped.  Actually the small yacht harbor we tendered into was much nearer to Edinburgh City Centre so it worked just fine.  Nice calm day that started with misty rain and ended with sunshine.  We are very glad they gave us the hooded jackets for all the drizzle so far.  I know there will come a hot day when we fondly remember the chilly times in Scotland.  We had a private car and driver today and he took us around to all the main sights.  I have not been to Edinburgh in many years so was a bit surprised at all the traffic.  The Castle is still amazing on top of its extinct volcanic base as is Holyrood but Lois found her cashmere on the Royal Mile.  Glad we didn't hit the entire mile.  Nice to be back "home" and ready for a Manfredi's night.🍸

[Jim Avery]

Forgot to mention Greyfriars Bobby. I had heard the story before but it was nice to see the location. The statue of Bobby is nearly our terrier we lost two years ago. Got to rub his nose for luck.😎

[SantaFe1]

2 hours ago, Jim Avery said:

Running a bit behind.  All this leisure is hard work.... Ullapool was a lovely village with a nice pub.  We did walkabout on a partly sunny and comfortable day.  Cullen Skink (not very nice name) was lunch.  A stew of haddock, potatoes, onions, similar to New England fish chowder.  Delicious.  Especially with a pint of the local brew.  The next day/stop of Kirkwall weather was totally opposite.  Cold, windy, rainy.  But we had an excellent guide and got to see the ancient standing stones and other ancient features.  As an amateur Naval Historian and former seaman I particularly enjoyed seeing Scapa Flow.  Our guide was very well informed and made the tour.  We stopped for a while in the village of Stromness and had local ice cream.  By the time we were returning to the docks the rain stopped and weather improved immensely.  As we have been told, in Scotland you get 4 seasons in a day.  Not the first time we heard this. 

Today we were in Edinburgh.  Surprisingly we anchored out and tendered in.  Originally we were to dock in Rosyth but I guess we got bumped.  Actually the small yacht harbor we tendered into was much nearer to Edinburgh City Centre so it worked just fine.  Nice calm day that started with misty rain and ended with sunshine.  We are very glad they gave us the hooded jackets for all the drizzle so far.  I know there will come a hot day when we fondly remember the chilly times in Scotland.  We had a private car and driver today and he took us around to all the main sights.  I have not been to Edinburgh in many years so was a bit surprised at all the traffic.  The Castle is still amazing on top of its extinct volcanic base as is Holyrood but Lois found her cashmere on the Royal Mile.  Glad we didn't hit the entire mile.  Nice to be back "home" and ready for a Manfredi's night.🍸

Thanks for the update.  Love following along.  

[Wendy The Wanderer]

7 hours ago, Jim Avery said:

Forgot to mention Greyfriars Bobby. I had heard the story before but it was nice to see the location. The statue of Bobby is nearly our terrier we lost two years ago. Got to rub his nose for luck.😎

 

 

Gee, looks like you're not the first to rub his nose!  I remember this statue from my first visit, almost 50 years ago, plus several subsequent visits.  

[haydn12]

We had to tender in Edinburgh when we were on the British Isles cruise in late July.  The water was quite rough when returning to the boat.  They had a hard time getting everyone off and a couple people were soaked totally when a wave splashed into the tender! 

 

[Heidi13]

21 hours ago, Jim Avery said:

Forgot to mention Greyfriars Bobby. I had heard the story before but it was nice to see the location. The statue of Bobby is nearly our terrier we lost two years ago. Got to rub his nose for luck.😎

Jim - It really is a brilliant story. Hope you tried a refreshment in the adjacent pub, of the same name. When visiting the Tattoo, this is where we usually stop for dinner before the show, as it is a short walk to the Castle.

[Heidi13]

21 hours ago, Jim Avery said:

Running a bit behind.  All this leisure is hard work.... Ullapool was a lovely village with a nice pub.  We did walkabout on a partly sunny and comfortable day.  Cullen Skink (not very nice name) was lunch.  A stew of haddock, potatoes, onions, similar to New England fish chowder.  Delicious.  Especially with a pint of the local brew.  The next day/stop of Kirkwall weather was totally opposite.  Cold, windy, rainy.  But we had an excellent guide and got to see the ancient standing stones and other ancient features.  As an amateur Naval Historian and former seaman I particularly enjoyed seeing Scapa Flow.  Our guide was very well informed and made the tour.  We stopped for a while in the village of Stromness and had local ice cream.  By the time we were returning to the docks the rain stopped and weather improved immensely.  As we have been told, in Scotland you get 4 seasons in a day.  Not the first time we heard this. 

Today we were in Edinburgh.  Surprisingly we anchored out and tendered in.  Originally we were to dock in Rosyth but I guess we got bumped.  Actually the small yacht harbor we tendered into was much nearer to Edinburgh City Centre so it worked just fine.  Nice calm day that started with misty rain and ended with sunshine.  We are very glad they gave us the hooded jackets for all the drizzle so far.  I know there will come a hot day when we fondly remember the chilly times in Scotland.  We had a private car and driver today and he took us around to all the main sights.  I have not been to Edinburgh in many years so was a bit surprised at all the traffic.  The Castle is still amazing on top of its extinct volcanic base as is Holyrood but Lois found her cashmere on the Royal Mile.  Glad we didn't hit the entire mile.  Nice to be back "home" and ready for a Manfredi's night.🍸

Jim - The Cullen Skink is a hearty creamy traditional soup/stew, normally made with Smoked Haddock (Finnan Haddie), which provides the distinctive flavour. Another delicacy in N Scotland is Black Pudding, which I enjoy when back visiting.

 

Unless taking the train into Edinburgh Waverley, I agree that tendering ashore close to Leith is preferable to docking in Rosyth. The drive into Edinburgh from Rosyth/Queensferry is a nightmare, especially in the morning. Although in Rosyth you would have had a view of UK's newest carrier (HMS Prince of Wales), which I believe departs the building yard this week.

[Jim Avery]

56 minutes ago, Heidi13 said:

Jim - It really is a brilliant story. Hope you tried a refreshment in the adjacent pub, of the same name. When visiting the Tattoo, this is where we usually stop for dinner before the show, as it is a short walk to the Castle.

Seems to me no matter which pub I walk in they all know Andy....🍺🍸

[Heidi13]

19 minutes ago, Jim Avery said:

Seems to me no matter which pub I walk in they all know Andy....🍺🍸

Another refreshment parlour, close to the Castle is The Bow Bar, great selection of Whisky & cask ales.

 

Never thought about it, as I should have given you some of these suggestions before the ports.

Edited September 11, 2019 by Heidi13

[Jim Avery]

1 minute ago, Heidi13 said:

Another refreshment parlour, close to the Castle is The Bow Bar, great selection of Whisky & cask ales.

 

Never thought about it, as I should have given you some of these suggestions before the ports.

Haha, don't worry about it.  Seems I just naturally show up at some of your old haunts.🍺

[Heidi13]

5 minutes ago, Jim Avery said:

Haha, don't worry about it.  Seems I just naturally show up at some of your old haunts.🍺

Close to Invergordon, a few years ago we stayed at a brilliant B&B in Tain, home to the Glen Morangie Distillery.

 

We would also have considered hiring a car and driving to Speyside for the Cullodon Battlefield, followed by lunch at the Baxter Soup factory. Have found memories of Baxter soups when growing up.

[Tom.in.nc]

A few snaps from Ullapool....

[Jim Avery]

Funny you should mention Culloden as that's what was on today along with Cawdor Castle.  Not a bad ride in with beautiful scenery, we toured a beautiful formerly unknown (to me) residential castle  outside Inverness.  Extensive gardens with a finely kept hedgerow maze as well as lots of other flowers and trees.  Very lush.  The castle is still lived in so had a more homey feel than some of the other National Trust properties.  Back onboard the coach we were taught lots of history about Culloden as we drove over.  There are extensive displays at the Culloden Battleground entrance building along with the requisite gift shop and a small cafeteria.  We had full Scottish weather with rain, wind, sun, cold, warm,  rinse and repeat.  Our guide was excellent and taught us lots.  Lois is a fan of Outlander so was glad to see the little cottage and the "hairy cows" featured on the show.  Seems lots of fans of the show at Culloden. As we were leaving naturally the sun came out.  But the wind picked up mightily.  As we returned to the ship I estimate around 40 mph winds on the dock.  Thankfully they have subsided a bit.  Bet we have a few bumps tonight...🍸