Nearly there

The departure from Kristiansand eventually happened more than 24 hours later than scheduled. The Spirit of Discovery now has 3 working engines and the technical staff - who have worked incredibly hard to resolve the problems - are still working on restarting the fourth. TSH and Diva are concerned about how the 'dirty fuel' was taken on in the first place.

Because of the delay, the berth at Dover is no longer available and disembarkation is now expected to  take place at around noon on Saturday in Portsmouth  instead of around 8 am on Friday in Dover. This must have created huge logistical problems for Saga on shore and onboard, as well as taxi drivers and guests on the next cruise and the current one. 

The 36 hour delay will be filled with food, drink and service. The North Sea is calm. 

Bonus holiday

 At 18:00, the expected departure time from Kristiansand, the Captain announced that the Spirit of Discovery had engine problems and could not sail. Further announcements over the evening and the following morning explained that 2 of the four engines had problems, probably caused by 'dirty fuel'.  Spare parts have been ordered from Germany. Diva hopes that the suppliers have not heard about the 'Rule Britannia' incident. (See blog post 'no ghosts')

It is now impossible to reach Dover by Friday morning and hence the arrival home is delayed by at least 24 hours. Guests have not been told what is happening about those booked on the next scheduled cruise, which is only 5 days long.

Diva has moved the home food delivery order time from Saturday to Sunday morning.

On the instructions for disembarkation, TSH and Diva were amazed to find that it seems that they are not sharing transport with the other 2 guests who live on the same avenue as they do.

A Regent Seven Seas ship had to find a new berth, as its booked one is indefinitely occupied by the Spirit of Discovery.  

Hamlet's Castle

 

a or u

Because of Storm Floris, it would not be safe to berth at Skagen, the next port on the itinerary. The captain announced the name of the replacement port and TSH and Diva heard it as Kristiansund. a port they are familiar with, but which is north of Bergen. Diva became concerned that the return journey would be long and that the Spirit of Discovery would arrive late in Dover, with consequences for their arrival time at home. When the written program arrived, they discovered that the call would be to Kristiansand, which is on the outskirts of Oslo and not a huge diversion for the return to Dover. 

For most of the journey, the seas have been so calm that it was not always obvious that the ship was moving. That all changed on the rocky journey to Kristiansand, so they took precautionary stugeron and the steward tied down the balcony chairs. The sail past 'Hamlet's castle' was just before dinner, so Diva was able to recite part of Horatio's speech, with TSH playing the minor role of Hamlet. 

The shower door failed again. Fortunately TSH is a keen observer and a quick learner, so he was able to perform the trick with the door seal without involving the steward. 

In Kristiansand, they intended to go into the town on the shuttle bus but because there were no tours at this hastily arranged stop, the queues were very long and they decided to stay onboard the Spirit of Discovery. 

3 way shuttle

The replacement call was to Copenhagen, which is not new to TSH and Diva. They took the shuttle bus and walked round  one of the main squares and the attractive Nyhaven area. The shuttle driver remarked that he had been driving shuttles for 35 years (!!) and had never before had 2 destinations. Saga had arranged a circular route so that guests could alight in the city or at the Little Mermaid before returning to the Spirit of Discovery. 

TSH and Diva were bemused when they left the ship and were heading right towards the port exit to hear another guest remark that 'yesterday we went to the left'. Well, yesterday they were in a different port, different cruise terminal, different exit. 

No ghosts

Storm Floris is not just a UK issue. Captain Kim Tanner announced that the call to Helsingor would not be possible. Going ashore was planned to be by tender and this operation would not be possible in the wind and choppy sea caused by Floris. Diva totally agreed with this decision on health and safety grounds but was disappointed that she would not get to recite the lines from Hamlet which she has been memorising for the occasion. 'yet once methought it lifted up its head ......'.

She was less pleased with the Captain's behaviour on leaving Warnemunde in what he persistently referred to as 'sausage land'. He played 'Rule Britannia' very loudly as the Spirit of Discovery was waved off by (presumably) friendly local people. OK in UK but very jingoistic for our European friends. TSH and Diva were mortified.

Eating all the time

 

They missed the rainstorms in Riga by taking their walk early - some guests who went out later were thoroughly drenched. The weather in Warnemunde was grey and drizzly but this is the first unpleasant weather that TSH and Diva have encountered on this trip. Warnemunde is a pleasant coastal town with attractive riverside walks, as well as a railway but no steam locomotives.

The shower door in the suite refused to open, so Diva called the butler, who said he would send the steward  to assess it before the joiner was summoned. In case the guests are too decrepit to operate the shower door? The multi-talented steward yanked off the door seal, repositioned the door and reapplied the seal to correct the situation. Diva thanked him and asked if he would like to live with her.

The food continues to be good and they especially like the roast duck in 'East meets West'. The cookies are brilliant and every bit as good as those on Silversea. The roast beef for Sunday lunch was cut from a joint bigger than any they have ever seen before. It was mind-boggling to imagine the size of the cow it came from.  Some of the combinations can be bizarre - a breakfast muffin with creamed spinach and fried egg and another with scrambled egg and avocado soldiers.  One item on the dinner menu is 'clapshot pie'!

Accident report

Diva was invited to a meeting with the Spirit of Discovery Guest Services Director. She was able to greet him as a hero, as he was the person who 'sorted out' TSH's ipad when it was new and they did not know how to deal with its demands.  He was able to assure her that the Incident with The Door had been recorded and that all the proper procedures had been followed. 'It is a matter of international maritime law that the decks are open when the wind speed is less than 35 kmph'. He said that he would not offer a bottle of wine as the butler had already made adequate provision but that he would offer a 'free' massage to help with the residual soreness. Diva politely refused  this, as she has encountered the spa staff before and they are brutal. 

The Spirit of Discovery is currently in the south Baltic Sea. Some guests claim to have caught sight of a Russian submarine but this is an unverified report.

Photoblog (2)

 

The day of the Griffin

 

Diva forgot to mention that in Tallinn they passed an office labelled Malware Bytes. Turns out it is a perfectly respectable cyber security company but it is not a name she would have chosen.

Riga is a lively place with many local people around the city - not just shuffling Saga pensioners this time. Lots of cafes with loud music. TSH and Diva saw a group of young men on a large cycle with beer provided. Singing loudly and having a great time (the men, not TSH and Diva).

In TSH's world, there is no crisis that cannot be solved by use of half a box of tissues. So when an unfriendly bird made a deposit on Diva's sparkly shoes, he was ready for an instant clean-up. Diva has two pairs of sparkly shoes with her. Both receive many compliments from passing guests and crew.

As usual, TSH and Diva attempted the Saga morning crossword. One of the clues 'Great venture' evaded them until they traded solutions with other guests. Turns out there was a misprint, the clue should have been 'Great vulture' and the answer was 'Griffin' - a word that Diva had thought of but could not connect to 'venture'. 

Jeosh, their butler, read their mid-cruise questionnaire and came to enquire about Diva's well-being. More than the safety officer has bothered to do so far.