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. 

Something rotten in the state of Denmark

On the first day in Copenhagen, TSH and Diva took an excursion which had the worst guide they have encountered in a while. His English was excellent but he managed to be almost inaudible whether on or off the bus. His directions and organisation were so poor that TSH and Diva and a couple of others managed to take  wrong turning on the way back to the bus and were the last people back on board.

The destinations were excellent, however. They visited the extremely impressive  Frederiksborg Castle and walked on Hamlet's ramparts.

TSH and Diva still agree that the food on the Silver Spirit is better than ever and the presentation is superb. There are, however, two restaurants which were never their favourites and now are definitely off the list. The Silver Note (was Stars, which served a tasting menu of small plates which were much enjoyed in early 2017) now serves a complicated menu where it is not obvious how many courses to order. There is no clue in the ship literature but it turns out the food is very spicy. Diva asked for her salad without chilli but still managed to almost choke on something very hot. Her main course was served on an elaborate glass construction with black bits in the bottom (not in the actual food, which was OK).  On the last night of the first cruise, they went to Hot Rocks, where guests cook their own food on hot rocks.  So the food gets cooked on the outside and stays raw inside unless you cut it up and then you get dry shreds.  Not a great experience and not to be repeated.

A marathon walk round the city on the second day. TSH and Diva saw SCAT, the most impressive yacht they have ever seen. Google says it cost $75 million and belongs to Charles Simonyi, who was very senior in Microsoft. They also saw a seaplane, which flies a service between Danish islands and the mainland.

Silversea has been taken over by Royal Caribbean!!!!