Formal Optional

On this leg of the cruise - Amsterdam to Copenhagen - more people are wearing formal clothes on the 'Formal Optional' nights than on the first leg - Southampton to Amsterdam, where only about 4 men were wearing dinner jackets and bow ties. Including TSH. But it is still a minority and many people are dressing quite casually. If Silversea listen to the majority of their guests, it will not be long before formal wear is banned and denims and fleeces compulsory. Sad.

During the journey so far, there have been many 'white nights' when there has been little or no darkness. There have been 2 Venetian nights, when members of the loyalty club are invited to a cocktail party. The host reads the names of the guests who have sailed with Silversea for the most number of nights. On both occasions, TSH and Diva have been 5th. Their 700 odd nights will never compare with the people who were given 25 roses to celebrate 2,500 days of Silversea travel!

On his excursion in Kristiansand, TSH had his picture taken (with his consent) by another guest who wanted to show it to TSH's doppelganger back home.

TSH and Diva usually take their phones and kindles with them as they move around the bars and lounges. On leaving the Dolce Vita bar, TSH also scooped up the drinks menu, which is in a similar case. They kept it in the suite overnight and returned it surreptitiously the next morning.

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.  

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.