British Isles Cruise 2026 - Glasgow / Greenock (09/01/26)

 

The day started off with my usual problems with my back and with my legs.  I wasn't totally crippled.  But I was glad that I didn't have to walk far, as today's shore excursion would take us on a 1 hour cruise on Loch Lomond

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RQS and I went for a late breakfast, picking up items from the ship's coffee and light pastry shop.  It was not much, but it was what we needed to get moving.  After we got back to the room, my GI-Tract began to tell me that it wasn't in love with me anymore.  I didn't pay it much mind until Lunch time, and then it demanded my attention.

30 minutes later, we were off to our shore excursion, and I was glad to have taken care of business when I could do so.  But this would not be the end of it.  Walking to the tour bus was an effort, especially since the weather was gloomy and that the rain would be coming down at any minute.  30 minutes into the trip to Loch Lomond, the bus stopped to give people a chance for a bio-break and to do some shopping.  As for me, I stayed on the bus and tried to rest.

Eventually, we got to Loch Lomond for the 1 hour cruise.  It rained a bit, but not enough to ruin the excursion.  On our return to the ship, the tour guide asked us: "At what time does the ship leave port?" And I answered: "15 minutes after the bus drops us off."  I wasn't joking.  The bus was running late due to traffic, and we were among the last people to return to the ship.  As I expected, the ship did leave port shortly after we returned to the ship.

Once back in our room, our cabin attendant had a complaint to make.  We made his life harder for him when my GI Tract caused me trouble.  Although there was nothing I could have done differently, I won't have to worry about this happening again.  And - I know he'll be getting an extra special tip for going above and beyond when cleaning up the room. 

  

British Isles Cruise 2026 - Embarkation Day (08/26/26)

 

We got up at an ungodly hour for us (6 am) and prepared for the bus ride to the Southampton terminal to board the Majestic Princess (pictured above).  We knew to leave our "checked" luggage at the door, as the next time we'd see our bags would be on the ship, outside our cabin door.

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Neither of us had much sleep the night before, and started to get ready to leave the hotel around 5:45 am. For a change, I showered first, and started to repack my carry-on with too much stuff.  It was bursting at the seams!  After a quick breakfast, we made one last pass in our room, placed our checked bags outside our door, and went downstairs to await the bus that would take us to the cruise port.

Once on the bus, it took 2 1/2 hours to reach Southampton and the Cruise Terminal.  Unlike most cruise terminals, this one had me remove all metal from my person (including my belt), take my computer out for separate screening, and surrender my cane while I passed through the scanner.  TSA screening at JFK airport was much less of a hassle.  At least, we skipped much of the line due to our needs to use canes for walking and for support.

After boarding the ship, we made it to our cabin while the cabin attendant was finishing up his work.  He noted that we would need to surrender our passports, so that Irish authorities could stamp them.  In the almost 30 years I've had a passport, I've never had a stamp - this would be my first.  (And it could be my last, given the second passport that I hope will be coming soon.) 

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Both of us were tired, so we took a nap around 3:00 pm. At 5:45 pm, the cabin attendant appeared, and took our passports for processing.   A couple of hours later, we were off to the specialty seafood restaurant for the first of our dinners.  The dishes were all expertly prepared, but the service was slightly too leisurely for my taste.

Shortly after dinner, we were back in our cabin for the evening.  Our cabin attendant visited us 3 times in succession: (1) to tape down the extension cord that I had to use to keep my CPAP unit by my side of the bed, (2) to deliver a pair of bathrobes we could use on the cruise, and (3) to deliver a pair of shore excursion tickets not originally left in the room when we arrived.

It was a busy day, and I'm glad I can finally get some sleep.