SCandinavian Cruises - 2026
Friday 5 June'26 [the 6th is further down the page)
The penultimate day on the ship, a Sea Day. No rush other than packing and watching the Raiders, so after a later than usual breakfast, back to the room to start putting things back into suitcases and watching the end of the Storm v Knights game before putting myself through a lot of pain by watching a woeful Raiders... On a brighter note, as some of you may know, I collect magnets from the many places I have visited (gunna need a bigger fridge) and given the majority of the cabin walls are metal, I have been putting them up on the wall of the cabin. The artwork is for sale but, unfortunately, don't have enough room in the cases...
Lunch was a very light affair as we had booked into the Rooftop Garden Grill (an extra charge). Situated on the 15th deck and open to the elements, it was booked on the pretence that it should be warm. How wrong were we!!! At 2000, yes, 2000 and an outside temp of 13'c; we approached the venue to be greeted by a bunch of smiling faces, albeit, with jackets on (even the chefs had beanies on). I must say that it's not hard to imagine that on a nice night, what a great place to dine BUT... Anyhoo, the food, based on a smokehouse concept, was fantastic, staff super attentive and all in all, a great dinner. They even provided blankets for the cold hearts! After dinner, on our way to the The Club, another piece of ship based art. The magician/comedian was bloody good. After that, bed as we have an early departure tomorrow morning. An 0500 wake-up, brekky and off the ship by 0730!
Saturday 6 June'26 - Disembarkation/Salisbury/Stonehenge/Windsor/Heathrow
This morning, we docked right on 0600. Now I have to say that we pretty much met every docking and leaving the dock times on all 3 cruises. I also have to say that I am amazed at the skills they have in getting the ship (as big as it is and in water) to the dock so quickly and smoothly. I know it's their job but I still am in awe and I have seen people with small tinnies show less ability! This cruise was 2,224 nautical miles in total which means I have just sailed 8,131nm or 9,350 miles since 8/5/26 and have enjoyed every single moment of it. I appreciate that some people think it's an oldies thing but I like the fact that it allows you to get a snapshot of places whilst your hotel comes with you. The choice of food and entertainment was varied and large and a drinks package, whilst seeming expensive at the time of purchase, allows you great flexibilty without a jawdropping bill at the end.
So a tour of Salisbury, Stonehenge & Windsor Castle with a transfer to the hotel at Heathrow was the go. It was wet and windy when we disembarked for the last time and was met at the exit from the terminal by our tour guide, Salvador, and guided to the coach. About 30 people in total and away we went. 1st stop Salisbury and primarily, the Cathedral. We had a 5 minute walk from where the bus stopped as the Cathedral is within a close, or "fenced off area" but the guide was great, filling us in on the history and interesting anecdotes on Salisbury. We weren't allowed into the building itself, whilst there as there was a service happening but we could look around the outside and cloisters. I would like to go back there as it looks, like so many other english towns, very nice and would be a joy to walk around. The white pub on the corner in the last photo has been around since the early 1800's and was where Shakespeare and his actors would stay on their way to London.
Next stop, Stonehenge. There are many theories about who built it and what it was for but, and I did not know this, there a few Henges in England, 6 in this area alone and the current educated thoughts are that it was a "High Temple" of the Neolithic area. There are 3 different stones used, all coming from different parts of the country, each type having a particular role in the structure. An engineering marvel given the time. Another fact I didn't know was that the actually carved a "nipple" into each block that connected with another and a corresponding "dimple" into that stone, so they "locked" into each other. They are now reconstructing a Neolithic village near the entrance which has car/bus parking, ticket office, information centre (which has an exhibition of archeological artefacts found around the area), a cafe and shop (of course) and the site is about a 30 minute walk away. You can also catch the free shuttle bus if you prefer. Once you get close, it is quite awe inspiring. The last photo is a "reconstructed head" of a skeleton found on the site, using DNA.
Then onto Windsor Castle. Current home to the King & Queen and was also that for the previous Queen & her consort. Regardless of your views on the monarchy, the history is something else... Unfortunately, internal photographs are not allowed so you'll just have to enjoy the external ones :).
After that, off to London for the various drop-offs. As luck would have it, 1st cab off the rank and dropped right at the front door of the Holiday Inn Express at Heathrow Terminal 4. The room was smaller than the ship's cabin, but as it was just an overnight bed before the flight tomorrow, quite serviceable. A few drinks in the bar and a shared meal of spring rolls and a club sandwich, before the beauty sleep.