Key Aspects:
- Storm Floris is expected to impact much of the UK with high winds and rough waves on Monday, August 4.
- Regal Princess has cancelled calls to Invergordon and Stornoway to stay ahead of the storm and reach more sheltered waters.
- The ship’s visit to Glasgow has also been changed and a visit to Liverpool now added to the adjusted itinerary.
Guests often choose their cruise itinerary very carefully in order to visit their most desirable ports of call. It can be disappointing, then, when Mother Nature has other ideas and those ports must be skipped.
Regal Princess and her 4,250 guests will share a bit of disappointment over the next few days as the Royal-class ship must reroute on her current sailing. This is a necessary precaution as northern Scotland is in for rough weather, just as the ship was planned to be visiting.
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“Storm Floris is approaching the north of Scotland bringing high winds and heavy seas along our scheduled route. As a result, and as the safety of our guests and crew is our highest priority, we have made the necessary decision to cancel our calls to Invergordon on Monday, August 4 and to Stornoway on Tuesday, August 5,” a letter delivered to guests explained.
The ship is currently enjoying an iconic itinerary, a 12-night sailing around the UK roundtrip from Southampton. The cruise departed on Friday, August 1, and was able to call on its first port, Kirkwall, as planned.
Now, instead of Invergordon and Stornoway, the ship will spend Monday at sea and will enjoy a visit to Greenock (Glasgow) on Tuesday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
“While we may still experience some rough seas, this will enable us to proceed ahead of Storm Floris and shelter in the Firth of Clyde and the Irish Sea, and avoid the worst of the weather to provide you with the most comfortable cruise,” the letter continued.
On Wednesday, August 6, the ship will be in Liverpool from 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., a port that is now added to the itinerary to help compensate for the missed calls.
The rest of the itinerary remains unchanged as follows:
- Thursday, August 7 – Belfast from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
- Friday, August 8 – Day at Sea
- Saturday, August 9 – Cobh (Cork) from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
- Sunday, August 10 – Day at Sea
- Monday, August 11 – Portland from 7 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
- Tuesday, August 12 – Le Havre from 7 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
- Wednesday, August 13 – Arrive Southampton
Shore tours booked through Princess Cruises for the now-cancelled visits to Invergordon and Stornoway will be automatically cancelled and refunded to guests’ onboard accounts.
Impact of Storm Floris
Storm Floris is the sixth named storm to impact the UK this season. The UK Met Office has issued wind warnings for most of the UK, including all of Scotland, for Monday, August 4, just when Regal Princess was to have been visiting Invergordon.
“Storm Floris will bring unseasonably strong and disruptive winds to much of Scotland during Monday,” the Met Office noted.
Wind gusts up to 80-90 miles per hour could be recorded, and coastal areas are especially at risk for rougher weather that would make both docking and tendering all but impossible.
No other ships are scheduled for Invergordon until Holland America Line’s Nieuw Statendam visits on Wednesday, August 6. Likewise, no other vessels are planned for Stornoway until Oceania Vista on Saturday, August 9.
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By those dates, the foul weather should have moved far from the region or else dissipated entirely. Naturally, all cruise lines will still be keeping a close eye on Storm Floris in case she has further impacts on other destinations.
