Repositioning Cruise: Southampton to Rosyth

North Sea Oil Rig

The Balmoral left Southampton yesterday and is now cruising toward the port of Rosyth. Right now, we’re somewhere in the North Sea—yep, just floating out here with sunny skies and oil rigs for company. We passed several platforms earlier, and the one in this photo was the closest we got during my watch. It’s basically a giant robot in the middle of the sea.

Now, unlike the Celebrity Apex, it wasn’t a busy day for us on the Balmoral in Southampton. We weren’t embarking any guests since we’re just repositioning to Rosyth, where the next group of guests will board. So for us, it was more of a “quiet getaway” kind of day.

Speaking of the Celebrity Apex, she was docked right in front of us at the Horizon Cruise Terminal, showing off her shiny newness. She’s one of the newest ships in Celebrity Cruises’ Edge Class—around 1,130 feet long and built to carry about 3,400 passengers. Basically a cruise ship that could double as a small island.

Celebrity Apex

The weather when we left wasn’t great—classic rainy and windy UK vibes. We even needed a tugboat to help us pull away from the dock. But things got better once we were out at sea. Still cloudy, but at least the rain stopped, which was perfect timing for our crew party on the open deck.

Yep, we had a party last night! Music, food, people dancing—it was a nice break. I didn’t stay long though. I grabbed some food, hung around a bit, then left early. Officers aren’t allowed to drink onboard (zero tolerance), so once the drinks started flowing, I made my way out.

I’ll be signing off the ship tomorrow in Rosyth after two months onboard. Time for a much-needed one-month vacation! I’m flying from Edinburgh to Manila with Qatar Airways, short layover in Doha, then hopping to Cebu with Philippine Airlines, and finally flying to Ozamis with Cebu Pacific. Basically three flights, two airlines, one very jet-lagged seafarer at the end.

Can’t wait to be home. Bring on the rest, the food, and maybe—just maybe—a proper internet connection. Oh—and I just upgraded our internet at home to 500 Mbps! Hoping PLDT actually gives me the speed I’m paying for. Please no buffering when I finally get to binge-watch all the shows I missed!