Cruise ship Vista
After sailing 923 nautical miles from Kirkwall, we finally arrived in Southampton. We’ve safely docked at our usual spot — City Cruise Terminal 101. One thing I really like about this berth is how close it is to West Quay, a popular shopping mall. If you walk at a decent pace, it takes me just about 10 minutes to get there from the terminal.
Over at Horizon Cruise Terminal, docked ahead of us, is the cruise ship Vista, operated by Oceania Cruises. She’s about 791 feet (241 meters) long and picked up her pilot at 3:00 AM. The Horizon Terminal looks modern and spacious, with a curved roofline and plenty of open space around it for buses, trucks, and port operations — definitely built to handle today’s large cruise ships with ease.
Cruise ship Vista in Southampton, UK docked at Horizon Cruise Terminal
Our ship, the Balmoral, picked up her pilot shortly after at 3:15 AM, and then Britannia (operated by P&O Cruises and stretching about 1,083 feet or 330 meters long) followed at 3:30 AM. With three cruise ships in port today, Southampton is buzzing with activity!
We’re setting sail again at 5:00 PM, heading out on another cruise — this time to France! We’ll be visiting the beautiful ports of Saint-Malo and Rouen where we have two overnight stays before heading back to Southampton.
And exciting news — I finally have my flight details confirmed! I’ll be flying with Qatar Airways, the same airline I flew with when I joined the ship last April 1. I really love flying with Middle Eastern airlines — so far I’ve experienced Qatar, Emirates, and Oman Air, and their service is always above and beyond.
And oh, by the way — just 15 days to go and I’ll be heading home for vacation! I can’t wait to be back with my family and go on our planned trip to Siquijor. Counting the days!
Seafarer and Family Man
I'm Dexter— a seafarer by profession, a traveler by passion, and a homebody by choice.
