I don’t take ocean cruises often, and only picked this one because (a) it was going to Scandinavia, and (b) it left from Edinburgh – only one flight from Kirkwall.
Due to a mix-up with my luggage (don’t ask – entirely my fault this time), I had the opportunity to sit and watch the onboarding procedure for 1,000+ elderly Scots. It was a well-oiled machine; accommodation made for wheelchairs, walkers, and canes; double-decker shuttle buses; and the chirpiest, chipperist, young staff imaginable. Their faces must have hurt from smiling.
But, everyone made it aboard safe and sound; although, as I am writing this on our first day out at sea, someone was just airlifted off on a stretcher in a helicopter. How scary that must be for them and their travel companions.