Two cruise ships – Regal Princess and Ambience – have been forced to make significant itinerary changes due to the powerful Storm Floris sweeping across northern Scotland and the Norwegian coast.
Both ships have cancelled or rearranged ports of call to ensure the safety and comfort of passengers and crew.
Regal Princess Skips Scotland as Storm Approaches
Princess Cruises’ Regal Princess is currently sailing a 12-night UK voyage roundtrip from Southampton, having departed on Friday, 1st August 2025.
While the Royal-class ship was able to visit Kirkwall in the Orkney Islands as planned, she was forced to cancel her scheduled calls to Invergordon on Monday, 4th August and Stornoway on Tuesday, 5th August.
“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.”
Letter sent to guests
Instead, Regal Princess will spend Monday at sea and visit Greenock (Glasgow) a day earlier than originally planned, on Tuesday from 8 am to 7 pm.
The itinerary will also include a newly added call to Liverpool on Wednesday, 6th August. All previously booked shore excursions for the cancelled ports are being automatically refunded.
The UK Met Office issued strong wind warnings for the region, noting that gusts of up to 80 to 90 mph could batter coastal areas of Scotland. Tendering or docking in such conditions would have posed significant safety risks.
Ambience Diverts from Norway’s West Coast
Ambassador Cruise Line’s Ambience, meanwhile, is contending with the same storm system from across the North Sea.
The 70,285-gross-ton vessel departed Tilbury on Sunday, 3rd August on a 7-night Norwegian Fjords sailing.
To avoid the worst of Storm Floris, Ambience has replaced her scheduled call to Sandnes on 5th August with an earlier stop in Bergen – an area currently under a lower-tier yellow wind warning.
In addition, her visit to Alesund on 7th August will be extended, while calls to Haugesund and Stavanger have been cancelled altogether due to berth unavailability and safety concerns.
The revised itinerary now includes:
- 3 August – Depart Tilbury
- 4 August – Day at Sea
- 5 August – Bergen (formerly Sandnes)
- 6 August – Geiranger
- 7 August – Alesund (time extended)
- 8 August – Day at Sea (formerly Bergen)
- 9 August – Day at Sea
- 10 August – Return to Tilbury
Weather Warnings Across Both Regions
As Storm Floris moves eastward, the Met Office continues to monitor impacts across the UK.
Wind warnings remain in effect for parts of Scotland, including the Orkney and Shetland Islands, while the Norwegian Meteorological Institute has issued orange and yellow alerts for the west coast of Norway, including Stavanger and surrounding areas.
Wind gusts in Norway could reach 78 mph (35 m/s), especially in exposed coastal areas during the early hours of Tuesday, 5th August.
Cruise ships like Ambience and Regal Princess are well equipped to adjust to such conditions.
“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,” Princess Cruises noted in its letter to guests.
While some guests may feel disappointed by the missed ports, cruise lines continue to stress that guest safety is paramount. These types of itinerary adjustments are not uncommon during storm season, whether in the North Sea, the Caribbean, or the Pacific.
Both Princess Cruises and Ambassador Cruise Line have promised to keep guests informed of any further changes.
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