Its far too many years since I have managed a proper trip on the Waverley. I have tried, but things kept getting in the way. (her breaking down, the pandemic or adverse weather) but finally on Saturday I managed it.
I paid full price for the full day trip from Glasgow for two people. This came to a whopping £106. however this includes an £8 fuel surcharge. There is no doubt this will be completely unaffordable to many people, however Waverley has to turn a profit to survice. I have since found some special offers on the "wowcher" website, for anyone interested. They say this on their website about the fuel cost
The cost of fuel for Waverley has increased significantly since 2021. Based on the current fuel price we are anticipating the daily cost of fuel will increase by over £3,000. This equates to a total fuel cost of over £13 per minute when at normal cruising speed. We have therefore reluctantly introduced a small fuel surcharge of £2 or £4 on adult and senior tickets. The surcharge will help towards meeting this increased cost. We will monitor the cost of fuel and adjust the fuel surcharge accordingly. The surcharge will be removed if prices decrease sufficiently but it may need to be increased.
Voucher Link :
https://www.wowcher.co.uk/deal/glasgow/activities-entertainment/river-cruises/24270049/waverley-steamer-return-tkt-24On the day, we actually decided to skip the Glasgow leg of the journey, and we drove to Greenock to join the ship. Parking was easy and free (easier than in Glasgow) and the new Beacon Arts Centre has a lovely waterfront cafe and nice toilets to wait in.
It was at this point that I noticed a passenger on twitter (I searched for any mentions of Waverley) say that she had broken down in Glasgow and hadn't left yet... I couldn't believe it - foiled again! This keeps happening to me! However I remained hopeful, and now was absolutely desperate to get on.... the new team are doing a great job, and the website was swiftly updated to reflect the issue, and I relayed it to some of the people waiting in the cafe. Others outside on the quayside remained blissfully unaware.... after some time, the chap on Twitter said she had now sailed, and I used the Marine Traffic website to watch her come down the Clyde at a fair lick to meet us. We went for a nice walk with our coffees while we waited. Memories came flooding back from 2007 and 2008 of being here with QE2. Before she arrived at the quayside, the website was again updated with an apology, and an updated timetable for the day. This is something that has improved dramatically since my last trip on her - when something goes wrong, communications are essential. 5 stars to the team on this.
The lovely thing about waiting at Greenock is that you can't see her at all until she comes around the very last bit of the docks, and suddenly there she is resplendent with her big funnels. People crowded and pushed to get on, but we waited a long way back to let people get off etc. It was fully booked, so what was the point of pushing to get on?
Waverley coming into Greenock, 31 August 2022 by
Rob Lightbody, on Flickr
Once underway, the weather changed as forecast from grey and drizzly to a beautiful breezy sunny day, with incredible visibility and stayed like that for the rest of the day. We crossed over the Rothesay, where a large proportion of the ship disembarked, and then we enjoyed the quiet ship for a while, until we arrived at Largs, where she got busier again. We then enjoyed a truly lovely cruise around Cumbrae, looking over towards Arran and the Ailsa Craig "Paddy's Milestone" 25 miles away, then around the coast of Bute before retracing our steps.
Waverley's Bridge Wing by
Rob Lightbody, on Flickr
Waverley's Wake by
Rob Lightbody, on Flickr
On board the varnished areas were spectacular, the brass was gleaming. The toilets were clean and fully working. The restaurant and cafe were well stocked. The crew were friendly. There honestly wasn't anything at all I could fault. This attention to detail is a real credit to the team, including the management, as I know its not been easy at all to achieve this.
There was a special event on board - kids travelled for free - and the they were to dress as superheroes, pirates or princesses - lots of kids and parents had taken part. There were regular group activities for them on board by the crew which was a lovely touch, and the lower bar was dedicated to them.
I had a lovely, lovely day on board. I can't wait to go again.
Waverley, Heading back to Rothesay by
Rob Lightbody, on Flickr
Waverley's Funnel by
Rob Lightbody, on Flickr
Waverley's whistle in action by
Rob Lightbody, on Flickr
View from Waverley by
Rob Lightbody, on Flickr
