Question about NorthLink Ferries seating and food

Watch Steve Marsh on YouTube. Find his video of Northlink ferry. It will give you a full look.

Oh, good idea. I forgot about him. Thanks!

ETA: Well, that helped. It looks like there are chairs to sit in, and of course you can go out on the deck and so on, and you can purchase dinner without it being served in the Magnus Lounge. In fact, I'm wondering if it's even worth the £20 for a longer voyage. Maybe?

I still would like to know if I could add it on if I wanted to later. But I can always email NorthLink and ask them.

On the southbound in May, if it's a nice night I want to be out on deck. The first almost 90 minutes is a pretty scenic run down the coast, on the starboard side after you've left the lee of Bressay light. Then you normally get to view Fair Isle in the distance, after passing Sumburgh Head.

I would then be going below deck once Fair Isle is passed for dinner in the main self service restaurant. By the time you've had dinner you should be approaching North Ronaldsay light, then you pass down the outside of the Orkneys before turning in to the surprisingly narrow channel past Shapinsay to Kirkwall. So for over 3 hours of the passage on a good day of visibility you are in sight of land. You should be coming past Shapinsay at or just after dusk.

By the time you go down below the first rush of customers into the restaurant should have been and gone. As the ship sails it tends to be a bit of a queue, so that is a win win to me.

Yes there is plenty of 'normal' seating. There is also the bar to sit in, and have a good Orkney beer.

You can purchase the Magnus Lounge on board if it's not fully booked, which you won't know ahead of time.

I would be more likely to book the Magnus lounge between Aberdeen and Lerwick where there is much less to see.

Also on your way to the ship in Lerwick (just before the terminal) there is a good Co-op store. You could get yourself a pretty good picnic in there.

PS- In the B and B deal from Stromness use of the Magnus lounge on that vessel is included in the evening.

Stuart, thank you, this is great information! And I'm especially excited about being able to see the various islands for the first few hours. That will be a lot of fun. It's also good to know about the restaurant. Steve Marsh indicated that on his video as well, where he showed a long line of people waiting, but that was right after he had boarded.

I won't need to eat right away and I actually may just take advantage of the Co-op store you mentioned and get food for dinner there. The prices for the meals aren't terrible, but they're not cheap either. And that way, I can choose exactly what I want to eat.

I probably won't book the Magnus Lounge for the short ferry ride, although I did book it on my ferry from Aberdeen to Lerwick. I also saw that it is included for free on the B&B Stromness ferry. I'm not sure what will all be available there, since we aren't even boarding till 9:30 at night, but I guess I'll find out.

Thanks again! This was very helpful!

The dinner on board is excellent and uses local produce. There was plenty of choice and portions were generous. It was one of the best meals I've had for a long time! (I ate as soon as I boarded. There wasn't much of a queue and I'd finished by the time we were due to sail. Wait and see what it is like on the day....)

In May you will be getting very long days and very short nights. It is definitely worth being outside to enjoy the 'simmer dim' - but do make sure you have plenty of layers and are well wrapped up as it can get very cold outside!

By the way, if we are doing ferries, if you have time in Inverness a fun ferry on a far different scale is the seasonal Cromarty to Nigg 2 car ferry- https://www.highlandferries.co.uk/cromarty-to-nigg

I will admit that it is hard to use as transport without a hire car as there is no real public transport on the Nigg side. The ferry being used now was originally the Renfrew car ferry in Glasgow, and the route has a long history. It was used by King James IV of Scotland when going to the former shrine of St Duthac at Tain.

But Cromarty (on the Black Isle) is easy to get to, and you can do always just do a round trip. It is fun watching the cars being driven onto her, as not everyone is full of confidence!!

wasleys, that is good to know about the dinner. I guess I was a little worried about the quality, but I trust your judgment, and it would be nice to sit down and eat a hot meal on board. Thanks! I definitely intend to go outside. I love being outside on a ferry and I will have layers, believe me. 😊

Stuart, that sounds like fun. but unfortunately I won't have time. I'm stopping in Inverness for the night, then will pick up my rental car there and head down to Skye.

Mardee,
Wasleys is right, the food on board is great and I think very reasonable. And you’re right that Magnus lounge access isn’t really worth it for the shorter trip.

Thanks, Skyegirl! I do have access to the Magnus Lounge on my Aberdeen to Lerwick trip, but that seemed more practical since I'll be on the boat for so long. Thanks!