irvington

I'm interested in whatever you find given my upcoming trip on the Nova. Love the reference to the Inquisition skit.

I'm following this since I'm going to be on Nova this fall and hoping it will be okay.

also, the weather should still be good then Portland’s 25 best patios and rooftop bars for soaking up the sun - oregonlive.com

For a day trip, I really like going to the Columbia Gorge. You can take the highway on the Oregon side to Hood River or beyond, and then come back on the Washington side. Hood River is a really cute town. If you want to come the long way back, you could drive up to Timberline Lodge from Hood River and then back to Portland. Wonderful scenery. Another great day trip is Astoria - Cannon Beach. Cannon Beach is a cute town with a gorgeous beach. Astoria is more of a real town, with great history (2 nearby Lewis and Clark sites, the Astoria Column and the Maritime Museum). I really like the Cannery Pier Hotel if you want to stay overnight. Portland is known for food, coffee, beer, and wine. (and weed) EaterPDX keeps up on more of the restaurant happenings. I like the downtown cultural district with the art museum, symphony and historical society. The Chinese Garden is cool, and the Japanese Garden has been recently renovated. Walking around NW 23rd or SE Hawthorne is a good way to get a feel of more normal life, also going to an eastside restaurant. The eastside esplanade, walking from our science museum, OMSI, is lovely.

I've been reading all these concerns and I'm wondering how they will affect me, the cruise I have planned for this fall and the one I'm about to pull the trigger on for next year. I've only been on Silversea once, last fall, but felt I had finally found a good way for me to travel solo and had the best vacation I could remember. I found the ship and crew lovely, the itinerary interesting, and I really liked the other passengers, who seemed positive, curious, and educated. The tours were fairly large but good, and I liked the onboard lectures a lot. As a solo, it seemed like a decent price, interesting people I could talk to when I wanted to, and time by myself if that was what I preferred, and someone else figuring out how we were going to get from point A to B. All of those are either hard to find traveling truly solo, or if on a tour type trip you have to pray that the other folks won't drive you crazy since you can't escape them. I live in a very "foodie" part of the world, which may make me picky but also means I don't travel primarily to experience food. I thought the food was generally quite good Fall 2023 on the Muse and the few things I didn't care for, I didn't finish. I never went hungry; kind of the opposite problem. Has the food declined a lot since last fall? It sounds like there are fewer items on the menu for sure, so I may have to plan where I eat a bit more. Curious if there are any thoughts about what I am "there for" that would cause you to skip booking a trip for next year? I realize it is totally my decision.

I'm really looking forward to your good writing, the ports you will visit, and how the Wind is. I'm thinking of a cruise on her next year.

Thanks for this thread. Wish I had seen these recommendations before my overnight in Tokyo last fall, but I am saving the ideas since I hope to be back there soon.

Wow, I had a really different experience boarding the Muse last September. I had flown up from Portland that morning and got a cab to the cruise port. It was the only time I have cut it close like that, but I am a 2-hour flight away. Anyway, it was the easiest thing. I was directed to Silversea. While there were other ships there, the line I was in seemed only related to Silversea. The US passport holders went through without any wait in the line. It was only weird since I had just entered Canada an hour ago and now needed to "re-enter" the US. But zero delays - I have never gotten onboard a cruise ship so easily. That said, the non-US passengers seemed to have a bit of a queue. Emily

I'm looking at one of the Wind itineraries - some islands I've really wanted to visit.

I get it about there being different customs in different sectors. I do find that outside of the US it is often relevant to price if the room is for 1, 2 or 3 people. I think most solo travelers like me are fine with the 25% supplement. Unfortunately, most of the Silversea cruises don't offer that reduced supplement. I believe the needle may move as demographics change. I'm in my 50s and a lot of my female age peers who can afford to travel (and are interested in it) travel solo - mostly because they are single but sometimes with a partner who doesn't have interest. It may be most of the people I know my age who really like to travel don't have a romantic partner who shares their travel interest. On the other hand, I am part of a travel committee for my local club. Most of the club members who want to travel with the club are couples in the 70-85 age range. This could just be my microclimate but as I see more "gray divorce" I wonder whether solo travelers will become a demographic that businesses want to court.

I think you have probably answered this question, but I really enjoyed Silver Note on the Muse and it is probably the main place I want to reserve on the Nova. (some nights I want to play by ear) I was wondering about the time to reserve to be there when the music is happening. But if reservations don't open until 8, then I guess that's the time to reserve.

I'm thinking under this pricing structure the essentials with low single supplement are the way to go for me. Although I'm bummed about the price increases, and wish I had locked in one or two future cruises, I think essentials should work for me since I'd sort of prefer to be on my own for excursions. That said - I can't seem to find a way to search for both things. Have you found a way on the website?

Yes, I just signed up for a solo cruise this fall, but was also looking at one in 2025 and one in 2026. Both have gone up by 2-3000 for PTP (plus the 25% solo premium). I'm now wishing I had locked in those, but I really was reluctant to commit. I'm not sure prices will come down given inflation.

I’ve got a similar situation, so this is a good idea. Thanks.

Thanks! Super helpful.