Port Power

Dinner tonight was in La Dame. Delicious as ever, but the menu still hasn’t changed. Dover sole was perfect, as was the pistachio soufflé. We had just sat down when the call came from our expedition leader that a Polar Bear had been sighted on an island just off the ship’s bow. Down went the menus as we all charged out to grab jackets and binoculars. Fortunately my suite is port side, and by then the bear was directly opposite my balcony. After this sighting, it jumped into the sea and swam for the next island. We did not wait to watch it haul out there. If not at La Dame with three friends, I would have waited. Shortly after, the ship moved on anyway. Huge excitement throughout the ship at our first sighting of a polar bear. IMG_1976.mp4

Sunday, 23rd June, 2024 This morning the ship was anchored near Texas Bar, a name of unknown origin, nestled on the north side of Liefdefjorden. A fur trappers’ hut was built in 1927, so passengers wandered around the site. There was also a serious hike undertaken by about 30 guests. In the afternoon the ship moved to Monacobreen, where we all went out in zodiacs for 90 minutes. There are a few really large glaciers, and plenty of brash ice. The first animal sighting was a bearded seal snoozing on an ice floe. We kept our distance and didn’t disturb him. After a period of time watching ice and birds, we headed back to the ship. Or so we thought. There was a stop at the bar zodiac! Hot chocolate with Baileys; Prosecco or whiskey. From there we headed away to where Beluga whales had been sighted. In fact there were four of them, one a calf. Trust me, they really are Belugas! We did then head back to the ship past some gorgeous small icebergs.

Yes, indeed. There is non-alcoholic bubbly, white wine and red wine. The lady I dined with tonight always drinks the sparkling wine. Another woman hasn’t tried any of them because she says they contain too much sugar. There are plenty of virgin cocktails as well.

Also, if you are a gty superior verandah, you might end up in a deluxe veranda anyway. Or deck 7 forward. That’s the nature of gty cabins.

We are so lucky! Gorgeous day. Folk were walking around the ship in short sleeves this afternoon. 10-12 degrees C, but the sun effect made us all feel so good. ☀️😎 I took a photo of the last groups ashore, but can barely see the red jackets. (I could with binoculars.) Time to pack up and leave.

This afternoon we are anchored at NY-London (New London), an abandoned mining settlement on Blomstrandoya that never took off. There is a shore excursion to walk around the abandoned buildings and equipment. There is a communications station here, so passengers have been asked to turn off blue tooth to avoid interference. Count the glaciers!

All my commentary disappeared! A lovely, sunny morning in Julibukta. During the zodiac cruise we saw nesting Fulmars, flying puffins and plenty of guillemots sitting on the water. There were also eight Svalbard reindeer. They could easily be seen with the naked eye, but were indistinguishable from sheep at that distance. With my binoculars I could easily see the antlers. Three of them sat down in a snow patch to cool off. Tom far away to photograph. We then landed for a walk along the shoreline to see the moss campion (pink flowers).

100 or so passengers and an entirely different deck layout.

“Petition” is a well known, top restaurant. I think we last went there for my son’s 30th birthday. Did you read all the information in the paving outside? Think courts and petitions.

Saturday, June 22nd. Julibukta, Svalbard. Another glorious, sunny day. Birds are flying past or resting on the water. Lots of Brunnich’s Guillemots. Our group starts with a zodiac cruise including past the bird nesting cliffs, then a walk ashore. The zodiacs are out investigating shortly before 8:00am.

If you enjoyed that during a neap tide, imagine what it could be like during a full moon! Lovely video.

The morning’s zodiac cruising saw plenty of birds and some distant Svalbard reindeer. The afternoon’s landing was at a well known walrus haul out, but the walrus declined our invitation. It became simply a walk around the beach looking at driftwood and old whale bones. There was reindeer scat, but the animals themselves were so far away that even binoculars only showed dots. Never mind, that is the nature of expedition cruising. Better luck tomorrow. Oh….we did see a Skua attacking a kitty wake. It was quite an aerial dog fight! I had dinner in The Restaurant with friends and chose the whole “Swedish menu”. Delicious!

The original notification definitely stated for bookings made after a certain date, which I seem to remember as being June 5th. Nevertheless, I had 250 nights listed in My Silversea and the current ship I’m on had that listed also. (I have actually sailed less than 200 days.) You should have been given a VS number after your first SS cruise. That is something for Silversea to fix first. My take is that any qualified RCI or X passengers who had booked their first future SS cruise before June will not qualify for laundry. Another minefield! Only time will tell.

You are definitely the customer Silversea is aiming for, but you are also looking for a luxury experience, not just a small version of Celebrity. Seven days is perfect for you now, but once retired you might want longer cruises. Also not just a repetitive circle. That’s where back-to-back cruises come in, and longer itineraries, which then suit several age brackets. We can only hope that RCG keep the balance without losing customers.

So this is a sort of a review of a cruise just completed? I agree with @DavyWavey70, some more details of the negative comments would be helpful.

First views if Svalbard at 6:30 this morning. A gorgeous day, but cold. Now I know why the bath robes are so thick and heavy! The land is closer than the photos suggest. Those are fulmars flying about. Departing from around 8:10am, this morning will be zodiac cruising for 90 minutes. This afternoon we will be landing to walk around to a known walrus haul out.

As the drinks have been prepaid, there is no actual sale when ordering a drink, so no sales tax to pay.

Dinner at La T was excellent, but I was not able to take photos. The breaded veal hop was as big as the plate, and everyone said it was very tender. Antipasto is no longer on the menu, but you can still ask for a charcuterie board or cheese board instead of the mixed one that is delivered to the table. One lady wanted nothing for dessert. 🤣 This is why Silversea is such a please use to travel with. Fabulous staff with a sense of humour! Bakck in my suite with camomile tea. Usually I just bring from Panorama myself, but I thought I’d play safe tonight and ordered room service. A few glasses slid off tables during dinner. The wine waiter hugged the fridge during swells and very carefully opened it afterwards to settle bottles back in their correct places. We expect seas to be much calmer after midnight. The sky has cleared and the sun is pouring in now at 10:00 pm.

I guess being part of a group of 31 does help with photo sharing. 😀

There is usually a certain number of shorex kept aside to book once on board the ship. Not everyone does everything online. Booking a world cruise also includes a decent on board credit to use for anything, as well as an OBC specifically for shore excursions. Use some of that to book some select excursions in advance.

You are there in the middle of the dry season, so pretty typical. Quite another experience in March/April!

I can put one item to rest. Flowers are plentiful on Silver Wind in the suites, bars and dining rooms. The remarks on crew nationalities I cannot condone!

Husavik, June 17th. The skeleton of a blue whale washed up on the beach in 2020. The skeleton has been left lying on its back. The guide with walking tour group was in the church choir. He not only took them up the tower for a fabulous view, he sang to them. The following are from those who went on the whale watching tour. The early risers who did the long day out up to the lake were very happy with their choice of shore excursion.

Vigur Island, June 16th. Extra views thanks to Jodie and Kim. A nesting Eider duck. Good camouflage. A King Eider drake, noticeable for the yellow area and its red beak. This was the only one that anyone saw. More passengers fending off tern attacks. Sticks are held only, not moved about or used for swatting birds. Our defence mechanism. This is now most of the island looks. Excellent grass coverage due to the bird droppings, which was why it was prime grazing land until recently. This is where the Arctic Terns nest on the ground, as well as some of the Eider ducks. I am still amazed that these small birds fly all the way to Antarctica!

Photos taken by those who did the Arctic Fox tour in Bolungarvik.