Port Power

On our recent cruise, there was a couple with a later afternoon flight. They did not get a day room. However, they had access to the hotel/resort’s swimming pool and facilities until the time of their individual transfer. Many guests were staying at the same hotel overnight as it was included in the cruise package. If a post cruise hotel is not included for most, then I think you might spend 4-6 hours at the airport. ☹️

This sounds really good. The day I disembark Dawn, my flight isn’t until 7pm. The only drawback is the minimum 3 cases. I’ll have to ask around if anyone else is interested.

“I am so sorry. As the book was on the chair for an hour without anyone reading it, I thought it must have been forgotten and left behind overnight.”

I usually only take one suitcase (18-20kg) and a carry-on, but still have plenty of dressy clothes for formal and informal dining. Base black with various jackets, cardis or kimonos for most nights. Two dressy dresses for formal nights. Post pandemic I want to dress up to go dining, and there is little opportunity at most (not all) restaurants on land. For my 30 nights on Silver Muse I will probably take two suitcases with me and really enjoy wearing different outfits. I hand wash them all, roll in a towel, and hang in the shower to dry. If the destination requires a bulky coat, that can be carried over the suitcase handle if there is not enough space in the case. If I am going halfway around the world for a long cruise, I want to enjoy myself and feel good too.

No binoculars in verandah suites. Bring your own. Personally, I feel binoculars are almost necessary on any expedition cruise or for looking at fjords and scenery on some classic cruises.

Interesting that you will see all those plants in Perth gardens, with the exception of the decorative bowl. Probably all in Brisbane too. My Singapore orchid is in a pot of course, not rampant outside! I was impressed while in the Balkans with the big and colourful oleanders everywhere. They really brightened our travels.

These are the stories I grew up with, the camel trains bringing goods to outback South Australia. I was not aware of who first brought camels to Australia though, so thank you for the link. Nor was I aware of Burke and Wills using them, and those explorers were part of Australian history learned in primary school. A few years ago I read a biography of a girl from outback SA and her memories of the Afghans coming by every few months with their camel trains of goods from saucepans to fabric. She had a romance with a young Afghani man. It was a very interesting read.

These things happen. 🙂

I will be on Silver Dawn at the beginning of August. I will have to take notes so that I can post the current situations on entertainment, evening wear and food on the relevant threads! 😆

No, the Afghans and their camels were the way goods were delivered around the outback. The building of railways made them redundant and so the camels were release into the wild. Of course the destruction of the ground and competition for food was not even thought about at that time unfortunately. They have so far been impossible to eradicate due to the vast area they inhabit now.

I’m so sorry that you are experiencing what you are. I used to like Celebrity, but it certainly seems that there is a change in the passenger demographics. I guess the lesson learned is that you can’t go back after moving on to premium and luxury ships.

That “stomach bug” would have been altitude sickness.

I’ve chosen this same tour when in Busan in September on Muse. So many choices!

So many zip pulls seem to make the backpack look very busy. Taking the zip pulls off weirdly makes the backpack seemingly easier to use. 🤷‍♀️

It may be that enough time hasn’t elapsed since you made the booking. Otherwise click on “add a booking” and enter the details yourself.

I do wish you well. I enjoyed our trip out to a reed island when up at Lake Titicaca. I experienced altitude sickness in Cusco, my husband at Lake Titicaca. However, on my last trip to Cusco I was absolutely fine and also walked a great deal. Love the patio and screens.

Coral Expeditions has a Japanese itinerary in, I think, September this year. The crew were all very excited about it. Exploring islands all around and off the coast of Japan. Maybe for your future cruise planner?

I concur with @drron29. I visited Kenrokuen gardens in late March and would have loved to spend many more hours there. I have also chosen that for the S/S tour in September. I’ve made a note about transport in case I have time to go back independently. In March there were two couples having their wedding photos taken. We also went to the gold leaf place. Lovely skin care products with included gold leaf flakes at very good prices. I bought plum wine there - with an attached bag of gold leaf! I think some are supposed to be included in the glass to drink. And we did eat an ice cream with a whole sheet of gold leaf across it!

Hence why most of us chose Regent, or consider other small ships such as Silversea. All inclusive, nothing more essentially that has to be booked and/or paid for.

Thanks, Mysty. Your reasons tick my boxes as well. I appreciate your thoughtful response. Now it’s just a matter of working on my budget!

Reading your posts and thinking about my 2025 world cruise has brought further questions to mind. World cruises are good in that you see many desired destinations with only one air fare. However, how do I know I will enjoy a World Cruise? I could book the 2026 World Cruise when on Silver Dawn in July. With a guaranteed refund of deposit until 359 days (or thereabouts) and the $650 admin fee transferred to a future cruise, there is no down side to booking. But… how satisfying is life on board for four or five months? Silversea has limited entertainment, as does any brand of ship with around 600-700 passengers. What do you do in the evening? There will be some repeat ports, but with a different view and itineraries. Often the Pacific Ocean countries are in the height of summer, which includes extremely high humidity. You have done a few World Cruises. What is the attraction? Why do you book again? What do you enjoy? I am really interested in your views.

I make one called an ant nest. Mix lemon juice into the cream cheese for a nice zing, then roll in black poppy seeds. Tasty! Going back over 20 years though. Make that thirty years: very 90s.

On the Dawn Norwegian cruise where I booked as a "partial charter", all passengers on our tour will just book shore excursions the same as any other passenger. The only difference is that one of our tour leaders will also go on one of the tours as well, although just as another passenger. So no different than if all passengers were from independent bookings. We all make our own dining arrangements the same as other passengers. However, La Dame has been booked one night for the lot of us, and there is a cocktail party another night. There are no separate tours booked as a group. Therefore the "partial charter" will not impact on other cruisers any more than a normally full ship would. Of course, we are all perfectly well behaved, seasoned travellers who do not drink and do not party. 🤣 Well, we are seasoned travellers. 😊

If I had a cruise booked for April next year, I would have also have booked my flights by now. Is Silversea refunding the $500-$800 airline cancellation or change fee?

I don’t know why so many of you think charters will be full of drunks and loudmouths? I’ve been on a charter, which was booked by an Australian travel group and sold to ordinary people. Other charters are for special music or film events. The passengers, if a one-company charter, might be all very well behaved people used to luxury travel. The only possible negative of being on a ship that is a partial charter (only a number of suites booked) might be less mixing with a group who already know each other. But that might not happen, and there are other passengers on board.