Miss Merry

I really enjoyed that, thank you.  Would you mind sharing your ports of call please, not easy to remember I know.  Thank you.

MM

Looks a great menu with plenty of tasty sounding choices.  Disembarked Encore two weeks ago and found TK Grill repetitive and boring with no new dishes from previous cruises.  Now this food sounds perfect to be eating outside in all that wasted space, great setting for great food.  I think Seabourn are on to a winner.

If you go to Reception when you board they will print out the daily dress code for each day, that way you can plan ahead.

MM

I’m sure when I did a speed test Starlink was the provider.  The problem wasn’t intermittent but all the time for two weeks.

Yes, with and without VPN.  Never had a problem until this time.

Just disembarked the Spirit.  Internet was terrible with the new supplier.  Couldn’t FaceTime or watch even short videos which were blocked.  The old internet was much better.

MM

In Silver Note on the Moon the stage is left as you walk in.  It doesn’t work as there is too much crew traffic backwards and forwards across the stage and passenger traffic heading to the bar.  They have moved the stage on the Dawn, it is now right with a table in between the entrance and stage.  Much, much better as the entertainers are more integrated into the room.  It does seem on the Dawn that Silver Note is being used a lot more other than dining, again a plus in a Jazz Club.

MM

On 3/5/2023 at 10:15 AM, rgaudet said:

Thanks all. Can you rent a car near the port?

Always pre book your rental in Antigua.

I’ve been using Antigua taxis for years, never found a good one yet.  I follow all the ‘don’t get ripped off’ rules but each time it’s disappointing.  Only last week at the Cruise Pier I thought I’d found an official Taxi Association driver, but I was wrong.  We agreed a price to Nelsons Dock Yard, US $35, and followed him. His  ‘taxi’ turned out to be at another dock a long walk away.  When we got in it was driven by his girlfriend, it was filthy and full of make-up, discarded coffee cups and fast food cartons.  It looked more like they were living in it than using it for a business.  There were two of us, when we arrived he insisted it was per person not total for the ride even though he’d confirmed otherwise at the ship.  I’ve never found a way around it except to ask a bar, restaurant or hotel to order you one.  Car hire is a good idea.

Miss Merry

12 hours ago, Vineyard View said:

Easy to do. We had absolutely no issues when we were there late 2019. The beaches are lovely, and so were the people. Have fun!

 

we didn’t think about renting a car as Fletcher suggests, but I wouldn’t hesitate to do that either if we ever return

This Covid thing is all winding down now, I’ve read over on a Seabourn board that they’re not asking for any paperwork from vaccinated or unvaccinated passengers.  Certainly on the ships it’s been relegated to a past event in keeping with general global thinking.  Normality beckons.

MM

Can’t help with the hotel but……

I’ve embarked twice now in Barbados in the last eight weeks.  Both times it was the same.  I chose a taxi, it dropped me off kerbside at the Cruise Port.  The luggage was immediately taken off me at the first small Silversea desk run by the Barbados Port Authority.  I then sat and waited until enough passengers arrived to be transferred to the Silversea designated bus.  This took me to a large hanger about a minute away.  Off the small bus without your luggage to be greeted by a person giving you a very short medical questionnaire, you know the ones, have you Covid now, have you been in contact with anyone recently who has.  Your wrist temperature is then taken.  You then move on to the Silversea Nurse who is sitting at a desk and looks at your Vaccine Certificate.  You are then pointed in the direction of a bank of desks where you are officially ‘processed’.  Passport taken off you, photo taken, ships card given to you.  You heave a sigh of relief and get back on the small bus which takes you to the gangway and get on the ship using your key card.  First time the process, from kerbside to Bar,  took about 60 minutes starting at around 4.30pm, second time from kerbside to Bar, 50 minutes  starting at 3.30pm.  
I then left the ship to pick a friend up kerbside, she was arriving late.  This onshore process closes down at 6.00pm.   My friend arrived at 6.20pm and we walked straight to the ship, no buses, long way though.  Under the tent dockside the crew ‘phoned the Nurse, Reception and Security, they were all there within five minutes.  She was processed from kerbside to Bar in fifteen minutes.  I know it’s very detailed but it should help you decide.  Personally I’d avoid a mass embarkation if you can and aim to arrive kerbside in a taxi at 1.30pm.   I’m sure they don’t stick to the 2.00pm earliest embarkation anyway.  Enjoy the Dawn, she’s rather splendid. 
Miss Merry

On the Dawn last week sailing from Barbados they asked for the actual certificate even though they had it on file.

We were in a Silver  Suite for the World Cruise 2020.  I only drink tea so asked for a kettle, amazingly for Silversea the answer was no.  On the other hand we wanted to replace the two chairs around the coffee table for a sofa and within ten minutes we had two matching sofas.  There's obviously a good reason for the lack of kettles but I’m not sure I agree with them, after all we are all grown ups and can handle a kettle safely.

MM

10 hours ago, Navis said:

Have a wonderful cruise! 

We'll try our best……

Don’t leave without us.  We’re flying in tomorrow from Tortola, BVI, we don’t have a QR code but have 26 thousand tons of paperwork which should suffice.  Envy you being ensconced in Barbados already and just the embarkation to negotiate. Looking forward, after jumping through all the hoops, to having our first glass of bubbly and toasting our good fortune, tests willing!🤞🥂

We're on the Odyssey from December 18th and are on our third change of embarkation time, one at our request.  As long as we are cleared to embark eventually I’ll just go with the flow, I have nothing pressing in the diary except a few weeks of sheer pampering.

Miss Merry

We're on the Odyssey from December 18th too.  Our boarding times have changed three times, one of them at our request.  It matters not as long as we are cleared eventually to sip that first glass of champagne and toast our good fortune. 🤞🥂

Miss Merry.

Yes, more please, it'll be my new daily fix.  We're boarding the Odyssey for a b2b on December 18th so this will be a very welcome build up.  Have a wonderful voyage and enjoy your special Seabourn experience.

Miss  Merry

We sailed once on short notice and it was all they had left.  I asked the same question, it was a mixed response.  All I can say is I wouldn't do it again.  One of the great pleasures for me is late evening watching the wake/surf under the lights as we plough through the sea.  I can spend hours hanging over the edge doing that.   It certainly does obstruct your view when you're sitting down.  I think it depends how much you use your balcony.

Miss Merry.

Been on both Silversea and Seabourn in July/August with a couple of back to back cruises each year on both, and I can safely say there were a lot of children.  They really don't have the facilities for children and it was intrusive.  The record was 51 children on one voyage but it averaged out at around 20.  This is just my experience, try and go outside July and August especially in the Med.  I have noticed a steady climb in numbers from 2016, on the positive side though maybe COVID has broken the escalating trend and we can go back to more relaxing times.
Miss Merry

If you look on the Seabourn Sailors Facebook site there is a topic which was started by a lady dated ‘July 3rd‘ about the Ovation sailing the Greek Isles at the moment. Read the comments and it touches on onboard protocols, nothing yet on bar stools but it's mask-less for passengers.  The crew are wearing them but apparently it's an experiment and could be discontinued soon.

For us that's certainly a positive and I'm sure Silversea will be closely monitoring the situation.

MM

Fantastic Vickie is back, she's a brilliant CD and was a great loss to Silversea.  Welcome back lovely lady, go for it 💃

Miss Merry

This from a slightly different prospective.  We live on a tiny Caribbean Island with tight protocols for the few tourists we have.  This has enabled us all to have a near normal life as possible.  From next week we will be having mega cruise ships calling.  With the previous 95% to 100% vaccinated passenger rule although generally we were uneasy the main concern would be the unvaccinated children.  With this new ruling we are extremely concerned although it looks like the Government will still allow the ships.  We have no COVID within the community but soon will have.  Generally our revenue, circa 60%,  comes from the financial services industry and the rest from land or yacht based tourists.  It is questionable that the risk is acceptable.  I have noticed that Seabourn will be bringing in fully vaccinated ships in July, we're not expecting many or any children then, we would welcome them to our Islands, but the big ships, perhaps not.
Miss Merry

 It was our Butler who suggested it as he knew our favourite dish was duck ragout from Le Terrazza.  I don't  think though that twice in over two months taxed him too much.  As the crew are so accommodating we make sure not to take advantage and treat them with care and respect.

MM