rpfarris

Congratulations on your retirement. I did Vancouver to Tokyo on the Silver Shadow in 2012....it was a great cruise. If you get the chance, take the volcano excursion in Petropavlovsk...

Thank you, Jennifer. I *am* signed up for the 6-wheel ATV tour of the volcanoes. I didn't bother to get off the ship when I was in Petropavlovsk in May, but then as we cruised past the Kamchatka peninsula I saw all those volcanoes and was determined to do this excursion this time around.

ONBOARD REPORT: Onboard the Silver Shadow, there are all the standard Bacardi flavors (dark, light, etc) as well as Mount Gay, and "Goslings Black Seal Bermuda Black Rum.' Whatever that is. Any other requests for investigation while I'm here aboard the Shadow?

Hi, RosseauGirl,

I have read that Canada has issued restrictions on ships this month to protect the right whales, many of whom have been injured or killed from collisions with ships. Some cruise lines have altered itineraries. Has Silversea altered your schedule?

What's the difference between a right whale and a wrong whale?

We read that the beloved Shadow was hit in an accident some years ago, creating a large hole in the hull which was repaired. Could you see any sign of that incident left on it?

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Nope. I was on the Shadow in May, and no sign at all. I loved the boat so much when I got off that I'm getting back on tomorrow. :) I'm going to have to daily update my signature...

Mysty, you get the award for BTO! Bsam, JP and Wes, thanks for the grats. Now I'm getting itchy for the Shadow to show up. Another day-and-a-half...

A diversion if you are bored .....

Jeff, I'm staying busy here in Vancouver but I have quite a few sea days coming up, so yeah, I'll search like crazy.

Who remembers this guy? I saw him (with his friends) at the Sports Arena in San Diego, ... 1972?

I'm excited to see that get to spend some time in Singapore before you head home. It has been for many years a sort of third home to us going several times a year for a few weeks each time. This year we went in January/February and now is a break so we still fill the excitment

Awesome, Jeff. I've never been to Singapore, so as time gets closer I'll be checking back with you for pointers.

Beautiful, JP.

Pictures of Coal Harbor

Some pictures from Granville Island:

I've put this off for a couple of months, but I'm in Vancouver now, so I guess it's time to start.

My official birthday and retirement day is September 12, so I've scheduled a retirement party for myself. I'm on a 51-day Asian (well mostly Asian) cruise starting in Vancouver (31-Aug) and disembarking from the Silver Shadow in Singapore (22-Oct). In addition, I flew up to Vancouver a week early (24-Aug) and will stay a few days late in Singapore. Woohoo!

I'm loving Vancouver. I'm from San Diego, and weather-wise, Vancouver has been exactly like San Diego since I got here. Food is great. I'm in the Pan Pacific Hotel, which is in the same building as the Cruise Terminal in Vancouver. Hard to imagine an easier transfer. I didn't understand the City View vs Harbor View, so I let my TA choose City View for me. Next time I'll choose Harbor View. I'd rather see the float planes coming and going than the commercial port.

I haven't eaten at Tojo's, Cioppino's Mediterranean's Grill or Vig's yet, but I have eaten at Japadog, photo below. (No, that's not me in the picture!)

I embark on Thursday and will be reporting as I advance along my 2-month retirement party!

...I am going to kick this darn cold before Iceland and it may involve a lot of wine!...

You could try whiskey with honey, lemon and hot water... :halo:

The State Department posted the following Mexican travel advisory on August 22, 2017.

 

https://travel.state.gov/content/pas...l-warning.html

And then this thread was started on August 25, 2017. What a coincidence!

Giblet. Hate auto correct!

Would that be *gimlet*?

It seems like this code is popular on Silversea's. I see a lot of couples that look like there wearing outfits they bought in 1950.

And your point?

Rachel, thank you for your detailed posts. You give me plenty of ideas of what people will be interested when I begin me trip soon.

... My guesstimate is that 20% of men have been in tuxedos or lounge suites...

Holy crap! Help me out here, Mike. What in the hell is a "lounge suite?" I think maybe I want one! ;)

Anyone doing the Seward to Tokyo previous segment?

Yes. I also did Tokyo to Seward in May this year. Quite a glutton for sea days, I guess. :)

We'll be arriving in Tianjin at the end of September on the Shadow. Having been to Beijing pre-cruise, I would like to know what my tour options are--other than the $200 tour of Tianjin. To that end, does Silversea offer a shuttle bus from the port to any place?

Sure. Did you see this?

Explore the splendid sights of Beijing at your leisure during this self-guided sightseeing tour. Your full-day excursion begins with a scenic transfer to downtown Beijing. Upon arrival, marvel at opulent historic palaces, temples, huge stone walls and gates, and a wealth of artistic treasures and universities. During your visit, you can also discover the modern splendour of New Beijing. The city offers an endless selection of theatres, discos, bars, business centres, restaurants, and shopping malls. Following your memorable visit, return to the pre-designated meeting point and commence the transfer back to the pier.

Sounds like a shuttle downtown to me.

That explains the rum then (stereotype perhaps, but I've never met a single sailor or marine who isn't a rum-drinker - grog rations as a youngster shaping tastebuds perhaps?)

Actually, I'm not much of a rum drinker. I got involved in this thread because I wanted to point out that SS is ok with bringing on your own booze if you don't like what they serve. Actually, if you give them enough notice, they will stock whatever you ask. But I think they need *several months* notice.

I drink rum & soda when I feel like something light, but I ran into some horrible, horrible experiences with zombies and hurricanes when I was a young sailor and it kind of soured me on rum cocktails. Particularly sweet ones.

I'd feel remiss not to point you to Shebeen Whiskey House in Gastown (it's sort of hidden at the back of the Irish Heather) to sample a broad range of booze. If you're getting out of downtown to the Drive then Fet's Whiskey Kitchen has even more (750+ varieties with a good focus on the US). On the rum front I'm much less in-the-know as it's not something I consume remotely regularly, but you could do a lot worse than hitting up Calabash - the best Caribbean food in the city - as they certainly have a decent selection.

 

Word of warning - depending on your tolerance for the grittier side of urban living, heading to Shebeen or Calabash on foot might be a rather unpleasant experience...

Awesome, Martin. I have quite a bit of grit. I'm an ex-sailor, so I've been in some pretty gritty parts of the world.

Thanks for pointing me to Shebeen Whiskey House and Fet's Whiskey Kitchen. I've had the Whiskey Library in Portland on my list for quite a while, so these two places sound great.

I'll be in Vancouver next Thursday, and will report back!

No BevMo in Vancouver - at least, not in the Vancouver you'll be embarking in. There's one down in that much suckier Washington State Vancouver ...

 

Since you seem to be a fan of rye whiskeys may I suggest some of our local Canadians? ...'

 

While you're on the BC Liquor website you can check pricing of your preferred booze from home to see if it's worth the hassle of bringing a bottle up Duty Free vs. buying it here. NB: pricing is in CAD and does not include the 15% point of sale booze tax. if nothing tickles your fancy there, some of the private liquor stores carry a much wider range - especially of US ryes & bourbons - of which Legacy in the athlete's village is probably both the best combo of big and convenient to visit from downtown.

Hey, thank you so much, Martin. I didn't even notice that I was referring to the wrong Vancouver. I'll be happy to try a few Canadian ryes. I'll be in Vancouver for a week before I embark (7 days until I head for Vancouver) so I can try out *plenty* before I decide what to take with.

Any other recommendations for my time in Vancouver? I'll be staying at the Pan Pacific.

Les, I can't find the part about China - I have both the Tokyo - HK and HK - Singapore legs, so my.silversea now shows that I need a China visa, but wrt Viet Nam, I'll paste the entire section on Viet Nam:

Vietnam

All guests are required to have a visa for Vietnam. Silversea Cruises has arranged to obtain visas for all guests transiting this country. Your shipboard account will be charged the visa fee imposed by the respective country. Guests doing an independent overnight excursion (not booked through Silversea) must have an individual visa forVietnam prior to boarding.

No mention of cost, though. I've seen the cost mentioned elsewhere; if I come across it again I'll bring it back here.

According to the SS documentation, a visa is only needed for cruises that include Beijing and/or Shanghai.

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rpfarris, I to am a Bourbon drinker,Please tell tell me they something a little better then Jim Beam.

Unfortunately no. Unless you consider Jack Daniels bourbon and better. I consider it neither.

They have Thomas Handy on their extra-cost menu - a barrel-proof rye. I purchased two bottles; one for my cabin and one for the Panoramic Lounge. It was $120/bottle or $12/drink. This time because I will be embarking in Vancouver where I'll be hanging out a week before I board the ship and because there is a BevMo in Vancouver, I'm going to take some of my preferred bourbons onboard.

A photo of the high-end liquor menu on the Silver Shadow:

A photo of Thomas Handy: