chrism23

Mr. Foot. What' s TMI

Hi Cruiseej. Packing and probably out the door as you read this. This was just touch and go. I need to pass on a piece of advice, which is graphic is nature and I apologize in advance. When traveling with SS or any else for that matter you are probably going to be give a medical questionnaire that asks if you have had certain conditions in the recent past. There are the expected ones like fever or cough. But then there are a couple that caught me, in this case nausea and diarrhea. About three weeks ago I had a bad case of exploding hemorrhoids. It was not pretty My wife who answered the form checked yes as to both of the symptoms. No, no, no. I will not lie, you can get denied embarkation for falsehoods. But..I really didn't have either condition. The diarrhea was due to the exploding hemorrhoids and the nausea was due to the meds my MD gave me to prevent infection (Cipro). SS evidently has a individual who just deals with Covid issues. I did not get this resolved to 6:00 PM last night. Much too close. So, the moral of this story is to be very careful in filling out routine forms and other requests for information and make sure your replies are accurate and truthful. Now my only problem is to figure out what to wear to the Carnival parade in Rio. Thanks again. chris

@cruiseej Thank you and everyone else who responded. It really has been helpful. We do have a letter from our doctor saying we have recently recovered from Covid. We now have had 3 binx tests all negative and the one PCR test which was positive. Along the way I discovered something that might be helpful to people. If you test positive with a RT PCR test in all probability you are going to continue to test positive with additional PCR tests for weeks or even months. The initial PCR tests remain the gold standard but after that the rapid antigen tests yields more accurate results. That said I have one quick story. I was largely symptom free, thank god, except for a little brain fog. I remember being in our bedroom, telling my wife I am fine, no symptoms. I turned to walk out of the room, the door was closed, I went straight into it and got knocked on my ass. I looked up to see my wife with a smirk on her face, saying "No symptoms Huh? Its time to get back to sea. Safe journeys to all.

Well. its 3 days from departure, from Lima to Rio on the Moon. Aside from a couple of potential civl wars, I have started packing and am ready to go. Except for one thing, which is the source of this question and a complicated one at that. My wife and I tested posted, by PCR 12 on January 6th and January 9th respectively. We each have conducted at home BiNex tests 3 times and all have been negative including yesterday . We have been entirely symptom free from the get go. We are both within the recent CDC isolation/Quarantine guidelines (2/29/03}. And we are fully vaxed and boosted. Now for the tricky part. Do your want us on your ship. Our SS CC is suppose to get back to us today with a go or no go decision. He had to bump this up the ladder became he didn't have a quick answer. We have insurance, and having recently had Covid -19 we are sure we would be covered. So $$ is not a big deal .There have been quite a few posts from people currently on the Moon. So in addition to whether you want us on board I am concerned about what kind of reception we will get, the atmosphere on board and whether we will be required to mask or not. I would never in a million years put someone at risk and I am sure we will test negative for. the immediate future. Of course our CC may take this out of our hands. So here I wonder if anyone, on any ships, have embarked with such narrow margins with the consent of SS, that is the tricky part. Lastly, I may have not been paying full attention but Terry seems to have been absent and now is back. I hope all is well and you have provided a greatly appreciated service to SS clients. .

thanks every one for the advice

This is getting ridiculous. First Peru goes boom, shutting down most of the countries air ports including those the gets you to Macchu Picchu. Then Brazil goes boom, in a perfect reenactment of of our January 6th debacle. I only post this in case things get worse. The Moon is only in Rio for 2 days. Including the Carnival parade, which I have always wanted to see, but SS's allotment of tickets are sold out (If any body is skittish about this and wants to get rid of their tickets I am in suite #742 just drop them in my mailbox. I will be forever grateful. Thanks chris

Thank you too. The requirements are somewhat difficult to understand. My wife is on her way now to get a PCR test, which, as I understand it, must confirm that she is positive. The test needs to be done at a minimum of 11 days before our departure date (16 days) So I think she will be alright. I just tested negative with a rapid antigen test, Which, if I get this right, should be good news, but as Dr. Ron pointed out, if I am going to catch it from my wife, ideally I need to do it, and get a positive PCR test in the next 5 days. There is something wrong with this scenario, but the rules are the rules. I will refrain from going to kiss her a few times to try to get infected. That just doesn't seem like fair play. I will go with the mask and isolation route and just hope I remain negative.

I posted on this topic a couple of weeks ago. At that time the US State Department had just issued a a level 3 warning on traveling to Peru. You might want to check if that is still in effect. The protests had occupied several airports including Cusco and other jumping of points to Machu Picchu so there there wasn't a choice, you didn't go. Evidently the situation has improved and getting there and back is possible. Someone said in my original thread that the US Consulate is usually a good source of information. Also, I find it hard to fathom that SS would lead you into a "hot war zone". That would be an extraordinary bad business decision. I personally would go. The same type of situation is confronting travelers more and more these days. And there is going to be a small amount of risk wherever you go (e.g. would you go to Jerusalem right now?). Good luck.

Hi, I need some help please. ( I am posting this in two places, a new thread here and Terry’s long running thread. We are due to depart Lima in 16 days January 20th. My wife tested positive for COVID last night ( a rapid antibody test). I tested negative for the time being. She does not yet have any symptoms outside a minor sore throat. She will try and find a PCR testing site today. We have trip insurance through SS. The problem here for me is two fold although there are probably more which is why I am posting this, hoping that someone else has found themselves in the same situation. Simply, what the hell should I do? My wife, should be, after 16 days, showing negative on a rapid test the day of embarkation.. I don’t know what the hell my status will be. If I test positive today, after 10 days I should be testing negative too if I have it now. But assume I am also testing negative. We are departing from Lima. I would rather deal with medical issues here rather than there. If all goes right and we are both testing negative at embarkation will they let us board ( I don’t know what SS’s policy will be on boarding in Lima). We were in the Cloud in July and SS did rapid tests basically ship side on embarkation day. I figure I must tell the truth about my wife’s positive tests 17 days ago. (And mine if I can’t avoid my wife’s infection). So big issues. Should I pull the trigger on the insurance early next week. Or should I hope we are both testing negative on January 20th and SS lets us board. As most of you know this is a hard choice. We have been planning this trip for months. My thanks to anyone who can help me out here. chris

Mysty. you maybe the only person in the world that enjoys the packing process. I pack, then I have to leave the house for hours when my wife starts packing, (easy during golf season, not so now) because she fills every nook and cranny of every suitcase and carry on. It is astounding at what she can fit. I have said to her several times, 'look it, anything you don't use on this trip we leave out next time" No such luck. We have schlepped stuff all over the world we (she) has never used. I have just started packing, we leave on the 20th. And I already hate it. 😎

This could be fun, a year ahead and misty is already posting the weather. I too am booked on the 1/24 world cruise. At the moment I am regarding this as a place holder. What attracts me to it is that it goes west out of the US instead of east. I was loathe to go to the West because of air time and other logistics. This takes the sting out of 24 hour flights. I am about to leave for 2 legs of the South American Grand Voyage, Lima to Rio 31 days. The 31 days will be the longest I have been at sea. We are using it as a dry run for the world cruise to see how we deal with longer voyages although the world cruise is 4x this. Today I am looking at the weather on the cruise to try to figure out what to pack. Packing for a mere 31 days already has my head spinning and I haven't started yet. The thought of packing for 130+ days seems impossible right now. So anyhow. I will post what I conclude after the cruise. I am puzzled about one thing. Our upcoming cruise is on the Moon. Why the Shadow-one of its older ships (2000) and not one of the newer models. I am assuming that they intend on sailing into locations that the larger ships can't navigate. If I am wrong here let me know. Otherwise I hope to be following this thread for the next year.

I am confused as usual and have 2 questions both of which I have received different answers from SS. We are on the moon for 2 legs of the current grand voyage, this from Lima to Rio. We will hit the 100 day mark during the cruise. Do we get free laundry from the beginning or do we have to wait to we actually hit the 100 day mark. Second is trickier. On this cruise they indicate, on the cruise activity form, 2 formal nights on the first leg of the trip but none on the second leg-Buenos Aires to Rio. I am debating whether to pack my tux and all the other stuff that goes with it-shoes, shirt, cuff links, bow tie etc. For 2 formal nights I might just wear a suit, for more than 2 I might pack my fancy gear (women have it so easy, they can just pack an elegant black dress). In advance I know this is a dumb question. Thanks

The US State Department issued a Level 3 Travel Advisory for all of Peru (go to the State Department Smart Traveler Program for more info) on December 22 for all of Peru. A level 3 warning advises one to "reconsider" travel. It expands its Do Not Travel Notice to a number of other destinations including Cusco. For the moment, and these situations are always fluid, this does mean, among other things, that if you signed up for a pre or post tour Macchu Pichu excursion, you are not going if your are sane. I don't think the State Department can prevent you from going there. If you choose to go, I think this does mean your are on your own. Mazel Tov. Most Silversea passengers on this trip are using the Westin Miraflores hotel as their pre-embarkation (Silver) hotel. For those who haven't been to Lima before, the Miraflores neighborhood is a very upscale, posh, district and as safe as your are going to get in Lima. I am not worried about that. Although I had scheduled a one day private tour of Lima which I might soon cancel. Now what Silversea does with this I have not a clue and maybe someone here can enlighten us all. If it is nothing more than protesters setting up barricades and burning trash cans no big deal. If they start shooting, BigDeal. The Moon's departure date from Lima is January 22 and evidently there are quite a few SS Pax embarking in Lima. Bypassing Peru and boarding at the next-non Peruvian port which is Arica Chile, in my mind, cannot be an option because of the logistics of air travel and many other things. So, for the moment, there is not much we can do. For those so inclined please do not get snarky with this, like whoever asked if I had been to Sevastapol lately in a previous thread. This can be serious stuff and warrants serious attention.

I was on the cruise you are thinking of in July. Don't be deterred by having to use Zodiacs at all. The Silver sea crews are absolutely phenomenal in getting people in and out of the Zodiacs without problems. Just do what they tell you to do. You use a forearm to forearm grip, not hand to hand, the later is much more secure. You only need 2 steps, one from the ship to the zodiac and another from the wide, rubberized zodiac to its surface. Then you sit down, and scoot your butt down to where they want you. In the 30 more more transfers I have made from ship to zodiac and vice versa, I have only seen one mishap, it was a macho gentleman who who waved off assistance from the crew and of course landed flat on his ass. He was lucky. So the odds- I have watched well over 300 people getting in and out of zodiacs with only one mishap, which was 100% the fault of the passenger. By comparison, getting in and out of a vaporetto in Venice is much, much more difficult. But I have seen, no offense here, little old, very old, ladies jumping in and out of those things with bags of groceries in their arms, when one of those giant cruise ships are going by leaving 4 foot wakes. Also on the Iceland/Scotland cruise all of the landings are on solid piers or docks. There are no wet landings or trickier ones on wet rocks. So don't give it thought. A favor though. Bust the Cruise Director if they haven't included a Scotch tasting yet. I complained vociferously that I took a tour of Scotland and didn't get a chance to taste even a wee dram.

I have never had a long wait in embarking. (8). It has been relatively seamless. I always stay and leave from the pre-cruise basic hotel because it simplifies the whole process. Your luggage is in the room when your get there. The only delay I have experienced was in Iceland. The pre-cruise testing went off without a hitch. Then we were shown to a tent to wait...and wait. The problem was the Icelandic authorities who just took forever. Just a quick tip for those flying. After a number of 6:00 am arrivals at various destinations, and not, of course having a room available, check in time always seems to be 3:00 PM, I always travel at least a day before embarkation, stay at the SS hotel, waltz into my room at 6:00 AM and sleep. For me, the extra $400-500 is worth it. The extra day is worth the peace of mind of delays and not making your departure. For example, this weekend there is going to be an epic storm, which is being called a "generational" storm, that will, if as advertised, shut done air traffic in the eastern US perhaps for days Of course you Aussies will probably spend the morning on the beach refreshing your tans.

Sort of my bad. Sorry. I reread the insurance policy and it does cover something called TERRORISM. I can imagine if things go really south we all might have dueling lawyers for years arguing over the definition of terrorism. BTW My offer to pick up the bar tab for Piscos at the Westin the night before embarking still stands. Hell, it will be the last time I pay for a drink for the next month. Cheers

A few things. I will see Daddyo and others at the Westin in Lima because I will be embarking from there.(if I get to Lima) I'll buy you all a Pisco if we can hook up I have one MAJOR complaint about the Macchu Picchu tour, In the promotional material they say that by staying at the Belmond Micchu Picchu, which is literally at the gate, you will have the park and the sunrise all to your self. Wrong. At about 5:00 AM you are awakened to the sound of tour buses, lining up for admission to the park. Quiet it is not. Second this version has SS using the Marriot in Lima. We stayed at the Belmond Miraflores Park(a SS choice) which was one of the best hotels I have ever stayed in-imagine a giant whirlpool in the bathroom that could hold 10 people in warm bubbly comfort. You can have one helluva of a party. Also mentioned above is the issue of insurance. Read the small print carefully if you are using the trip insurance from SS, and I assume most others do the same-no insurance refund in event of war. Now what is happening in Peru, is not a "war" it is an insurrection. But I am about 100% certain the insurance company will call it a war, if it continues, and you are out the bucks. The only real out here is if SS cancels the excursion. So if things heat up over the next few weeks one will have to deal with SS.

@SWFLAOK- you have more guts than I do, I wouldn't go to Myanmar unless you held a gun to my head, and to go on a leisurely scenic cruise, phew. I am very gun shy, for that reason I no longer go to Mexico. It seems there used to be an understanding between the cartels and the authorities to leave the tourists alone. No more. Restaurant have been shot up in Cabo and Cancun And then there is Acapulco,oncethe playground of the rich, now home to the cartels; Lest we forget the unsolved murder capitol of the western hemisphere, ciudad Juarez Sorry to go on. My point, finally to get to it, is that it is becoming increasingly to travel, of course, due to COVID, but also due to rapidly evolving political events, I started this thread half tongue and cheek and self referential, and mentioned Peru and Argentina being on the edge. The next damn day, Peru comes apart Thousands of tourists are stranded around Machu Picco . The discontented have seized Cusco airport where most wide trips to Macchu Picco depart. This was also s bit of seriousness behind my remark about Travel Insurance. If one ia caught up in one of these fright situations and misses flight, incur hotel and all sorts of other expenses, does the travel insurance cove it. This might currently be an issue for SS pax.

OK. I hope people read this because it may be very relevant to your trip. A headline from this mornings New York Times 12/14 reads "At Least 7 Dead in Peru as...." Where this effects SS passengers is that they have closed airports including Cusco which is the jumping off point to Machu Picchu. Many people, myself included, added an after or before excursion to Machu Picchu as part of a Galapagos trip. For the moment, that is off the table, which is a shame. Yes, and naturally I am flying into Lima next month.

A post here a few weeks ago, said that the Silver Moon, which I will shortly be for 31 days does not have a library. (other than the coffee table large books in one of the lounges), if it had one in the first place. Is that still the case? If so, this is a killer for me. I am a compulsive reader, averaging 2-3 books week. Usually after embarkation I make a dash for the library and grab a couple I want to read. Now I have to bring the books with me? (Don't say buy a kindle, one of my many neurosis is that I must have paper-but for this a kindle would be the solution). If there isn't a library I will buy long books, to minimize weight. I did this in Dublin, when of course, I had to go out and buy Ulysses. Damn thing took me almost 2 weeks of the cruise. This time, if I have to bring my own, I will pack, stuff I haven't read yet, in this case, The Karamazoz Brothers by Doetovsky and Anna Kanenina by Toltstoy. I will probably need a couple more. Problem is together these 2 weigh 5 pounds and I will be trying to pack every ounce and inch of luggage space, A quick by the way, if any one else is in the same predicament I recommend Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace and anything by William T. Vollman all coming in at about 1000 pages. TIA. .

This is a brief fun note. Find out where and when I am traveling and pick a new date and destination. Trouble seems to follow me. Yesterday they overthrew they President of Peru. Two people have gotten killed so far. I am due there in January. Then they just put the VP of Argentina in jail.. Due there in January. My best story is I was in a bar my Marrakech hotel the night of Paris terrorist attack. I was there to watch the soccer game. When the TV coverage cut away to the violence many of the patrons in the bar started cheering. Naturally I opened my my big mouth and said to the guy next to me "What the f**k are you cheering about? Whoops. Vacated the bar in a hurry. Then I was in Jerusalem when the 2nd intifada kicked. off. I had walked to the Damascus Gate, with East Jerusalem across the Street, Got there, and a couple of hundred kids were across the street letting go with rocks and sling shots. I was with my wife and mother-law. I jumped in front of a cab, threw them inside and said to the driver "King David Hotel fast" Then I was in Paris for the last major protest by ETA. I remember walking around a corner and there were over 500 French cops in full riot gear. A good street fight ensued. And then the best/worst one. I was in St. Petersburg, when there was both, a Euro Cup soccer game between Shaktar Donetsk and Spartak Moscow. The soccer Ultras wore all black military gear and were up for a riot. There were thousands. Our hotel was right off Nevsky Prospect near the Hermitage, the route Lenin took. The day I was there there was also s LGBTQ march. Then soccer ultras, led by Putin's personal motorcycle gang, the Night Wolves, waded into the gay crowd and were absolutely kicking the crap out of them. I grabbed one guys arm, just as he was about to hit a protester with a steel pipe. I got out of there in a hurry. I am much, much too old to engage in street fighting. I realize this posting will probably be deleted for being off topic. So one cruise trip to make it relevant. Always find out if there is big trouble, say a revolution, going on where you are going. And then head the other way. I wonder if Silversea gives a discount for avoiding war zones. I know this because I thought best to look it up. SS's trip insurance does not cover acts of war. With my luck the Brits will start another war over the Falklands while we are there. Cheers.

I always fly in the day before. Especially these days even though I have always done it. If for some reason i have to fly into somewhere with a very early arrival, say 6:00 AM or so I will always book a room for the day before so we would be sure to have a room to crash in when we arrive. (this seems to always happen in Dublin). The peace of mind this gives on is worth the extra $$. Also, depending on where you are flying in and out of, it is winter, there is snow, and places like JFK or Logan shut down with some regularity. Another reason to book a hotel a day or two early.

The wet suits SS provides are fine. The fins are even ok. The water temp is neutral, you aren't diving, just snorkeling, so I wouldn't worry too much about gear. I would absolutely though bring your own mask and snorkel. Also essential are water shoes. A quick story, we went snorkeling the second day off a beach, that was next to a sea lion rookery, There were maybe 100+. When we got in the water, the sea lions came in too. They wanted to play. Don't freak when one of these things comes at you at 30 mph. They won't hit you. They'll veer off. or go over you or under you but they won't crash into you. Most fun I had on any of my adventures. Oh. When the beach master-the 750 lb male that rules the beach, wakes up and starts bellowing, exit the water. Have fun.

When I started this thread I didn't imagine the response it would get. If this small sample of clients on Cruise Critic willing to take the time to share their experiences is any indication then, SS is having major issues with its Air Department that need to be quickly remedied or they will be losing customers in droves in real difficult market. But....after posting I spent some time talking with my CC at SS and lo and behold everything worked out, says Chris holding his breath because we don't sail until the end of January out of Lima. This experience has taught me one major lesson in dealing with SS, which I sort of knew before but is now totally confirmed. It is absolutely essential with SS to develop as close a relationship as possible with your cruise consultant and keep that relationship going forward. And try to get a CC that is based in Miami and has friends in the Air Division which is in the same building. If you can do this, cultivate the relationship, your cruising life will be a lot simpler. My CC has pulled out some near impossibilities, including our last return from Dublin in July, on Aer Lingus, after being told by SS it had severed its relationship with Aer Lingus (this was the Air Division) and they had routed my return from Dublin, to Boston, through Frankfurt, which prompted my initial post. And also prompted my CC to let loose a string of expletives about the Air Division. I flew back on Aer Lingus. For my next trip he conjured up a non-stop flight from JFK to Lima and a one stop in Miami back from Rio. Best I could possibly hope for. By relationship building, I mean little things, that go above and beyond, like I am going to take him and his partner out to dinner next time I pass through Miami. (btw this will be my 8th cruise with SS). Yelling at your CC is of course counter productive, and let him yell at their Air Division. Granted that flying in this brave new COVID is nerve fraying and difficult at best. Some of the horror stories posted above make me cringe. Some problems just can't be avoided. But it helps immeasurably to have someone at SS on your side.

Oh no. Now I will have to pack books (I only use paper and not Kindles etc) and i won't have enough space as is. I always, when boarding, make a beeline for the library to grab books to get my through the cruise. This irks me.