mw8811

15 minutes ago, Stumblefoot said:

We heard the same from acquaintances on your voyage too. Embarkation in Southampton sounded like a disaster and totally unlike SS of old.  Plus, it sounded as if mask wearing was a joke and disregarded broadly.

Embarkation was the start of the disasters.     It took one hour 45 mins from arrival to actually getting onto the ship - it was faster last year when we all had to await test results!     Even the lady who was organising the rows of disgruntled passengers (few of which were wearing masks) said she didn't know why the folks checking us in were so slow.      Definitely not the SS of old!

We were also on the Norway cruise and compared to the Spirit last year felt very unsafe in respect to the Covid risk.     We wore the FFP2 masks whenever out of our room and out and about on the ship and if we perceived too many people in a room we did not enter.      We only ate in La Terrazza once, for dinner, and that was an uncomfortable experience as the tables for two were placed very closely together.     It was a case of eating and running and cancelling our second reservation.      The tables were much closer together than we had experienced pre Covid.

We only took one shore excursion on the Flam Railway (our sixth attempt to achieve this!).      Very few masks were worn and it was very crowded - all very unsettling.     I should have gone with my first instinct and booked independently as those carriages were far from full and it would also have meant we weren't stuck up a mountain for a forced stop for coffee and waffles for over an hour (we did not partake).

Covid risk apart this was not a successful cruise - initially our butler was conspicuous by his absence (not that we utilise the butler but I did want to ensure we had a good supply of water)  and I complained to the Hotel Director(?) after three consecutive days of the room not being touched by either the room steward or the butler until well after 2pm.       This resulted in a change of butler (the first one had 15 rooms on deck 9 and then us on deck 8).      The room steward was very forgetful in replacing towels and nearly every day I had to call for bath towels.      He also had 15 rooms elsewhere on our floor and then us.     Something wrong with the staffing and I expressed my concerns to the Hotel Director.

The general feeling we had about the ship that it had no soul and the staff really didn't want to be there.    Not a feeling we have experienced on SS before.     Is it the change in ownership I wonder.

Whether we return to Silversea I don't know but right now I am not looking at any of their cruises and possibly waiting to see what happens when Crystal returns.

1 hour ago, machotspur said:

 

Thank you for this mw8811.

 

We scrape in by a few days as our cruise departs on 9th September ! We now have two 'home test' kits that we won't be using !

 

Shame - you will no longer be going on an adventure to Wolverhampton I guess !    

We'll see you on the ship!   

Such a relief!!!  My husband wanted to do a dry run so that we could see exactly where it was - needless to say I was resisting strongly!

Now I can spend the day getting things immaculate for our cat sitter! 

This from the SS website today

Voyages Departing On or After September 5, 2022

PRE-EMBARKATION TESTING REQUIREMENTS

Fully Vaccinated Guest Testing Requirements

Guests embarking on a Silversea vessel who are fully vaccinated are no longer required to present a negative PCR or Antigen test.

I've never had problems on a TA other than the normal slow speed which you get used to after a few days and on one occasion that was on a northerly course via Iceland and Greenland.

I've actually had more problems while being in a port at various locations in the world.

2 hours ago, machotspur said:

 

The exotic places we get to when involved in a Silversea cruise .... 🤣😉  

I'll have to tell the owner of our little paper shop tomorrow morning that he lives in an exotic place!!!    For some reason he lives over that way and drives 50 mins every day..........

It was so much easier last year when we got on the Spirit - they tested us pierside!     We'll certainly have earned all those lovely drinks and American beef!!!

Yes we do have to go the other side of Wolverhampton (not a part of the world I know!).    Oh well an adventure.   Good luck with your tests too.

26 minutes ago, machotspur said:

 

We had a similar issue to you - cruising 2 weeks today. Only yesterday a Lloyds pharmacy cancelled our planned test without reason and our next nearest alternatives are very inconvenient.

 

HOWEVER - also yesterday Silversea sent us an email outlining the pre embarkation requirements, including this as an acceptable proof of test   ..

 

• A self-test at home, verified by a third party (telehealth provider, pharmacy or laboratory).
  • The Certificate must contain the guest's name (as shown on the cruise ticket), as well as the date of test, and result. You must provide a digital or printed proof upon embarkation.
  • Important: self-test at home kits cannot be verified by a friend or family member

 

There are plenty of operators that are providing this service. We've ordered 3, arriving in the coming days. One we will use to do a 'dummy run' next week then carry out the real thing a couple of days before our cruise. 

It seems pretty straightforward - and inexpensive. 

I assume you're on the Moon on 9th.     I did see that but don't have much confidence in doing it myself!    It would still mean doing it over the internet which again I don't have much confidence in - hopefully Dam Health will work and I'll just have to be exceptionally well organized!

Les I am in the same boat - November was my last booster but then I look at my smallpox vax which I must have had 60+ years ago and presumably they are still effective.    So who knows.

My biggest problem has been getting a test - after much filling in of forms online and eventually being directed to a Boots website no appointments available.     Upon further investigation Boots don't do them any more!!!!      After that on to Lloyds Pharmacy - nothing within in a 50 mile radius.

Eventually I did find a Dam Health but that is nearly 50 miles away - I just don't need to be doing a 100 mile round trip the day before we go to Southampton.    But that is what we have to do.

Thank you everyone for your info and, Jolly, thank you for interpreting things for me.

Thank you.    My problem is my booster is over 270 days so thought I should get the PCR just to be safe knowing our luck we will be turned away for not having the right one.

No DAM health near here sadly!

Fudge where did you get your PCR test?    I am tearing my hair out trying to find somewhere to have it done 48 hours prior to boarding.     Our Boots only do them selected days and of course not the day we need.     Apparently there is no call for them as "they are not needed for travel".      

Will be interested to hear your views.      We have looked at various Saga brochures but they all seem to arrive with the rooms we are interested in sold out.

21 hours ago, Clodia said:

That was certainly how staff at the dock interpret it. I am more than 270 days from dose 2 but had a booster in November 21 and that's what they counted

I am really enjoying my voyage on the Whisper,  but when invited to book my next voyage onboard, told Silversea staff that until all the rubbish goes, I shan't be doing so. This is the first cruise in over 20 years where I haven't booked the next.

I too had my booster in November 21 however by our cruise in September I will be over the 270 days from it so not sure how I get counted!      If it is by the 2nd dose of the vaccine I would think that most people are over the 270 days.     All so confusing and I'm making myself ill stressing over it.     I wish we'd cancelled when we could or were allowed to have a second booster!      Not a problem for my husband he is over 75.

2 hours ago, worldtraveller99 said:

I get a flu jab every year (now free), and I suppose they will include some COVID in that? Am waiting for the autumn.

Who knows - last thing I read is they are discussing it and whether we will get it with the flu shot!     Not much use to we people who had the booster almost a year ago and nothing since.      I asked my GP if the under 75's were getting it and she said she had no idea the GP's are totally out of the loop.     All so frustrating.

Best to have everything printed as phones don't always work inside the terminal.

Lois the whole thing is a total nightmare I hope you get it all sorted.     I do wish they would still do pierside testing.    Why does everything have to be so difficult?!

I am so stressed about this testing business and we don't go until September 9th.     I am just ready to cancel, lose lots of money and forget it.     

I use marine traffic too

Lois - enjoy!    Our first cruise was on the Spirit pre stretching and we returned to her last month for the wet foggy cruise around the UK.     She is gorgeous.    That's all I can say!    Have a wonderful trip.    Now back to lurking.

Mary

That was incorrect information that they quickly corrected with another email.    I have friends who are doing B2B cruises on RCL.     They do have to go ashore but don't have to pack between the cruises.

If you post on the Silversea Passengers Facebook group Barbara Muckerman and Mark Conroy appear to be monitoring messages and will respond to you or give you a number to call.      They have an IT issue at present.

I just found this:

"For urgent matters and guests sailing in the next 7 days, please reach us via a special email address at support.silversea@rccl.com ".

We are sailing on 3rd September and have uploaded our vacc certs (obtained via the .gov website).      The cruise documentation states all check in procedures will take place shoreside before we are allowed to board.     We have to take two hard copies of the vacc cert  which will be collected prior to boarding.    There will be  a "rapid antigen test" plus medical questionnaires.    Should the antigen test prove positive then a PCR test will be done.    All our documents are electronic.

No good for me I can't download the App as I'm on the US App store.     Oh well.

That would be great!    I just lurk on this board and post once in a blue moon - time seems to get in my way.       We did Norway and Iceland last July and had rain and snow the whole time and not an entirely successful time ship wise (not on SS I hasten to add) so thought we'd give it another shot having had some really wonderful cruises up there on SS.      Also DH wants to do the train in Flam - we have had three attempts so far and each one was cancelled by weather so hoping it happens this time.        May 25 I'll just be scrambling to assemble all the clothes etc and get everything ready for the sitter for furbaby!