nowornever

If I remember correctly (big if), on a Safraga stop on the Shadow in 2007, the bus to & from Luxor had, in addition to armed security, a back up bus just in case of break-down. (I think there was a convoy?) I'm not sure I would feel comfortable taking this trip with anyone other than an "official" Silversea tour. If you decide to go with someone else, be sure you make clear what the back-up plan will be to get you back to the ship in case of unforeseen circumstances. It's a hard day trip so give it a lot of thought.

Don't give up hope that you won't be able to keep one suite the entire GV. We had a similar situation on a prior Grand Voyage but a month or 2 before sailing a verandah in our category turned up. It does help to have your TA give them frequent reminders because people do have to cancel Grand Voyages for many reasons. Good luck.

and they have plastic barriers - it's all good, except in a storm of course when you would cancel & go to the Restaurant.

On a Vancouver-Tokyo crossing 3 years ago, the Port of Seward ran a shuttle bus from the port to the Sea Life Center continuously. No idea if they are still doing it or will be doing it again. It's a very cool (literally & figuratively) little aquarium. Keep looking though & maybe they'll bring back the 8 hour included excursion. Good luck.

I've had good luck with, as Jolly said "speicalservices@silversea.com". If it's a totally critical item, I would consider either taking some applesauce with you or purchasing a jar when you get to Vancouver. I realize you shouldn't need to do this on a luxury line, however, you might want a back-up plan for something so necessary & wires get crossed at times between shore & sea.

I'm really curious & ask this not in a snarky way at all....just how much does your cruise-line charge for a coke that makes walking this rather unpleasant route for 12 cokes worth it? Honestly not being judge-y - just curious.

Again, just try to get there 2 (or more) days early & enjoy your days in London while getting over jet lag. You won't be stressed about missing/changed flights or missing luggage & it's so very worth the few extra dollars, in the whole scheme of things, in the long run. Maybe you're a repeat visitor to London, you haven't said, but if you've not been in a while, it's a good time to explore new areas while not feeling rushed. One thing you can be sure of, your flights will change between now & then. It's a jungle out there. Good luck with your decisions.

Just an opinion, but arriving the day of is extraordinarily risky these days - in fact 2 days early might be a better option. What if you arrive & your luggage takes a trip to Spain instead of LHR ! Before "assuming" you have a transfer to the ship, look on the website at "My Bookings" then open "Details" & if you have a transfer, it will show up there. If you booked air through Silversea, you are probably being charged a deviation fee in addition to the hotel cost for arriving any day other than the departure day. Good questions to ask your travel agent if you used one or Silversea otherwise. Good luck.

If you book a hotel not terribly far from the port, you are better on your own. In Lisbon, we've had 3 times post cruise with Silversea (always included) & they have been in the Intercontinental which is a 20 minute drive to/from the port & maybe 30-40 minutes to/from the airport. You can figure out if the extra cost is worth it when they give you the price compared with booking it online. Enjoy your planning - and the cruise, of course.

Alaska Air currently has 25% off flights to/from Canada but it has to be booked by tonight (Canada Day promotion.)

I hope you don't hit a paywall on this: https://www.seattletimes.com/life/food-drink/for-croissants-butter-steak-and-the-citys-best-fish-and-chips-take-a-foodie-day-trip-to-bainbridge-island/