Wellseasoned

We are about 54 days into a 58 day Shadow cruise and do not use any devices to hear guides on tours.  And some of the guides have not used microphones.  We have had no problems using just our own ears.  It has been easy staying relatively close to the guides.  And on the bus the amplified sound is quite adequate.  In many years on Silversea we have never had a need for listening devices.  (Whoops, hope I didn't just jinx us).

We are currently on the Shadow, about a week into the voyage.  currently in Corfu, Greece.  We wear masks and it has caused no problems.  Shipboard life and excursions have been comfortable and handled very well.  no battles or hysteria I'm aware of.

Well, things just become more exciting!  We are still going on this Grand Voyage and look forward to seeing our friends from prior cruises and meeting new friends!    And I don't think that the circumstances will require me to remember my old Navy doctor skills!

Dieter

Silversea has gone to Saudi Arabia previously.  We docked at Jeddah on the Whisper in 2008, but not overnight.  Prior to docking, the Saudi morals police boarded and inspected the ship to make sure there was no obvious alcohol or pornography aboard.  The female passengers had to purchase black abayas to wear if going ashore.  The tours were  strictly but pleasantly guided.  Overall, it was a brief but quite interesting visit. 

The sign on the back of the truck of the septic service we use says "A ROYAL FLUSH BEATS A FULL HOUSE"

We are also very interested in this cruise and looked over the itinerary in detail just 24 hours ago!  And it would be great to sail with everyone again!  Let's hope it happens!

Flyers, we have been in the equivalent Silver Suite on deck 10 of the Spirit several times, adjacent to the elevator,  and have never been bothered by elevator noise.  We will be in the same place on the Moon late next year, directly above 930, and are not worried.   Have a great time on your cruise!

Great choice, jrmuk!  And you are close to the forward observation lounge on deck 11, which becomes a very nice bar in the evening. 

jrmuk, There is one other difference which you might want to consider.  There are a few mid ship deluxe verandas on decks 6, 7, and 8 of the Spirit which have a bathroom with no tub, but they have a very large shower with a rain shower as well as a regular shower wand.  We were in one of these suites on deck 7 until last Monday and really enjoyed it.  We have booked the same suite for next July. 

3 hours ago, Silver Spectre said:

Agree with you totally, looking at the website pulls up 311 voyages with this offer, including most segments of next year’s World Cruise and our maiden Moon crossing.

 

IMHO this will kill SS for many long term Venetians.

Definitely not a pleasant prospect.  Our Spirit cruises this autumn, Venice to Dubai, also show the 50% and 75% children discounts.  Shouldn't many of these families be occupied by school at that time of year?  And the large discount for babies is really ominous.  At least our  maiden Moon crossing does not mention the 75% baby discount - yet.

Very sorry to hear this, Mary Ann.  We really enjoyed sailing with you and Walter.  He was such a pleasant and happy person and a real hero of those WW II Marines.  We wish you all the best in this sad time and hope that we will see you again.

Debbie and Dieter

4 hours ago, Randyk47 said:

 

Have to agree.  We’ve both started and ended cruises in Venice and it’s one of our favorites.

Same with us.  We have started and finished with no problems.  We are starting in Venice again on the Spirit in October, hope it goes as well as before!

Sounds great, Gourmet Gal.  Hope you have a terrific time on that cruise and enjoy the Cloud! 

54 minutes ago, Gourmet Gal said:

Thanks for the info.  I’ve already been to the D-Day beaches, cemetery and area tour along with several other WWII site and US cemeteries in Europe so just wondering if there were any alternative tours offered in the Honfleur area.

There was an alternative tour offered, a "medieval" excursion to Rouen, including the Old Market Place where Joan of Arc was burned, the modern Joan of Arc Church, and the Gothic Cathedral.  Then a distillery visit with cider, pommeau, and calvados, accompanied by Norman cheeses.  We did not do that tour because we had already sailed up the Seine to Rouen on the Silver Whisper a few years earlier. 

Thanks for your kind comments, Gourmet Gal.  Regarding your questions, our cruise was also designated as a culinary cruise.  That meant that the wonderful chef David Bilsland was aboard doing his excellent demos and classes, and special lunches.  Sometimes he leads  market tours ashore.  I think he will be present on your cruise as well.  A real treat!

The Cloud's tours are included in the fare, and they were very good indeed.  The tour to the vineyards in the Bordeaux countryside was excellent and included wine tastings and a wonderful lunch at a two star Michelin restaurant.  Definitely a not to be missed tour!

If you like oysters, the two oyster tours on our cruise were really excellent.  Great oysters in quantity.  The tour to the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain was excellent.  The visit to the D-Day sites was very memorable (but I am a U.S. Navy veteran).  You will certainly have many wonderful tour opportunities on this cruise! 

The blazer should be perfect for the informal nights. 

This is a cruise we would happily repeat- if there weren't so many others we have not yet done!

2 hours ago, les37b said:

OK, so the website still has no details. I didnt get the info promised "by the end of the week" so I rang this morning and again this evening.

 

Unfortunately because I didn't book direct, the info needs to be via the TA, but I was able to learn my 11 day cruise on the 23 November is being extended by 4 days. That would be music to most, but my wife will probably not be able to get the extra time off. (1 or 2 would have been great!) He wasn't sure where the end point was going to be too, but thinks it would still be FLL.

 

Anyway... As I'd said I'd pass on any news when I found out....so its not much, but something! 

Thank you, les37b.  If your info is correct we may rebook that cruise if it is still the same plus additional ports, immediately following the crossing which we are on.  I hope our agent gets some information soon.

We were also booked on the Moon crossing and the subsequent FL-western Carib-FL 11/23 to 12/4.  Then that second cruise disappeared and our My Silversea site showed the FL to Callao cruise replacing it, starting on 11/23, even though that cruise first begins on January7.  So, total screwup, and our travel agent could get no explanation from Silversea.  The SS website still shows nothing between 11'23 and 1/7.  We cancelled our FL to FL booking. 

We also surmised that this had to do with getting rid of the Cuba stops, but 11/23 to 1/7 is still blank on the Moon cruise schedule, so who knows?  I cannot understand why Silversea is being so obtuse.

We are also keeping a close eye on what is happening in the Gulf of Oman and Strait of Hormuz.  This Fall we will be on the Spirit, Venice to Athens to Dubai, finishing on November 10.  I hope that Silversea has some contingency plans to alter things if the area remains this tense.  Posting photos of commandos on the pool deck would not be fun!

Now and then these plumbing problems can turn out well.  Fifteen years ago, on a South America cruise aboard the Whisper, our verandah suite toilet refused to flush.  All attempts to fix it failed because they could not find the necessary replacement parts aboard the ship.  So they insisted that we had to be moved to the only vacant suite on the ship:  the portside owners suite.  The remainder of the cruise was very pleasant!

Lastchamp64, as a fellow NE Ohioan and ardent Browns fan, a bit beyond mid life but very long time Silversea cruiser, I would be happy to help with any questions.  We have sailed on the Muse and to Alaska, but not at the same time.  Agree with TLCOhio that the Denali excursion should be very worthwhile. 

We have a list of bar items, some of which may not be standard on the ship, which our travel agent provides to a Silversea department (Special Services?) well before each cruise.  The items have always been in the suite when we board (including the liquor). 

Very interesting!  We are booked on the upcoming Silver Spirit voyages Venice to Athens to Dubai and will be at the Ashdod port on October 28 and 29.  I also saw several days ago that the

Ashdod tours had been eliminated , except for the privatos, on the Silversea website and have been very concerned.  We are still three days away from being able to book tours on our My Silversea account, so we are now hopeful that they will reappear there, as they have for you. This is really bizarre. 

And thank you, Master Echo, we will also check out Tours By Locals.

23 hours ago, mysty said:

.  I think if you get on at the beginning of the cruise you would find it easier to meet people because there is no obvious sign at that point who is doing the full world and who is doing segments. No shirts and skins per se.   🙂

Very good point, Mysty.  Two years ago we were on the first three segments of the world cruise and felt no strangeness.  But joining in Singapore did produce some sense of crashing the party.  And we are 22 year Silversea cruisers with many hundreds of days and knew most of the officers, many of the crew, and many other cruisers.  So, I suppose some of that feeling is inevitable when joining when we did.  Happily, it was a fine cruise and we had the pleasure of meeting more very nice people such as Mysty!

1 hour ago, Silver Spectre said:

It sounded like the bagpiper was still learning the instrument! 

I play the bagpipes, and the piper on the dock indeed sounded as if he was very early in the learning process!  It does take a long time "to be fit to play at the tomb of kings and not just that of a bastard prince"  as my own teacher used to say.

According to CD Fernando just now, the authorities say that there were 6 confirmed fatalities from yesterday's ferry capsize, and there are 11 missing. 

On the nights of April 27 and 28, during transit of the Gulf of Guinea, an anti piracy watch will be enforced aboard the ship.  The instructions we have all been given are similar to those we remember from  transits of the Red Sea.