highplanesdrifters

Well that was perfect timing! We disembark Broome May 31 and catch a flight to Melbourne early afternoon and I was just trying to figure out what to do. The Devine Miss M does it again. Although not Paspaley, there are some excellent pearl farms there.

We leave in 2 weeks. I can't wait. Thanks for whetting the whistle.

Are you the dude with the long ponytail?

I smell an incompetent RAT. 😃

Sometimes there are never enough layers.🥶 If you haven't been, and have time, The Hong Kong Museum of History is worth a look see. Although I never lived there, I did spend chunks of time in HK. It has changed so very dramatically, but still hold a special place in my heart.

We will only need a RAT. Agree, the Soloman Island thing makes no sense. We'll be prepared an bring a test with us. Unnecessary hoops?

Be still my beating heart! I love that place. Glad you've warmed up. 😉

So sorry I can't chime in yet for particular interest in Istanbul. Your suggestions look marvelous. We only have one day there, otherwise I would get an independent car and guide. We leave in two weeks for a six week trip on SS Explorer, Fiji to Broome and just putting finishing touches on that. Will wrap my head around the minutiae of Istanbul when we return and keep you posted. Ephesus, that's easy. We will just get recommendations from our guide on which sites we will have access to, and how many are reasonable to accomplish. So often things I want to see are closed for maintenance or staffing issues so we stay flexible now. 😃 As for the other ports, our itineraries do not overlap that much. But in general for the less than dynamic ports I'm calling them land 'sea days'. We have a 21 day trip with no real sea days. We will just see which way the wind takes us and get recommendations on board. Agree on Mykonos, very expensive. Will just explore on our own. Not going to Milos but wish we were. The geological tour sounds great.

We booked a private car through Seabourn for Istanbul and Ephesus. Istanbul I'm not taking any chances due to traffic. Ephesus you should be fine with another vendor assuming the ship will be in port late because of the 'evening event at Ephesus'. Felt the same way about the other ports we are going to. A wander on our own looks more appealing.

Sorry the Seabourn agent was not helpful. It's the luck of the draw. They have so many newbies. In a very slight defense it is a challenge for land staff to have a handle on each excursion on every ship these days. The variables are high. Bus size and availability are quite the challenge in many ports. As booked numbers grow Seabourn might try to add another bus. On to helping you have a great experience! Yes they guides will generally do what you would like and customize a tour for you. Once on board go to excursion guest services and have a discussion about what you would like to do. We have never regretted spending money on private tours. I've done a bit of research on our upcoming trip. If our ports overlap, happy to share information. Just send details on which ports you have questions about.

For our upcoming Greece/Turkey we booked numerous private car excursions through Seabourn. Both half day and full day. We hate busses, and normally DIY. Given traffic issues in some of the places we are visiting it is reassuring to have a Seabourn booked trip. The ship will wait for us if there is a problem. We also found the private trips in Turkey quite reasonable.

For Stumbles ..if I may call you that. GOLD

Not sure they would let us on the same ship. 😂

What is a Martini? Might as well ask me how I feel about jeans in the dinning room. Sure to start social media WWIII. Heck I'll bite. I feel that cocktail nomenclature has morphed and advanced with the addition of so many interesting flavor combinations. In the past each cocktail had it's own name. French 75, Avaition, Manhattan for example. Now, cocktail ingredient combinations are endless. This is reflected cocktail menus everywhere. They are sometimes broken down into sections: Martini, Manhattan, Margherita, for example. I would refer to Gin and Vermouth as a Classic Martini. Love the Churchill designation. I'm comfortable with establishments serving adult beverages calling something with gin or vodka and additional flavors a "Martini". It informs me about the quantity I am likely to receive, that it will be shaken with ice, strained, and poured into a Martini or coupe glass. So when I see a Saketini or a Lychetini on a menu I have a good idea of what I should expect. Throughout our travels we have stumbled across bartenders with different skill set levels and have created some interesting cocktails with them. We then get to name them, weeeee. Whale Tail, International Waters, and Tikehau 47 are just a few. Not sure the rest of the world will know what they are. So....Coconut Lime Martini, floating around tropical waters, sure, I might give one a go........just to be social. 😃 HPD

What a lovely helpful report!

7 sea days, gulp is right. Perhaps you can use some of that time to organize the Better Breadstick Brigade. I'd happily be your First Mate on that one. On second thought, maybe time would be better spent with the Magnificant Martini Makers group. 😁

He is the ultimate Perma Bear.

I now have this vision of rolls of stacked TP next to water bottles and towels as you exit the ship. 😂 In the late 80's I took the train from Helsinki to Moscow. We were advised to bring as much toilet paper as we could. It was gold.

I too am in the don't see the attraction camp. And at one time they even had a promotional video about them. I watched it before my first Seabourn cruise and thought these must be amazing. Whoa, what a let down. C'mon roll them in some spices and parmesan, or something. I'll take the CFC chicken for my carb load.

Very excited about the Pursuit South Pacific itineraries. Grabbed 40 day Guam to Santiago fall of 2024, but will look to see what they have for Spring of 2025. We're headed to New Guinea and Solomans next month on SS Explorer will report. But it looks like you've got the thumbs up from Fletcher, which is all you really need. 😃

A door and toilet paper...no we're talking first class!

Good idea! But we are in the NO MORE STUFF phase. Does a ship fall in the Stuff category?

Exactly! My sister can walk fine. She just can't do the 2-3 miles it takes to transfer to the gate in Heathrow!

Ugh! Getting ready for a big one on Explorer departing from Fiji in April and found this: PRE-EMBARKATION TESTING REQUIREMENTS - ALL VOYAGES EXCEPT - E1220924016Fully Vaccinated Guest Testing Requirements All fully vaccinated guests embarking on a ship are required to provide the following test results regardless of whether or not you have received a booster/s. A valid negative test result will be by either: A PCR test performed within 72 hours before boarding, OR A rapid Antigen test performed within 24 hours before boarding Once you have received a negative test you are required to upload your result here: https://silversea.respondglobal.com/. This is needed in order to receive clearance to embark the ship and should be done from 72 hours up to 2 hours prior to embarkation.

No, no, yes.😃