pavementends

I don't know about lines checking in early. But you can save some time by checking in on line which involves uploading photos.

On my last visit to Edinburgh (a looong time ago) I stayed at a hotel that had Arbroath smoked haddock on the breakfast menu. I forget the hotel but remember the smoked haddock vividly. I recommend that you stay at a hotel that has smoked haddock on the breakfast menu, and that you order it.

I forgot to mention the Scott memorial and the National Museum. Didn't know about the Royal Yacht. Add in a pub lunch and OP has a full day.

My (only) two Silversea cruises were bought fairly close to departure (3-6 months). There was an attractively priced port to port option and very good itineraries. I suspect that the port to port option appears when there are a significant number of unsold cabins. It's practical to take advantage of these (not last-minute, but last-months) options if you don't really need to go at a particular time and you have some flexibility in itinerary.

Having been to Edinburgh, the thing to do is to visit the castle and walk down the Royal Mile. If no royalty in the way, you could also visit Holyrood I suppose. (When I was there, the queen was in the way). No need to pay for this. Can you get transport into town and back from Silversea? That's what I did in Dublin, after they cancelled all the tours I was interested in.

Based on my (small) experience tours can be added or cancelled even a couple of months before sailing. I would get on waitlists and keep checking. I had a case where one of the tours I thought I signed up for had the reservation (apparently) disappear. I think it showed full. I called up and was put back on the tour. The Alhambra in Granada should not be missed. Getting tickets is a project. Worth an entire day.

Did you take a photo on a wooden table,* and then convert to .pdf?? I just did one of these forms. It's crazy that Viking does not have a fillable .pdf. Then you could...fill out the blanks on your computer...save it...and email the thing back to Viking. No wooden table needed. * Long running joke on one of the IT websites.

1. Book it when you see it, or risk losing the option. 2. The price might go down later, who knows? 3. OP knows his budget. If it can't be bought within his budget, let it go.

There are all kinds of reasons why I don't want Door to Door. 1. Port to port is cheaper (when available). 2. I like to be in control. 3. I like to get in more than a day early so I can do some more sightseeing. 4. On some cruises you really really have to be there on time. (Antarctica, for example). And a final thing- I live too far from the airport for included transfers anyway.

I regret that I did not climb the spiral staircase of the Church of Our Savior in Copenhagen. On another note, Oslo is my favorite airport.

Unless you really want to stay in Southampton...Salisbury is interesting to visit (even if you choose not to go to Stonehenge) and is about an hour away from Southampton by train.

I took this cruise last summer and had a great time. (I think there are actually two cruises with this route, I did the one on Moon). I recommend you skip the Silversea air and make reservations yourself. This makes it easier to add on some days before or after. I arrived a few days earlier to visit a couple places in England. (Be aware that hotels in London can be very high, while at LHR and many other places they are much more reasonable). I took premium economy on AA from LAX (very acceptable in terms of comfort). Business is of course nicer but the payoff is less for the shorter flights from the US east coast. I used Iceland air which is just fine although their Saga class has seats roughly equivalent to US domestic first class. Remember these flights are not all that long (< 5 hr to Boston). The boarding area in the airport however is best described as chaotic with many flights to the US leaving at just about the same time. There IS a dedicated line for business although it is very difficult to find. Baggage requirements are very specific to airlines. Some (BA probably among these) have very specific limits on size and weight that are erratically enforced.

Your sarcasm detector needs adjustment.

I suspect that many more use the "air-inclusive" than not because port-to-port is not always available. The story seems to be- and it seems to be the same on other lines- that sometimes included air works out well and sometimes it doesn't. Not working out often means inconvenient or long flights. Maybe it works best if you live near a major airport.

Don't know but if so it would be tragic.

Viking says in there promotional materials "no umbrella drinks." How is a Mai Tai not an umbrella drink?

As a final option OP could just order dinner in her* cabin, and eat dinner in a bathrobe. Definitely (1) a first world problem (2) complaint made without really understanding the options. *I guess it's her, but I do not want to exclude the possibility that he or they want to do makeup.

That's what OP said. Port to port is discounted and I'm not surprised.

I started to register for STEP once and it seemed like it asked for a great deal of info (all my hotels? all my stops??). Do I remember wrong? So I did not find it easy, and as the trip was a non-dangerous one (western Europe) I gave up.

Unlike the down-market cruise lines, the differences on Silversea are not great. You still get the butler (need him or not), you still go to the same restaurants, choose from the same excursions, have the same drinks and the same in-cabin dining, etc. The perks Stumblefoot mentions are, in my mind at least, relatively minor so the main thing you get is a bigger cabin. As a past cheapest-cabin cruiser, Silversea, despite being a "luxury" line, seems to be nearly classless.

Is the red light district to be avoided because it is dangerous, or because one might see things that would cause one to clutch one's pearls??

No nickel and dimeing means that any extra charge items are way more than a dime. I would agree that Viking has less of this than some of the mass market lines. But more than some of the all-inclusive lines- which are not really really all-inclusive. I have advice. Buy your own flights, remove one irritation and maybe save some dimes.

I do not consider the chances of needing emergency air evacuation to be large enough to warrant insurance of this sort.

I was on Shadow just after the two dislocated Alaska voyages. My trip was uneventful. I think the chances for a significant "event" are about the same as on any other ship. That is: nonzero; distinctly greater than on an airplane; and if it happens distinctly less impactful than on an airplane.

OP should carry his camera and leave the laptop at home. Problem solved. It is unfortunate that OP is getting details now. However "issues" with cruise ships and Venice have been in the air for some time so this should be no surprise. To be honest (1) a night in Venice is a better experience than a few hours of tour and (2) there are interesting things to see in Ravenna if OP's plans are flexible.