Rothko1

Maybe. I think Freeport would be better. They already have the logistics for Grand Bahama, and could offer a "different" destination than the ships that go out of Port Canaveral.

To go where?

Like that. Amazing the things you can find on the Internet when you search...

Delicately eaten out of the shell.

There's a restaurant near me that offers an appetizer of a hard boiled egg shell filled with scrambled egg and topped with osetra caviar that is absolutely delicious and decadent.

Both are delicious!

I think you might be terribly disappointed. This isn't Virgin Voyages...

That's just a bit obnoxious. Caviar for 6? I call that committing the sin of gluttony. I've never heard of it with french fries. I have heard of it with potato chips. I like it with blinis and creme fresh, and that's it. No other accompaniments - like egg, or onion, or whatever. I think those are used to mask the flavor of bad caviar, not to enhance good caviar. But that's just my opinion.

My wife doesn't like caviar and doesn't drink alcohol (what a waste of an all-inclusive cruise, eh??) On the other hand, I enjoy caviar (and I do have it at home - Kelly's Katch or Joseph's Market are the two places I'll buy from). So I have been known to order caviar for 2 to the room on a cruise and wind up eating both.

Did you get any conch salad? I love freshly made conch salad.

You are absolutely correct. I think Margaritaville has a nice little niche right now, operating out of a port no one else is based from, goes to the Bahamas and back in 2 nights. Expanding to compete against the "big boys" wouldn't be very wise.

I suppose the question is: does Margaritaville want to duplicate its current format of a 2 night cruise, or does it want to branch up into a 3 night or 4 night cruise for a second ship? Right now, the 2 night format works fine because there are no other cruise ships operating out of the Port of Palm Beach, so the ship can come in every two days (I see it almost every time it comes or goes) and it doesn't have to fight for dock space. Plus, Freeport is such a close sail from West Palm Beach, it's an easy 2 night cruise. In Port Canaveral, they would have to fight for the dock space (maybe the same with Port Everglades), so perhaps switching to a 3 or 4 night format for that ship would allow it to operate from those ports. Plus, it is a much longer sail from up there down to Freeport and back.

Even though the Galapagos are at the equator, the water there is quite cold. This is not the Bahamas. The Humbolt current comes up from the south, bringing lots of cold water (that's how the penguins got up to the Galapagos - think about that: penguins at the equator) So it is better to err on the side of caution and bring more wetsuit gear than to not have enough. You can always leave your hoodie or gloves or whatever if you find you don't need them.

That's a good way to look at it! 🙂

According to their website, while Baltic, Mediterranean and Alaska cruises have formal optional nights, the Caribbean is not listed as formal optional: https://www.silversea.com/travel-informations/general-information.html Clothing Suggestions – Shipboard Attire Shipboard attire ranges from casual to formal. Casual wear is appropriate for daytime aboard ship or ashore and consists of standard sports outfits as worn at five-star resorts. Shoes should be flat or low heeled for deck activities. Evening attire falls into three categories: casual, informal and formal. On casual evenings, pants, blouses, skirts and casual dresses for ladies; open-neck shirts and slacks for gentlemen are appropriate. On informal evenings, ladies usually wear dresses or pantsuits; gentlemen wear jackets (tie optional). Appropriate formal evening wear for ladies is an evening gown or cocktail dress; gentlemen wear tuxedos, dinner jackets or dark suits. Tie is required. On formal nights, guests may dine in La Terrazza and choose to dress informal; dresses or pantsuits for ladies, jackets for gentlemen (tie optional). This option also applies to Seishin on board Silver Spirit, Kaiseki on board Muse, Moon and Dawn. Dining at The Grill and Spaccanapoli is optional casual all nights. Following dinner, all guests are free to take advantage of any or all public spaces, however, jacket is required. Sailings of 9 days or less typically feature 1 formal night, while longer voyages usually have 2-3 formal nights. Details will be provided in your final cruise documents, but the chart below provides a basic guideline to assist in packing the proper attire. Please note: On 7 day sailings in the Baltic, Mediterranean and Alaska, formal night is always optional; guests may choose to dress informal, a jacket is required for gentlemen. Evening Dress Code* Number of Cruise Days -> Formal -> Informal -> Casual 4 -> 1 -> 2 -> 1 5 -> 1 -> 3 -> 1 6 -> 1 -> 3 -> 2 7 -> 1 -> 3 -> 3

I've never had complaints about the SS excursions I've been on. Some have been better than others, but none have been bad. As far as being crowded, it has always been the opposite. I've constantly been surprised how SS will have two or three buses for an excursion when cramming us all into one bus would be perfectly acceptable (for me). I get onto a 40% filled bus and just think of the waste.

Last SS cruise we did we didn't get the Chronicles. My wife went to the Reception desk on the last day and asked them to print copies of all of them so she could take them home (put them into a picture book she is making of our trip). I didn't really miss the paper copies.

Thanks for the review. The seas going across the gulf stream this time of the year can be hit and miss. Summer is usually calm, but winter can bring massive swells. I drive along the ocean usually every day, and I can look out and see the "elephants" on the horizon, as we call them. If you see them, you know its going to be a rough ride. Bonine and Dramamine have never worked for me. I swear by the Patch. But you've got to take it before you start to feel ill.

That's the rough part. I imagine most of the passengers had some level of alcohol in their systems. It's a vacation, after all.

No worries, mate. 🙂 You can canoe up the Loxahatchee River at JD Park to the old Trapper Nelson site. Step back in time. Another great park up there is Riverbend Park. They have the historical battle site from the Seminole Indian War, and you can also rent canoes or kayaks there and go up the Loxahatchee River also. https://discover.pbcgov.org/parks/Locations/Riverbend.aspx Unlike Jonathan Dickinson, the Riverbend Park is free to go into. I think it's one of the crown jewels of Palm Beach County.

I agree with those suggestions. If you are going up to Blowing Rock, then definitely continue north and go into the Town of Jupiter Island and drive up to the north end and enjoy the views. You can then cross over the bridge back to the mainland and go south to Jonathan Dickinson. Also, go check out the Jupiter Lighthouse. If you are hungry/thirsty, you can go to the Square Grouper at the Jupiter Inlet, or Guanabanas on the other side of the road. Both are great places to chill and have a drink. If you are going up to Palm Beach, then you must go to Worth Avenue and walk the vias - keep your eyes open for them, don't just stay on the main street. Have lunch at Pizza Al Fresco, you will feel like you are in Italy. Drive around the Island and ogle the mansions (Mar-a-Lago is in the south end; the Kennedy mansion is in the north end but it is under reconstruction). Go into the Breakers (just tell the security guard you are going to "HMF" for a drink) and walk around. Rent bikes and do the Bike Trail to the north end of the Island; it's amazing. Go all the way to Annie's Dock and enjoy the views of the Inlet and Peanut Island. Take A1A all the way down to Atlantic Avenue in Delray, or keep going all the way back down to Boca.

I really think a car service is the way to go for them. Forget Uber or Lyft, you'll probably never get a driver willing to make such a long drive down. Arrange for a service, have the driver meet them at the airport with a sign, take them to the car, drive them down to Fort Lauderdale straight to the ship. Yes, a bit expensive, but easy for them. Brightline might be a good bet if and when they get around to opening the line to Orlando, but that still would involve having your parents hauling luggage to the train, riding down to Fort Lauderdale and then getting from the Brightline station to the port.

Wow, I thought talking about dress codes was a hot potato. I'm staying way out of this one...

If you don't mind me asking, why do you think so? What aspects make it amazing? A serious question.