Rothko1

The evening Silversea tour we did was to the old city, to the very historical area (its a Unesco world heritage site). We walked around the squares and old streets. It was magnificent - the architecture is just something. We had police escorts with our group, to keep pickpockets and other unsavory folk away. We then went up to the Virgen de El Panecillo statue on the hill about Quito and toured that also.

You are welcome. 🙂

1. Yes, that's the airport. We flew in from Punta Arenas, Chile, on DAP (Antarctic Airways) charters. They had 3 planes for all the cruise passengers. They took off and landed 30 minutes apart. I don't know if there are flights in from Argentina or not - but I doubt it. Our transportation was part of the Silversea "Antarctica Bridge" program - they take care of all logistics. As far as I know, Silversea is the only cruise line that offers an air bridge to Antarctica. 2. No. The ship was in King George Island's harbor. We flew to the island with our luggage, and then were bused down to the harbor shore and went out by zodiac. The cruise line took care of getting the luggage from the planes to the ship and to our cabins. There was a restriction of one bag, 50 pounds or less. You were allowed one carry on, and a personal item. 3. The ship was never at Punta Arenas. It was already down in Antarctica. They do several "Air Bridge" cruises, and then after the last air bridge cruise, they head across the Drake with just crew to go to Port Williams for reprovisioning and taking on new passengers there for a longer, non-air bridge cruise. 4. It's more expensive to fly than to sail the Drake, I believe. At least, our cruise was pretty expensive. Yes, you lose 2 days for the trip down and 2 days for the trip back, if you went by boat. But those 2 days could be Drake Lake or Drake Shake. It was worth it for me not to take the risk of 2 days being seasick followed by a possible additional 2 days returning and also being seasick. I've been badly seasick before and I'd rather die. 5. It's one or the other. You are either on the "Air Bridge" cruise or on a regular cruise. You can't do a split. 6. I don't have a clue what those penalties are. All I can say is that we did show our passports in Punta Arenas, Chile to get on the plane. Had to do a declaration that we weren't carrying knives, guns, sharp implements, etc. Flew to the airport on King George Island (which is a gravel runway), got off the plane, walked onto a bus, drove down to the harbor's edge, got in the Zodiac and was taken to the ship. Turned in our passport once we got on the ship and collected it on the last day as we left the ship to fly back to the mainland. 7. We were on the last "Air Bridge" cruise. The ship took us to the airport at 11:00 a.m. and was expected to depart for Port Williams in the afternoon. If the weather had been bad and flights cancelled, I assume that they would have taken us back onboard and taken us to Port Williams with them. Since the weather was nice, however, we didn't have to do that. There is nowhere on King George Island where we could have stayed overnight if the planes had been canceled. 8. There was no way to do an independent trip to King George Island. The "Air Bridge" package starts and ends in Santiago, Chile. The cruise line flies all passengers to Punta Arenas together, puts them all into hotels in Punta Arenas, and then flies them all to King George Island to meet the ship. And does the reverse on the way back. Could you plan your own trip to King George Island for a backpacking hike or whatever? I suppose so. DAP does do other flights to King George Island other than Silversea charters. But I have no idea really about that.

I just did the "Bridge" trip where you fly into King George Island instead of taking the Drake. The expedition leader told us the seas has waves up to 6 meters for what would have been the trip over AND the trip back. So grateful I didn't cross the Drake. That being said, flying into Antarctica can be just as weather-reliant as sailing. If the weather is bad in the South Shetland islands, the planes won't fly, or they will turn around. We were lucky - our flying weather was good. A couple on our ship, however, had been scheduled on a Bridge cruise before ours, and it got canceled because they couldn't fly out to meet the ship.

I suppose if they did get a second ship they could base it out of Port Everglades and run up to Grand Bahama from there, the way the old Sea Escapes used to do.

Yes, it definitely would be worthwhile to bring your own full length wetsuit if you own one. If I were going again, I might even go out and buy one to bring, just for the trip.

So glad to hear you had a great time. We did Silver Origin a year and a half ago and it is still my all-time favorite cruise (just inching out Antarctica slightly). I'd go back in a flash.

Well, Melbourne to WPB can sometimes get crowded too these days, although I do think it is a much better drive than WPB going south. Boca is a nightmare most days, as is near downtown FLL, and of course, going into Miami on 95. They have the new Express toll lanes, and I usually always take them if I am heading into Miami.

Yes, it's just so inconvenient to eat with a jacket on. Makes you wonder how anyone does it. I'm a major proponent that everyone should wear whatever they want on a cruise without consideration for their fellow passengers. After all, it is their money, they should be allowed to wear whatever they choose. They are there to enjoy themselves; they know who they are and what they are, and they couldn't care less about what others might think. I look forward to the day I can sail about a Silversea ship and enjoy the marvelous view of a beautiful dining room filled with a wide variety of passengers in all manner of dress, including men in thongs, wife-beater shirts, hats with beer holders and tubes, and smoking cigars.

You have evidence that Steve Jobs took off his dinner jacket at formal events or dinners? If so, yes, I would say that he was portraying himself as a yokel. In fact, I'd wager that Steve Jobs never did that at any formal event he went to. You are clearly confusing the concepts of dressing for formal events vs. dressing for work. Two completely different matters. I'm glad that you will respect the dress code. Everyone should. That's the point. If it is formal dress, then wear formal dress. If it is business casual, then wear business casual. Only an idiot would show up for work at Apple in a tuxedo.

Actually it does. It makes one look like a yokel. If that's the image one wants to portray to the others onboard, that's up to him.

Dude, Where's My Jacket? (gentlemansgazette.com)

From the Gentleman's Gazette: "Or here’s another scenario: A person has paid handsomely for a cruise on an upscale line renowned for its elegance. It may even be one of those cruise lines that go so far as to explain to passengers that on designated formal nights they are expected to remain properly attired for the duration of the evening, not just until the dishes are cleared away. On said formal night the person marvels at the beautifully decorated dining room with handsomely attired fellow guests enjoying professional service, fine wine, and delectable food. Then these guys are spotted at the next table: Cruise passengers on formal night, under the mistaken impression that formal is just casual with a bow tie. Voilà: the formal dinner now resembles more of a wait staff party. Don’t be these guys. Sure, your fellow guests may smile politely and pretend not to notice but the fact of the matter is that you are the visual equivalent of fingernails being dragged across a chalkboard. And for what purpose? Short of providing the fairer sex with protection from excessive air-conditioning, or finding yourself on the verge of a heat stroke, there is no excuse for discarding your tuxedo jacket. (Even in the case of the latter, there’s no reason you can’t step outside instead.) After all, if comfort trumps consideration then why stop with the jacket? You’ll feel even cooler with your tie undone and collar unbuttoned. Has that good food got you feeling stuffed? Go ahead and pop open that waistband. Are your dogs barking? Ditch the shoes. ... Whether male or female, the principle is the same: show a little sophistication and consideration and everyone wins." "

Coca Cola from overseas tastes sooo much better than US Coke. Mexican Coke is famous, but Bahamian Coke is just as good. I used to see kosher Coke in the US, in the green cans, which I think had real sugar, but I haven't seen that in a long time.

Don't be surprised if some line starts offering that. You heard it here first.

I just took a Silversea "Antarctica Bridge" trip where we flew over the Drake directly into King George Island, and I am soooo happy we did that. The seas we would have had to go through, both over and back were waves up to 6 meters. This was in February, near the end of the "summer" there, so there can still be high seas all year round.

As I posted on the other thread: I was just on the Silver Endeavour in Antarctica. You board the zodiacs from the side of the side (as opposed to the Silver Origin in the Galapagos where you board at the back of the ship on the marina deck). The Captain turns the ship so that typically you will be on the lee side when using the zodiacs. There will always be at least 3 crew assisting you on and off: two people on the ship and one in the zodiac. You do the "sailors grip" which is grasping the forearms; it is very secure. Backpacks or bags get handed in or out after you finish boarding or de-boarding the zodiacs. They put a box in the zodiac which you step onto. Once onboard the zodiac you sit down and then scoot down towards the back of the zodiac to let more people on. Frankly, you never want to be the first people on the zodiac because then you are back near the engine and it will be harder to hear the zodiac driver. Plus, you get better views if you are near the front of the zodiac. So let others board first. When you make a "wet landing" at the shore, you scoot up to the front of the zodiac and they have you swing your legs around first and then exit the zodiac. They usually have boxes there as well for boarding the zodiac. Lots of crew to help you with the wet landings and boardings. The crew is very very experienced at assisting passengers on and off. They will make sure you are fine. There was an older gentleman who could barely walk with a cane, and he was going on the zodiacs with very little problem. You should go on the Endeavour. It is a magnificent ship, and you will have a wonderful and safe adventure.

Thank God someone else gets it.

Love the photos, especially Palm Beach as you headed out the Inlet.

If you haven't had one, I highly recommend it.

If and when Disney ever gets around to opening Lighthouse Point on Eleuthera, you would definitely want to consider that on the list of places to visit. Lighthouse Point is spectacular. I'm just hoping that Disney doesn't screw it up.

You're making me crave a conch burger, fries, and a Kalik.

I agree 100% on this. They will pay close attention, just as I am sure they pay close attention to all competitors. And ultimately, it is probably better to us, the consumer. If the new Crystal suddenly figures out some new magic touch that no one else has, I am sure that will trickle over to the other lines. For example: If Crystal starts offering private jet air travel for the same price as business class on the other lines, the other luxury cruise lines would probably start looking into how they are able to do so, and would duplicate it. Passengers would win.

On my recent SS cruise, we did Port to Port and scheduled our own flights, which worked out fine. Others who did the SS Air were complaining about some of the strange flights they had to take. For example, a couple who lived in Houston had to fly Santiago to Miami to Dallas to Houston, when there were direct flights from Santiago to Houston, or at least should have been able to go Miami straight to Houston. The last time I did SS Air (June 2022), my travel agent worked with me and with SS Air to offer multiple flight options, and we were able to select the one that worked best for us. Does that not happen for most people? Do they just get told: "This is your flight" and have no options??

Love the posts. I just got back from Silver Endeavour down there, so it is great reading about someone who is going to the same places I just went to.