ging466

Looks like it was mostly a UK thing, and mine appears to have been signed by the dreaded Mr Shaw!

I got one from the Sydney office of SS but it wasn't signed by anyone. :)

Fans of the crossings may like to see my review of the recent Silver Cloud transatlantic crossing Someone else has posted a rather harsh review. I think they must have been on a different ship!!!

Great review Philip.

Look forward to seeing u in a couple of weeks.:D

Cheers

Jennifer

Hi Susan

I've used those aqua socks before but in the Galapagos I wore my Teva sandals for wet & dry landings. The soles have excellent grip. I didn't want to take 2 pairs of shoes so the Tevas were brilliant, whether traipsing up a volcano or walking through the water.

U r going to love the Galapagos...have a great trip.

Cheers

Jennifer

Judie was the best CD I've had and I'm sad to hear this news too.

Cheers

Jennifer

Do u think this will create a new class....quiet class? For a premium of course :D

:eek::eek::eek:

Cheers

Jennifer

stepping over lions and getting up close and personal with water buffalo is not quite the same as cavorting with sea lions. But it is amazing and I am so looking forward to our trip to the Galapagos

LOL 5waldos...yes the animals in the Galapagos don't want to eat u!:D

Dusababy, have a think about going. I did it solo and I'm very accident prone but I'm still here to tell the tale :D The guides are very good at sizing up who needs to go slow and who needs a little extra assistance. We had an 86 yr old on my boat. I managed to fall over more than she did :eek:

Cheers

Jennifer

It's going to take some time to soak in. Will never be able to walk in a zoo and not think about the Galapagos. We actually had to watch were you were stepping to not hurt any animals. We witnessed mating dances and some XXX of animals, also survival of the fittest taking place right in front of our eyes. Seeing animals in pens at zoos from now on will not be any fun...

Couldn't agree more...no zoos for me after seeing the Galapagos. I managed to see 2 of the giant turtles going for it up in the highlands...that was something I will never forget :D Having to step over giant iguanas and being up close & personal with all the sea lions...this was the best trip I have ever done. Can't wait to get to Africa some day.

Glad u had a good time carefreecruise.

Cheers

Jennifer

This doesn't sound likes it's worth the $$$ u r paying for it HOWEVER are u enjoying the wonderful experience with all the animals? I reckon Galapagos is one of the best experiences u can have.

Cheers

Jennifer

My first reaction to that box was "yuck, cheap and nasty".:eek:

But I wish those documents were mine;)

Cheers

Jennifer

See you all soon. We leave tomorrow for Barcelona!

Have a great trip Victoria :D

Cheers

Jennifer

Jennifer I love your photo -- looks so much like my Dusababy. She was not pure Siamese, didn't have that awful voice, but instead after I taught her to speak properly she was quite a lovely lady. Her mother was purebred but fell in love with a little black traveling man who disappeared soon after having his way with her. The result was twins - we adopted them both - Dusababy and her little tuxedo clad brother Milan - another handsome devil we made sure would never follow in his daddy's footsteps, taking advantage of poor innocent girls. And he was quite content after recovering from the first shocking humiliation. Two precious family members who will never be forgotten.

I loved your little story, dusababy. My princess, Phoebe, is a Ragdoll but she channels Siamese because she is the biggest talker ever...she is such a delight.:)

Cheers

Jennifer

Don't most zodiacs have dry boxes for things like cameras?

U definitely need your camera around your neck in the Galapagos, there are non stop photo opportunities and u don't want to miss a thing. Forget about the dry box!:)

I took a normal camera and a waterproof camera. I used the waterproof one a lot especially when swimming with the turtles & the seals :D

U are going to have a fantastic time.

Cheers

Jennifer

I walk with some difficulty and sometimes use a cane. I can walk, just not long distances. Will I have a problem here?

I would definitely recommend a walking stick. Whilst I have no problem walking, I am accident prone and I fell over twice whilst in the Galapagos. Fortunately I didn't hurt myself. Some of the landings were a bit tricky and the rocks were very slippery. I would have liked a walking stick.

Cheers

Jennifer

Dusababy was my very best kitty -- gone but not forgotten, and now known worldwide.......:-) Thanks for asking.

I often wonder about the nicknames. So nice to see another kitty lover :D

Cheers

Jennifer

Just received my box that I thought was going to be silver. Instead I received a standard white shipping box with there seal on it. My first impression was that Silversea was protecting there silver boxes since the majority of my was damage in the past. What a big disappointment :cool:

:eek::eek::eek: No silver box anymore?...that is disappointing. When I got my docs for my recent Crystal cruise, my immediate reaction was "not as nice as the SS silver box". Bummer, I really liked that silver box.

Cheers

Jennifer

I was in the Galapagos last April and there were areas where the water was very cold and other areas not so cold, but having said that, I needed a wetsuit the entire time because I hate water that is colder than a bath :o Others seemed to be quite happy diving in without wetsuits. I would always opt for a wetsuit just to be on the safe side.

Cheers

Jennifer

I do a number of back-to-backs and have recently begun a practice that the stewardess/butler very much appreciate. I tell them on disembarkation day not to provide morning service in my suite. They are furiously busy preparing suites, etc., and they have welcome relief from attending to my suite for that one morning. I do not expect others to follow my practice, but I thought I would mention it. Please don't flame me! :)

Observer, I did the same thing on my recent Crystal B2B and the stewardess was most appreciative too. Kudos to u for "putting it out there" for everyone to consider. :)

Cheers

Jennifer

For what it's worth, I feel quite insulted by this thread.

I happen to get sick on nearly every cruise I take. Almost without fail, I catch a cold despite all the careful hand washing that I practice, be it with soap or hand sanitisers.

It's my constitution and I can't help it. When I do get sick, I ensure that I cover my mouth when coughing and NEVER go to the buffet when sick.

In 2009, when swine flu was rife around the world, I embarked a ship with a terrible cold. I reported straight to the doctor, was tested for swine flu and the test was negative. Even though I was sick, I was given the 'all clear' to board.

It's bad enough to get sick on board and have your holiday ruined for a period of time but to be thought of as dirty and unclean, that's just too much.:(

Cheers

Jennifer

Silversea did all the visas for everyone at that time and charged the shipboard account. I think it would have been impossible to get so many visas independently.

 

Our cruise was totally amazing - I've been enjoying this thread as so many of the pictures and stories match ours! happy memories

 

PS I think we maybe met on a transat cruise Oct 2010 - you did the roll-call?

Hi sloopjohnb

Yes we did meet on that Oct 2010 cruise on the Silver Spirit and yes I did the roll call.:)

I'm not very happy with SS at the moment, I cannot get any clarification from them on visas for Australians so right now I am thinking of cancelling the whole thing.:eek:

I'm going on my Crystal cruise next week so will forget about SS for the time being.

Cheers

Jennifer

P.S. Thankx to drron who has put in so much time and effort to this wonderful blog.:)

A number of u r posting different information about the Ghana visa situation.

I'm beginning to think that if u are in transit from Cape Town all the way to Las Palmas or Barcelona, then SS will organise the visas.

If u r embarking or disembarking in Ghana, then u need a visa.

In the meantime, I'm trying to get info from SS to clarify. :confused:

Thankx

Jennifer

Hi drron

Just wondering how did u get your visa for Ghana? I've now been told by SS that I need a Ghana visa even though I'm not disembarking there.

Were u able to obtain it in Australia?

Cheers

Jennifer

As a seal lover, those pics are just marvellous. I got my seal fix whilst in the Galapagos but having one jump into your boat like that, well I'm just lost for words...wow what an experience! :)

Cheers

Jennifer

Great review NattilyAttired.

Thankx for taking the time to post your thoughts.

Cheers

Jennifer

If u don't have the free laundry, embarkation day is a very good time to get your laundry done - no queueing for machines or dryers:D

Cheers

Jennifer

I agree with drron, in the Galapagos, the smaller the better - although I'm sure the SS ship will be lovely.

I went on a chartered vessel, Yacht La Pinta. There were 40 Australians and we were split into 3 groups when we went on our hikes. We snorkelled or kayaked every day. It was a very comfortable little boat and I thought our food was excellent.

No matter what ship u go on, nothing can take away the experience with the animals. That's what is important.

Cheers

Jennifer