LAexNY

Tuesday morning, Vigo Spain, dreary and overcast We boarded in Lisbon on Sunday and it was a treat to recognize many of the crew and naturalists we know from our B2B on Wind last year. Expedition leader is Lea from Australia who we were also with on Explorer in the Kimberley last year. Other familiar naturalists are Alex Frel, the Renaissance Man, and Bernardo - the ornithologist. Hotel Director is Dejan; many familiar wait staff and maitre d’s as well. Zaid Barrera is entertainment director and trivia host, hilarious as ever. So far we have not noticed any of the concerns with SS that we read about so often on this board. It is true that there are fewer pasta choices in La Terrazza than I remember. The ship is quite full and when we arrived at The Restaurant around 8:15, we were told there would be a 20 minute wait to be seated. We asked if we could go to La Terrazza and it turned out there had been a cancellation there and we were seated right away.

Enjoy the Kimberley. We did it last year on the Explorer swan song and it was spectacular.

We will be joining you on Wind in Lisbon and staying on to Reykjavik. Will be our second B2B on Wind. Have never done SS Classic yet but will do our first this November on Nova, Cairns-Sydney-Auckland.

Wow, sounds like you have a grudge. The OP is asking whether to use a TA or book direct and you are saying that because you had a bad experience booking direct, one should take another cruise line?

Looking forward to hearing this as well. We get on the Wind when you get off in Lisbon. Sailing on a B2B to London Bridge then Reykjavik.

It depends on the excursion. If you read the description of a particular one, it will specify whether there is free time included.

Not sure why you say “tip if you must!”

United also has a nonstop to Lisbon from Dulles.

Messaging is not permitted on Cruise Critic. I suggest you use the Search function within this Silversea board and search for each of your topics. You will find many posts on each of your questions.

That has been the usual practice on every cruise line we have been on.

We are on Explorer now and Matt is on board.

We are on Explorer now and it is still there. Nearest cabin is 424.

We have been in aft cabins over a dozen times on Oceania and never were bothered by motion. I suppose each person’s experience will vary.

I can’t answer your question but I am curious to see any answers. We love aft cabins and have one booked on Nova for 2024 and another on Ray for 2025, both on deck 8.

We are on the Silver Explorer in the Kimberley now. Passports were collected when we boarded in Fremantle and will be returned when we disembark in Darwin. The entire cruise is in Australia, no other country or customs involved. Go figure!

And don’t forget that the customs reps who come aboard in the morning always like to enjoy a nice breakfast on board before getting down to their work.

And no one is asking you to.

We stated at the Oro Verde after our Silver Origin cruise last year. Very nice hotel although not as nice as the Marriott we stayed at pre-cruise in Quito. Nor was the neighborhood as nice.

Have we gone a bit off topic here?

Please protect us from the norms!

You would not have been too happy with a hotel near JFK. There are no 4 or 5 star hotels, mostly Courtyard or similar. The choice is convenience near the airport or a more luxurious stay in the city.

Just to clarify - I am the friend bitob mentioned. We were on a B2B expedition cruise. On each leg (12 and 14 days) there were two informal nights where jackets were supposedly required. This was clearly not enforced as at least one guy was wearing a Hawaiian shirt. It had been my (apparently wrong) understanding that jackets were never required on expedition cruises. We have been on Silver Origin in Galapagos and jackets were never even suggested.

Wow! Some people really get worked up over the dress code. Funny, it seems to get more attention on CC than the ship, the cuisine, the service, the itineraries, the amenities, the entertainment. Those are some of the things I care about and the things that influence my choice of a cruise line.

Believe it or not, dress code is not the primary criterion upon which many choose a cruise line.

Many of us feel that an adult dining experience does not or should not require formal dress. It’s not a matter of questioning and complying. Some of you old guard formal night proponents will find that fewer and fewer cruise lines are going to require formal dress. Does it really diminish your dining experience if I am not wearing a tie to dinner?