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Amen to that. Insofar as readers may be interested about how people are interpreting Elegant Casual, it was elegant casual last night and much the majority of men at the Salt Bar were wearing jacket with no tie. The others had long sleeved collared shirts, and there were a few jacket and tie too. Ladies were wearing either country club chic (draped or fitted trousers with sweater or blouse and scarf or blazer) or smart dresses. Incidentally, a big surprise has been the weather. Although we are crossing the Atlantic in mid November, the Temps have been around 70F or 20C all day... very pleasant. The Marquee (Griile and Spaccanapoli) have been well attended.

It's too early to weigh the plusses and minuses (and i dont know where i will come out yet) but here are some little things I like so far: * the coffee cups in La Terraza are a larger size; no more looking around for the refill guy at breakfast. But not so large to get cold. * the ping-pong table is located in an ideal space on deck 2 - a room that's open on three side surrounded by some comfortable chairs for waiting. No more chasing the ball down three flights of stairs. * the chargers in Atlantide (the big plates that hold the space until the first course) have a pattern of scattered blossoms that is modern and charming. * behind the door in the observation lounge is a beautiful little library. I'll try to get some pictures to post by and by.

Yes, the butler brought us the small bottles of Bvlgari. They also have SebaMed antiallergenic but no more Otigia Sciliana.

Oh yes. I have seen so many vests on men on our current Nova TA for "elegant casual" nights. It's practically a fashion statement!

By the way, that's just the laundry on deck 8. There is oe on each of the 4 cabin decks.

You too! DH and i will try Salt Bar around 6:30 tonight and see if it is still packed. Let us know if you can come by.

Always a topic of intense interest: the laundry room. Yes, it's big.

It is difficult to portray exactly how long these halls are.

555 pax on board. Crew is only slightly less than that.

Here is the Silver Nova this morning in Lisbon. Another beautiful day!

I'm currently relaxing in my hotel in Lisbon and the weather is quiet and windless. The temperature is about 55F but overcast with a chilly mist.

What elegant ships! They are certainly a contender for my cruise dollar.

On Moon last year, the Salt Bar bartender made my husband several nonalcoholic drinks. DH just told him to suggest something and the bartender took it from there. It was fun seeing what showed up.

Years ago, the well-known writer and journalist William Safire compiled a book of favorite famous quotes called "Good Advice". I recall his personal favorite was an Hungarian saying "Complain to someone who can help you."

Sorry, yes - whoever is responsible for cleaning up the property that caused the leak.

Lois, Wet drywall, especially in Florida, can be a playground for mold. See if your landlord can lend you a heavy duty dehumidifier to help dry it out faster and report any smell or staining.

We were on the Wind in May 2023 for 11 days, suite 625. On occasion, there was a slight odor of sewage in the bathroom near the commode, which would last for a few seconds. Other than that, we did not notice any problems anywhere else on the ship, other than the fact that the in-suite decor is a bit out of fashion.

For the record, the SS covid policy (the one where you could cancel a cruise at the last minute and get a full refund or FCC if you had acquired a case of covid before sailing) has expired effective with cruises starting tomorrow October 1, 2023. SS sent out an email reminding people of its optional travel insurance in the past week. It does not specifically mention covid, but it contains the reminder: "As a reminder, any and all cancellations on voyages departing on or after 1 October 2023, are subject to our cancellation policy." The buttons to access the Covid policy and healthy sailing practices is now missing from the website.

I was interested in the news posted here that the Cloud has been sold. I heard repeatedly on the Wind this past May that the Wind had been sold. They are both still showing as available for booking through summer 2025. Of course, being sold doesn't mean that they are out of service, since SS can just lease them right back for any period they might agree to with the actual owner. Under those circumstances, however, SS is not going to invest a lot in maintenance and is not going to update any internal decor (which the Wind could use, never having been "Musified"). We did have an issue with a leak in the plumbing on the Cloud last year that was resolved, but on the Wind there was indeed a passing whiff of sewage in the bathroom now and then.

Sam Lord's Castle was a Hilton resort back in 1983 when we honeymooned next door at Crane Beach! Other than the historic "castle" building, it looks entirely new, so it must have closed and completely updated. It does look fantastic. Be careful of the beach - the sand is like talcum powder but the water can be treacherous.

Agree! They are even better than the SS brochures.

Thanks, Lois. Silversea is not going to make a good impression with first time singles doing it that way, if not raising legal issues.

Go to the Silversea opening welcome screen at Silversea.com. Scroll down to the section on Exclusive Offers and the third one over is special single fares (see below). Click on "discover more" and it will take you to the page describing the offer. Scroll down and there is a list of all of the cruises that have the 25% single supplement. There are currently 108 cruises showing.

Bacon and eggs? Why, mimosas of course!

Was there a bottle of iced champagne in the bucket on the sofa table of your suite when you arrived?