Otis

We JUST booked the Owner's Suite on the Magna and, upon reading the original post, I fear that it

might bring a world of pain to this light sleeper.  Specifically, it is the second cabin after the lounge.

I've been in this location on the smaller ships with no problems because of steps, etc.  According to

Needzavaction, there is no separation between the stateroom corridors and lounge, which seems

like quite a thoughtless decision.  Does anyone have any experience this?  I am thinking of changing location or ship.  

Yes, this is going to be a moving target.  My TA was told that the cruise was not technically canceled but, rather,

"postponed."  This exercise in verbal gymnastics leaves a bad taste in my mouth but I'm going to wait and see

how it settles.  It might be smarter for them, if they want to preserve cash, to offer a refund or a much larger Cruise Credit

than 115%.  The current situation is deceitful since the language has just changed but many of us might be happy

with a large FCC....assuming they don't raise prices in a way as to cancel it out.

On 3/13/2020 at 1:39 AM, Host Jazzbeau said:

The only accurate info I've seen about this new virus is that it is so new that nobody knows anything.  There was a rumor that it will die away when warm weather comes – but it turns out that was someone's assumption based on normal flu season, and Tom Hanks just caught it in Australia in their summertime.  The estimates on gestation period keep changing.  The estimates on how long it can live on surfaces keep changing.  And infection rates/death rates will change dramatically as the database goes from anecdotal to statistical.  So, while I hope that by August it will have burned itself out, nobody can tell.

It is believed that Tom Hanks caught the virus before he arrived in Australia.  That doesn't change

any of the more important points, that "nobody knows anything" but one can hope that it mimics

the timing of the normal flu season and dies away.  

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/tom-hanks-rita-wilson-contracted-coronavirus-us-australian-officials-say-1284196

Do not underestimate the opportunity to book very close to departure date....we booked an AMA cruise with friends

and were able to get suites three weeks before we left. There are frequently last minute cancellations for various reasons, along with cancellations when final payment is due. It was a lot of fun to do this on the fly.

We have the excursion brochure for our trip in April and the tours in Amsterdam do NOT include the Anne Frank House. That has become

one of the most difficult tickets to secure, so if you want to visit (and you should) keep track of the offerings on the official website. I would suspect that it is sold out for the month. A friend I am traveling with ended up buying a ticket on Stub Hub.

Thank you both. A charter (or a few back to back) or some maintenance is all I could come up with. I use the NY Port website which, as noted above, did not show the Explorer coming in...I recognized it from our trip to Antarctica, so seeing it on the Hudson River was quite a surprise.

The NY Port website does not show a ship in port today, but the Carnival Pride is there in all its

massive glory.

I just watched Explorer pull into Manhattan, docked next to the Whisper. Does anyone

know what the current itinerary is for Explorer? I can't seem to find out where it is coming from/going to but I'm sure many of you can do this easily. TIA.

I'm watching the Balmoral pull into the berth in Manhattan right now. Does anyone know if

the norovirus situation has been resolved?

It was also true on the Whisper in July. We were told that the only other alternative was to order from the room service menu. While I'm sure they will try to please any diner's request,

I see this as another bean counting cut back.

And to add to this, on our recent 7 night Norway cruise, the documents said one formal

night, so we came prepared. However, that was not the case, as it turned out to be

formal optional.

We had a lovely cruise in early July. Norway is just magnificent and this was a good way to see it. While it is short relative to many other itineraries, it was sufficient for us. Overall, I'd say the cruise was "fine," some good and some underwhelming. We have been on maybe 20 cruises, only on smaller lines (SS, SB, Regent) in the last decade.

-our overall impression was that the crew was going through the motions at times.

I sensed no real enthusiasm for this destination and we got pretty much no commentary about what we were/would be seeing. The captain's messages were very brief

and infrequent as well. While I like a quiet ship, we did feel that more should have been shared

to add to our experience.

-I sense that the crew was tired. Owing to back to back full ships, they seemed to have not had quite enough time to rest. Still, they were lovely, just not as upbeat as

what we've experienced on past SS cruises. La Terrazza buffets seemed particularly challenged, probably because it was too cold to eat outside, so it was cramped. On two or three occasions, the staff seemed to be bickering among themselves, making us uncomfortable.

-Lovely group of fellow passengers from all over the world.

-We are low maintenance, so were disappointed that two of the only requests we made were not handled well. We asked for two burned out light bulbs in the room to be replaced and were told it would be done immediately. And it was, if immediately is five hours. I called

for La Terrazza dinner reservations as directed and was told they would call me back in ten minutes. It never happened, so our butler had to intervene. The words "I'm sorry" were never uttered, but the treatment we received from then on was off the charts excellent. Neither of these were big deals, but since we asked for nothing, it wasn't a good hit rate.

-We had a suite at the front of the boat. It was in good condition - in fact, though while not

new, the whole ship felt absolutely fine. We liked the location because it is quiet. Butler and

assistant lovely and hard working.

-Our pre-cruise documents said there would be a formal night, but that wasn't the case. I don't care one way or another, but I think the information should be correct. On what turned out to be "formal optional" night, the attire ranged the whole gamut. I would have preferred

to have known this in advance and left the dressy stuff home.

-I don't want to reopen the charitable contribution discussion but I do wish that less money would be spent on multipage, glossy brochures and rubber wristband type things. I'd prefer my contribution be focused more on services, less on promotion.

-We enjoyed the lively singing group very much. Don't like opera, so we skipped nights when

that was the format. There was pretty much nothing by way of activities (lots of unsupervised table tennis and bocce on the schedule) and one speaker three days. He was good, but I would have liked more Norway specific information. Of course, daytime activities

are not why people choose SS, so we were fine with it.

-In general, we found the food better than it was on the Shadow on our last cruise. Not amazing, but certainly enough variety. Only one day of "local" specialties. Table assignments seem to be a perennial issue. I saw many people complaining when assigned to noisy tables near the food stations while others got the quiet window seats. It's probably true on all cruises. Because we are repeaters and were in a suite, we usually got nice treatment but,

at times when the crew didn't know us, we really felt a difference in attitude. Again, just an observation, not a complaint.

Overall, we were happy with our cruise and wouldn't hesitate to sail on SS again. Still, I do think most aspects of this experience could have been a bit more polished. Happy to answer any questions.

We were on the Whisper in Norway in July and there was not a formal night on the 7 night leg, although the pre-cruise materials said there would be. I am not one who cares much one way or another, but if we had known it was going to be optional, it would have saved some luggage weight. As a result, on what was now "formal optional" there were tuxes and

men with no ties in similar numbers.

I can't resist sharing that we just off the Whisper/fjords cruise and that KLM has struck again.

One of our two bags was lost and hasn't been found yet. I will be joining the grunge brigade

as I didn't follow my own advice to split clothing I to two bags. Wish I could figure out how to

light a fire in Amsterdam, but we are now in Poland.

I will post separately on our cruise (loved the itinerary/felt SS wasn't at its finest) but couldn't resist being the third person n one thread to have had KLM lose a bag.

We are in the fjords now and we have only had one day without some rain, so definitely have

a waterproof shell or jacket. Today, for Geiranger, I had on four layers, all light, and was perfectly comfortable. Many people are wearing light gloves and caps but we haven't found that necessary. Overall, it is cooler than anticipated, so heed the many suggestions above to bring layers.

I have gotten terrific information from helpful posters on this forum for our cruise in July.

The one port that I still haven't made a decision about is Kristiansund. The basic ship tours are:

-1/2 day Atlantic Ocean Rd./Viking Ship

-Island of Grip

-Panoramic Kristiansund by coach (stops at Kippfish Museum)

-Atlantic Ocean Rd. and Stave Church

We are also happy to tackle the town on our own, if that makes sense. We have no physical limitations and would love any suggestions from people who know this port.

Thanks in advance.

Petlover and glnd, we are also on the Jan 3, 2016 Silver Explorer and are also considering our return flights out of BA. Do you know what time the charter leaves Ushuaia? What is the arrival time back into BA? We appreciate any info you can provide!

Before I made any definite flight plans, I would try to ascertain the times for the Ushuaia to

AEP charter. It was not the same in 2013 as it was in 2014, so it isn't safe to assume that

it is always the same schedule post cruise. We were booked on Classic Antarctica in Dec., 2013. Our departure from Ushuaia was to be 10:45 AM, arriving at the domestic BA airport

at 2:05 PM. Unfortunately, we ended up canceling at the last minute due to a death in the family and booked the identical cruise/same dates in 2014. I assumed that the charter times

would be the same, but I was mistaken. Our flight left Ushuaia at 1:15 PM and arrived in BA at 4:37 PM.

I would try to leave that evening, just to avoid another night at a hotel and trip back to an airport - but that is just my opinion. I agree with the posters above that the arrival on the charter into AEP Airport isn't the smoothest. The luggage took a long time and it would have

been stressful to have to wait for everyone to be rounded up for the trip to EZE Airport.

We had arranged a private transfer, so we were able to walk out of the airport much more quickly than did the people on the bus transfers. It was a Friday evening and the traffic

was absolutely awful, almost at a standstill for much of the way. Still, we arrived in plenty of

time to make our 9:35 PM international departure. The OP's 7:30 would have been almost

impossible, mostly due to traffic.

If Silversea will disclose the charter flight plans, it will make planning that evening easier. I just wanted to advise that the times for 2013 were different from those in 2014, so following

historical times might be misleading.

We were on the Explorer in the Owner's Suite, connecting with the adjacent Medallion suite.

That gave us a (smallish) sitting room to gather in, but provided us and our daughter with

a proper, separate bedroom/bathroom. This is the largest suite combo on the Explorer and the prices reflect it. For us, there is plenty of time spent in the room on this type of cruise, and we were happy to have the elbow room. The caveat, as mentioned previously, is that the location on Deck 7 makes it particularly vulnerable to movement. Our crossing was just an average one, so we were fine, but staff members did mention that in particularly rough weather, these cabins can be miserable.

We went to Antarctica and there were no children on our sailing. Perhaps, around the holidays, this will be different. Be aware that there is a lot of down time and not a lot of activity on board (certainly no casino or shows), so your daughter should be good at entertaining herself.

Yes. I agree completely. We are thinking of trying Lindblad to Alaska or some other shorter trip first - to see how he does on the smaller ship.

That is a perfect way to approach this.

We came back to Ushuaia almost 24 hours early "to avoid a storm." I have read that the

Explorer typically gets back to Ushuaia the evening before, to be sure to be in place for new guests and to give the crew time out in the town. Of course, your situation might be different,

but my gut is you will easily make that 10 AM flight.

If there are problems, you will know when the ship is en route if there are going to be

delays, so you can use the internet and make a Plan B to get you to Iguazu. On departure day,

you will have to find your own way to the airport and should probably keep your bags in your room and take them off the ship yourself.

Back to the question about when children can handle this trip, as mentioned previously, you are

the best judge of how your child will handle this type of adventure. I'd always err on the side of waiting, if in doubt. It works best for a child who doesn't have a tremendous need for physical activity, as there are many "down" hours and rough seas can limit the ability to even walk about the ship. As well, can a child handle having not a lot of activity? Long meals, lectures, etc. can be boring for a child and internet and tv service can be unpredictable. Consider, also,

the child's tendency to get seasick, if that is known.

I didn't see anybody under 25 on our cruise and, frankly, some of the adults were getting

stir crazy. There is a lot of coming and going to earn those amazing days in Antarctica.

I'd guess that a child who loves nature and wildlife, and can entertain him/herself with

books, games, etc. might be fine at 10 or so. Otherwise, I'd wait....

Can I also ask about Uniworld in this context? Very helpful thread.

Thanks Otis for putting my mind at ease. We go next month and booked our own hotel to save a little (silly, I know with the overall cost of this adventure).

 

Curious, I have read that Silversea asks you to arrive 2 hours before the flight. Do you think that is necessary for a smaller airport?

 

Also, how did you handle post cruise transfers? We are thinking to pony up for Silversea transfer to EZE just in case the charter is delayed it would seem they would have some accountability if we miss our flight back to the states.

 

Thanks for the help! Couldn't be more excited for this trip.

-It probably wasn't necessary to be at the airport 2 hours before the flight, honestly, but we didn't want to risk missing the plane and had been warned about the potential for traffic in BA. That turned out not to be a problem that day. The boarding passes seem to have been generated in advance, so there was no benefit to getting there in advance to secure specific seats. Still, the peace of mind of getting there as requested was more important to us that

spending a little less time sitting around the airport. You will find the BA to the ship day very long, indeed.

-We arranged for a private transfer from the domestic airport to EZE. Our connection was tight and we wanted to be able to leave quickly, without waiting for other people and a bus.

I really don't know how the group transfer worked, so I have no point of comparison. We were transferring on a Friday night and the traffic was absolutely, positively awful. Almost at a standstill for much of the way. We were happy to have gotten out of the domestic airport so quickly and could go directly to our terminal. Silversea didn't book our international flight,

so I suspect they would not have felt any responsibility for us if our charter was delayed.

I would not bring heels on the Explorer to Antarctica. On many nights, they would be downright dangerous.

On our cruise in December, I only saw a few women with heels ever. The dress was all over the place, but I saw very few people truly gussied up.....a very different vibe from my

previous SS cruises. The tone of this cruise really is casual and the staff is so lovely and down to earth that I cannot imagine any dress code issues at all.

On the two dressier nights, I'd say that half of the men wore jackets, a few had suits

and one had a tuxedo. The rest wore sweaters/slacks. Women tended to wear blouses or nicer tops with pants or skirts and flat shoes.

This is one cruise in which you can do what is most comfortable, whatever that means for you.

As well, do not overpack. I definitely brought more than I needed and regretted having such

an unnecessary array of attire. It will also make packing easier....

xcountry, enjoyed your great report. Thanks for taking the time to share with us.

 

We are booked to go on the Silver Explorer on January 3, 2016. We were planning to go to Buenos Aires for 2 nights before the charter flight to Ushuaia. We were going to use Hyatt points for our hotel but it sounds like everyone stayed at the same hotel in BA ? Maybe we should stay in the same hotel as the group especially with such an early morning queuing up. Appreciate your opinion. (this will be our first cruise on Silver Seas).

We were on the Explorer in December and did not stay at the group hotel as we made our own

arrangements at the Park Hyatt. There was no downside that we could see - we took a VERY short taxi ride to the domestic airport and were handed our boarding pass upon finding the

airport counter for the LAN charter. I was actually happy not to be with a group or on a bus.

Oh gosh, I'd love to see the rest of this. One question....how did you find the crowds at your

destinations in August? We are considering this cruise in late August.