Mocamps

Panic over! My TA has just managed to get the Cruise ticket from SS and has forwarded it to me.  I'm pleased to have it because it does have some useful information on it. So can hopefully now relax and concentrate on the packing and not the documentation!

Thank you all for your help and advice.

Thanks everyone - and top tip about the adapter. Mine have a UK plug so will be OK in the 220v socket but I do need an adapter and I might have forgotten it because I don't usually bother with ANY appliances.. They do have a safety cutout and switch off automatically if left unattended so can't accidentally be left on!

But have also been experimenting with tying my hair up and that's probably the easiest option of all!

We’ve only been on SS expeditions and, as stated above, it works differently. There are occasionally more traditional excursions offered (and I imagine there are more of these on some itineraries) and you can sign up for them in advance on the website but mostly you decide what you want to do the night before you do it! The exception is kayaking where you need to sign up at the beginning of the cruise. You then have to attend the kayak safety briefing. You then have to indicate which kayak excursions you’re interested in and they sort out a rota as spaces are limited. We didn’t actually get to kayak at all in the Antarctic (as the weather closed in) but, in the Arctic we got to go 3 times and could have done more than that but there were other excursions we wanted to do. On that cruise we did a mix of kayaking, hiking and zodiac cruises with an extra couple of more traditional coach-type excursions where there was a choice but I think most people got to do whichever they chose. 
We love the expeditions but they are very different from a traditional cruise experience. Much more casual and relaxed. And fewer people. But with SS you still have the luxury element. It’s a great experience. We’re off to Greenland at the weekend!! Can’t wait!!

Thank you all for your help. At least I do now know I’m missing something!!

I’ve checked and double-checked My Silversea and can’t find anything with Cruise Ticket on. I’ve emailed my TA so will chase her up today. It does sound like I’m missing something- but I’m thinking that as long as the booking appears in My Silversea (which it does) and I have proof of final payment (which I have), if the actual cruise ticket hasn’t been sent, it’s not our fault if we don’t have it so they’ll need to sort it out when we get there. They’re obviously expecting us at the hotel and we have details of the charter flights so the ‘ticket’ must just be a formality surely?

Trying to be positive!!

What do the final documents actually consist of?

I've now printed out our original confirmation from our TA but I've had that since we made the final payment. I've had details of getting our Covid test at the pre-cruise hotel (sent by the hotel) and I've had the timings of the charter flight.

What am I missing?

Sorry - yet another last-minute query for our cruise next week.

I know that SS no longer send out the silver boxes and I believe that we will get our luggage labels at the pre-cruise hotel or at the pier. But I'm now panicking about what other documentation we need. I have our passports and vaccination certificates and we do our Covid tests at the hotel. I also have details of the charter flight.  But should we have any documentation from Silversea? I seem to remember just turning up and as long as our names were on the list they only wanted passports. Is that correct? I'm trying to assemble our paperwork today and there doesn't seem to be much!!

17 hours ago, labrasett said:

But there is the hot tub to contend with and it is an absolute must do with a glass of champagne in hand. 

Good point!! We have an amazing photo of us both in the hot tub in the Antarctic while it's snowing! We have woolly hats on and the obligatory glasses in our hands!!

6 minutes ago, Silver Spectre said:

Can’t see why not, my wife uses her Dyson curlers without issue and she loathes her hair being straight. How nice to have a thread that doesn’t include mens attire 😎

We always want what we haven't got, don't we?? I'm sure if my hair was straight, I'd want to curl it as well!!

I know. I just let mine grow during lockdown and it was really very easy because I could plait it. But it was too unruly to ever have it loose and I was bored with tying it back all the time - but now seeing the benefits!! I could go in and out of the swimming pool with my plait and not worry at all - until the end of the day!! Now I HAVE to straighten it or it looks like I've been dragged through a hedge!!

I'll pack the straighteners! At least it's not a catamaran!! Though we do love them as well!! I love just being able to jump in the water when I get hot. And I love Turkey as well!! But I don't think heat will be a problem on this holiday. We're off to Greenland!! A bucket list destination for us! And was cancelled last year!

Hi everyone,

Just packing for our Arctic trip on Silver Wind leaving on Sunday!! Very excited!! But I foolishly had my hair cut recently and now can't do a thing with it without hair straighteners! Can I use them on a ship? I am so used to just tying it back and forgetting about it so not used to fussing about my hair and have previously never even used a dryer on a ship!!

Thank you all so much!

Really helpful information and I feel much better now that I know that most people don't have full information until 2 weeks out. I'll wait with anticipation!!

Just found a section on the main SS site and now I'm even more confused!

Apparently, for guests making independent travel arrangements you need to arrive for the chartered flight with a negative test. For others, SS will organise testing at the hotel the night before. We're a mix! We've booked our air independently but then have the hotel and onwards booked through SS. I GUESS we'll be able to have the test the night before with everyone else!! 

We’re due to go on a cruise on the Wind in less than 3 weeks. When can I expect full pre-cruise information from Silversea? I mean things like luggage labels, full instructions  and COVID testing requirements. I know the silver tin which we received before our first SS cruise is long gone but shouldn’t there be some online stuff??

Our cruise starts in Greenland but our ‘package’ starts in Iceland as the pre and post cruise hotels are included. But we’ve booked our own flights to Iceland so I assume we make our own way to the hotel? We do have details of the charter flight from Iceland to Greenland and back but no real details about the hotel other than the name. So I don’t know if any meals are included so not sure if we need much in the way of local currency. I’m also not sure what COVID testing I need to organise and if it will be ok to organise it here in the UK the day before we leave for Iceland. But that will be more than 48 hours before we board the ship. I’m very much hoping I don’t need to try to organise it for Iceland as we’re only there for some of the afternoon and evening.

So just wondering if people can share their experiences please and hopefully reassure me!!

That happened with a cruise we were booking in the Caribbean last year.

I usually book through a UK travel agent but they couldn't offer it as a Star Collector cruise, just 2 separate cruises which worked out more expensive. However, I then checked with a US travel agent and they were offering it as a single cruise.

In the end we had to cancel anyway due to Covid restrictions - but just might be worth checking out your cruise with different agents.

But can you also take it on the day of sailing? We’re boarding in Civitavecchia on 3rd June. 2nd June is a holiday and pharmacies are closed. We can have it done at a pharmacy on 3rd and I’m reading the requirements as within one day of boarding. So that should be ok? Since we board in the afternoon I figured we could have them done on the previous afternoon or that morning. But people on my roll call think that’s risky?

I thought the main issue was that the spread amongst crew and the numbers who had to quarantine because they had been in contact meant that there were not enough crew able to work so the cruise couldn't really continue. As it was, they had to close Amphora. Candles and Cuadro weren't open at all on this cruise so everything had to move on deck (which made sense anyway because there's less risk outdoors) and food was available from Star Grill or Verandah.

Our vaccination certificates AND test results were requested and examined by Alaska when we checked in.

Our cruise starts in Mexico and ends in San Diego. I’m presuming we can get tested on the ship the day before? Do you think that’s right?

Hi all,

We love cruising with Silversea but all our cruises so far have been expedition where there’s very little evening entertainment…..no casino etc. 

We’re now thinking of trying a non-expedition cruise to use up some credit from cancelled cruises. We’re wondering what we can expect in terms of entertainment on those? I’m specifically looking at cruises on the Whisper and the Muse.

We’ve just come back from 17 day cruise and went to Raiatea once and Taha’a twice. I believe the Coral Gardens excursion is the same one and I would do it on the Raiatea day as on tbe Tahaa day they set up the Beach BBQ on the motu - with loungers on the beach, a bar, spa and all the water sports as well. We were also able to snorkel from the beach. It’s shallow and probably not as good as the drift snorkel (as long as you like drift snorkels. Some people didn’t!) but still plenty to see. We even saw a shark and stingray. We really enjoyed our 2 days there just chilling on the motu. 

We went on the first Greek cruise on Wind Star in June. We were all surprised to be tested mid-cruise but we didn’t have to pay for it!

We tried Huahine Voile for our cruise but they had a 1 week charter for that week. I guess this is where a smaller cat is less likely to be booked.

Which cruise line will you be with? Windstar do free tests before you board. I thought most cruise lines did?

And thinking about it, the fact that it’s Christmas Eve and the fact that they’ll have a newborn baby may be contributing to a reluctance to have a later start?

This is a sailing catamaran so I don’t think there are too many of those! I was also in communication with Liza and she’s been really helpful. It may be best to go direct? But she very casually told me she’s about to give birth so she may be somewhat distracted!!