drron29

We have had a cruise on the Muse for may 2025 from Doha to Athens disappear from the website and from our bookings on My Silversea. We were sent an email from Silversea that the cruise was going to sail 3 days later and our cruise from SIN to Doha end 2 days earlier. Leaving a 6 day gap in between what was previously a back to back voyage from Singapore to Athens. This was the offer for the Doha to Athens cruise. Alternately, we would also like to offer for your consideration a saving of 10% to rebook on a future voyage. Please find below details of the options available: A. A Shipboard Credit of USD 500 per person to be used on your existing booking. B. A saving of 10% should you choose to book a different 2024/2025/2026 sailing when booking before 20 January 2024. This voyage-to-voyage (V2V) offer is combinable with any public fare. World Cruise excluded. C. A refund of the full cruise fare. And for the shortened first cruise. Alternately, we would also like to offer for your consideration a saving of 10% to rebook on a future voyage. Please find below details of the options available: A. A 15% savings off the new fare, combinable with any other public promotions. B. A saving of 10% should you choose to book a different 2024/2025/2026 sailing when booking before 20 January 2024. This voyage-to-voyage (V2V) offer is combinable with any public fare. World Cruise excluded. C. A refund of the full cruise fare So definitely they are saying pick one option. Our TA says definitely only 1 option but as we have only paid the deposit that would be moved to the new cruise if we took that option. I would presume for those that have already paid that would be moved to the newly booked cruise. Then you would have to ask is there going to be any refund if that cruise is less than the cancelled one. However for those in Australia The ACCC has amended it's policies re travel insurance after the cruise industry (Scenic and P&O ) lost cases in the High Court where cruises which don't sail in Australian waters are still subject to Australian consumer laws. The second case ruled that Australians can sue for distress and disruption with no cap on damages.

We boarded the Muse in Yokohama on 9th October last year. Those from the previous cruise did have an excursion to a Japanese excursion before being taken to HND. However the weather gods intervened and it was a miserable, cold windy day that poured with rain so no one wanted to walk around the garden.

And what they will be doing this Monday.

Here is the thread about the Q&A.

It is definitely due to the emissions issue. Back in October I reported on a Q&A session that Barbara Muckerman had on the Muse. I made this comment. "Ships that may leave the fleet. Wind, Cloud and Whisper. New environmental regulations due in the next year or so. Will be hard for these 3 ships to comply but hopeful they will remain until 2030/32." She did say those emission controls may be announced for May 2024.

Not in that situation but with the Moon going from Athens and around the Cape of Good Hope to Mumbai it should reach there before February 11th to start the cruise to Singapore.

The answer is no. Did a rough measurement of nautical miles from Piraeus port to Dubai or Mumbai and it is 11919Nm to Dubai and 11585 to Mumbai. From the Fincantieri website the Silver moon has a cruising speed of 17 Knots and max speed 21 knots. So using 17 knots 24 hours a day it would take her 29 days to reach Dubai or 28.5 to reach Mumbai. Now my measurements of distance were very rough but lets assume it is only 10000 Nm then at 17 knots it would take 24.5 days via the Cape. And that is not allowing for refueling,supplies, fresh water etc. So earliest that would make it's arrival at Dubai the 9th of February and the 8th for Mumbai. I doubt it would cruise at 20knots all the way but that would still make it 21 days so the 6th feb for Dubai. So extremely likely that first cruise would be Mumbai to Singapore.

I just knew that one of the members on here would end up in the travel business.

Now we can all play guessing games on how many of the Moon's cruises will be cancelled.

China has a free 144 hour transit visa. It is available to citizens of Australia, UK and the USA as well as 56 other countries. You don’t need to apply.So if you’re trip is 6 days or less you will be fine. https://www.visaforchina.cn/CBR2_EN/generalinformation/faq/275556.shtml

Way back in my uni days I worked in an upmarket Sydney hotel as a cleaner. One night I was cleaning the toilets when the manager came down and says come upstairs have a shower and we have a suit for you. Two of our waiters didn't turn up tonight. So 15 minutes after going upstairs I was serving Hors D'oeuvres to the American Ambassador. But that's not all. Rojaan's sister owned a cafe and every couple of weeks we took over for a night or 2. Rojaan being perfect out front and I was the sous chef. My job was mainly making sure the cook didn't get totally drunk.

In 2006 Stillwater was a very good restaurant in Launceston. Several others now. I worked there on and off for ~ 3years.

And if was nice to receive an email from Silversea yesterday about the naming ceremony. Just a week after it happened.

But not at all related to the other troubles in the Middle East. It was a tanker that was seized by the USA last year during Sanctions against Iran. they unloaded it's oil. Now the Iranians have seized it and intend to unload it's oil. https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/uk-shipping-authority-receives-report-vessel-boarded-by-armed-persons-off-oman-2024-01-11/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=Newsletter&utm_campaign=Daily-Briefing&utm_term=011124&user_email=42c279be87db2e6b362e5c5af53114ca6a8bab3e0d36948cf7872b29529df7e9

And if you go in the middle of August the river is pretty much full of Beluga whales. They are very inquisitive and come very close to your boat. When we went we were in Zodiacs. They swam right beside us.

Though cruises involving the middle east around the UAE or Saudi Arabia are not yet involved in this danger. It is basically the narrow part of the Red Sea off Yemen that is the problem. However it is already creating problems beyond 2024. We were booked on back to back cruises on the Muse Singapore to Doha and then to Athens in May 2025. We got an email just before Christmas saying the Singapore to Doha cruise was being shortened by 2 days arriving 21/5 instead of 23/5 but the Doha, Athens cruise was postponed now leaving Doha on 27/5 but the same itinerary. We were offered $1000 OBC for continuing on to Athens and a 15% reduction on the Singapore to Doha cruise. We have to make our decision by January 18th. No compensation for having to now spend 6 days between cruises and the inconvenience of having to pack and get off then go through boarding again. However the cruises disappeared for awhile and now the Singapore Doha shortened cruise is back on the website but the next cruise for the Muse is now an Athens to Athens cruise on June 20th. How to we make an informed decision when we don't have all the information?

I prefer wildlife to cities so we did a Svalbard cruise on the Explorer in 2010. It was so good that since then we have only booked one non Silversea cruise. The most memorable part for me was sitting in a zodiac when it was snowing whilst watching 8 Polar Bears feasting on a Fin whale carcass. It included a mother with her cub. So when we did an Inside Passage cruise we did so in an 8 passenger boat. Once again some magic moments such as a humpback whale surfacing beside our kayak whilst we were watching a bear on the shore. So if those things don’t interest you then a big ship in Alaska would be best for you.

We didn’t need one as Australians in October 23. So unlikely that Americans would need one.

The Osanbashi international cruise terminal is where we boarded the Muse in October last year. We will be on the Muse next March. We will be in Yokohama twice and it is on the terminal timetable on the 3rd and 17th of April at that terminal.