mrsm88

Ditto, we cruised in July and it was very cold in Scotland but lovely in Ireland. I found it useful to wear a warm top (long sleeve T or pullover) with a hoodie and my windbreaker in Scotland. I had gloves and a scarf. All layers. If things are good, you can take bits off. It’s not just the temperature specifically, it’s the wind which can be brisk. So you find yourself wanting more than the temperature might suggest. If you have one of those little puffa jackets that pack in a pocket that would be really useful. Also, I had sneakers that were waterproof. Something like that is really useful.

Ok, puffer jacket, rain poncho for knapsack, and lots of layers.

And I guess I will wear winter clothes on the ship too?!

Making my lists, thanks everyone :D

I know, could be any of the 4 seasons at this time of year, so I should be doing layers. Light raincoat, rugged shoes/boots, maybe even a hat, right?

But, what about on the ship ladies....do you wear sandals or boots? Do you dress for the time of year (early May) or do you dress for the cool land temps?

Starting to think about this & was wondering if anybody knows how to approach the on board wardrobe?:confused::confused::confused:

Wow & wow, you are all fantastic, thank you so much! Knowing I can stay overnight when in port is a huge relief.

Since I am still researching my upcoming cruise, I will reread all the info I get here on my sea days on the Eclipse (Ireland/Iceland cruise) & put 1 of these trips on hold for most likely 2020. So appreciate the fast replies, thanks again ~

Going to be aboard the Eclipse in April & thinking about booking a Southeast Asia trip for 2019 or 2020- has anyone done this itinerary that could answer the following questions:

1. Are the ports a large travel distance to the desired city? Especially Bangkok- I think I read it's 2 hours? What do they do when you are docked overnight- kind of makes you want to stay in Bangkok overnight?!

2. Is the cruise that includes Thailand & Taiwan or the one that starts with 2 days Singapore & end with 2 days Hong Kong a better itinerary- I did want to visit Thailand, but not sure at the expense of less time in Singapore.

3. Should we add on the pre-cruise in Singapore or do it on our own.

4. Is the water calm?

5. Has the ship been or are there plans to refurbish this ship?

Thanks for any info that might sway me one way of another, still a bit freaked out about the travel time to get there :)

Following this, very curious.

Oh good, you can help me with Galapagos when we decide to go one of these days. My husband travels a lot to Quito so that part of it should be pretty easy for us. I travel quite a bit to Amsterdam so can give you some must sees. Pre-buy tickets to the Van Gogh and Rijksmuseum because the lines get very long. Same for Heinekin if you are interested in that. There is a fun comedy show in the evening that many of the Saturday Night comedians started in called Boom Chicago. There is a great Jewish quarter with a museum, beautiful synagogue, diamond factory, etc that you can self tour. Lots of other things that you will find on tripadvisor as well. You can message me as your trip nears too.

I made a note to message you as the trip gets closer & feel free to do same for Galapagos.

Thanks!

We used SPB (last month) and the tour ticket/receipt took care of the visa. We were not on a Celebrity tour. There are 3 - 4 tour companies that consistently get good write-ups on cc.

Will definitely search around, thanks!

Amsterdam is great. Make sure to pre-book tickets for the Anne Frank museum well in advance as they sell out and the lines are long.

 

And to answer your question to the other poster, you definitely do NOT need a visa if booking with SPB or any other licensed tour company in St Petersburg. You should also consider using the same company for Berlin as they will not miss the ship (if they ever missed one, they'd lose so much business) and it is much cheaper with a smaller group.

Appreciate all the info.

Already have it on my calendar when I can buy in advance to Anne Frank & also for a restaurant in Copenhagen that was recommended. I am definitely going to consider SPB & will read around on CC for others....CC & Trip Advisor were such a wealth of info for me when I booked my pre Galapagos cruise Quito visit, & I am determined to get this trip worked out the same way. I already saw on SPB that they don't require visa's for their tours in SPB & yes they are way less $ than Celebrity. I am beyond excited as SPB is on my bucket list & to have an unrushed 3 days is a bonus as well as the 3 days in Amsterdam.

We are on the reverse of your cruise next summer (the one from Stockholm to Amsterdam also with 3 days in SPb). We would never have even considered getting visas until we decided to go to Moscow first. Now we will see how much of a pain the visa process is and have the flexibility to tour St. Petersburg on our own. I wouldn't bother with a visa in your situation. Just use one of the private tour companies and set up your own group where you can pick and choose what you want to see and do.

It is a great itinerary & the 3 day SPB really sold me to go! We chose out of Amsterdam since we have never been & it was easier for us to do a few days pre-cruise than any time after & Amsterdam was a wish list, not Sweden, so the overnight in Stockholm was fine for us.

I wish I had the time (still working) to add Moscow on, sounds like a great trip!

I'm sorry but I don't know anything about the visa process. We used a big tour company, SPB, and they were wonderful; all you need to give them is your passport info and they take care of the rest. We were on a small bus with 17 other people and it was very efficient. They also offer tours to Berlin and other cities and will give you a discount when booking multiple tours. Another option would be to book your own tour for your group which will be custom tailored to your tastes. If you go with the ship tours, you will wind up paying much more money while seeing many less sights. They cram 50 people into a bus and it is not a great way to travel. You can find info about all of the tour companies on tripadvisor under things to do and tours and activities. I highly recommend researching each city you are visiting this way. You can find wonderful activities to do, hotels and restaurants.

 

As far as Brugges is concerned, it is an easy trip to/from Ams. We flew into Paris from the states and took the train there. We stayed overnight and took the Thalys fast train to Ams Central station. You can book directly on Thalys. The train station in Brugges is in the center of town and we connected in Antwerp by their city train. The whole journey was about 2 1/2 hours I believe.

So you booked tours with SPB without dealing with a visa? My TA made it sound like I needed to do Celebrity tours in SP because of the visa issue. If that isn't the case, surely will investigate setting up private tours. As far as Berlin, since it is a 3 hour trip, I would feel more confident with Celebrity just in case there is a logistics issue.

Thanks for the Brugges info, will pass it onto friends. We plan on doing a 3 day re-cruise in Amsterdam as I have never been.

Our ports were Tallinn, Warnemunde, Stockholm, Helsinki, SPB and Copenhagen. We left out of Amsterdam but first did an overnight in Brugge on our own. Our itinerary was changed due to storms so the captain switched Stockholm and Warnemunde days leaving us to dock in ports far away from the cities. He gave us a longer day in Stockholm and a shorter day in Warnemunde. We were happy to not have one of them cancelled and guests seem to make the best out of the situation. Our weather varies from cold and rainy to very hot and clear. Bring all types of clothing and a good rain coat. Also, don't forget your sturdy walking shoes as you are mostly walking on very old cobblestone!

Also, bring a few clothespins to block out some of the cabin light. Sunset is at 10 pm and sunrise is at 4:30 am roughly but it never really gets dark. Light will still come in from above and below but it will be better.

We are doing this cruise in June, out of Amsterdam, into Stockholm- our cruise is the only time they offer this itinerary.

Did you get a visa & tour SPB on your own or did you book the private tour through the ship? Have heard the visa is a misery to get, too much personal info required, so as of now we plan on touring through the ship- just not sure whether to book the private guide or the organized tours. We will be with another couple, possibly a total of 6 of us. I think I will have to go to Berlin as we have never been nor do we plan to be there again, so just suck it up & spend 1/2 the day on the bus.

As far as Brugges, our friends would like to visit there before. Did you take the train to Amsterdam?

Thanks for any info~

I understand the reluctance to have one's TA let SS know about the lack of certain service quality but in the end SS is marketing and promising a luxury product. Wouldn't this feedback help them to deliver? One doesn't need to name names but one can make generalized comments on how certain aspects of the SS experience were lacking. jmo.

I forwarded my TA every review I read prior to sailing- the good, the bad & the ugly & she sent them off to her SS rep. My attitude was that is I had an issues to complain about after our trip, I wanted all the others on record.

Fortunately, any of our issues were small things.

My hubby & I are now curious to experience what Silversea is really known for & what their prior cruisers are attempting to compare this trip to. We are thinking about trying them for another trip in 2015.

That's just how we felt 5waldos, we had minor issues, but I did want my travel agent to let SS know. In the scheme of things, they were insignificant details in exchange for the rewards of the Islands.

Flipturn- we also flew into Quito through Miami & it was a long day. But we stayed 2 days in Quito & that helped that we weren't running right back out to another flight early the next day. On the return trip we were able to fly direct from Guayaquil to NY via Lan, but we had to spend the night to catch the flight the next day- that was perfect- Lan biz class was luxurious & a great end to our trip:)

Not in any way back yet (despite my corporeal self being here in Denver) but a very few quick thoughts.

 

We had a serious run-in with jelly fish so you might consider using either a full length rash guard or the full wet suits. 3 of our party, including Mr5W, ended up in the med clinic with serious effects (muscle cramps, some breathing problems, and this in addition to the stings themselves) and we came close to being evacuated. This on day 2 of the cruise. I had 3 areas where I was stung and still am having itching episodes. Those things HURT!!! This was in the deep water snorkeling and we never saw them even.

 

There are not stabilizers on the ship- apparently it is too small. This information from a group who had the opportunity to spend time with the engineers. So we experienced a bit of rocking even when the sea was apparently very very quiet. Not bad enough to impact people but we were quite aware of it.

 

Two favorite experiences- the fish market (on Santa Cruz I believe) was really a hoot- sea lions and pelicans waiting in line for some fresh fish. Quite the show. And in the evenings when we were still anchored when the lights were turned on to the sea. One night we had many many sharks cruising around the ship, another night we had an explosive show of flying fish, a shark or two, a frantic squid, a sea lion- all just off the ship. They would be very quite for a few minutes, then suddenly there would be things jumping and flying about.

 

And we never needed sweaters or jackets at all, inside or outside. There was often wind up on the deck, but it was warm wind. And we had perfect weather for the entire trip- I think we may have had a few minutes of sprinkles one day at the turtle nursery, but not even enough to consider ponchos.

 

And storage- there is additional space for luggage in the life jacket cupboard. We were able to put most of our bags in there, with only a single bag that needed to go into the closet.

 

One final thought- if you experience a banging at night, lock the bottom drawers. That will hold them and keep them from rattling about all night. It took me half of one night, and part of the next morning to figure that one out- the noise was really annoying and we couldn't figure out where it was coming from (especially at 3am).

 

And I don't remember any 3 prong plugs, although the ones for the tv may have been.

Oh wow, sorry to hear about your jellyfish issues. We also got stung- my brother much worse than myself & they had vinegar spray on the beach, but our guide told us urine is the best cure (I knew I read that) & have to say, for me, it was! (sorry I hope not grossing anyone out, but please, remember this, important). WE were stung the 1st day we snorkled off beach.

We stowed our luggage in the closet by our desk- we had the terrace suite so I am wondering that if our room was larger, there was more closet space? Also we saw on the last day that there are drawers at foot of bed! We didn't even use all of our drawer space. There are 2 locked drawers in desk & there is a vanity mirror that opens up on desk, it didn't stay up though. Hubby fixed it once & then it stopped working again at end of cruise.

We only had a little rocking, not terrible, never put my bracelets on. But we had 1 very rough deep water snorkel that getting into zodiac was tough & hubby banged his knee & was bleeding when he got in. Guide immediately (without gloves) cleaned his wound & bandaged it! The tides had turned & we were supposed to be able to float to calmer water & it didn't happen, we were getting pulled further out so most of us gave up pretty fast.

We also shared 5waldos 2 fav experiences. The fish market is incredible watching the pelicans & sealions trying to steal fish scraps. That town- puerto arroyo is also a good souvenir spot. But my advice- if you see something, buy it, cause you may never see it again! (I had read that somewhere & I wish I listened). In Quito, outside a church, indigenous women were selling scarves 2/$5 out of Alpaca. I bought 2, should have bought more. A couple of other things I figured I could get at airport- you can shop in Baltra airport (which had no water in ladies room day we left), but Guayaquil airport (we flew direct home from there) is expensive & not worth shopping in. They do have a very nice 1st class/priority pass lounge there.

We did have the night banging- we thought it was the exit door to the deck outside our cabin. We were at the front of the ship & the deck outside was incredible for stargazing- make sure you take a trip up there. (deck 5)

Thanks for the update, mrsm88. We aren't the nitpicking type, so we won't be looking for things to complain about. Poor AC or malfunction is a worry though. The schedule of cruises for the Silver Galapagos shows that there are none on Apr 26 and May 17. The ship might be chartered those weeks or hopefully laid up for repairs and upgrading. Let us hope! Do you think that the stomach problems were from food on the ship or from the prior tours?

 

findacruise - We're flying Miami to Quito on American 939 on June 5th, but not going on to another tour afterwards.

Hopefully that is their dry dock for upgrading. A couple on deck 4 told us their room was very war. We had Terrace suite 505 & had no issue, my bother/nephew had 506, their room was warmer. The biggest issue was on deck 3 where we would meet for the overview for the next day & leave for each departure from. The 1st night- it truly was unbearably hot in there & most nights uncomfortably warm. We tried 2 different area in dining room for dinner & both were very warm, temp was fine for breakfast though.

My stomach was a bit iffy in Quito, but was fine when I got on boat. I never ate/drank anything (except for bottled gatorade) off boat, so it was definitely ship related. 3 out of 4 of has had this, only 1 of 3 did not come home with it.

It still does not dampen the high I am on from this wonderful trip...:)

On the 15 Feb sailing, a number of us began to have significant stomach problems the last morning- as we were trying to leave. There was a line at the little clinic onboard- probably six people or so. I immediately began cipro since I was going to be flying to Panama several hours later and it was pretty clear that this was not going to be a passing/minor attack. We had not been on any prior tours in common with anyone else. We had had two people who took to their cabins for a day or two a bit earlier in the week and a couple who were trying a course of pepto bismol before hitting the cipro. We had eaten nothing ashore during the cruise so we pretty much definately got whatever it was onboard. Bring your cipro and pepto bismol and use it sooner than later.

I just started on cipro last night (I went for the testing & started right after), I had it with me on the trip but hubby's episode passed within 36 hours, so I thought mine would too. Mine was being keep at bay with immodium & got worse after returning home. Who knows the when, where or why, but it is common in S America.

5waldos, how was your trip???

Glad you had a great time and looking forward to more details - but hope you have a chance to get some rest these next few days. Was Juan Carlos a geologist with the last name Restrepo, perchance? He was with us in Svalbard a few years ago - was great.

Nope, a naturalist from Equador.

You do not need dress clothing, You do need a solid, good pair of hiking sneakers, water shoes for wet landings (I preferred closed toe so you could also do the walk in them), lightweight shorts/shirts & lightweight pants (I wore jeans, but the hiking pants with the zip off legs would be better) for the highlands (turtles). A sun/bug repellent shirt (LL Bean) was useful. Bug spray, lip sun protection, hats, suntan lotion & immodium! (we all had travelers stomach)

The ship had rain ponchos in closet with life preserver & binoculars in room but a smaller pair is good for hikes. They give you a backpack & a heavy refillable water bottle- they have 2 refill stations on ship, We brought ours to breakfast & they refilled for us.

Breakfast in dining room starts @ 6:30 am. You are off the ship very early, 7:30 for the most part. Back on ship usually by 11:30-12. If you want to eat outside at Grill for lunch, to get a shaded table, arrive by noon. Menu is always the same, I couldn't tire of having lobster & salad bar for lunch & we would sometimes order a pizza starter for our table for 4. They have lemonade, iced tea, you can order a smoothie...you can also do a combo (same for dinner at Grill) with shrimp/lobster or fish or surf & turf for dinner (which you cook yourself on a hot stone). We only ate in dining room for dinner 2x- it is much warmer in there & you need long pants. They did let guys in with jeans but no shorts. You can order a burger or a chicken sandwich for lunch at Grill- & I did see someone bring a plate from dining room buffet to Grill- guess they wanted something different.

They pour 2 wines every day- a red & a white. You can order & pay for a bottle, but we only did the house selections. We went to the bar on deck 4 before the 7pm briefing each night & generally brought our drink to the briefing on 3. (warning- that room is very warm, occasionally ok).

Bring plenty of memory for your camera (we took 3000 pics!).

The kayack trips are incredible & the strenous hikes are just a bit longer. the terrain is rocky & walking sticks are available if needed. It was 82 degrees at 7:30 am, so it is hot.

I did the deep sea snorkels 2 out of 3 times & was well rewarded with sharks, mantas, incredible fish & a sealion. I do not love to snorkel but I did it. The snorkel off the beach was also pretty incredible although I did get some jelly fish stings & so did my brother. They had vinegar spray on the beach to sooth it & nothing else was needed.

The zodiac drivers watch out for you when you snorkel, so a wave of a hand gets them to come pick you up. They are incredible drivers.

The naturalists onboard change as they don't work 52 weeks/year. We found them to be incredibly knowledgeable & to have lead interesting lives. Sadly we didn't attend any lectures as they were generally when we napped to get energy to do the afternoon activities.

The trip was wonderful, the few issues with Silversea cannot dampen anything that you experience.

If you spend time in Quito, the Marriott was beautiful. We hired a private guide & did old town, the Equator, and Mindo cloud forest. Quito was cooler than islands, we all wore a light jacket/sweatshirt & we did need our rain ponchos. We ate dinner at Zazu & Theatrum (very pretty). The hummingbirds & butterflies at Mindo were highlights for us. We stayed overnight in Guayaquil, but only so we could catch a direct flight back to JFK next day.

As I think of things, I will add....

Just a quick update: the trip was fantastic!! Yes, the boat could use updating, the A/C isn't perfect & the food isn't to die for....but the trip was phenomenal & I cannot spend my time nitpicking on the small stuff!

The team led by Israel was great-loved Javier, Juan Carlos & Desireee. The zodiac drivers were all incredible, getting us so close to things & safely ferrying us back n forth. The wildlife cooperated & we saw frigates during mating season, blue, red & naz boobies, a hawk, sharks, mantas, so many iguanas of all types, a penguin (which is rare on our itinerary), incredible fish & other birds too numerous to mention & of course the sealions from just born to retired bachelors. We kayaked 2x & took most of the exertive hikes. Did 2 deep water snorkels & 1 off the beach. The water was warm but we work shorty wet suits- they have plenty of equipment.

We spent 2 days (3 nights) prior in Quito (someone in our group suffered from altitude but we were able to get oxygen at hotel & that helped.) It rained when we were at Mindo so our hike didn't happen as we had to turn around as trail was getting washed out. We still saw the hummingbirds & butterflies & I had one on my finger). We toured Old Quito & went to the Equator line.

I am exhausted but so happy...(just back late last night). Will put otgether some tips & a review when I can, but rest assured, if you booked on Silver Sea, you will not be miserable as some others were unless you are looking to find fault. We ate in the Grille restaurant (need a res( most nights & every day for lunch. I had lobster & prawns to my heart's content. The food in the dining room was not wonderful, but breakfast was a decent buffet. Ramon who head the dining rooms was wonderful & so was Douglas the waiter. Your butler is just a room attendant, nothing more. No diet coke or gatoraide to be had for suites on ship, but I heard the medical facility has electrolyte tablets if needed, It was HOT!

The video Daniella made is incredible, worth buying.

I am rambling at this point & need to get to work. More to follow~~~

we arrived in Guayaquil around 3pm, they shuttled us to the Oro Verde hotel. it was actually very nice. we had cocktails, dinner, and a shower, then headed back to the airport around 11pm.

 

The lounge at the airport is horrible.

Good to hear the Oro Verde is nice- we are staying overnight as our flight isn't until 2pm next day. Not so good to hear the lounge is horrible:(

The dining areas were a bit warm. the bedrooms were extremely warm. especially if the sun was beating down on the windows. Keep drapes closed. Dress was very casual, short sleeve collared shirts are fine. No shorts in the dining room though.

So blue jeans are fine for dinner for the guys?

No word from ppiew this morning is good news so far- hopefully they are on their way to a wonderful time!

ditto:)

I found this wonderful information regarding the "wet season". It was found on this webpage.

http://galapagos2009.wordpress.com/practicalities/decisions-decisions-decisions/3/

 

"The term “wet” refers not so much to the constant precipitation but to the fact that the early settlers had to rely on rain for fresh water; they could more easily gather water from the thunderstorms and rain showers during this season. During the cool/dry season, the precipitation is typically light mists, which made water-gathering nearly impossible—hence, it was “dry.”

 

So although it may rain I have read that normally you receive a fair amount of sun. I would certainly stock up on sunscreen and bug repellant as wetter conditions do breed mosquitoes.

Thank you, that was helpful. And yes, sunscreen & bug repellent are coming with.

no skirt, no dress, 2 pr slacks, 2 pr capris, 2 pr shorts, multiple tops. it is the shoes that take the space! sneakers for MP, Keen's (not comfortable) for Galapagos?, and of course my ugly disgusting but I love them and they are comfy crocs, plus the shoes i am wearing. . bulky son of a guns!. All will be packed into a carry on because I am afraid of the airlines losing something and we go on 2 different airlines and 3 separate flights!. Now i read that Peru is considering closing the MP rails altogether and closing MP to tourists, all because of the excessive rain and the rising water in the river. Please NOOOOOO! I have waited YEARS to do this and I know there will be no other opportunity. Cross fingers PLEASE. Want the rain to STOP.

Oh no! Listen to 5waldos, go off with a whatever will be attitude & we will all hope for the best!

Thank you for all the clothing/shoe info. We are on the 3/1 cruise.

I am bringing keens (which I never wear- bought them for a trip to Mexico years ago) & a pair of New Balance hiking sneakers I picked up at DSW specifically for this & I am in the process of breaking in. Plus a comfy pair of Sperry flip flops & a light weight dressier sandal. Wondering what to wear in Quito - I guess the hiking sneakers? We have 2 days pre-cruise touring with Lincoln (city tour & Mindo cloud forest) & have plans to go to 2 nicer restaurants - Zazu & maybe the one @ the opera house for dinners. Wondering if anyone has been to these or similar & what you found dress code to be?

We have found our old ponchos (from Disney trips without characters on them, lol) & plan on bringing. Wondering since it is rainy season how much suntan lotion will actually need?

My Dr. didn't seem to feel that the typhoid vaccine was necessary but I am curious if you all did it? I had the hep A ones & a current tetanus.