Tothesunset

But that would spoil the excitement!

A few years ago in Miami we took an uber from the hotel to Fort Lauderdale but the Wind was at a different berth from normal (the Fleet was in) and took us some while to find. It was still only about 12.15 but we assumed boarding had started. As we entered the hangar-like terminal a woman with a clip board came along and shouted (nicely), "Silver Wind passengers this way, please." We followed her and were taken directly to the check-in area. Unbeknownst to us there were maybe 20 people seated in the terminal waiting to board. So through no fault of our own but with perfect serendipity we were first aboard. There was, to be fair, a good deal of muttering as the others joined the check-on line. Ah well.

I'm from Ireland. I don't care as long as there's Guinness.

Good to hear that the earth still moves for you. 😏

I think there are times when experience just means many years of doing something badly.

From the Captain:

At least we have a reference point for where tipping becomes bribery.

It's the adults that often need behaviour lessons.

It certainly means a fierce determination never to return to that life.

That beats the entire run of "Dynasty"!

It looks so slick and easy so probably a loooong time!

She's a very clever girl and imo hugely underrated.

At last. Somebody else thinks the same...

They've got to fill these new ships somehow. Bottom line. Their only concern.

Correctamundo!

Sadly, we didn't get up on deck until maybe half an hour after the QE2 bridge. I've passed the link on to some other passengers.

Brilliant, Les. Just sitting in the paranoia lounge waiting to be called for face to face immigration control.

The thing about engaging with trolls on the Internet is that you're making the same decision you would if you chose to step in dog poo rather than walk round it!

As we start the ante-penultimate day of this cruise we find the Wind plodding along in the English Channel ready to take us up the Thames tomorrow. This is just the second sea day but we appreciate not having to scramble for breakfast before heading off on a tour that never quite lives up to its grandiloquent brochure description. Do they never run out of adjectives? There's always a part of me that feels I should be finding a list of "could do betters"; in truth, I'm struggling. I know some feel that the Wind is looking her age. But then so is Michelle Pfeiffer and that's fine by me. I didn't expect the floating-gin-palace vibe. The Wind is classy and comfortable in her own skin. It feels like home. It feels right. What makes her special is the intimacy and slightly toy town dimensions. Add to that the wonderful staff who seem incapable of being anything other than first rate. I can't praise enough the front of house experience. And at this point I'll restate the case for the Crew Welfare Fund - they all deserve recognition - as an alternative to individual gratuities (or as well as if you like). The food has met our expectations. That's vague enough, I think. In terms of comestibles it's impossible to truly critique because each person has their own requirements. However, since this is an opinion piece rather than an objective review I'll go with my gut instinct (pun probably intended) and declare satisfaction. My only real caveat is breakfast and lunch in Terrazza but that's more to do with my not being a fan of buffets in general and shipborne ones in particular. So there we have it. Let's recap. A good itinerary, even if maybe 30% overpriced. It's reasonable value at the price point but the premium for expedition cruising is, IMHO, unjustified for this sector. This has been a classic itinerary disguised (not successfully) as an exped. This is clearly not the ship to choose for bling, entertainment or vast dining venues options. We don't want or need that anyway but others do and we have heard a few negative comments in that respect. So has this been as good an experience as it was in the before-times? Yes. On balance we are quite content. We got what we were expecting, especially after reading so much negativity. Will we still look at SS for future cruising? Of course but, and it's a big but, the per diems are, we think, cheekily ambitious right now and it's that factor that will inform our future choices.

Last full day tomorrow before arriving back in Blighty and will be spent at sea. Perhaps an opportunity to collect thoughts on this relatively short cruise. What I can say, though, is that we haven't really seen too much of a change since our last cruise with SS in 2019. In fact, if I hadn't gone down the rabbit hole of others' experiences I doubt whether we would have seen many differences from the pre-covid/RCI era. But we are simple souls and easily pleased!

Excursions This is marketed as an expedition cruise, however the 12 day sector we are on is more like a classic cruise. Indeed, it seems unlikely that the Zodiacs will be deployed at any point. I'm fine with that - we knew when booking that the itinerary wasn't challenging and as ex-military we've had enough of doing dangerous, uncomfortable and tiring stuff without needing to pay SS prices for a geriatric version of same. 1. Historic Porto and Douro river cruise. Mainly just a coach tour with an hour spent on the Douro river. All very lovely. Maybe 25 people on the tour? The best part was visiting a large Port wine producer which included a tasting session. I'd rate as 4 out of 10. 2. Cies Islands Discovery (Vigo, Spain) This was a great tour. A catamaran took us across to the islands, a journey of 40 minutes. Although the tour group was quite large, maybe 40 or so, the hike was broken down into 3 groups: soft; moderate; hard. Most seemed aware of their own abilities and self-selected which group to join. We did the hard group and walked 5 miles with a climb up to a lighthouse (500 ft climb in 1/2 mile - 'twas steep!) which tested the fitness of the group. The guide was knowledgable and interesting and I'm sure all the participants enjoyed the trip. Tremendous scenery and keen birdwatchers seemed to find lots to ooh and aah at. All good stuff. 8 / 10 3. Panoramic Belle Ile (France) First tender port. This tour was coach-based sightseeing with a couple of stops for photos. Maybe 30 on board. Decent commentary and a rather spectacular little island. Should have done a hike. Still, got to go to some small shops for a proper pain au chocolat. Nobody, and I mean nobody, does croissants or pains au chocolat like the French. Fact. 4 / 10 4. Coastal Scenic Walk (Concarneau, France) The tour started straight off the tender with groups of around 10 passengers per guide. 6 miles of mixed road, beach and wood trail. The weather was kind - cool and dry - and the scenery rather splendid. At the end of the walk a coach took us back to the tender station. Everyone seemed to really enjoy this. 8 / 10 5. Jersey by ebike. Participants were expected to be familiar with cycling and have previously ridden an ebike. I considered being the owner of a BMW R1250RT qualified me, ditto OH's Honda. Well, I was very impressed with these ebike things. So easy to ride. Hills? Who cares, just keep pedalling and let the battery do the work. Of course, Jersey is a picturesque place so it really wouldn't have been possible to have a bad ride. Add to that a very competent group leader, dry weather and the politest drivers in the world and we really had it made. Most of the 20 miles were on a repurposed railway path. And with the ebikes even the less physically robust were flying along like the Tour de France peloton. I think there were 15 of us. Best tour yet. 10 / 10 Now, each destination had a selection of excursions, history walks and birding walks. In my view the trips off-ship have been well selected for variety and well organised. I'm actually a little bit impressed! The expedition staff accompany the tours but, of course, there isn't really much going on to exercise their specialist skills. Having said that, those we've chatted with are clearly keen and competent.

I remember you mentioned it. I hadn't realised it was still taking victims by Lisbon. The problem is trying to get all passengers to act in a sanitary fashion. There's always a few that feel the rules are for other people.

As Paul Simon said "If I could, I surely would."

Food Here we go then, tin hat and body armour on. Breakfast: Because of early excursions we've used Terrazza more than we would have liked. By choice we go to the MDR - not only is it much more civilized, the quality of the food is, imo, better. The options at LT seem to have shrunk somewhat. I can't quantify that, it's just a feeling. Sadly, the hot items generally aren't, they're lukewarm at best. While the selection of cheeses and meats are fine they are not inspiring. This may seem like a small point but the jams and preserves are now in little individual jars and are not good. Not good at all. Nor is the butter - and that applies at all venues. Butter should be rich and creamy and not a tasteless yellow blob. It's a small thing but if you like good butter bring your own. Finally, who wants a scrum at breakfast? I mean, really, it's not a six star (or 5,4 or 3 star) experience. Yet LT remains the most popular venue for breakfast. Go figure. Lunch: Twice in the school dinner hall, sorry Terrazza, the others in the MDR. I'm pleased to report that the quality of food has been very high. I approached the lunch meals with a jaundiced eye in view of recent reports from throughout the fleet by dissatisfied guests but I feel unable to echo those sentiments. The normal caveat re personal opinion ranks strongly throughout this topic. On the one occasion we ate on the pool deck we had a rather tasty barbecue chicken wrap each. Dinner: OH was shocked to have a fish main course that was properly cooked. I know! SS's ability to reduce the finest fillets to leather-like tastelessness is unrivalled but they've lost that knack and are now cooking fish properly. It's a revolution. I'm told we are fortunate to have Chef Pia in charge. We are certainly fortunate to have had the wisdom to choose quite excellent meals in both the MDR and LT. And much to our surprise had a complete meal at LT which we couldn't, in all conscience, criticise. The one dinner so far at the grill comprised a very tender and succulent chateaubriand along with a veal chop that would have fed a small army. OH tells me her king prawns were excellent. Tick vg. I'll end this on a bit of a downer: There have been cases aboard of GI illness and today each suite received a letter from the captain that explains the actions being taken to limit the risk of spread. Quarantine in suite for affected passengers, self-service discontinued, increased hand sanitation and so forth. Clearly, without microbiological analysis the causative organism remains unknown but passengers are using the n-word. However, we are off the coast of Brittany where many passengers have been on tastings of seafood including uncooked oysters. Anyway, whatever the cause it ain't fun for those affected and I wish them a speedy recovery (almost as much as I hope NOT to become affected!).

Remind me never to order the grilled rump steak.