Whispering Around The World 2019

Thanks Unibok! We will also explore the town at Trincomalee. We have visited Colombo before but Trincomalee will be a new port for us.

There is a useful website I stumbled across a few years ago with provides information on over 1,200 ports.

https://www.whatsinport.com/index.htm

Information such as where the ships typically dock, things of interest, cautionary notes on issues like pickpockets and ATM scams, a downloadable port map, average temperatures and local currency. Here is the link for Trincomalee:

https://www.whatsinport.com/Trincomalee.htm

turtlemichael and mysty,

Terrific news that you will have 2 such different stops in Sri Lanka. Although it is such a small country, various parts of it feel so different from one another. Trincomalee (sometimes called Trinco for short) can introduce you to their east coast beaches, with a very Hindu and Tamil feel. Then you'll go to Colombo, the urban capital, which has much more of the Buddhist and Sinhalese feel. As you probably know, the history of how Hinduism and Buddhism co-exist there (sometimes well, sometimes horribly) is a fascinating part of the island. Four of the Hindu gods are said to be the protectors of Buddhism, and are incorporated into many of the Buddhist temple complexes. When you are near Colombo, you'll be close to one of the 3 sites that The Buddha is said to have visited in person. That may be on your tour, turtlemichael.

I'm really glad to hear you'll have 2 stops rather than just 1. Enjoy! I'll be eager to see your pictures from there.

You obviously really enjoyed these ports Unibok! Thanks so much for your input! If our internet connection cooperates there will be photos. :)

You obviously really enjoyed these ports Unibok! Thanks so much for your input! If our internet connection cooperates there will be photos. :)

Thank you Unibok - that is very helpful. You have increased the anticipation level! On past trips I've done a trip report as we went along (a sort of blog). They have been not on CC but on an Australian frequent flyer site. I'm not sure I'll do it again because of the amount of work involved (I'm a bad two-finger typist) although we have a lot of sea days and included internet on this cruise. The issue may be that most everyone else has included internet too! Mysty might allow the odd additional photo on this thread particularly as we are doing such different things!

Turtlemichael.......don't consider this my thread please! I am just the one who lit the spark! :) I'd love to have all those interested post to their heart's content! Feel free to add your experiences, thoughts, pictures, favourite meals, etc! I'll use a phrase that has been used elsewhere....let's make this a "group blog". The more the merrier! :)

Following the suggestion of LauraS I am starting a new thread about our grand adventure for 2019. Myster and I plan to be aboard the Whisper when she sails from San Francisco on January 6, 2019 around the globe to London Greenwich. Fellow adventurers are warmly encouraged to chime in with their 2 cents ( 2.06 cents with current inflation :)).

 

As per the original post........please feel welcome here. :) Consider the door wide open!

Is anyone taking the overland in Sri Lanka? Do you have to get your own visas for that overland?

I'm looking for some information on the logistics of contributing to the Crew Fund. From various posts it seems it is not possible to add the donation to your ship account. Can the donation be charged to a credit card?

Yes. You can charge it to either your ship account (although not from an OBC) or to your credit card. Just go to Reception and ask.

Emtbsam...thanks for your input on the crew fund donation process! We're not taking any overlands this time. I think you will need an ETA to enter Sri Lanka. It is good for 30 days.

https://www.eta.gov.lk/slvisa/visainfo/center.jsp?locale=en_US

For the information of those doing segments of this cruise the My Silversea tab for "Passports and Visas" provides a link to a travel document site which gives you the visa requirements for your specific cruise. Ship names appear on the left and specific voyages appear when the ship name is toggled. Note that the links below provide info for US and Canadian citizens. A note on the Pinnacle web page suggests that others contact them via email (address provided on the site).

https://www.pinnacletds.com/tours/agency.aspx?agency=2

Emtbsam...here are the links for Singapore to Lisbon.....

4906 ....https://www.pinnacletds.com/tours/tour.aspx?agency=2&tour=2330

4907 ...https://www.pinnacletds.com/tours/tour.aspx?agency=2&tour=2331

4908...https://www.pinnacletds.com/tours/tour.aspx?agency=2&tour=2271

Thanks Mysty.

Sand is slipping slowly down the hour glass. Now sitting at double digit count down to sail at 99 days. For those interested formal night designations have appeared for January through to April 1. I have booked alternatives to the MDR for most of those evenings and Myster is a happy camper! Excursion options are now available for Sao Tome.

We received an email confirmation from SS of our participation in the land excursion Osaka to Tokyo.

Getting excited! :)

Mysty are you travelling by The bullet train? If so I have heard that it is in fact so fast that you arrive before you have left and so you exist in two places very weird. That's why I have an alter ego who is the total opposite of me he is very nice and tells great jokes.

99 days will fly by I assume that the packing lists are already being arranged.

Joe 90

Hi Joe! Yes we will travel by bullet train from Kyoto to Tokyo. I'm really looking forward to that experience. I'll let you know if there is a certain weirdness about it. :) Multiple lists are on the go. Packing list, to do list, shopping list, excursion list, potential port restaurant list (we love to try local foods).........

Half the fun is in the planning!

Hi mysty. You are right on the ball!

We've just done a similar thing with formal nights too though I am sure there is no "scoreboard pressure" for a while yet as everything still seems to be available.

We also have confirmation of Osaka-Tokyo. Looks an interesting couple of days. We've been on the bullet train a few times and it is quite impressive right down to the conductor doing his deep bow at the end of the carriage. You definitely need the camera ready.

Sao Tome tours look okay but as every source seems to say that this is one of the safer places to wander in Africa we might just do that on foot ourselves.

We have made inquiries about shipping luggage and got all the details via our agent from Frank Sansome. Ours will be leaving home December 17.

Oh, it would be great if you can share some restaurant recommendations. I'll certainly do the same particularly for the Australian ports if that interests anyone.

Turtle.....we haven't heard anything yet in regard to luggage ship ahead. The camera will be on hand for the train and the whole excursion. :)

I will definitely share restaurant ideas. Stay tuned :)

Turtle.....we haven't heard anything yet in regard to luggage ship ahead. The camera will be on hand for the train and the whole excursion. :)

 

I will definitely share restaurant ideas. Stay tuned :)

We took the initiative with regard to luggage ship ahead information.

Thanks Turtle! We will also take the initiative now. :)

Here are three restaurants (sort of) from my research to date.

Singapore......the hawker stalls are on our radar here. Here is an article link provided by a good friend:

https://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/food/hawker-culture-to-be-nominated-for-unesco-heritage-list-8-famous-stalls-in-singapore

Hong Kong.....Myster loves Peking Duck and therefore the search was on to find someplace with good reviews for that dish. Peking Garden at Star House, 3 Salisbury Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong is a 7 min walk from Ocean Terminal. http://www.maximschinese.com.hk/brand/3 And here are reviews: https://www.tripadvisor.ca/Restaurant_Review-g294217-d2017430-Reviews-Peking_Garden_Tsim_Sha_Tsui-Hong_Kong.html

Auckland....we intend to take the ferry to Waiheke Island and use the Hop On Hop Off bus to see the island. We will try to have lunch at Mudbrick Vineyard and Restaurant.

https://www.mudbrick.co.nz/mudbrick-restaurant/

Turtle....Myster loves Moreton Bay Bugs. We had a wonderful lunch in Townsville. If I remember correctly the restaurant was called "Simply Seafood". If you have any recommendations for somewhere to find them in Cairns or Darwin we'd love to hear them. We have plans to go to Manly for Fish Cafe lunch while in Sydney and we have a lengthy tour booked for Brisbane (which seems to be the closest port to Moreton Bay).

 

 

Turtle....Myster loves Moreton Bay Bugs. We had a wonderful lunch in Townsville. If I remember correctly the restaurant was called "Simply Seafood". If you have any recommendations for somewhere to find them in Cairns or Darwin we'd love to hear them. We have plans to go to Manly for Fish Cafe lunch while in Sydney and we have a lengthy tour booked for Brisbane (which seems to be the closest port to Moreton Bay).

I'll check out the places you have listed in Asia. Terrific information!

I lived in Cairns for 21 years and go back each year (to escape the Melbourne winter) so I am reasonably up to date I think. Both these places are within walking distance of the cruise terminal - like 5-7 minutes. First, Prawn Star. This is a prawn trawler tied up at one of the jetties and you sit on stools at communal tables and chat to your neighbours. It is purely seafood. No sides, no deserts, nothing else except beer and wine. It is totally unpretentious, a unique experience, very informal and friendly and great fun. That is where we will go for lunch with a local Cairns friend. I doubt that they will have Moreton Bay Bags because, except for the sashimi, it is locally sourced. I'd highly recommend it for the food and the experience. The TripAdvisor page has very good information and shows the vibe. https://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Restaurant_Review-g255069-d8659681-Reviews-Prawn_Star-Cairns_Cairns_Region_Queensland.html

The other place I can think of immediately is just opposite Prawn Star and therefore very walkable from the dock also. It is called Tha Fish. It is a semi-formal restaurant with nice views and we go there for dinner each visit. I know they have Moreton Bay bugs for dinner but I don't know about lunch. You could ask them? The theme is generally that they have 4 or 5 fish varieties and you decide from a list of options how you'd like it cooked - for example, baked in coconut crust, pan seared etc. It is good but it would be worth checking if all these options are available for lunch! http://www.thafish.com.au/index.php

I just had dinner but suddenly I'm feeling hungry again!

Thanks so much Turtle! I'll check out the options you mentioned! As my research continues I will share any insights I come across! :)

A few more suggestions for the Cairns stop on February 8.

C'est Bon is a quality French restaurant again no more than 5 minutes walk from the terminal. https://www.cestbon-cairns.com.au/

Unfortunately, the most interesting restaurants are out of Cairns in the northern beaches and beyond. So these are for those people who plan to rent a car or have a driver or otherwise find themselves heading north. In Palm Cove are Nu Nu and Vivo. Both are excellent for lunch overlooking the water. https://www.nunu.com.au/ Our favourite is Vivo. https://www.vivo.com.au/

The coastal drive from Palm Cove to Port Douglas is great - one of the best in Australia. At Port Douglas, which is worth exploring, is Salsa, an excellent lunch spot. https://salsaportdouglas.com.au/

All will require reservations, even for lunch, at least a few days in advance as Friday lunch is usually busy. This can be done on line.

Hope these help and there are plenty more if any of the Australians here chime in.

Turtle...thanks so much for your generous contributions to wonderful dining options here! :) I hope I can reciprocate in kind with my research!

There is something I noticed on the Activities tab for Wednesday April 17, 2019 for Cape Town excursions that I am curious about. We are scheduled to be in that port from April 16 to April 18. Many of the same excursion options are available for April 16 and April 18. For April 17 there is only a Heli Flight and Wine Tasting option or the Silver Shore Private tour option. Can anyone hazard a guess as to why? Easter will be Sunday April 21.

Maybe it's due to the WC event on Robben Island on the evening of the 16th. Since there are in excess of 200 WCs, SS may have concluded, few would want to do a tour on the 17th. Also, the 17th is turn around day as its the end of segment 7.