Live from the Whisper August 12-18

What a great insight into a short visit to Rome. Thank you!

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Sounds as if you are enjoying even with the heat.

And the crowds.

Enjoy the rest of your trip!

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Looking forward to your posts, Brian. Please let us know about some of the staff onboard (Captain, HD, CD, etc.) as we will board the Whisper in December.

Venice is my favorite city and my mother was born there.

Bluebelle

Have you seen that Silversea has extended the dry dock of the Whisper? Good or bad news?

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Interested in your journey, Brian. My daughter and I are leaving 8/15 for Venice via Lufthansa business class (lucky us!) We are boarding Whisper on Saturday, the 18th! I am interested to know how jet lag affected your journey. We are staying at the Monaco & Grand Hotel in Venice the day before in order to try and mitigate some of the jet lag! This is my 4th cruise with SS but they were taken long ago with my late husband.

We made it!! We boarded the Whisper about 4:00 today. We caught our train from Rome right on time and arrived right at 3:35 in Venice. For those who haven't use trains from Rome to Venice, it is extremely easy. My greatest concern was getting from the train station to the Whisper. We don't travel light and probably never will(I know we should get down to a carry on and back back each but it isn't going to happen-ha). So to compensate I generally spend a little extra money to make it easier. I scheduled a service where the guide was waiting at the end of the train platform with our names on a sign. She led us out of the station to the grand canal where a water taxi was waiting. They loaded our luggage and we had a very nice cruise through Venice and they dropped us off right in front of the cruise port. Silver sea representatives were waiting where the taxi dropped us off and took our luggage. The guide led us to get our ID cards and then walked through security. A shuttle was there to take us a couple hundred yards to the ship.

Embarkation took all of maybe 5 minutes. We were led to our suite. The butler arrived maybe 15 minutes later with our luggage and choices of soaps and an orientation to the cabin. It was as easy as anything we've done.

Had our first meal at the "Restaurant" and it was really really good. Service was outstanding and food was perfect.

Just had our sail away and were fortunate to be on the port side so could sit on our balcony and watch Venice past by. Almost midnight so more tomorrow! It's our only sea day and greatly needed. Until tomorrow...

JGN,

What a special time for you and your daughter. Dealing with jet lag is something I really have worked on as we have begun our overseas travels. You have already bitten the bullet for the first step. Business class makes a world of difference. Assuming you are leaving early evening and flying through the night, here is what I do. First I get up as early as possible the day of travel. This trip was about 4:00 am.(I'm an early riser any way-my wife didn't get up till 7:00 or after. The goal is to be dead tired as soon as possible when we take off. I then put a movie on as soon as we take off and put my seat back until dinner comes. I eat rather quickly and then as soon as the movie is over I put the seat flat and try to sleep. On average I tend to get 3-5 hours of sleep depending upon the environment of the trip(no screening kids this trip unlike our last trip). I tend to have something booked upon arrival that will keep me active all day(no napping). I shower if possible then hit the ground running until about 9 pm local time. Then I crash and sleep as late as possible the next morning(for me that's about 7 and about 8:30 for my wife. This process has worked really well for us over the past 5 years we have been traveling over seas. Others may have better ways to deal with it but it has worked for me. I generally like 2-3 days before the major part of the trip(the cruise. Tried for 3 this trip but only got 2 due to missing our original plane.

Hope this helpes. Have a great trip

Enjoying reading your blog so far. I too use your strategy regarding jet lag and it mostly works. My husband is not so rigorous, and it takes him several days to catch up.

We are embarking on Silversea Explorer in Alaska tomorrow, but I will try to keep up with your travel as well.

Such a special place to sail in or out of!

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Good morning from our balcony somewhere in the Adriatic as the sun is rising and we are facing east. The sea is calm as glass and this is one of those special moments that reminds me why I'm willing to work like crazy to prepare for a trip, be willing to put up with missed planes and altered plans, endure incredibly hot temperatures, and know that I'll have a ton of work to do upon my return. It is a snapshot in time that will last forever. Ok- enough sappyness.

One of my greatest concerns with taking a chartered trip was that I had no control over the cabin we would have. I've been blessed since starting our travels that I've been able to stay in larger suites with usually 2 rooms. I enjoy the space and it makes it easier since as mentioned I'm a much earlier riser then my spouse. So knowing I didn't have that option was concerning.

We were assigned cabin 826 which is a Veranda 4 I believe. It has really been a pleasant surprise. Although smaller then I normally book it is laid out well with the bedroom area and a sitting area. There is a heavy drape to be pulled between the two which keeps the room quite dark and allowed me to slip behind the curtain this morning without waking my wife. The sitting area has a sofa, chair and small table as well as a nice desk area. The bed was extremely comfortable. Our butler directed us to a pillow menu with 8 different pillows. We haven't ordered any and I was content with what they provided but we may order a couple of different ones to try them.

The bathroom has double sinks, a full bath tub(which my wife loves) and an adequate walk in shower. The shower pressure will knock the skin off of you so be aware you can adjust by pushing the handle in some.

The balcony has 2 chairs and a small square table. The tv has all the major new channels streaming and a large selection of movies on demand. I only have one major criticism of the cabin. There are no USB ports and as far as I've been able to find only one US socket. This isn't a huge issue as we have a multiple charge device given to us by our hosts(they must have anticipated the lack of USB ports). I wonder if this is something that will be addressed in dry dock later this year.

Well time to go as I see a sail boat coming our way that I want to focus on and further enjoy this moment in time(sorry for being sappy again)

More to come,

Brian

Since we always carry multiple European adapters with us as we tend to include land adventures amongst our voyages, it’s never been a big deal to us. But, based on the Muse’s electrical setup, and seeing how they are extending the Whisper’s dry dock in 4-months, I would anticipate that yes, SS is preparing a different electrical plan.

 

 

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Brian, your description of a beautiful morning at sea sounds idyllic! Just what I needed before heading in to work today. :p

Brian: Thank you for responding to my query re jet lag. I have been trying to go to bed earlier but didn't have much luck last night because I stayed up to watch Poldark! I know you are supposed to forgo "blue light" after dinner...but..Anyway, it sounds like we are in for a wonderful 10 days after your great review of your first day.

Glad I have my portable USB charger and plug adapter whatyoucallit.

We leave from Logan-Frankfurt-Venice and I am not looking forward to that part of the journey! Too many things can happen as you found out. But so glad everything turned out so well for you.

Jean

I only have one major criticism of the cabin. There are no USB ports and as far as I've been able to find only one US socket. This isn't a huge issue as we have a multiple charge device given to us by our hosts(they must have anticipated the lack of USB ports). I wonder if this is something that will be addressed in dry dock later this year. More to come, Brian

based on the Muse’s electrical setup, and seeing how they are extending the Whisper’s dry dock in 4-months, I would anticipate that yes, SS is preparing a different electrical plan.

Appreciate these reports and details. Was especially interested in the mention on electrical outlets, USB, etc., options and offerings. In preparing for doing our first sailing on the Silver Muse next July for a Vancouver to Alaska trip, am I correct that the Silver Muse has a good range of hook-ups for both USB and US sockets? How many of each is provide in the basic/regular balcony suites? Keep up the great reporting and sharing.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Enjoyed a 14-day, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure, getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for more info and many pictures of these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 209,766 views for this posting.

What a relaxing sea day. I have very few days in life where I do absolutely nothing. This was one of those days and I have to say I could get use to it. It began with a wonderful breakfast outside on the back deck of La Terrazza. What a beautiful setting with the calm waters we have had. Our server Roger said that last week they saw three whales at breakfast. No such luck today.

I spent most of the day at the pool. The drink service was outstanding. Probably the best I've ever had. I better not get used to that!! Lunch was poolside at the grill. Talk about extremes: I started with a hotdog and ended with a grilled lobster tail.

My wife did spend some time with the fitness instructor today in a stretching class and dealing with back pain. They definitely would like to sell something but she didn't feel pressure and found it helpful. I on the other hand did spend an hour in the casino and found it not so helpful.

Headed shortly to the "Grill" for dinner. We will be in Montenegro tomorrow where we are taking the "Speedboat Adventure to the Blue Cave". Will let you know how it goes.

Better get going. I have about a 10 second walk from suite 826 to the pool area for dinner(maybe 5 second). Till tomorrow

Thanks for posting, sounds like you’re having a wonderful trip.

We are boarding Whisper in Venice on Saturday 18th August and very much looking forward to it.

Kotor, Montenegro:

Our day in Kotor was a great day. It started out slow and easy as our excursion wasn't until 1:00. I was out on the balcony by 6:15 and enjoyed the sail in which took several hours. We tendered as there was a CrosiEurope ship docked and a Princess cruise ship anchored as well.

We ate breakfast about 9:30 and then took the 10:30 tender. It was about a 15 minute tender and quite easy. This dropped us off with about a 3 minute walk to the "Old City" entrance. When planning our excursion I struggled between the excursion I booked and staying the day in the Old City and hiking up the mountain to the fort above the city. With the stifling heat I'm glad I chose the excursion. We were able to walk the narrow alleys and go into the shops. This is a pretty touristy place but after all we are tourists. It was extremely crowded with the 3 cruise ships in port and it appeared many European tourist from all over.

About 12:30 we walked back to the tender pickup location to meet up with the guides for our tour. Silversea had water, tea, or punch available and most importantly a tent we could get under for a bit of shade. We booked through Silversea the "Speedboat tour to the blue cave". The boat held between 15-20 and there were three boats of Silversea passengers. The tour goes at high speed back out from Kotor to the Adriatic. Was nice as I got to see the other side of the journey that I hadn't seen on our morning sail in.

As we approached the Adriatic the boat was bouncing pretty hard and I was concerned for my back but all went well. About 5 minutes after turning into the Adriatic we arrived at the blue cave and sailed into it and they tied the boat to the side of the cave. The beauty of the water with the natural light streaming in from the two entrance that gave it a glowing affect is difficult to describe other then WOW. We were able to jump out of the boat and swim for about 15 minutes. I'm not the best at treading water(its a running joke in our family) but the salt content in the water created a buoyancy and I had no problem

We then had about a 5 minute journey to a beach. This isn't your typical sandy beach. It is made of small size smooth stones. My wife thought it felt like a foot massage. I didn't ha. So I had worn good water shoes for the day and kept them on and it was fine. The excursion started with going to the bar/restarurant for a free drink(beer, coke, etc....). Many of the group ordered food as well. We had snacks and decided to just get our drink and head to the beach. It was quite crowded with locals but they had enough umbrella and chair set ups reserved for our whole group. We were able to enjoy the beach for about 2 hours. The water was refreshing in the heat.

Then it was about 40 minutes back to Kotor. On the way back we asked the boat driver about these concrete looking tunnel entrances we saw several place along the shore. He quickly diverted the boat and took us inside one. It was where the Yugoslavian navy hid their submarines. It was quite interesting and a nice touch.

As we were nearing the city the CrosiEurope ship was sailing out and the Princess ship was preparing to sail. The Whisper was no longer anchored but at the dock. Was glad we didn't have to tender back. So less then a 5 minute walk back to the ship once we disembarked the speed boat.

Final thought on excursion: We completely enjoyed our day and due to the heat and crowds I'm glad we picked this excursion. This excursion is not for those that are physically challenged in any way. It isn't a leisurely boat ride. You straddle a seat like you would a bicycle and you take quite a pounding at the speed they go. It takes some strength to get back into the boat if you jump out to swim(highlight of the excursion) and the beach isn't made for a leisurely stroll. But if you want a little more adrenaline pumping activity in your day, this is a good one.

We were back on the ship about 5:30 and quickly changed clothes to walk back into town. On our morning stroll we came across a shop with beautifully decorated glassware. We didn't want to buy it and carry it with us on our tour so we went back to buy pieces for our 3 daughters and 1 daughter in law as well as my wife. So was a good call not to buy it earlier in the day. Very nice and helpful shop owner and were able to negotiate a little better price.

Back on the ship we started getting ready for dinner. We didn't have dinner reservations and planned on just eating at the restaurant around 8:00. We are on deck 8 so after getting ready I went to the lounge on the aft of 8 to wait while my wife dried her hair and finished getting ready. In 35 years of marriage I've sat and waited quite a bit of time during this ritual ha. But I have to say this was the nicest place I've ever waited.

When she arrived I said let's just take the stairs down since it is only one deck to the restaurant. We went in and virtually no one was there. They sat us outside on the aft of the ship and handed us our menu. It was only then I realized I had a mental moment and went to LaTerrazza instead of the restaurant. But it was the perfect night and setting to be there. Wonderful 5 course dinner.

After dinner at 9:30 our charter host had a chocolate extravaganza on the pool deck. Silversea did a great job with this. Then as a surprise at about 10:00 they had a fireworks display off the ships starboard side over the bay with music timed to the fireworks. This was another one of those perfect moments. I know this isn't part of a normal sailing but the coordination between our host and Silversea was seamless and is further endearing this cruise line to me.

As I finish this post I am tendered in the bay and staring at the walls of Dubrovnik. Again, WoW! Very similar plan for today. Our 1:00 excursion is "Kayaking the City Walls". We are also having dinner off the ship this evening at a restaurant called "Panorama".

More to come tomorrow...

Brian

Wow is right! What a fun day. The hike up to the fortress in Kotor is beautiful, but it sounds like you definitely made the right choice given the hot weather. Enjoy Dubrovnik!

Papa B me/Brian; wonderful Kotor excursion description, you did such a good job describing the beauty of the "Speedboat tour to the Blue Cave," it is now on our must do excursion list. Also, loved you "day on the Silver Whisper" narrative as well--we could almost imagine being with you. Looking forward to reading more.

I am really enjoying your post. Would you mind telling me whether the charter is for the entire ship and which company or organization did the charter? I'm just curious since the cruise prior to our late September cruise also appears to be a charter. Thanks so much.

Brian,

Great to read your happy posts!

Thanks for taking us along!

We loved Kotor as well. I can't imagine doing the hike to the fort in hot weather. We were there on a fall day and still thought it looked daunting. We, instead visited a farm and had a wonderful experience. The city itself was crowded as it was for you, but as you said the shops are good. Best part--the cruise in and out!

I am really enjoying your post. Would you mind telling me whether the charter is for the entire ship and which company or organization did the charter? I'm just curious since the cruise prior to our late September cruise also appears to be a charter. Thanks so much.

This is a full charter. It is a company called Annexus which is a financial services firm. A great deal of the cruise is different then a normal cruise with the most obvious things from towels on the ship, cups used, floor mats, signs all branded to Annexus. But they also changed the itinerary and activities on board as well. For example all the shows have been at 10:45 which has caused us not to go to any as we have been worn out. There has been no presence of the cruise director, captain, or hotel director as Annexus staff has taken the limelight. I don't even know who they are. I've spoken with a number of the staff and they all agree that this is quite different. But they tell me the way they are working and interacting with the passengers would be similar to a "normal" cruise. I'll talk at the end of my cruise about staff, service, etc.... Hope you have a great trip. We have.

Dubrovnik: Enjoyable day but not quite as expected

It seems every trip we have taken there is always 1 day that doesn't go quite as expected. While going through the day I seem disappointed due to the fact my expectations weren't met. But when the day comes to an end I find it was still a great day but different then expected and the things that maybe went "wrong" ended up being funny stories to share.

First of all, I don't see how you can have a bad day in Dubrovnik. The town is postcard picture from the moment I first went out on balcony, the breakfast outside on the aft at LaTerrazza, to taking a tender back at 9;30 pm seeing the town at night.

Our excursion for the day was "Kayaking the city Walls and Locrum Island". This is described as an easy 45 minute Kayaking trip around the city walls that will go to the Island of Locrum where you will see private caves, go to a secluded cave beach called Betina, tour the monestary and have a picnic snack under the beautiful tress.

When we were having breakfast I contemplated canceling the tour as it was overcast and I thought from Deck 7 it looked a little choppy. Since our tour wasn't till 1:00 we decided to go in and walk the city and shop a little. We dressed for the tour with bathing suits(and wife a cover up) and set out for the day. So far so good. We bought several things and were done shopping by 11:30. We decided to Tender back and drop our stuff off on the ship and even had time to get a quick lunch. We caught the 12:30 tender and were standing at Silversea meeting point at the dock by 12:45. Everything moving along smoothly....???

I began to get concerned when all the 1:00 tours were all gathering at the same spot and there was no one there with signs for Kayaking. Plus it was total chaos meeting where so many tourist are gathered at the waterfront. Our guide finally showed up. He later told me that he had been called and told not show up immediately for some strange reason. We then began a hike as a group through the crowded street(think Disney World Main Street) completely through the town to the other side of town(which I believe is the main entrance)

We then took steps down to a landing area on the water where there were at least a hundred people to get kayaks, paddles, life jackets, water proof bags, etc... We were given ours relatively quickly but to my surprise no instruction at all. I've kayaked a great deal so no issues for my wife and I but clearly several never had and it caused issues through out the tour.

As we began paddling directly towards Lokrum Island(no city walls) I began getting a cramp in my upper leg that was unending the entire trip(haven't lived until you Kayak in an Indian sitting position to try and relieve pain-ha). To say it would be an easy 45 minute of kayaking would be accurate for a Tri Athlete possibly. But we did make it to the island. But there we didn't explore any caves, private beaches, etc... Instead it was about a 20 minute walk around part of the island with the history that ended at a single picnic tabel with "juice boxes" and a sandwich. Most of our group had left the tour by then to go to the bars on the island for a drinks and lunch and the tour guide was not happy they didn't want to hear his commentary.

Our advertised free time consisted of about 20 minutes so we ran back to one place we saw for swimming where my wife ducked under the water to cool off and then ran to the bathroom and back to the kayak landing site. We then began our journey back which was in may ways like a slow roller coaster ride up and over waves and head into a strong wind. So it was about twice as difficult as the journey there.

Now the positive: The actual experience of kayaking in such a beautiful setting was incredible. The island itself is magnificent. My wife and I didn't have to do laps last night on deck 9 as we burned sufficient calories for the day.

Bottom line is that the excursion was not as advertised and it was extremely difficult. But the thought of me sitting on a kayak with legs crossed going across a raging sea(maybe a little bit of exaggeration) will stick with me a life time. By the time I get home and share the story with my grown kids we will have survived hurricane force winds on a Kayak.

The recount of the day isn't over but I need to head to breakfast and walk into Split. We were suppose to take another boat tour to Hvar but decided I've had enough time on the water so today is going to be a relaxing day. More to come....