silver explorer june 4 2013

[spinnaker2]

Only a few days until we leave for this cruise. We are busy trying to anticipate what we need to take, even though we have poured over the brochures and postings regarding this cruise. At the last minute i am sure i will stuff some additional clothing in my bag that i will never wear. Maybe i can resist the urge to do so.

I hope to post from the cruise, we will see if i can make it happen.

I did post for a meet and mingle but no one responded.

We are excited about the trip and seeing new places!

More later...

[Stumblefoot]

Have a fantastic time. Look forward to hearing all about it as we're considering this trip next summer!

[RachelG]

Have agreat trip. Explorer is a much smaller ship, so not as many to post on CC, but we met some great people on our arctic cruise last year. Please report in if you can.

[Lrob]

Wishing you a great cruise. Save some polar bears for us! We are coming behind you on the June 26th cruise. I will be watching for your posts.

[Declady]

Have a wonderful time! We too are heading out on the Explorer - on July 26th - and we can't wait.

[spinnaker2]

day before we fly out of here.

thinking i would conserve space I bought 2 ridiculously large duffle bags. Thinking that once we unpack they would fold up into nothing, since the "suites" look quite cramped. My husband is 6 feet five inches tall, space is an issue. These duffles are larger than US army issue, I know because my son who was an MP, looked at them and guffawed. Easily could fit a human body in each one.

Hiking boots, trekking poles, wellies, etc, etc. the pile of what to take has dwindled and is now in a duffle.

Here is my dilemma, I have finished packing and my duffle weighs less than my husbands does. I must have forgotten something, or somethings.

I will let you all know when we get there.

[RachelG]

Can I press the like button on that?

 

Seriously, my clothing weighs much less than my husbands. Just in shoes alone, I can take 3-4 pairs for every one of his and have the same weight.

 

I know which duffles you are talking about, and yes, you can fit a human body in one. We tried just for fun!

[spinnaker2]

Day 1 and other commentary

Travel day. We flew on Delta to Bergen to get on the Explorer. It took us three flights to get to our final destination. The long haul flight was from Atlanta to Amsterdam. We were surprised to learn we were on the new configuration of the Business class, so that our seats which looked like they were together on the flight deck plan online, were actually separated by the aisle. I had the window single flat bed (pod like arrangement), and my husband was in the middle. It took some getting used to, but was quite comfortable for sleeping.

The length of the flights, plus breathing all of that reduced oxygen makes one exhausted upon arrival. We had to go through customs in Amsterdam, and then again in Bergen. Long lines and disorganized in Bergen. We were happy to have reached Bergen with time to spare to get on board the ship. The weather was gorgeous, cool and sunny. We found a taxi large enough to accommodate our duffels and off we went. The taxi driver was friendly and had a general idea of the location of the Explorer, but he did get lost. After several attempts we finally were able to find the ship and get on board. We were the next to last couple to board. It had taken a long time from the airport to find the ship. Last time we went on a cruise we arrived a day early, and in retrospect, is worth it to find a hotel, get the plane washed off you, sleep for hours, and board the ship the next day to be able to take advantage of the first day.

We were just too beat to do much, but forced ourselves to at least walk around and explore the Explorer.

Our suite, #309, is quite large with a living area, with couch, two chairs and desk, and a sleeping area with a vanity and bed. Our closet was enormous, and there is plenty of storage for unpacking. We had opted for the Explorer suite, so there are two “view” windows.

After the mandatory life drill and zodiac briefing, we were introduced to the expedition staff. We had a briefing on what to expect in the following days. The expedition leader is Robin West. The exuberance and knowledge of the team was infectious!! Even though we were exhausted, we managed to stay alert throughout the presentation. We have much to be excited about; this is going to be an amazing trip.

Our captain is Adam Boczek. Fabien LeConte is the hotel director.

We had dinner in our suite and promptly fell asleep. The sea was a little rough, and some passengers were sick. It never really was dark out, but there was a sunset about four in the morning. I will post the photos on another site.

A word on what to pack. (I realized why my duffle was so light. I had forgotten a number of items). We observed that the attire at dinner is slightly more upscale than casual. I have seen no jeans at dinner. Many women wore some glitz and had expensive looking jewelry. Men wore slacks and sweaters, some jackets. You will definitely need rain attire, and warm clothing. Don’t forget hats, both warm and one for hiking with sun protection. Jeans are fine during the day. Layering, as is mentioned in the brochure, is the best way to keep warm. I suggest a shell type jacket with a hood that can be rolled up in put in the backpack. Don’t forget rain protection for your camera. Being from the US, we did bring a step down converter so that we could safely charge our electronics.

There are only two washing machines and two dryers on deck 4, for passenger use. They are at a premium. The dryers take a very long time to dry clothes.

 

Day 2

Dining aboard the Explorer is in general, good. We had breakfast in our suite and the fruit which accompanied the cereal was fresh.

It is raining and windy. I could not stand outside as the wind was so strong.

Today we will go through the fjord to Geiranger, Norway. We had been briefed about what to expect and because we had a late start from Bergen, we were 2 hours late in arriving at Geiranger. No matter, we are on vacation with no deadlines!

The bow of the ship on deck 4 was opened to allow us to get up close and personal with the fjord. It was raining and quite chilly and the first day to use the parka. In true Silversea style, we were served hot chocolate by the terrific staff as we watched the mist enshrouded walls of the fjord gently slip by. The houses clinging to the sheer walls of the fjords make for great photographs and the fjord is breathtaking.

There were two tour excursions from which to chose, a bus trip to a farm or kayaking in the fjord. The disembarkation was via zodiac, so this was the first chance to experience the little pontoon boat. The Explorer was anchored in the basin of the fjord, as a huge MSC ship was at the only dock, and yet another ship was anchored near us. The Explorer looked diminutive compared to these behemoth cruise ships of the sea.

Of course, there also the option of walking around the little town by oneself. We were told that there are about 4500 inhabitants, but that well over 400, 000 tourists visit each year. Talk about boosting the economy!!!

We opted to stay on board as the sun had come out and it was warm enough to sit outside on the pool deck (a misnomer as there are two Jacuzzi hot tubs, which were not in use). We watched our fellow passengers kayak by, and the tour buses depart up the switch back of the roads which ran up the side of the fjord. We read our books and at some point it became chilly enough to don our parkas once again. Ensconced in our cuddly parkas, we apparently fell asleep on the lounge chairs. Next thing we knew, it was raining! We awoke to the sound of rain pounding the hoods of our parkas, and the deck steward, Mike standing next to us. He must have thought we were slightly crazy to be sitting on the chairs in the pouring rain (or perhaps he thought us unconscious). A sudden gust of wind almost took the deck umbrellas, so we helped him secure them, and returned to our suite.

After a brief time, the rain subsided and we returned to the pool deck to breathe in the fresh air.

We had afternoon tea in the Panorama lounge, which was delightful. The pianist, Alfredo, is classically trained and apparently can even sing like Pavarotti (?).

A brief word on the food. Breakfast and lunch is buffet style. I did not take pictures of any food, as of yet. The desserts look very rich, lunch buffet always has hot items to include a carving station. The food is “satisfying”, there is plenty of it and it is fresh. The wines which accompany lunch and dinner are ok, and if you do not care for them, you can ask for something else. All of the staff are warm and personable.

While my husband fell asleep after dinner, I was unable to do so in the midst of this beauty. I went forward and up to deck 6, outside the Observation Lounge, to watch us leave the fjord at about 2300 hours. Apparently the anchor was stuck, and a local boat came out to help us get disengaged. Then we were off and on our way back through the fjord the way we came. Next day is Alesund.

[spinnaker2]

Day 3

Alesund

One of the largest towns on the northwest coast of Norway. A major fire destroyed the town center in 1904 and it was rebuilt in the style of the times, art nouveau.

The Explorer sailed in on time at 7:00 am and in the drizzling, chilly rain.

In the morning there are two tours, one to see several islands and a lighthouse, the other a walking tour of Alesund. We opt to walk around Alesund on our own.

The ship is close to downtown so we need not taxi anywhere. The town is still mostly just wakening and getting ready for work. We walk around and snap some photos of the architecture, and the “art nouveau” flowery touches. We encounter few people, and those that we do are bundled up and heads bent against the chilly rain.

After our walk, it is back for lunch and departure at 12:00 for the island of Runde. This is a very much anticipated trip, as the evening before we had been briefed on the birds we might see by Luqui. As well, this is our first time in the zodiacs on the open sea. We are told to dress warmly and for the wet. The sea is quite rough and it is pelting rain. Because of the weather, the tour of Runde Island is abbreviated from 75 minutes to 60.

The Explorer anchors and they begin calling the groups. A word here on the groups. We have been divided into four groups, and so no one feels slighted, they are called in alternating order when we do zodiac tours. That way all will be first or last depending on the day, and because they cannot take everyone at once in the zodiacs.

Today, we will be in the first set of groups called. You don your gear, and go to deck 3 where you line up to disembark for the zodiac tour. As mentioned it was rough and rainy. While I brought my camera, it never left my pocket. I never felt secure enough to let go of the line on the side of the zodiac, as we bumped along in the sea. Unfortunately a parent in our little group made a poor decision and brought their young child along, who was terrified and screamed the entire time. The mother never asked to return to the ship, and the rest of us tried to make the best of it. Truly, this is not a trip for youngsters or the faint of heart. This mother should not have brought her child on what surely was a traumatic experience for her, and an unpleasant annoyance for us. While we tried to block out the screaming child, we were rewarded with sightings of many birds, on the cliffs, in the air and on the water. We also saw three white tailed eagles. This was exciting (I am NOT a birder). We observed that the eagles were being harassed by crows while in flight. The eagles tried to ignore the crows, much like we tried to ignore the screaming little girl, it was karmic.

When we returned to the ship, we had tea, as we were so chilled by the wet cold.

Then it was time to get ready for the Captains welcome party. Here a word on the dress…some were quite dressed up. It ranged from a beaded cocktail dress, to cocktail suits, men in jackets and a few with ties. Again, no jeans. I was surprised by the attire, it was anything but casual, or even elegant casual. Lots of sequins.

Dinner was good, foie gras was on the menu as a first course. Plenty of options and plenty of food. Not a five star restaurant, but certainly good.

After dinner we went to hear Alfredo play the piano.

Tomorrow Trondheim. We set sail at 17:15.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 4, Friday June 7

Trondheim

This morning at 10 a.m., we were treated to Luciano Bernacchi, aka Luqui, recapping on the birds of the voyage. The little theatre of the Explorer was pretty full with passengers. A well educated and well travelled crowd, many of whom have been just about everywhere. Many Silverseas return passengers. Another briefing at 11:15 and then off to the tours at 14:00. We arrived in Trondheim at noon.

There are two tours offered, at tour of the famous cathedral and open air museum, and a hiking tour. The city center is about 20-25 minutes away on foot.

We chose the hiking tour, which in retrospect I should not have. I cannot climb up steep inclines due to a physical issue. This is not a trip for anyone who cannot maneuver slippery rocks and steep inclines. It was raining and again wet. Trekking poles should be taken. I realized early on that I would not be able to handle this tour and told the guide. Luqui stayed with me until the tour bus returned, although I may have been able to walk down to the cruise ship, it likely would have taken me the better part of an hour. The group went on up the mountain and I took the bus back to port. On the way I had an opportunity to learn about Norway from the bus driver, who, by the way, has three summer homes. The standard of living in Norway is quite high, there are only 7 million Norwegians, and they are fiercely proud of their country. They have made major inroads in using their resources, but like many countries, are now concerned that their young people are moving out of the country and that there will be no younger generation to fuel the economy.

Back at the vessel, I relaxed and took advantage of the fact that almost all passengers were gone…I did laundry.

Tomorrow is a day at sea. In the next few days we will likely lose internet access, which has been spotty at best.

Day 5 at sea en route to the Lofoten Islands and Leknes.

Gray and rainy, but calm sea. Rest and catch up. Lots of lectures.

Trivia in the Panorama lounge.

[RachelG]

Really enjoying your reports as we visited all these ports a few years back on regent.

 

Robin is an excellent expedition leader. And Fabian is the best! I doubt either will be aboard by our embarkation on aug 25, but I hope so. Tell them Rachel (the lady from Oklahoma whose husband wears the cowboy hat) says hi.

 

How on earth could your taxi driver et lost in Bergen? It is just not that large.

 

Totally agree that explorer is not for young kids, ESP kids that have not done a lot of adventure type travel before. Our boys would have been fine from about age 6 and up, but they grew up hiking, boating, riding horses on a ranch. Totally different than a city kid.

[rojaan19]

So glad you are enjoying the Explorer, it is our favorite SS ship.

 

My husband always has a jacket for dinner and on special nights wears a bow tie as well. I always have a cocktail dress for the captains welcome, and take a couple of sparkly tops to wear with either pants or a skirt for other dinners.

 

Dominic, Eva and Ricky in the restaurant, Alfredo on the piano, Robin and Jada, Fabien, all the A team ! Explorer staff really are the best.

 

And those parkas are fantastic ! :D Glad you are enjoying your trip.

[drron29]

We were told when on the Explorer in April that Robin would be the Expedition leader for our cruise to Churchill so I guess he will still be there for your cruise Rachel.

And one question have you been told the time of your air charter to Churchill?We haven't been able to get a time out of SS for the return charter.

[expedition cruiser]

Looks like you will have Conrad as your Expedition Leader on your 25 August departure from Churchill. :D

 

http://www.silversea.com/expeditions/destinations/plan-expedition/?voyage=7319&tab=team

[RachelG]

We have no details at all regarding the flight from Winnipeg to Churchill or from kangerlussauq to Copenhagen. All I know are the dates. So we will be in Winnipeg the day before. And we are spending the night in Copenhagen before flying home on sept 9. Hopefully more info will be forthcoming soon.

 

Sorry that robin won't be our expedition leader. But I am sure we will have a great time.

[drron29]

Thanks Rachel.Looks like we have both Conrad and Robin on our cruise.You have 2 good team members joining your cruise though.Colleen Batey as the historian-she was on our Arctic cruise and good value.

then you have the geologist extrordinaire Stefan.I really liked him.Very entertaining.Just tell him Ron and Ann are still working on his Australian passport!:)

[WesW]

Candy&Larry/Spinnaker2; Thanks so much for your delightful Explorer commentary. Your robust detail makes us feel like we are in the Fjords with you and enjoying the Explorer. Look fwd to meeting/sailing w/both of you on the fall Spirit crossing in November

[RachelG]

Yes, Ron, we had Stefan aboard last year in the Arctic. He is quite good, with a very dry wit, and actually made geology interesting (which is something I thought I would never say).

[Ms Understood]

And one question have you been told the time of your air charter to Churchill?We haven't been able to get a time out of SS for the return charter.

 

I am on the same cruise as Rachel and was told that we had to be at the airport by 8 am to "catch the 10a charter flight to Churchill"

 

Hope that helps.

------------------------------

Helen

[RachelG]

I am on the same cruise as Rachel and was told that we had to be at the airport by 8 am to "catch the 10a charter flight to Churchill"

 

Hope that helps.

------------------------------

Helen

 

Thanks for the info Helen. We are staying at the Hilton by the airport, so at least that should be convenient.

[drron29]

Thanks for that Ms Understood.

[Ms Understood]

Rachel, we are staying at the Fairmont which is where SS is putting up its cruise/air folks. So for the sake of expediancy I booked the airport transfer with them. Altho I am hoping to get to the airport to see the arriving/disembarking pax to say "Hi" to a couple.

Just FYI: our charter flight to CPH lands at 8:50 pm. I was going to book the the Nimb Hotel in Tivoli but decided since it is so late and our flight to Paris is at noon the following day, we will just stay at the airport Hilton in Copenhagen.

----------------------------

Helen

[RachelG]

Thanks again, Helen. We are already booked at the airport Hilton in Copenhagen, so I am glad it is a good choice. We have stayed there 4 previous times,and have been very happy with it. I hate that we are arriving so late. Was wanting to go downtown. Oh, well, the Hilton in Copenhagen is really very nice.

[spinnaker2]

we just arrived in oslo yesterday and headed back to states today...sorry for the lapse in updates but we lost internet for a long time. i will have to fill in details over the next weekend.

it was a great trip and i highly commend the expedition staff.

we did see walrus, bears,many whales,seals, reindeer and extraordinary mountain vistas with magnificent glaciers and fjords.

you will need every bit of warm wear, it was freezing cold and snowing many days.

don't forget water protection for you and your camera.

take your eyeshades from the plane they will help with the constant daylight!

more later.

[Ms Understood]

Have a safe trip home, Spinnaker 2, looking forward to the rest of your review.

---------------------------

Helen

[spinnaker2]

June 9 - arrival at Leknes in the Lofoten Iskands at 0700, another grey and rainy, chilly, foggy day. Two tours offered, one to the fishing village surroundings and Viking Museum, the other to bird watch. I am not a bird watcher, but you cannot help but watch the birds here, there are so many avid birders. We selected the bird watching because we hoped it involved some walking, as it was described as two hours of walking. We all boarded the buses, and off we went in our red parkas. A little like camp for grown-ups.

We visited Eggum, directly on the beach. The mountains were enshrouded in fog, giving it a mystical feel. As well, there were the remains of a bunker built by the Germans in WW II on the top of a large hill, on the edge of the sea. This afforded them a view of the sea and any approaching unwanted visitors.

According to one birder, we saw 36 species of birds.

Our guide was not especially informative.

When we stopped at a pond on the way back, a number of us opted to walk back to the ship for some much needed exercise.

We returned to the ship before noon as we were due to proceed to the Trollfjorden. As the name implies, there are trolls inhabiting the fjord, but we didn’t see them. The fjord is very narrow and the Captain did an amazing job maneuvering in and out of the fjord. We were all out on deck to witness the spectacular sheer walls. We had to wait for another vessel to exit the fjord, which was not a problem, as we were on vacation, and there was no darkness, or nightfall. We arrived at the fjord at about 1700.

 

Next stop Tromso. We arrived around 0700 on June 10, and were off the vessel by 0800 for a botanical walk, the polar museum and the arctic cathedral. The gardens were beautiful. We were back on board by noon to sail for Bear Island. The rest of the day was spent trying on boots, for those who wished to borrow them, a mandatory Arctic briefing, trivia and another recap and briefing. The Venetian cocktail reception was held this evening and we discovered that a couple on the Explorer also were on board with us in Istanbul to Venice last year on the Spirit. After dinner the Expedition Team put on a Liars Club performance, we had to determine who was lying or telling the truth. They did a great job and it was fun.

 

June 11 - Bear Island. There are no bears here, but zillions of birds nesting on the sheer rocks. The day was sunny(but cold) and the seas calm, an extraordinary day to take the zodiacs out for a 90 minute tour of around one side of the island to view the birds. We began disembarkation around 1430. We saw many birds, to include puffins, gulls and skua. We were advised not to look up with our mouths open, for obvious reasons!! Some of us were blessed by the birds nonetheless.

 

The last zodiac returned at 1815, and we were on our way to Svalbard. We were told that we would start to encounter pack ice around one in the morning.

 

I must remark that i did see some people wearing jeans to dinner on casual nights. I was surprised that they were allowed to dine in such attire, but apparently it was overlooked.