Silversea Water Cooler: Welcome! Part Four

[Tothesunset]

TTS,

Has the cruise consultant told you all about the Silversea "couture collection""yet?

Just wondering.

Have fun and enjoy!

Only mention has been via a printed sheet enclosed in the Chronicles. Clearly we are far too impecunious to merit personal attention!

 

Tomorrow brings us to Gibraltar. Only been there before on the Queen's shilling but it's not a place I'd miss if I never saw it again.

 

OH is a big fan of dinner at the grill. I'm not. So we've compromised and I've agreed to go if she doesn't complain about my loud shirt.

 

Not seen Penny since the first day. Maybe she's avoiding me - she has wisdom beyond her years. I keep searching for the smell of enchiladas and the rhythms of a mariachi band but to no avail.

 

I think I can hear a whisky sour calling my name.

 

A bientot mes petits.

[mysty]

I have mentioned before that Canadian airlines are expensive and difficult to deal with because there is so little competition for air travel here. Today there was an article on the CBC news website about Air Canada and WestJet cancelling flights to San Juan for the season effective October 30. The really nasty bit is that some passengers on Caribbean cruises found out a couple of days before they disembarked in San Juan that their flights had been cancelled. They had to scurry to make alternate arrangements costing them more money and overnight stays on their way home. This is ridiculous as the airlines knew before those passengers even left that they would be cancelling the return flights. We should live in the UK I think!

 

http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/westjet-air-canada-san-juan-puerto-rico-cancel-flights-1.4397776

[MLeh]

Reading that article reaffirms why I never use online TAs. I flew a lot when I was working and I did have to fly to the USA quite often for meetings. For one trip I used an online TA for a flight to Pittsburgh. Flight was on United. The trip down was fine. Unfortunately the morning I was to depart Pittsburgh for home was 9/11 (THE 9/11) and so I was stranded there for the duration. The online TA was absolutely no help. Eventually I made my way up to Toronto and bought a ticket home on a Westjet flight. I contacted United when I got home, and the best they would offer was a credit that could be applied to a future flight in the next 365 days, which was more than I’d got from the online TA. I vowed from that moment on to only book direct with airlines.

 

So, I read that story, and it was obviously the online TA that failed at communicating. They even admitted it in the story.

 

My many experiences with Westjet (when I was working I was flying at least 8 segments a month) has been not without issues. Stuff happens - weather, planes need maintenance, etc. But I’ve been stuck on the Deerfoot in Calgary, in a traffic jam, and realized I was going to miss my flight, and phoned WJ, talked to a real person who isn’t in India (she looked out her office window and could see the mess on Deerfoot) and got shifted to a later flight, at no cost. So I would dispute your characterization of ‘difficult to deal with’ at least for one of our airlines. (I won’t dispute that we pay more, though!)

 

We used Aeroplan points to fly to the UK in August this year. We did get three emails from Aeroplan/Air Canada between the time we booked our flight and the date of the actual flight, each time changing some element of our flight. The first change was from a Dreamliner to a 777, which made me sad, because I’d heard good things about the Dreamliner and wanted to try it out. The next two emails where flight time changes. When it was all said and done our flight was scheduled to depart two hours later than the schedule when I’d booked it. (Which was completely moot in the end because a British Airways flight that was supposed to depart slightly before ours got cancelled completely so we spent an extra hour on the tarmac loading additional luggage and passengers from that flight onto ours.)

 

So, as in most things, it’s “what we have here, is a failure to communicate”.

 

 

 

 

 

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[UKCruiseJeff]

Using an app like "myflights hd" will tell you about any changes to your flight. This includes time changes, equipment changes. seat changes, cancellations etc. normally before the airline informs customers. This means that generally you are ahead of both "the curve" and other passengers when minimising any effects of the change. Many times the app has been a "life saver" for me and others.

 

To be honest, whilst I have sympathy for those with travel disrupted, sensible people, even on cruises check every so often to see if there are any changes to their onward travel. Much of this "I wasn't informed" whining only has limited sympathy from me.

Edited November 12, 2017 by UKCruiseJeff

[mysty]

Thanks MLeh! We have never flown WestJet so the "difficult to deal with" was related to Air Canada. And in the story linked neither Air Canada nor Aeroplan contacted the customer. She learned about it from her sister who had booked with a different rewards program.

 

"She says she learned of the flight cancellation on Nov. 4 from her sister, who was set to travel with the couple but had booked her flight with a different travel rewards program. Duhaime says neither Air Canada nor Aeroplan, the rewards program she booked her flight with, had notified her."

[mysty]

Unfortunately Air Canada does not deal with the Amadeus system. :( Not sure if WestJet does or not. The only reason I was able to use the app was because the flights were codeshare with Lufthansa. It was a great app though.

[UKCruiseJeff]

Thanks M,

 

But they do have a web site and passengers do have their booking reference. The app is only for use outside of the times ie upto say a month or so before you travel. Then you'd check directly with the website regularly.

 

Apps aren't are replacement for checking with the website, and not having an app is an even greater reason to check with the website regularly.

 

And ...;.

 

http://www.amadeus.com/web/amadeus/en_1A-corporate/Amadeus-Home/Newsroom/Archive/PR-2017-10-05-Air-Canada/1319658626891-Page-AMAD_DetailPpal?assetid=1319713372267&assettype=PressRelease_C

 

The Air Canada app claims to send change notices/alerts.

Edited November 12, 2017 by UKCruiseJeff

[jpalbny]

Hi all from IPC... Yes, we are leaving Easter Island today. :(

 

We're on a 787 dreamliner which is really a sweet plane. Our flight over on Thursday was our first 787and it was a great experience. LATAM business class was pretty nice too.

 

Next stop, Santiago.

 

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[UKCruiseJeff]

Enjoy Santiago JP! :)

[jpalbny]

 

Nice airport!

 

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[MLeh]

Thanks MLeh! We have never flown WestJet so the "difficult to deal with" was related to Air Canada. And in the story linked neither Air Canada nor Aeroplan contacted the customer. She learned about it from her sister who had booked with a different rewards program.

 

"She says she learned of the flight cancellation on Nov. 4 from her sister, who was set to travel with the couple but had booked her flight with a different travel rewards program. Duhaime says neither Air Canada nor Aeroplan, the rewards program she booked her flight with, had notified her."

 

 

Had she checked her spam folder? I’m with Jeff in the lack of sympathy department as I really think sometimes people react inappropriately when a more reasonable response will get better results.

 

As far as flying with Air Canada ... I believe their motto is “we’re not happy til you’re not happy”. I would only fly with them if there was no other option (or going on longer flights where sitting in the pointy end made sense).

 

I was once waiting for an Air Canada flight in Fort McMurray, and the guy next to me said “I don’t have a seat assignment on my boarding pass. What do you think that means?” I told him “it means ‘sucks to be you’. Do you have a place to sleep in Fort Mac tonight?” Sure enough they’d oversold the flight and people were asked to give up their seats for a $200 voucher and a seat on the ‘next available flight out’. Two facts: hotels in Fort Mac at that time were well over $200/night and as it was the Friday before a long weekend, so the next available seat was the following Tuesday. He was a bit choked as he was heading on vacation and would be missing his connecting flight.

 

(Westjet doesn’t oversell their flights, so if someone gets bumped it’s not because of that.)

 

 

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[mysty]

Thanks J and MLeh! I do agree that passengers need to keep tabs on their reservations. I was feeling a little grumpy this morning and that article just hit me the wrong way.

 

JP...safe travels and it sounds like your flights to and from Easter Island are other good parts of the vacation!

[MLeh]

Hi all from IPC... Yes, we are leaving Easter Island today. :(

 

We're on a 787 dreamliner which is really a sweet plane. Our flight over on Thursday was our first 787and it was a great experience. LATAM business class was pretty nice too.

 

Next stop, Santiago.

 

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Enjoy!

 

 

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[UKCruiseJeff]

M,

 

This is Remembrance Sunday here in the UK so it is always pretty sombre here.

 

My issue with this type of article is that it feeds the victim and rights and obligations culture and detracts from the notion that we should primarily be sensible and look after ourselves and it fails to question those that fail to. Of course Air Canada.was lacking, but that is what we should expect. The traveller could have easily avoided the nasty and unexpected surprise but didn't.

[mysty]

You are right J! People do need to watch out for themselves. The article does serve as a bit of a "Public Service Announcement" though in that it alerts customers and potential customers that they will need to be more vigilant with respect to the services they have booked.

[MLeh]

You are right J! People do need to watch out for themselves. The article does serve as a bit of a "Public Service Announcement" though in that it alerts customers and potential customers that they will need to be more vigilant with respect to the services they have booked.

 

 

 

Absolutely! I had no idea we wouldn’t be able to fly WJ if we decided to do a last minute cruise this winter. So thank you for that!

 

 

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[Tothesunset]

Well, now. Popped into Paranoia to pick up an early coffee and thought, '' Whoa, something's off here. ''.

 

New carpet and furniture put in overnight! Looks good too - a sort of wavy, pale blue pattern and really brightens it up. According to the HD each night will see further carpets, decor and furniture changes throughout the ship. Now bear in mind this was 7 am and I hadn't really woken up so don't plug for more details. All supposed to be finished by 22nd.

 

Just docking in Gibraltar so time for the 3 Ss then breakfast.

 

Have a good day all.

[Bill B]

Now bear in mind this was 7 am and I hadn't really woken up so don't plug for more details.

 

Check after you've had two coffees to make sure it wasn't a dream. ;)

[spinnaker2]

TTS,

Had a similar experience on the Spirit when we last crossed on her.

The upholstery elves were aboard and in the wee hours reupholstered the chairs in the panorama. I initially thought the chairs were new, but in fact they were reupholstered. Pretty amazing what can be done while we sleep!

Hope you enjoy Gib.

 

 

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[UKCruiseJeff]

 

 

 

 

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[MissSophia]

G'Day All......

 

Been rather a busy week ending wonderfully well with a very enjoyable break this weekend with the offspring to celebrate close friends wedding anniversary....so to say I'm completely knackeroonied is an understatement but happily so!

 

So pleased to see TTS is enjoying the Wind and changes are being made by the sleep fairies during the night....as we were almost disembarking the Spirit in September they changed all the pool loungers and Panorama furnishings with no bother at all...so it can be done!

 

Hope Penny is enjoying also.....

 

JP....so pleased too that you are still having fun.

 

Lois...hope you are feeling good and making use of your new appliances.

 

Sorry to hear tales of flying problems....either my personal TA books or l do direct with the airline...Virgin Atlantic in particular as l have air miles with them. BA come a close second also with air miles/avios.....and to date I've never had a problem as they keep me very much updated via email or text. I have however experienced problems with Delta over booking so tend to avoid these days. Our very own Jeffers is of course the best to advise as he's so up to date with everything and also knows how to get the best deals.....food as usual looking good J....👌

 

M....chill out....ain't easy l know....turned the news on here this morning and such mind boggling stuff being discussed from transgender school pupils to folk having to pay extra to buy bigger clothes....then the Lloyds banking group raising their overdraft fees.....

 

Haven't had too much time to catch up on the other threads...but from what I've seen l find is very sad that folk have to be so naughty when responding....so best to stay within the confines of the cooler where we can always discuss in harmony even though at times we don't agree we still keep it civil.

 

Suffered our very first hard frost this morning...very healthy imho....but a damn pain to scrape the car 😉

 

Happy Day......😊

[mysty]

Greetings Coolers!

 

J...the mussels look delish! It's Monday and no soup? :) Myster is trying a new soup recipe for tonight. Lamb Scotch Broth. I can hardly wait!

 

Miss S....I do need to chill out! The grumpies have stuck around for much too long! Not the best way to go through life. Attitude adjustment is required.

 

Have a great day all!

[UKCruiseJeff]

M,

 

Now we can get fresh mussels from Ocado delivered, soup has a competitor for Monday. Loch Fyne have found a way of pcking fresh mussels so that they seem to live for a few days in the fridge with hardly no loss. It is wonderful!

 

S, so glad you had a great weekend.

 

Stunning New First Class Suites on Emirates - Live and Let's Fly

Frequent Flyer

Emirates officially unveiled its new 777 first class suites yesterday in Dubai and they look even better than the the teaser. Suite Features The new Suites will feature: 1-1-1 seating (versus the current 1-2-1) Floor-to-cieling sliding doors Virtual windows for suites located between aisles “Zero-gravity” position on bed Video-calling to order food/drink on-demand New color […] The post Stunning New First Class Suites on Emirates appeared first on Live and Let's Fly.

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[UKCruiseJeff]

I remember when it was difficult finding decent Indian food in NY .... some lovely food in these piccies .... and I have been thinking of a trip to Kerala. We have a small community in our town and they are delightful people and made us very welcome at one of their recent celebrations.

 

South Indian Food Is Having a Major Moment in America

FOOD & WINE

 

Regional cuisines found in the Southern Indian states of Tamil Nadu_,_ Telangana_,_ Keralaand Andhra Pradeshare finally becoming more mainstream in the United States

 

Read the full story

[mysty]

Excellent news re the mussels J! Did you ever track down the elusive chestnuts?

 

The First Class Suites on the Emirates look positively decadent! What a way to fly!