Silversea Water Cooler: Welcome! Part Five

[Daveywavey70]

Does anyone else feel that the SS group in “ the other place” has gone to ratchet? As much as I Love SS, I don’t think I’d ever wish to share a ship with these people. From recent reports too, many of them are finding their way onboard. What on earth is going on? 

[TrulyBlonde]

1 hour ago, Daveywavey70 said:

Dear Sir,

At the point of sale, the merchandise provided was perfectly appropriate for the advertised purpose. Unfortunately since, subsequent defects have become apparent for which the vendor accepts no responsibility. We may, reluctantly,  accept a partial return of a certain proportion of the goods once they have fulfilled their useful purpose and been returned to us, however the remaining defective goods will not be accepted back under any circumstances.  We unfortunately cannot offer any timescale for the acceptance of the said defective goods but we are sure that acceptance of said goods will be achieved with time. 
Kind regards
The Management

 

On that note, we still have Hunter. Yikes! Maybe Meghan and Hunter can have a lovely lunch date arranged in California?  Then all would feel very sorry for Harry and welcome him home with open arms. This is the perfect scenario for both countries.

[jpalbny]

1 hour ago, Daveywavey70 said:

Does anyone else feel that the SS group in “ the other place” has gone to ratchet? As much as I Love SS, I don’t think I’d ever wish to share a ship with these people. From recent reports too, many of them are finding their way onboard. What on earth is going on? 

 

It's my comic relief.

[UKCruiseJeff]

11 minutes ago, TrulyBlonde said:

On that note, we still have Hunter. Yikes! Maybe Meghan and Hunter can have a lovely lunch date arranged in California?  Then all would feel very sorry for Harry and welcome him home with open arms. This is the perfect scenario for both countries.

 

I am afraid the boat has been completely burnt.  There are no credible set of medium or short-term circumstances whatsoever that he would be welcome back I’m afraid.  

 

I think it possible however that there is a seam of potential British forgiveness in that he is clearly extremely - perhaps even “clinically” deluded in that he genuinely believes that Meghan married him for his good looks, wit, personality and intelligence and that he believes he is making a living due to his inate ability and business acumen rather than who his granny is. Such self-delusion may eventually bring a visa. But it won’t ever give him  a get out of jail free card.

 

You are stuck with him I’m afraid until that it he finds a more lucrative country to butterfly to. 

[UKCruiseJeff]

1 hour ago, Daveywavey70 said:

Does anyone else feel that the SS group in “ the other place” has gone to ratchet? As much as I Love SS, I don’t think I’d ever wish to share a ship with these people. From recent reports too, many of them are finding their way onboard. What on earth is going on? 

 

I think we all currently underestimate how much the world has changed and how many of those changes are permanent.  

 

It seems to me that a very high percentage of the world views the world as though things are in a temporary condition and that we will at some point soon revert back to something like our old lives.  What we all now see is the new normal and we all have to get use to it or become permanently discontented and unhappy.  We need to learn to cope with a bewildering new world with a rate of change that we were never built to cope easilly with.

 

Jeff

Edited July 4, 2022 by UKCruiseJeff

[TrulyBlonde]

2 minutes ago, UKCruiseJeff said:

 

I am afraid the boat has been completely burnt.  There are no credible set of medium or short-term circumstances whatsoever that he would be welcome back I’m afraid.  

 

I think it possible however that there is a seam of potential British forgiveness in that he is clearly extremely - perhaps even “clinically” deluded in that he genuinely believes that Meghan married him for his good looks, wit, personality and intelligence and that he believes he is making a living due to his inate ability and business acumen rather than who his granny is. Such self-delusion may eventually bring a visa. But it won’t ever give him  a get out of jail free card.

 

You are stuck with him I’m afraid until that it he finds a more lucrative country to butterfly to. 

I feel a bit sorry for the chap. I really wonder what magic tricks she had in her bag that he never experienced prior 😉  Potent stuff.

You do know that the cooler is turning into Page Six with this stuff. Rather fun though. HA!

I think we will need to get back to jokes and cooking or we will all be in trouble. 

[UKCruiseJeff]

19 minutes ago, TrulyBlonde said:

I think  we will need to get back to jokes and cooking or we will all be in trouble. 

 

Sadly you are right - and hence my prolonged ducking out.  I really enjoy and miss thought provoking exchange with people who enjoy the ponderings of the imponderable but I recognise that I’m in a minority.  And what makes it worst is that I’m extremely irritating and whereas I adore irritating people I fully accept that not everyone does.  

 

C’est la bleeding vie. 

Edited July 4, 2022 by UKCruiseJeff
sgnilleps

[Host Jazzbeau]

Has everyone forgotten the intermediate step in the Meghan/Harry decampment—to Canada?  It seems to me the solution that solves both our problems is a UK-US treaty that exiles both of them to that lovely country.  [And Canadians, being so nice, will not reject the offer!]

[mysty]

Greetings Coolers!

 

I'm here in body however my mind is not!  Trip home yesterday is too gory for public consumption.  Instead a funny.....

 

 

Have a wonderful day all!

[lincslady]

Welcome home!  We have myssed you, and look forward to hearing from you when you have got your brain back into gear.

 

Lola

[lincslady]

Please stick with the Cooler, Jeff.  It is a very broad church, and I for one enjoy the range of serious and silly subjects we encompass.  And the different personalities who post.

 

Yes, you can be irritating, as can all of us!  (One of mine is using exclamation marks).

 

It has actually been one of my lifelines to have a look each day,  believe it or not, in the six months since I lost my  husband.

 

Lola

[jpalbny]

4 hours ago, lincslady said:

We have myssed you,

 

I see what you did there, Lola! Very clever.

[zqtchas]

[UKCruiseJeff]

4 hours ago, lincslady said:

Please stick with the Cooler, Jeff.  It is a very broad church, and I for one enjoy the range of serious and silly subjects we encompass.  And the different personalities who post.

 

Yes, you can be irritating, as can all of us!  (One of mine is using exclamation marks).

 

It has actually been one of my lifelines to have a look each day,  believe it or not, in the six months since I lost my  husband.

 

Lola

 

Thanks L,  so kind.

 

In recognition of the 4th July and what I believe to be the Lincolnshire national dish todays eatings have been Toad in The Hole with my baked bean sauce. and Tanglefoot. 

 

And   Chrysanths. 

 

 

 

[lincslady]

I imagine the baked bean sauce tastes better than it looks, Jeff.

 

The flowers look more like carnations, but maybe that is just Lincolnshire carnations.

 

Lola

[highplanesdrifters]

Welcome home Ms. M. I would say that you have been missed, but your posts  from a delightful* journey keep us sated. 

 

*except for the journey home

[silkismom]

Please, when you've recovered, we'd love to hear just how bad travel is now. Thanks

[mysty]

1 hour ago, silkismom said:

Please, when you've recovered, we'd love to hear just how bad travel is now. Thanks

 

Okay, buckle up!  To be fair I think all airlines are struggling.  Here is our story.  After spending a wonderful 5 days with our friends in Stockholm we spent the last night in the Radisson Blu hotel at the airport.   We had a flight to Amsterdam at 6:30 the next morning.  We got up at 3:00 am and went to the airport.   Easy part as the hotel is connected to the airport.   Our three flights were booked with KLM with the last leg with WestJet (an affiliate airline with KLM).  First flight from Stockholm to Amsterdam went beautifully.   Then the nightmare began.  The flight to Toronto departed late because loading the plane was slow and they were waiting for 4 passengers who had arrived at the airport from Mumbai 2 hours previous and had not shown up at the gate.   They then had to take their luggage off the plane.  Flight and food were awesome.   We arrived in Toronto late and missed the connecting flight home.   We talked to the KLM agent at the baggage area and she rebooked but didn't give us new boarding passes.  When we attempted to go through security they wouldn't accept the paperwork she gave us.   We were shunted between KLM  and WestJet for about an hour battling crowds of people as we went.  Finally KLM gave us a new electronic ticket which we had to take to WestJet to get boarding passes. We got to the gate in time.  Late boarding and sat on the plane for about 1/2 hour waiting for a toilet issue to be resolved.   When we got to Ottawa our checked bag did not!  Now we are waiting to see if it will be found.  Considering that we had been up since 3:00 am (9:00 pm the evening before in our time ) and we eventually got home around 7:30 pm it is not surprising that I was a bundle of sagging bits.  Brain function barely registering.  Air travel will be curtailed until they can get a better handle on things.  It's not for the faint of heart!

[Stumblefoot]

2 hours ago, silkismom said:

Please, when you've recovered, we'd love to hear just how bad travel is now.

How bad?  Brutal. Almost incomprehensible.

 

This past Fri., Jul 1, 464 U. S. domestic and international flights were canceled and more than 6,600 were delayed. That is nearly 30% of all scheduled U.S. flights.

[mchell810]

Mysty,  So sorry you had such a difficult journey home.  I know it takes the edge off what seemed to be a wonderful trip.  Hopefully, in the next couple of days flight difficulties will fade so that you keep only memories of a great trip -- and the photos to match. 😄

[Host Jazzbeau]

And now the SAS pilots have gone on strike (after several delays as negotiations seemed promising)!  That can only make European air travel even more complicated for a while...

[silkismom]

We don't have to get near an airport until 9/11--scary. Hopefully everything will settle down after Labor Day. It's a non-stop DEN-YVR for another cruise line to AK.

[lincslady]

Thank goodness you weren't flying via Heathrow.  It would have been even worse, if that is possible.

 

Lola

[Lirio]

6 hours ago, UKCruiseJeff said:

 

Thanks L,  so kind.

 

In recognition of the 4th July and what I believe to be the Lincolnshire national dish todays eatings have been Toad in The Hole with my baked bean sauce. and Tanglefoot. 

 

And   Chrysanths. 

 

 

 

Never have heard about Toad in The Hole. I will try! Flowers are so beautiful.

[Lirio]

3 hours ago, mysty said:

 

Okay, buckle up!  To be fair I think all airlines are struggling.  Here is our story.  After spending a wonderful 5 days with our friends in Stockholm we spent the last night in the Radisson Blu hotel at the airport.   We had a flight to Amsterdam at 6:30 the next morning.  We got up at 3:00 am and went to the airport.   Easy part as the hotel is connected to the airport.   Our three flights were booked with KLM with the last leg with WestJet (an affiliate airline with KLM).  First flight from Stockholm to Amsterdam went beautifully.   Then the nightmare began.  The flight to Toronto departed late because loading the plane was slow and they were waiting for 4 passengers who had arrived at the airport from Mumbai 2 hours previous and had not shown up at the gate.   They then had to take their luggage off the plane.  Flight and food were awesome.   We arrived in Toronto late and missed the connecting flight home.   We talked to the KLM agent at the baggage area and she rebooked but didn't give us new boarding passes.  When we attempted to go through security they wouldn't accept the paperwork she gave us.   We were shunted between KLM  and WestJet for about an hour battling crowds of people as we went.  Finally KLM gave us a new electronic ticket which we had to take to WestJet to get boarding passes. We got to the gate in time.  Late boarding and sat on the plane for about 1/2 hour waiting for a toilet issue to be resolved.   When we got to Ottawa our checked bag did not!  Now we are waiting to see if it will be found.  Considering that we had been up since 3:00 am (9:00 pm the evening before in our time ) and we eventually got home around 7:30 pm it is not surprising that I was a bundle of sagging bits.  Brain function barely registering.  Air travel will be curtailed until they can get a better handle on things.  It's not for the faint of heart!

Next week I will be back to Brazil from  New Zealand. Then 2 weeks after I am flying to Iceland to cruise with SS. Rio de Janeiro - Lisbon - London - Reykjavik. Fingers crossed it will work out. We have schedule to arrive Reykjavik 2 days prior to the cruise.