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Live from Silver Shadow: Voyage #3904; Hong Kong to Singapore, Feb 8 - 22, 2019


Stumblefoot
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Happy 100 days!  George and I are sure loving free laundry on Regent and will soon be there on Silversea as well.

 

we did the Mekong River tour on Regent and I really liked it.  It was long, with a lot of driving, but very interesting with the best parts being the ride in the small boat and a fabulous lunch.  We liked it better than the Cu Chi tunnels because it seemed more “positive”.

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7 hours ago, Stumblefoot said:

Unibok,

 

Now that we’ve been in HCMC for 2-days I would recommend the following SS tours; (1) Reunification Palace, Ho Chi Minh City Museum, and War Museum; and (2) Cu Chi Tunnels.

 

After talking with guests yesterday, we decided to cancel our Saigon highlights tour for tomorrow.  Literally everything on the tour is within walking distance of the ship, so we did it on our own in about 3-hours.

 

Finally, two other couples who were on the Mekong Delta tour advised against it.  They said while they liked the fact the tour only had 4 guests on it (i.e. themselves), the drive was long, they didn’t really get very far into the delta, and the only real highlight was having a python wrapped around their necks.  It was a full day tour, so it sounds a bit arduous to us.

 

Hope this helped!

 

This is sooooo helpful, thank you! You’ve confirmed that I can catch many of the highlights on my own the morning we arrive, which means I can take all the time I want at the traditional medicine museum without holding up an organized group.

 

We have an overnight in HCMC as well, so the next day I’m signed up for a street food tour. The evening before, I think there will be drinks along the river followed by dinner at a traditional Vietnamese restaurant. 

 

Thank you you for being so attentive to every question! Enjoy Angkor Wat!

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3 hours ago, Silver Spectre said:

Enjoy your trip to Angkor Wat!

Be prepared for huge crowds, when we were there on Feb 1st, there had already been nearly 28,000 visitors in January.

Thx Mr. Silver!  Incredible to think how many people visit such a remote site in the world.  I’m hoping we can take in a sunrise before rejoining the ship.

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54 minutes ago, Unibok said:

 

This is sooooo helpful, thank you!

 

We have an overnight in HCMC as well, so the next day I’m signed up for a street food tour.

 

Thank you you for being so attentive to every question! Enjoy Angkor Wat!

You bet!  My pleasure.

 

Hopefully Les will chime in about the street food tour as I think he had direct experience with it, or someone that had, and it wasn’t recommended as I remember.

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39 minutes ago, Stumblefoot said:

Hopefully Les will chime in about the street food tour as I think he had direct experience with it, or someone that had, and it wasn’t recommended as I remember.

I've complained about that excursion.

 

My complaint is that there is no street food on that tour.  They take you to the big market and walk you through the middle without any stops at all.  No time for shopping or trying any of the plentiful street food that is available in the market.  Then they load you back on the bus and take you to a restaurant where they feed you what they tell you "is just like street food."  Bah humbug...

 

It's a nice restaurant, though.  I have some pictures, let me see if I can find them...

Here we go; here we are eating at the restaurant (on the street food excursion):

VNM00776-M.jpg

 

And here is the front of the restaurant:

VNM00779-M.jpg

 

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On 2/10/2019 at 7:36 PM, Stumblefoot said:

I was really lucky that DW left me some room for my shoes. 😄

B5904C1A-0C29-47C7-86B1-7C2C2B39C28F.jpeg

 

Hey, I love the packing method of stuffing the shoes full of clothes.  What are those, stockings in the white trainers?  🙂

 

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Fun Facts

1. 343 passengers (87% occupancy rate)

2. 24 nationalities are on board

3. USA = 42%

4. UK = 30%

5. Canada = 5%

6. Australia = 4%

7. German = 4%

8. Switzerland = 3%

9. All Others = 12%

 

Dining Venues

Most are in tip top shape with only Hot Rocks running very slow.  

 

1. Hot Rocks

After standing for over 5-minutes @ 7:00p while waiting to be greeted during our first visit to the venue, we finally decided to interrupt a fellow to see if he might be the manager.  He was (Pippin sp?) and seated us immediately.  Everything was smooth the rest of the evening.  It was just odd to be passed by so many servers and manager without a greeting while standing in the middle of the venue.

 

Our second visit was last night @ 8:00p.  We arrived 10-minutes early and were seated promptly.  But, after waiting 15-minutes to order, I had to interrupt Pippin again to place our order.  He was very gracious and took it for us so that we could get on with our evening.

 
2. The Restaurant
Michelle is the star of the show here in the morning and for lunch.  She is just delightful and has taken great care of us.  At dinner, new manager Stefano, who joined the Shadow during the last voyage, runs an efficient operation.
 
3. La Terrazza
Allan has had this venue humming from the beginning.  It’s so nice to be greeted by name each visit and he always has our favorite still water available without us having to ask for it.  He’s a true professional and I’m so glad 2 of our remaining 4 meals will be in his venue.  
 
In addition, if you ever have the chance to dine with Ricardo F’Arce, I highly recommend it.  His service is the most impeccable and truly exceptional.  It’s such a joy to dine with him.
 
4. La Dame
Venue manager Abhay, along with his assistant Natalia, work magic in this most intimate of venues.  Although full each evening, Abhay makes you feel as if you are the only couple dining.  We had a great time in his venue and look forward to our next visit on Feb 19.
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12 hours ago, rpfarris said:

 

Hey, I love the packing method of stuffing the shoes full of clothes.  What are those, stockings in the white trainers?  🙂

 

Ha!  You have a good eye.  Just about anything and everything, other than the kitchen sink, goes in those shoes.

 

Also, thanks for your comments above on the street food tour.  I think I got my CC contributors mixed up and should have referenced your previous comments on the tour.  Much appreciated!

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18 hours ago, rpfarris said:

I've complained about that excursion.

 

My complaint is that there is no street food on that tour.  They take you to the big market and walk you through the middle without any stops at all.  No time for shopping or trying any of the plentiful street food that is available in the market.  Then they load you back on the bus and take you to a restaurant where they feed you what they tell you "is just like street food."  Bah humbug...

 

It's a nice restaurant, though. 

 

Ugh, Rick, thanks for letting me know. I may still choose to do it anyway, knowing there is a Vietnamese meal at the other end of it. I will definitely ask at the Excursion Desk about it. How disappointing! I'm hoping that perhaps with feedback from you and others, they have changed it since Oct 2017. I'll let you know.

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23 hours ago, rpfarris said:

I've complained about that excursion.

 

My complaint is that there is no street food on that tour.  They take you to the big market and walk you through the middle without any stops at all.  No time for shopping or trying any of the plentiful street food that is available in the market.  Then they load you back on the bus and take you to a restaurant where they feed you what they tell you "is just like street food."  Bah humbug...

 

It's a nice restaurant, though.  I have some pictures, let me see if I can find them...

Here we go; here we are eating at the restaurant (on the street food excursion):

VNM00776-M.jpg

 

And here is the front of the restaurant:

VNM00779-M.jpg

 

We also did that tour.  First we went to the market which was amazing.  Then we went to a food stall hall where there was no indication that we should order food.  Only the shore concierge person ordered anything.  Last stop was the same restaurant.  We were paraded through while the guide explained what was being prepared at each station.  Unfortunately, we were at the tail end of the group and couldn't hear anything he said despite our asking that he repeat things for those in the back.  The meal was pleasant, but the tour (which we paid for) was not at all what we expected.

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7 hours ago, Emtbsam said:

We also did that tour.  First we went to the market which was amazing.  Then we went to a food stall hall where there was no indication that we should order food.  Only the shore concierge person ordered anything.  Last stop was the same restaurant.  We were paraded through while the guide explained what was being prepared at each station.  Unfortunately, we were at the tail end of the group and couldn't hear anything he said despite our asking that he repeat things for those in the back.  The meal was pleasant, but the tour (which we paid for) was not at all what we expected.

 

Yikes. Good to know. I’ll ask for clarification from the excursions desk before it is too late to cancel. That sounds so frustrating.

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Today finds us in Siem Reap, Cambodia for our mid-voyage land adventure.  Silversea has put together an excellent tour here, although I do get a bit irritated by the two drink limit and charging extra for decaf coffee.  For the extensive price of this tour, one should be allowed to drink as much ice tea or coffee that they like, regardless whether it’s decaf or not.

 

The ruins of Angkor and the Khmer empire are incredible.  I do fear for the place long term as the temples were constructed out of sandstone and roughly five million guests visited last year.  It felt as if the place was melting right before our eyes.  Thankfully, key cultural pieces and pediments have been relocated to the excellent museum which we enjoyed immensely.

 

Below are a couple of pics; one of our group at Ta Prohm built in the Bayon style largely in the late 12th and early 13th centuries, and one of me being my normal silly self.

D9D244C1-23E2-464C-AC39-D5B9DD91E36F.jpeg

9E6994C6-D91D-48E3-948D-77A9105D2B24.jpeg

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1 minute ago, mrset425 said:

Brian, I'm lost on this thread trying to give you feedback but I'll do it now seeing how I think I'm in.  You're lucky to get that much room in the closet for shoes (I'm worse than Amy - LOL) Truly enjoying your thread with photos and all. Continue to have a blast and love to Amy. Hoping we can again sail together soon:classic_cool:

 

5 hours ago, Stumblefoot said:

Today finds us in Siem Reap, Cambodia for our mid-voyage land adventure.  Silversea has put together an excellent tour here, although I do get a bit irritated by the two drink limit and charging extra for decaf coffee.  For the extensive price of this tour, one should be allowed to drink as much ice tea or coffee that they like, regardless whether it’s decaf or not.

 

The ruins of Angkor and the Khmer empire are incredible.  I do fear for the place long term as the temples were constructed out of sandstone and roughly five million guests visited last year.  It felt as if the place was melting right before our eyes.  Thankfully, key cultural pieces and pediments have been relocated to the excellent museum which we enjoyed immensely.

 

Below are a couple of pics; one of our group at Ta Prohm built in the Bayon style largely in the late 12th and early 13th centuries, and one of me being my normal silly self.

D9D244C1-23E2-464C-AC39-D5B9DD91E36F.jpeg

9E6994C6-D91D-48E3-948D-77A9105D2B24.jpeg

 

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On 2/15/2019 at 1:37 PM, Stumblefoot said:

The change is every 4th day, but honestly, the change is quite minor (<15%)

1) Antipasti - No change

2) Salads - No change, 4 choices

3) Pasta - No change, 8 choices 

4) Soups - No change, 3 choices

5) Vegetarian- One change, 2 choices

6) Meat - Two changes, 2 choices 

7) Fish - Two changes, 2 choices (one was just a different preparation of the same fish; Turbot)

8. Cheese - No changes, 3 choices

9) Gelato - No changes, 7 choices

10) Dessert - Forgot to compare, 7 choices

 

 

For MBP&O2/O...

 

Back in La Terrazza last night and the Veal Chop and King Prawns were back on the menu that we started the voyage with.  The preparation was different, but the protein the same.  Two new vegetarian dishes appeared, along with a nice branzino that made its first appearance on the voyage.

12E04664-9B34-4E27-B7B2-E01486EE664F.jpeg

CC0E265D-61A7-4945-9337-721F226AE54B.jpeg

B09FEFDE-29DD-4425-889B-44426875E6EA.jpeg

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