Vicki van Tassel

[Stumblefoot]

59 minutes ago, drron29 said:

Also there will be some announcements from SS in the next few weeks but we were sworn to secrecy.

Ah, that’s no fair!

[jollyjones]

On 4/6/2019 at 7:50 AM, UpstateJan said:

 the intention is to keep the Wind in the classic line, but have the ability to do Arctic/Antarctic regions.

 

 

That's what SS keep saying but how's that going to work in practice? It's not just the ship, you need an experienced expedition crew to tackle the polar regions - the Antarctic (and presumably the Arctic) cruising seasons are short, what are they going to do while she's doing classic cruises?

 

Not to mention that I bet it'll be 'classic' cruises at expedition prices ...

[Stumblefoot]

1 minute ago, jollyjones said:

Not to mention that I bet it'll be 'classic' cruises at expedition prices ...

 

Nailed it!

[drron29]

And they are a threat to our health by removing the baths/tubs.

 

[Observer]

2 hours ago, jollyjones said:

 

That's what SS keep saying but how's that going to work in practice? It's not just the ship, you need an experienced expedition crew to tackle the polar regions - the Antarctic (and presumably the Arctic) cruising seasons are short, what are they going to do while she's doing classic cruises?

 

 

I have not done an expedition cruise (and am not likely to).  But I had assumed that the crews were region-specific, hired because of their special expertise about that region.  Thus, I did not think they were very long (certainly not year-round) contacts.  Am I mistaken?

[Observer]

1 hour ago, drron29 said:

And they are a threat to our health by removing the baths/tubs.

 

 

I believe that a reasonable argument could be made that the current tub/shower combos are a threat to health because of the requirement to negotiate the side of the tub when entering.  As one gets older, has balance issues, etc., the attraction of a walk-in shower is great!  🙂 

[jpalbny]

1 hour ago, Observer said:

Thus, I did not think they were very long (certainly not year-round) contacts.  Am I mistaken?

 

Many of the expedition staff are (were?) long-term SS staff. They all have varying areas of expertise but can handle both Polar and non-Polar expeditions. For example,  there's a fellow named Hans-Peter Reinthaler who is a Ph.D. botanist and has been on all four of our SS expeditions dating from 2009-2017: Antarctica, Svalbard, Panama Canal, and South America.

 

Different skills needed in each region but he always adapts and is a pleasure to cruise with. He leads tours, drives zodiacs, and when you listen to him you'd think he's a local expert in whatever area he happens to be in on any given day. Other SS crew have been with us on multiple voyages to very different regions as well. The expedition staff are definitely long-term and the good ones are worth their weight in gold.

 

IMO the problem with every company expanding their expedition offerings is that the available talent pool of expedition staff is limited, and a massive expansion of the number of cruise ships will dilute that talent pool tremendously. SS has lost a bunch of good staff to other lines. Probably not so easy to replace. 

 

Think of what happens when there are too many expansion teams in sports...

 

Ron, don't worry about the bathtubs. Red wine will scour the arteries just fine! 🍷

Edited April 9, 2019 by jpalbny

[Observer]

Thanks.  I am always eager to learn.  Given the range of expedition destinations (e.g., the forthcoming Cloud World Cruise!), these expedition leaders must be very quick learners. Presumably they could board some destination-specific lecturers for limited periods to augment the work of the full time staff.

[drron29]

9 hours ago, Observer said:

 

I believe that a reasonable argument could be made that the current tub/shower combos are a threat to health because of the requirement to negotiate the side of the tub when entering.  As one gets older, has balance issues, etc., the attraction of a walk-in shower is great!  🙂 

Well I am 72,have had a knee replacement,spinal canal stenosis plus a peripheral neuropathy so have major balance problems.i don't have trouble getting into a tub but a shower with a wet floor is a definite falls risk for me.

[jollyjones]

3 hours ago, drron29 said:

Well I am 72,have had a knee replacement,spinal canal stenosis plus a peripheral neuropathy so have major balance problems.i don't have trouble getting into a tub but a shower with a wet floor is a definite falls risk for me.

 

Sounds like a walk in shower with a shower seat could be your safest option. That works well for my very elderly father who has similar problems to yours.

[Observer]

4 hours ago, drron29 said:

Well I am 72,have had a knee replacement,spinal canal stenosis plus a peripheral neuropathy so have major balance problems.i don't have trouble getting into a tub but a shower with a wet floor is a definite falls risk for me.

 

I agree that a shower with a wet floor presents a fall-risk.  That's why I always put on the floor of the shower (or tub if I am in a tub/shower combo suite) the rubber mat provided by Silversea.