Dublin to London aboard the Cloud—live—May 23, 2019 to June 4, 2019

[jpalbny]

Kirkwall is indeed a really neat place. Glad to hear that SS put together a fun excursion for you. Was Maeshowe an option? 

[RachelG]

32 minutes ago, jpalbny said:

Kirkwall is indeed a really neat place. Glad to hear that SS put together a fun excursion for you. Was Maeshowe an option? 

Don’t know what that is, so apparently not.  Currently unable to post pics, which is a shame because I have some good ones.

[Stumblefoot]

6 hours ago, RachelG said:

They had lost the reservation, but we had proof.  So they put together a table and made it right.

😳😳😳

That’s impressive!  What did you possibly have as proof?  If it was us, we’d be out-of-luck.

 

What was the cause of the lost reservation; claimed cancellation?

[RachelG]

1 hour ago, Stumblefoot said:

😳😳😳

That’s impressive!  What did you possibly have as proof?  If it was us, we’d be out-of-luck.

 

What was the cause of the lost reservation; claimed cancellation?

Our friend had the piece of paper with the reservations listed on it that they give you at the start of the cruise.  No idea why the restaurant lost it.

[Stumblefoot]

9 hours ago, RachelG said:

Our friend had the piece of paper with the reservations listed on it that they give you at the start of the cruise.  No idea why the restaurant lost it.

Good to know.  I usually just compare the SS printout to my phone’s calendar and if all matches, then I throw the printout away.  Moving forward, sounds like I should probably hang on to ours rather than throwing it away.  

[RachelG]

2 hours ago, Stumblefoot said:

Good to know.  I usually just compare the SS printout to my phone’s calendar and if all matches, then I throw the printout away.  Moving forward, sounds like I should probably hang on to ours rather than throwing it away.  

I learned that lesson on Regent years ago.  Also learned to save my confirmation emails.  They have come in handy more than once.

[RachelG]

May 29, 2019–Lerwick, Shetland Islands, Scotland

 

Cold, totally overcast, with a steady rain.  I had been watching a PBS series called “Shetland” which is set in the Shetland Islands.  The series would lead you to think that this place has the highest per capita murder rate in the world.  You would be scared to visit.  Fortunately it is fiction as far as the murder rate, but as in the series, it is pretty much always cold and damp.  At least that part is accurate.

 

We were docked in what appeared to be a small industrial port. There was the town close by, easy walking distance.  Our plan for the day was to go to the Island of Mousa, just because I saw the name on a map once a long time ago and liked it.  12 of us plus 4 of the expedition team boarded the bus which took us to the south part of the island to catch the ferry to Mousa.

 

We drove over very narrow winding roads, some one lane, through rolling moorland.  No trees to speak of, but lots of sheep.  We also saw some of the native Shetland ponies.  

 

We arrived at the spot for the ferry ride.  The ferry captain came on the bus and told us he really recommended against going to the island today as it was pouring rain, there was no shelter either on the ferry or on the island, and it would just be a miserable cold wet trip.  George didn’t have water proof pants on (left them home in Tulsa), so he decided going was a bad idea.  8 of the group still wanted to go.  So the captain took them with 3 of the expedition staff, while the other 4 of us and 1 expedition person stayed on the bus.  Andrew, our driver, was really a nice fellow, so he offered to take us on a tour of the south part of the island

 

We drove all over.  He took us past lots of old ruins, to the airport where the road actually goes across the runway (we had to stop for a plane to land), to Jarlshof which is an archeological site spanning 5000 years of history, to a museum which is an old Croft house that has been preserved, and past a seal beach.  Along the way, he gave a very entertaining running commentary.  At Jarlshof, it started sleeting on us hard, but after that, things began clearing a little.

 

After a couple of hours, we returned to the ferry stop to pick up the Mousa explorers.  They claimed to have had a great time, but they looked very wet.  I think we made the better choice, though I would love to return to see Mousa.

 

On the drive back, we went through the town and saw some of the major buildings, many which I recognized from watching the series on television.  It had stopped raining, but we didn’t have time to explore as all aboard was at 1 pm.  So we grabbed lunch in La Terraza.reat

 

I walked up on the deck as we sailed away.  An aside—so glad this ship has a proper walking track, even if it is a small one.  The pilot and captain did an expert job of turning the ship around in a relatively narrow harbor then weaving out along rugged coastland to the open sea toward our next stop, the Isle of Noss.

 

Noss is home to a bunch of bird, sheep and ponies.  No people now.  Zodiac cruises were offered, but it was pretty cold and windy.  I like birds, but not that much.  I think a lot of other people agreed, as they called all the zodiac groups one right after the other.

 

Dinner at La Terraza was excellent with great service and wonderful food.  I am stuffed.

[JohnGinPBG]

Rachel, enjoying your reports very much. Thank you for taking the time to share your experiences.

 

We're scheduled on the Cloud a year from now with the same itinerary up to this point in your cruise, then headed to the Faroe Islands and Iceland. I must admit to having second thoughts after hearing about your miserable weather. We don't mind cold and we have hiked in the rain, but it sounds like your activities have been very limited. Weather is a crapshoot, of course, but it's always going to be dicey this time of year, or any time of year in that region. We love birds, history and landscapes, which attracted to this cruise in the first place. But if you're constantly soaked and unable to enjoy the scenery....just wondering.

 

I suppose we'll just roll the dice on the weather or consider other options. In any case, your experiences have given us some great insight. Would you do it again?

[Silver Spectre]

1 hour ago, RachelG said:

May 29, 2019–Lerwick, Shetland Islands, Scotland

 

Cold, totally overcast, with a steady rain.  I had been watching a PBS series called “Shetland” which is set in the Shetland Islands.  The series would lead you to think that this place has the highest per capita murder rate in the world.  You would be scared to visit.  Fortunately it is fiction as far as the murder rate, but as in the series, it is pretty much always cold and damp.  At least that part is accurate.

Glad that you have worked out that the TV program “Shetland” is rubbish. The main protagonist is a misogynistic, deceitful, law breaking detective who has spent the last series trying to s**g his best friends wife. It’s utter drivel, made by ITV for the BBC. I would think the Shetland Tourist board hates it.

[ketjupiter]

Hi Rachel -  We (4 of us, in 3 cabins) were on the Cloud just before you from Amsterdam to Dublin...This was our first expedition cruise, and fourth Silversea cruise....Last cruise was on the Muse....We had wonderful service from Terrazza 8n nights and LaDame 2 nights.. We did not eat in the main dining room.  Igor the host and Luana our server in Terrazza were wonderful....Our Butler was amazing!!!!  We were lucky enough to have VIP status, from our travel agent, which provided us with free laundry, rose Champagne upon arrival, and also a very nice wine pairing in LaDame on the day that we were at Sea....

 

Having been our first expedition, I must say this will be our last (not offense to those that like "expedition" cruises)….We knew going in that this would be a bit different from a traditional cruise, but we were not into the zodiacs, the "walking" tours, bird watching, etc.  We did enjoy some of the sights, from our Amsterdam to Dublin cruise, Ie: Cliffs of Moher, Tresco, Guernsey, Portrush, Dunlace Castle, etc.  which we would not have seen on a "traditional" cruise.  We typically prefer more of a arts/historical/museum/restuarants-cafes/sights type of itinerary.

 

We were most surprised at the dress code, or more so, the lack thereof... We always wear a jacket to dinner, even on "informal" or "Casual" night.... I was surprised to see  people dressed extremely casual, including jeans/sneakers/polo shirts, and even a couple of instances of t'shirts and ball caps....I would say this would be our biggest complaint...But the crew/staff were wonderful....

[alithecat]

We were also on the Amsterdam to Dublin leg of the Cloud. We were very lucky with our weather. Mostly sunshine and only 1 day when the seas were a bit rough on the zodiacs. We really enjoyed the shore excursions. All the ones ketjupiter mentioned especially the Giants Causeway, the Slieve League Cliffs and Tresco Gardens. We like to walk and didn't mind the zodiacs. The expedition team did a great job of organizing all of the shore excursions. Plus, several members of the staff participated in all the team trivias. This gave us a chance to get to know them better.

 

We mostly ate in the main dining room. One night in La Terrazza and one La Dame. Most of the guests in the main dining room were nicely dressed. Though I was surprised that the jacket dress code wasn't enforced at all on the casually elegant evenings.

 

We were very happy with the CD, the restaurant service, our butler and room attendant. Plus most of the food.

 

We will definitely take more expedition cruises. In fact, we booked Antarctica on the Wind for December, 2020. Everyone's style is different...

Edited May 29, 2019 by alithecat
typo

[Stumblefoot]

47 minutes ago, alithecat said:

Though I was surprised that the jacket dress code wasn't enforced at all on the casually elegant evenings.

We’ve never done an expedition cruise, so does SS use a different dress code nomenclature vs what they use on their classic fleet?  Since we’ve never heard of “casually elegant” before, we’re wondering if it equates to “informal” night on the classic fleet since casual nights on the classic fleet never require a jacket to be worn.

[alithecat]

Yes it is the equivalent of informal. I think casually elegant is the term they used. Rachel can verify this. These are the nights that would have been formal on a classic cruise, ie. for us the second night for the captain's welcome and the second to last night for the parading of the entire crew. It is jacket but no tie for men.

[Stumblefoot]

49 minutes ago, alithecat said:

Yes it is the equivalent of informal. I think casually elegant is the term they used. Rachel can verify this. These are the nights that would have been formal on a classic cruise, ie. for us the second night for the captain's welcome and the second to last night for the parading of the entire crew. It is jacket but no tie for men.

Thx Alithecat.  Very helpful!

 

Here’s another question for you... we’re one of those families who loves to dress up.  Seeing that casually elegant on an expedition ship equates to formal night on a classic ship, did you see any men in tuxedos or women in formal dresses?

 

I don’t want to be dressed to the nines if no one else does on board.

[alithecat]

No tuxedos, no long dresses. I don't recall any men wearing suits except for the cruise ship staff. Just sports jackets/blazers, most without a tie, and some men who just wore long sleeved shirts without jackets. Most women wore nice pants and dressy tops. Dresses were in the minority, and they were what I'd call going out to dinner dresses not cocktail dresses. Casually elegant is definitely the equivalent of informal on classic ships, not formal. Leave the tux and the formal wear at home.

[Stumblefoot]

1 hour ago, alithecat said:

Leave the tux and the formal wear at home.

😓😓😓

[drron29]

Having been on 9 Explorer cruises there certainly no men in tuxedos any night.

But somewhere I do have a picture of myself with a jacket and bow tie I think on the farewell night one time.I usually take a jacket but probably no more than 6 others apart from the crew.

I think the elegant casual has only been introduced since the Cloud joined the Expedition fleet.

[drron29]

Found the photo.

.

 

I hope you noticed the bow tie.

[RachelG]

9 hours ago, JohnGinPBG said:

Rachel, enjoying your reports very much. Thank you for taking the time to share your experiences.

 

We're scheduled on the Cloud a year from now with the same itinerary up to this point in your cruise, then headed to the Faroe Islands and Iceland. I must admit to having second thoughts after hearing about your miserable weather. We don't mind cold and we have hiked in the rain, but it sounds like your activities have been very limited. Weather is a crapshoot, of course, but it's always going to be dicey this time of year, or any time of year in that region. We love birds, history and landscapes, which attracted to this cruise in the first place. But if you're constantly soaked and unable to enjoy the scenery....just wondering.

 

I suppose we'll just roll the dice on the weather or consider other options. In any case, your experiences have given us some great insight. Would you do it again?

We have been to most of these ports previously and to Iceland and the Faroe Islands.  Weather for us in Iceland has always been good.  The Faroe Islands were wet and cold.  I am going on the circumnavigation of Iceland cruise in August, so obviously I like it enough to return.  I wouldn’t go out of my way to visit the Faroe Islands again, but all the previous stops on the current cruise I really liked.  When we were here before, it was much warmer and not as many rainy days.  Weather is a crapshoot, as you point out.  But I would return.

[RachelG]

1 hour ago, drron29 said:

Found the photo.

.

 

I hope you noticed the bow tie.

I remember that cruise.  The young lady was our bear guard in Svalbard. 

 

As as far as dress in the evenings,  I brought 3 cocktail dresses, a pair of leather pants, another dressy pair of pants, and 4 dressy tops.  George wears slacks and a long sleeved dress shirt every evening.  He did not bring jacket or tie.  

[Stumblefoot]

1 hour ago, drron29 said:

Found the photo.

.

 

I hope you noticed the bow tie.

 

Ooh la la!

 

Thx for reminding me to look for the tie, otherwise I would have missed it.

[RachelG]

Orkney hike

[RachelG]

More Orkney pics

[RachelG]

Shetland pics

[jpalbny]

3 hours ago, drron29 said:

Found the photo.

.

 

I hope you noticed the bow tie.

 

Karolina! Guarding us from a bear, I presume?