A Muse-ment on the waves. Alaska Live 17.06.19

[poohkey]

This has been so fun to read about your journeys.  Thank you so much. I’m getting excited for our trip in August.  

 

 

[poohkey]

To: TLCOhio

 

For poohkey, it will be our first time in Alaska, but our sixth with Silversea.  I will do a live/blog and can answer any questions before you board in Seward on August 1.  Are you doing the pre-cruise Silversea excursion to Denali before your August cruise?

 

Yes, we are doing the Silversea pre-cruise to Denali.

[TLCOhio]

32 minutes ago, poohkey said:

To: TLCOhio

Yes, we are doing the Silversea pre-cruise to Denali.

 

Great to hear you are doing the Denali excursion.  I will share on my live-blog details about our Denali, five-day tour.  BUT, if you are doing a pre-cruise prior to boarding the Silver Muse on August 1, then I will look for you doing some posting as to your best "loves" and key tops for that Denali pre-cruise trip.  Let's hope for great weather to benefit both of us and our travelers with Silversea later this summer. 

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Amazon River-Caribbean 2015 adventure live/blog starting in Barbados. Many visuals from this amazing river and Caribbean Islands (Dutch ABC's, St. Barts, Dominica, Grenada, San Juan, etc.).  Now at 64,129 views:

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2157696

[pasca]

We'll be sailing on Seward-Vancouver in August, so this thread has been very helpful as well as fun to read.  Thanks so much to Davey for starting it, and to all who contributed!  

I've been surprised at all the photos of people outside in shirtsleeves.  Great to know that we may be able to enjoy the pool deck if we are lucky with the weather!  And to know about the heat lamps...we hadn't scheduled any dinners at Hot Rocks but may do so after all. 

I do have some questions about excursions, for all of you.  Our only other Silversea cruise was in the eastern Med, where all excursions were for Silversea passengers only.  In Alaska, where the ports will be jammed with other, huge ships, I understand that excursions booked through Silversea might be shared with passengers from mass market ships.  I'm hoping the excursions won't be typical mass-market excursions, with jammed buses, being treated as a herd, and time wasted on  "shopping opportunities" etc.  Any experience with this?  We are not going flight-seeing or on helicopters (one of us is a bit of a claustrophobe so that's out); just on float trips and kayaking trips, etc.  

[turnip eater]

On our Ocean/Sea cycles trip in Ketchikan, there were 6 of us, 4 from Silversea and two ladies from Holland America. It wasn’t a problem for a small party.

 

On the float plane in Juneau, there were 10 of us. The float plane company collected everyone in their own buses. We (2) were added to a family of 8, who were not on a cruise ship, they’d hired a fishing boat for their’ cruise’. They were lovely people. 

 

Our boat boat trip to view wildlife, in Sitka, was definitely only Silversea, the tour ship picked us up from the ship.......then dropped us back in town to catch the tender back.

 

When I mentioned cross booking with other ships, Silversea were quite casual about it, but I haven’t heard if anyone went on any large bus tours with guests from other ships.

 

[Daveywavey70]

Bon voyage to all there now and all with upcoming. Home safe and sound now. Disembarked at 9.45 and checked into a day room at the Fairmont at the airport which was lovely. Had the phone call at around 2.00 that we’d been dreading that my old girl’s back legs had given up the ghost and she hadn’t been able to stand all day so not the best trip home. At least we got home to say our goodbyes. RIP Poppy.. 

 

Thanks to all that chipped in and made for an amazing holiday.  We met some fantastic people, many of whom we will definitely be staying in touch with.

We did get loads of footage on the GoPro, 360 and osmo which obviously I couldn’t upload from the ship. Will post some here as and when they are ready. 

[turnip eater]

Oh! How sad.  Run free over rainbow bridge Poppy.

[Lois R]

Hi Davey, thanks for sharing your cruise with us and my condolences to you as well.

 

 

[TLCOhio]

8 hours ago, Daveywavey70 said:

At least we got home to say our goodbyes. RIP Poppy.. Thanks to all that chipped in and made for an amazing holiday.  We met some fantastic people, many of whom we will definitely be staying in touch with.  We did get loads of footage on the GoPro, 360 and osmo which obviously I couldn’t upload from the ship. Will post some here as and when they are ready

 

Sorry to hear on Poppy!!  That's challenging.  Our 13-year-old Yellow English Lab, Rudy, is doing well now, but unfortunately "all good things must come to an end".  

 

Looking forward to seeing more fun visuals when handy.  We do not depart for Calgary until July 16, so you've got a couple of weeks.  Also, would enjoy any other thoughts, tips, suggestions, etc., to maximize the experience on the Silver Muse and/or in these parts of Alaska. 

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

For latest live/blog, see “Holy Lands, Egypt, Jordan, Oman, Dubai, Greece, etc.”, with many visuals, details and ideas for the historic and scenic Middle East.  Connect at:

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2607054-livenautica-greece-holy-lands-egypt-dubai-terrypix’s/

[les37b]

On 6/26/2019 at 4:06 PM, Stumblefoot said:

Hope you warm up soon Les.  Summer is such a fleeting thing in the northern latitudes.  Not many enjoy temps below 60-degrees when it should be in the 70s/80's.

 

Looks like someone disagreed with that too......33.9C today. Crazy weather... but nice!

 

Daveywavey, did you do any flights with the insta 360 mounted on the Mavic? Looks an interesting combination. Upped my GoPro Arsenal today with an Osmo Action and Osmo mobile which I will use on the Wind in August and Spirit in September to update the ship walk throughs which I know are useful for anyone new to Silversea to get to see the ships. 

 

Looking forward to your footage once you’ve got sorted....... sorry to hear about poppy.

Edited June 29, 2019 by les37b

[jpalbny]

Davey, sorry your (mostly) wonderful trip ended on such a sour note. Glad you were with her in the end. I am looking forward to your visuals as well; we haven't been to Alaska in over 10 years and I will say that I am starting to think about it. Maybe another trip is in the cards...

[Daveywavey70]

Many thanks for the thoughts guys. Poppy was a rescue dog that we took in at 5 months old. We were privileged to have shared 15 years with the cantankerous but adorable old bugger. She’d had a good life but it was her time. We have lots of happy memories. We also have lots of not so happy memories but none of us are perfect. I Prefer animals with a bit of character. 

 

The drone was a complete waste of time Les. Canadian stops are now a no no since 1st June, I tried to take the Canadian exam but you can’t unless you’re a Canadian national. Foreigners basically now need to take a full pilots license, and every time I tried to use it in Alaska it was blocked by its own software as being in a controlled area. I did ask permission in Haines to do a distant fly around the ship to which I was informed that If I officially asked them then were not allowed to grant permission but they thanked me for letting them know. Further from the harbour I tried to fly but the DJI software refused to play due to proximity to the airport. Having asked the ID checker on the pier who told me the airport was 5 miles away, I tried the option of a DJI override code to do a simple low fly over the truly beautiful town. I Ended up going around in circles, I got the code through but you need to be both connected on the WiFi to the RC to get an override code at the same time that you’re connected to t’internet on WiFi to activate it, physically impossible. There weren’t even any floatplanes around or I wouldn’t have considered it. I’ve got plenty of other footage to wade through though. I only lost 1 of 8 sd cards. I managed some great footage. 

Only one i’ve Uploaded so far was of a mother humpback with her calf in Auke Bay, Juneau. That was the only bad weather day and our heli flight to the glacier for the dog sledding was cancelled so we went whale watching instead. 

 

 

I’m Going to try and write a summary of the cruise tomorrow. 98% of the time it was absolutely amazing. The food, the crew, the ship, the weather and the new cruise friends we made were amazing. A Few things let SS down but not to the point of spoiling our memories,  just to the point of wishing they would learn from their mistakes and at least be truthful when they get things wrong. 

 

 

 

 

[les37b]

Shame about the drone. I guess this is going to become more and more the norm. I didn't even bother to take mine last year. Singapore and Vietnam are 2 places not to take chances in and whilst Hong Kong on paper was ok, I didn't think the harbour would have been fine even though indications were it was.

 

DJI have done a pretty good job with geo fencing. My favourite haunt last year went out of bounds. I filmed Silver Wind arriving, then on my return the next day I hit an invisible wall about 50m from the river bank. Thankfully that's all now clear and the only thing to worry about once more are seagulls who sometimes think it's food! Had a couple of flights there yesterday using active track on a few small sailing boats and a couple of barges.

 

Whilst going though YouTube, I found a video posted from an idiot flying off his Silver Wind Balcony in St Bart's..... And lost control completely because he couldn't work out a ship is one large electro magnetic interference. He claims Silversea gave him permission as one clip has him showing off to his cleaning maid on his balcony. Words fail me! If SS or St Bart's had caught him, he could have been in big trouble. RCI are pretty fine about taking drones on board but make it clear the consequences if you fly from the ship.

 

Idiots clip

 

Anyway, your 360 and Mavic are a good combo and expect results outstanding in the right location. I'm tempted!

[Daveywavey70]

Mancs :)

fancy having to get on a bort to Go inland. 

Not the most sensible or sensitive drone user. The geo fencing is a good thing while people behave like that! 

 

One thing that I have found is that if the 360 is strapped above it makes the spark unpredictable but if strapped below it doesn’t effect performance at all. Just a tip for any that do try. 

[les37b]

26 minutes ago, Daveywavey70 said:

Mancs :)

fancy having to get on a bort to Go inland. 

Not the most sensible or sensitive drone user. The geo fencing is a good thing while people behave like that! 

 

One thing that I have found is that if the 360 is strapped above it makes the spark unpredictable but if strapped below it doesn’t effect performance at all. Just a tip for any that do try. 

 

Must admit when I saw this combo on youtube it looked too much  weight for it. My 360 is much lighter so could probably get away with it, but I think the quality on my Ricoh Theta S is not worth doing it with. Bit of a waste of money on reflection, especially with what you can buy it for now. I;m surpised DJI haven't brought one out yet!

 

I was thinking yesterday when I ordered the Osmo, GoPro probably thought it was doing the right thing bringing out its own drone - little did they realise DJI would retaliate bringing out a GoPro beater!

[TLCOhio]

10 hours ago, Daveywavey70 said:

She’d had a good life but it was her time. We have lots of happy memories. We also have lots of not so happy memories but none of us are perfect. I Prefer animals with a bit of character. 

I’m Going to try and write a summary of the cruise tomorrow. 98% of the time it was absolutely amazing. The food, the crew, the ship, the weather and the new cruise friends we made were amazing. A Few things let SS down but not to the point of spoiling our memories,  just to the point of wishing they would learn from their mistakes and at least be truthful when they get things wrong. 

 

YES, animals (and people) with "a bit of character" can be very good, FUN and interesting.  Looking forward to reading your detailed summary with additional insights and tips.  

 

Sounds like there were some drone challenges. Glad that I focus on my "old-fashioned" Nikon SLR.  Keep it coming!!  Just 16 days till we depart for Calgary, Banff, Jasper, etc.  It's 25 days till we board the Silver Muse in Vancouver. 

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

SE Asia/Mekong River, Etc.!  Live/blog from early 2018, first adventure through SE Asia, stops in Hong Kong and Bangkok, before exploring all over Vietnam and Cambodia, seven days sailing on the Mekong River. Now at 47,572 views.

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2591474

[kjbacon]

Davey, we don’t know each other but my heartfelt thoughts to you on your sad loss. One of the toughest times there is!

 

I have thoroughly enjoyed this thread, especially since I am the new kid on the block with lots to learn, thank you. Plus, we will be doing many of the Alaskan ports that you did. I was very interested by your food reports, loved your pictures and descriptions! We seem to share many of the same tastes so great minds and all that! When I read over the restaurants in general, I thought the teppanaki would be a throw away for us yet that seemed to be a favorite of yours. I’d love to hear more from you on this topic.

 

May I ask what happened to you on your previous Silversea cruise that you made a reference to that sounded quite intense?

[Capri73]

13 hours ago, Daveywavey70 said:

Many thanks for the thoughts guys. Poppy was a rescue dog that we took in at 5 months old. We were privileged to have shared 15 years with the cantankerous but adorable old bugger. She’d had a good life but it was her time. We have lots of happy memories. We also have lots of not so happy memories but none of us are perfect. I Prefer animals with a bit of character. 

 

The drone was a complete waste of time Les. Canadian stops are now a no no since 1st June, I tried to take the Canadian exam but you can’t unless you’re a Canadian national. Foreigners basically now need to take a full pilots license, and every time I tried to use it in Alaska it was blocked by its own software as being in a controlled area. I did ask permission in Haines to do a distant fly around the ship to which I was informed that If I officially asked them then were not allowed to grant permission but they thanked me for letting them know. Further from the harbour I tried to fly but the DJI software refused to play due to proximity to the airport. Having asked the ID checker on the pier who told me the airport was 5 miles away, I tried the option of a DJI override code to do a simple low fly over the truly beautiful town. I Ended up going around in circles, I got the code through but you need to be both connected on the WiFi to the RC to get an override code at the same time that you’re connected to t’internet on WiFi to activate it, physically impossible. There weren’t even any floatplanes around or I wouldn’t have considered it. I’ve got plenty of other footage to wade through though. I only lost 1 of 8 sd cards. I managed some great footage. 

Only one i’ve Uploaded so far was of a mother humpback with her calf in Auke Bay, Juneau. That was the only bad weather day and our heli flight to the glacier for the dog sledding was cancelled so we went whale watching instead. 

 

 

I’m Going to try and write a summary of the cruise tomorrow. 98% of the time it was absolutely amazing. The food, the crew, the ship, the weather and the new cruise friends we made were amazing. A Few things let SS down but not to the point of spoiling our memories,  just to the point of wishing they would learn from their mistakes and at least be truthful when they get things wrong. 

 

So sorry about your precious pet.It is so hard to let them go.Glad you had so many years together.

 

 

 

[Fortunate2]

So sorry to hear about your Poppy -  and we thank you for remembering that it was a year June 20th when we lost little Muffin.  We enjoyed our time, and many laughs, with you and D and share your sadness.  Til next time....save that dinner jacket:-)

[Daveywavey70]

Thank you kjbacon, Capri and Fortunate2 for your kind words and thoughts. 

 

Any dinner Jacket in particular you're thinking of Fortunate2? 🙂

 

Now, on with the editing. Im going to upload a shorter video of each day onto youtube and will post the links on here. I Had 1 sd card failed so have lost some great footage but will try and muddle through from the rest of it that's the beauty (nuisance) of taking 5 cameras with you!

[TLCOhio]

4 hours ago, Daveywavey70 said:

Now, on with the editing. Im going to upload a shorter video of each day onto youtube and will post the links on here. I Had 1 sd card failed so have lost some great footage but will try and muddle through from the rest of it that's the beauty (nuisance) of taking 5 cameras with you!

 

Sorry to hear about the failure of your one SD card.  That can be very frustrating.  Fortunately, my Nikon D7200 has two SD slots so that I can have a back-up option with that camera's set-up.  Also, understand your "pain and challenge" with so many, many pictures, extensive footage, etc.  Having lots of options to consider takes so much more time to review and evaluate.  Good luck!!  Looking forward to seeing these additional visuals, etc.  

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Lisbon, NWSpain, Bordeaux/Brittany: Live/blog, June 2017 from Portugal to France along scenic Atlantic Coast.  Now at 29,049 views.  Many interesting pictures, details for history, food, culture, etc.:

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2511358

 

From AccuWeather for later July, here is the projected weather for Vancouver.  Such forecasting is not always perfect, we can wish and hope for these types of conditions in this key city where we will have three days prior to boarding the Silver Muse on July 25. .:

(Open your screen/viewer wider to see these pictures larger/better!)

[pasca]

Sorry to hear about your dear pup, Davey. Is she the sweet greybeard resting her head against the family cat?  We once returned from a vacation to a dying pup-- so hard.   Take care, and thanks for your wonderful post.

 

I also am wondering what brought you back to Silversea...I read your thread about the disastrous Spirit relaunch, and what seemed like dreadful non-responses from Silversea.  I'm glad you came back and enjoyed your trip, and hopefully the line redeemed themselves.  But I was wondering what the outcome of the dispute was, unless you were requested not to discuss it by the line.  You do seem to have enviable consumer protection laws in the UK/EU, along with enviable and humane public services, public protections, and public life in general.  Some things are worth paying tax for, IMHO, even for those of us who are well off enough to indulge in lovely things such as Silversea cruises.

Edited July 1, 2019 by pasca

[Daveywavey70]

Thanks Pasca,

‘we had the choice of taking them to court or using the future credit so we took the easy route in the end.

[Fortunate2]

Ahhhh...Davey, you are so right!  I was thinking of the fun we had at Kaiseki, sitting across the aisle from you and D, your magnificent  dinner jacket.   The chef-prepared lobster was like nothing we'd ever enjoyed and the Kobe beef was out of this world!

[Daveywavey70]

Haha,

I Forgot to ask how the Curry for Dessrt went?