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We Sail the Silhouette: If Only I Had Known Then What I Know Now

SailorJack

By SailorJack,
in Celebrity Cruises

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SailorJack

SailorJack

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Our cruise on the Silhouette will be our first for SailorJill and myself in nearly a year and a half and we are really looking forward to sailing again. While we will be visiting a couple of new (to us) Caribbean islands, the highlight will be a visit to Cartagena, Columbia - a port and country of which we have never visited.

 

As I had to have proof of Covid Inoculation in order to board the ship, I made an appointment to get my two shots. To say I was not looking forward to this would be an understatement. My last doctor visit didn’t exactly go well.  My primary physician had made an appointment for me with a specialist for a possible sinus infection.

 

On the appointed date Jill and I arrived at the office and approached the front desk where I gave the clerk my name:

 

SailorJack: “I have a 10:00 o’clock appointment.”

Clerk: “With which physician?”

SJ: “Excuse me?”

Clerk: “With which doctor do you have the appointment?”

SJ: (Somewhat confused) “There is more than one?”

Clerk: (Realizing she may be dealing with a “senior” patient), “Is there someone here who can help you?”

SJ: (Not wanting to look like a complete idiot and looking down at my referral sheet I spotted a name and with relief stated: “It’s with Doctor Ent!”

SailorJill: “Jack that is ENT - Ear, Nose, and Throat - that's the type of clinic we are at.”

Clerk: (Getting my birthday from me she found my appointment and asked me to have a seat while she said (quite unnecessarily): “I’ll let Doctor Ent  know you are here.”

 

As it turns out, however, my Covid shots were a lot less traumatic; I simply drove through a tented area on two separate occasions - stuck out my arm and was duly inoculated! I was ready to cruise!

 

Wait! No I’m not. I soon found out that I also had to have a negative Covid test within 48 hours of sailing. Well, to make a long story short I obviously passed that test and was ready for the next challenge - which was to download something called a Celebrity App. As I had no idea what an App was or how to download it I let Jill do it on her phone.  Then there were the 34 emails from Celebrity updating me on the cruise, informing me of my boarding time and offering shore excursions at a discount. It was becoming apparent that one needs a relaxing cruise to recover from the process of preparing for a cruise!

 

Anyhow, we flew into Ft. Lauderdale the day before the cruise and checked into our hotel. After some light unpacking we went out to dinner at one of my all time favorite restaurants - 15th Street Fisheries. After being seated the waiter presented me with the dreaded Book of the Dead! You might know it by its more common name - the Wine List, but to me it is a funerary quagmire whose sole intent is to expose my complete viticulture ignorance to all those around me. As a result, ordering  wine is something I assiduously try to avoid.  However, as I was about to discretely push the wine list to the far corner of the table, SailorJill turned to me:

 

SailorJill: “Jack, this is our first cruise in nearly two years, we should celebrate  - and I don’t mean imported bottled beer!”

SailorJack  (Reluctantly): “You're right - this calls for a nice bottle of Champaigne.”

SailorJill: “Jack, I think you mean Champagne. Phillipe de Champaigne was actually a famous French painter from the baroque era.”

SailorJack: “Thanks, that would have been really embarrassing! Waiter could you bring us a bottle of Monet champagne please.”

SailorJill: “ Jack, I think you mean Moet - Monet was another French painter.”

SailorJack: “Waiter, could you bring us a couple of Bud Lites please.”

SailorJill: “JACK!”

SailorJack: “ Sorry. Waiter, make that a couple of Miller High Lifes - after all, it is the Champagne of Beers!”

 

It was at this point that SailorJill took over and ordered something called Veuve Clicquot.  Personally I thought it sounded like another French Painter, but discretion kept me from saying anything. As it turned out it was actually pretty good!

 

Day 1 - Aboard the Silhouette

 

The boarding process was the fastest and easiest we have ever experienced - despite the Covid protocols that were in place. This may be due, in part, to the fact that while the ship has a capacity of 2,900 people there were only 900 of us on this cruise.

 

Anyway, at the first of two check-in stations, an attendant checked our documentation and Covid tests results and took our photos. This is apparently where the error that was to haunt me the entire cruise occurred.

 

At the second (and last station) our documentation was rechecked and when the attendant’s computer brought up my name but showed Jill’s photo. Obviously confused about what she was seeing I tried to lighten the mood by explaining that I had had “the operation.” Totally ignoring my explanation, she tried to correct the name/photo discrepancy and gave us permission to board.

 

Later, when we reported to our muster station, the attendant entered my name into his computer and it brought up both my and Jill’s photos! I again tried to explain that I had had “the operation” and those were the “before” and “after” photos. I might have gotten away with it except Jill was standing next to me and matched one of ‘my’ photos.

 

Safely aboard and properly fed we retired to our stateroom (that sounds so much better than “cabin”) - to change clothes for our travel group’s meeting. Sailor Jill changed into a colorful quadrille dress with a thigh high slit, a plunging ruffled blouse, and a pair of red strappy five inch stilettos. Oops, sorry, that is actually my new computer wall paper. She is actually wearing shorts, and her “Go Ahead Underestimate Me - That’ll be fun!” T-shirt - a gift from her mother on the occasion of our wedding anniversary.

 

At our meeting we were honored to have the Captain pay a quick visit and we were able to ask questions. When I asked the Captain about the current situation in Columbia he started his reply with “That’s a good question.” I have no idea what the rest of his response was because I was so pleased at having asked a good question I sort of tuned out his answer. I’ll have to ask him again.

 

Our first dinner aboard the ship was absolutely fabulous (with appropriate deference to Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley) and was a harbinger of what was to come on this fantastic cruise - and it started off with a most pleasant surprise.  While Jill had excused herself to powder her nose, the wine person brought out a gift from our travel agent - a bottle of my favorite wine. Arriving back to our table, Jill noticed the wine and asked from whence it came.  “The Somali brought it and it is a gift from our travel agent.” “Jack, I think you mean ‘sommelier’ - a Somali is generally considered to be a person from Somalia.” I was about to counter that a Somali could be a Sommelier, but decided discretion is the better part of valor.

 

DAY 2 - Nassau

 

Nassau is a substitution port as we had originally been scheduled to visit Grand Cayman Island. I had actually been looking forward to visiting Grand Cayman because of what I had read about the people - they are apparently some of the most thrifty people in the world as there are reputedly over 600 banks on this little island.  With a population of 67,000 that means there is a bank for every 111 islanders. Assuming an average of four people per family that means there is a bank for every 26 families in Grand Cayman! And the banks must be very secure  as the FBI watches over the island.  And these banks are apparently heavily involved in the tourist trade as one of the shore excursions offered was a Tour of the Outer Banks - for which I had originally signed up. But I guess I will have to save that for another day.

 

Anyway, in Nassau we went ashore and spent some time shopping. That is, SailorJill spent some time shopping while I sampled some bottles of Kalik beer - a delightful local brew. SailorJill eventually showed up carrying an armful of packages. Needless to say, we both enjoyed our day ashore, and, considering my bar bill and Jill’s bulging shopping bags we took delight in knowing that the children of Nassau would eat well tonight!

 

Returning to the ship, we went up to Al Bacio and enjoyed a cold bottle of Corona. I should note that our cruise is what Celebrity calls an All Inclusive one - which means that beer and spirits are free - up to an $8 limit - which means that the ship must have a huge cargo hold of Corona!

 

Later we went up to the Oceanview Café on Deck 14 and had lunch. While the lunch was good, it was the the ice cream after lunch that made it great. It was my absolute favorite - Raisin Rum! As I asked the ice cream man for two scoops of Raisin Rum he said that it was actually Rum Raisin. This obviously raised the question as to what was the difference?  The ice cream man replied that in conformance with FDA requirements, ingredients must be listed in order of predominance with the ingredients used in the greatest amount listed first.  After tasting the ice cream I could see that he was absolutely correct.  There was so much rum in the ice cream that I was surprised he didn’t ask for my room number!

 

Day 3 - At Sea

 

This is our first day at sea and SailorJill wants to start the day off on what she calls “the right foot.”  This is her euphemism for “morning exercise.” So, at 8:00 A.M. on an otherwise glorious day in the Caribbean we are standing with a group of people - most of whom are half asleep - while the rest are apparently on a caffeine high and are bouncing around doing pre-exercise stretching and warm-up activities.

 

Now I have often read that health professionals advise us that to lead a healthy and a stress free life we should always listen to our body - and my body is telling me not to do this.  “It will not end well,” it is telling me, “instead, lets go back down to the buffet and have another sausage roll.”

 

I turn to SailorJill:

 

SailorJack: “Uh, Jill…”

SailorJill: “No.”

 

Forty-five minutes later, Jill turns to me and apparently says  “Now don’t you feel a lot better?” But what I actually heard was “Don’t you feel like a lot of butter?” “Yes!”, I eagerly responded. “Great,” she said, “I knew you would like it - we can do this every morning. What should we do now?”

 

I suggested going to the buffet for a Belgian waffle.

 

From the look on her face, and to paraphrase Cool Hand Luke, -  what we were apparently experiencing here was a failure to communicate.  I sensed there was not going to be a Belgian waffle in my near future. It turned out I was right - unless Belgian waffle is a euphemism for Pilates!

 

DAY 4 - Sea Day Somewhere in the Caribbean

 

Last night I dreamt that I was on a cruise ship and had nothing better to do than drink free beer and eat fattening foods. No, wait! It wasn’t a dream! Well, maybe the “nothing to do” part was a dream because SailorJill was telling me to get dressed or we would be late for the “Walk a Mile” morning exercise. I understand that every sentence must have a verb and a noun, but “walk” and “mile” should never be used in the same sentence - especially on  a cruise ship and while on vacation!

 

I was about to object but Jill said that after the walk we could go down to Café Al Bacio for refreshments.  The Al Bacio experience had become an  important part of why we enjoyed the Silhouette.  Each time we sat down a delightful person would come over to our table bringing cold beer and a variety of sweet treats  - while behind the bar a very serious masked man would operate some sort of mysterious machine that vented huge amounts of steam and then spewed out things called Americanos, Carmel Macchiatos, and Espresso Doppios. Common decency prevents me from commenting on the latter!  SailorJill explained that these were coffee related drinks - something foreign to me as I have never ever had a cup of coffee in my life, as I prefer to take my caffeine in the form of a cold bottle of Coke.  (I should point out that all crew members were required to wear masks at all times - so the masked steam machine operator was properly attired!)

 

Anyway, after our Walk a Mile event we retired to Al Bacio for some refreshment before breakfast and to review the day’s activities.

 

One of the events today was an archery contest to be held in the Grand Salon. Now is it just me, or does it sound a little bazaar to be giving a bow and arrow to someone who has had access to unlimited alcohol for three days and then set them up indoors at the Grand Salon? What could possibly go wrong? I mean Bows don’t have safety's on them and arrows don’t always go where they are aimed - unless the aforementioned archers are William Tell and Robin Hood.

 

Granted, the ship’s brochure said it was a S.A.F.E. contest, but we elected to go up to deck 12 and enjoy the sun and a good book.

 

Day 5 - Bonaire

 

It has taken a lifetime, but I have finally reached the Shangri-La of diving - the little island of Bonaire. Located just 50 miles off the coast of Venezuela, the little island has become the Holy Grail for Scuba Divers.

 

While I am sure there are interesting sights on Bonaire, we are here for the diving.  The island is reputed to be amongst the best diving sites in the world and we have signed up for a two tank dive excursion - not, however, without a little trepidation on Jill’s part. However, using my most disarming arguments I sought to allay her concerns:

 

SailorJack: “The first dive is only to 25 feet - what could go wrong?”

SailorJill: ‘Remember your last dive, Jack?”

SailorJack: “Oh, yeah.”

 

I had jumped off the boat into 120 feet of water and had forgotten to turn on my air. I had sunk about 40 feet down before I was able to reach back and turn the air valve on - a fact duly reported to the dive master by other alert divers! Preparing for our next dive, the Dive Master had suggested that I not put the tank on my back but instead on my chest so that I might more easily reach the air valve. Well, at least he had a sense of humor.  Note to Readers: I checked my air valve before my next dive - as did Sailor Jill and three other divers.  Apparently everyone had a sense of humor!

 

Anyway, Jill bought into my point that you can’t come to Bonaire and not go for a dive - so we boarded the dive boat and headed out to sea.

 

I can’t begin to describe the beauty of the waters off Bonaire. Nor could I begin to describe the wild hand and arm gesticulations that Jill began making to me after just a few minutes into the dive. As we have had these kinds of communication problems before, we each now carry an underwater writing slate. Pointing at her slate dangling from her dive belt I signaled her to write down what she was trying to say. Scribbling feverishly, she held up the slate:

                                                                                         Barracuda

It took me a minute to understand her message as I knew she liked Heart and we did have the Plymouth while I was in college - but when Jill started frantically pointing behind me it dawned on me she was referencing the fish!  I turned around and there it was - floating about four feet in front of my mask. Now this was not my first encounter with a barracuda, but this one was somewhat larger than the one from my previous experience. I started to back peddle a little and it moved forward a little. I moved back a little further - it moved forward a little further. Maybe it wants to be friends I thought.  My second thought was maybe we could outnumber it.  I signaled for Jill to come over.  She immediately signaled back “NO”.  At least she could have considered it for a second!

 

Then, just as quickly as it appeared it departed- leaving me eternally grateful that I hadn’t been wearing a wet suit.

 

I should mention that our first dive was actually off the coast of Klien Bonaire. Klien is Dutch for “small” and is an appropriate name for an island of fewer than 2,000 acres. It also has great snorkeling and a water taxi can easily get you across the half mile of water that separates the two islands.

 

After the dive we did spend a little time exploring the port town (and Capitol) of Bonaire - Kralendijk - with a population of a little over 10,000 people.( I would translate “Kralendijk” for you, but you wouldn’t believe me so I’ll pass). While the town is small it does have some interesting shops and historical sites and is well worth it to take an hour or so and stroll along main street.

 

DAY 6 - Curacao

 

After a short sail from Aruba we have arrived at the Country of Curacao. Curacao consists of two islands - the main island of Curacao and - wait for it - Little Curacao! Clearly, the guy in charge of naming these islands didn’t put a lot of thought into it.

 

As we prepared to go ashore, a very attractive tall blonde lady caught her high heel on the edge of the elevator floor and started to fall forward, but I reached out and managed to catch her in my arms before she fell to the deck.  A much older gentleman who must have been her escort then chuckled and said, “she is always falling into some man’s arms.” Ever the gallant, I replied that I was sure it must be the other way around.  After a few awkward moments SailorJill said, “You can take your arms off her now, Jack. I’m sure she is OK.” Concerned that she might think I was flirting with the poor girl, I immediately dropped my arms. “Sorry.”

 

 I was probably going to hear about this later.

 

I should note that it was previously announced that the Silhouette had a little over 900 passengers and that the average age was 64. This last fact was driven home as our group left our ship and walked by the Mein Schiff - a German cruise ship docked adjacent to ours.  Our group of (what I would call mature) people from the Silhouette contained  two electric carts, a wheelchair, and some other assorted walking aids; but the 40 or so men and women bounding off  the Mein Shiff  - clad in bright spandex tights and form fitting tops - were not only fit and skinny they were carrying bicycles slung over their shoulders!

 

“Jack, you can stop sucking in your stomach - it's not helping.”

 

Well, I used to say that people didn’t come on a cruise to lose weight, but then I didn’t know about the Mein Schiff passengers. There was not an ounce of fat on any of them and from what we heard they were about to take a 40 mile bike tour around the island - and that was before lunch! God knows what they were going to do later - probably race up Mount Christoffel - the highest point on the island. I’ve got to cut back on my trips to the pastry counter!

 

Anyway, Curacao turned out to be a shoppers paradise and Jill spotted a curio store that interested her. Entering the store she stopped at a counter that had a sale on Essential Oils. Now lets be frank here - I am on the upside of 50 years and I have never heard of or used an Essential Oil - so just how essential must they be?

 

“Jack, you don’t use these oils, they are aromatic and help to stimulate your limbic system - here, try this Sandalwood one.” Frankly, I didn’t even know I had a limbic system, but it did smell good and I think I sensed an immediate improvement in my limbic system!  In the end we wound up with a selection of Essential Oils which included the Sandalwood and something called Ylang Ylang - even though  I suggested to Jill that Olive and Canola oil came in a lot bigger bottles and were a heck of a lot cheaper!

 

DAY 7 - Aruba

 

We have arrived at the beautiful island of Aruba - the last of the ABC islands on our schedule.  Aruba consists of two islands - Aruba - and surprise - Little Aruba. It lies in what is known as the Lesser Antilles as opposed to the Greater Antilles (home of Grand Cayman). I will leave the discussion of Aruba’s role in the Windward Islands, Leeward Islands and Leeward Antilles to those more sober than myself.

 

Anyway, we are enjoying a peaceful stroll along L.G. Smith Blvd. - the main tourist draw in Oranjestad when a sign in front of Lucy’s Retired Surfers Bar and Grill caught my attention - Today s Special Aruba Ariba.  The sign might as well have said - “SailorJack You Have to Try This!”

 

Taking a seat I ordered an Aruba Ariba and SailorJill ordered a frozen Margarita. Why, as we were enjoying our drinks, I decided to expound upon how Aruba got its name ( from the Spanish Oro hubo - “There was Gold.”) I know not.  I can only attribute my sudden garrulousness about gold in Aruba to the fact that one of the main ingredients of Aruba Ariba is 150 proof rum!  You will notice that I said “ one of the main ingredients” - there are also three other liquors and some fruit juice involved! About half way though the drink I was feeling really good and was looking around to see if they had a Karaoke machine when Jill gave me “the look|.”  (Note to Self: No more Aruba Aribas!)

 

“That settles it,” said Jill (firmly grasping my arm), “if Aruba is known for its gold we must get Alexis a gold necklace as a souvenir from Aruba.” (Alexis is our daughter - we named her Alexis because if we hadn’t had her we could be driving one. Note: There is no truth to the neighborhood rumor that we considered naming daughter number two Mercedes!)

 

Eleanor Roosevelt once admonished us to do something everyday that scares you. Well, I am about to go jewelry shopping with SailorJill and I figure that takes care of me for today. As the dye was cast and I am now committed to helping Jill find a place that sold gold jewelry. So what is the first building I saw upon leaving Lucy’s Retired Surfer Bar - a jewelry shop! I can’t catch a break here! (It is interesting to note that every other store on the main drag is a jewelry store - with a very large casino added to the mix!)

 

Entering the shop Jill headed to the display of rings when my attention was attracted to a sign over a display of gold necklaces.  The sign read, “Special on Our New Supply of Chains.”  Now I have been hearing something about the supply of chains problem in the US, but apparently it is not only not a problem here but they are so plentiful that they can put them on sale!  Calling Jill over I pointed out our good fortune on finding something that is apparently not available back home. “Jack, it is not a ‘supply of chains’ problem, it is a ‘supply chain’ problem that…never mind.” Well, clearly we were at odds over semantics, but we wound up buying two.

 

Day 8 - Cartagena, Columbia

 

We have arrived in Cartagena - one of the primary reasons we booked this cruise as we have never been here before. We booked a ship tour for this port and was looking forward to exploring the Fortress and the old section of town - which was founded in 1533. We were not disappointed - the architecture was amazing and Fortress simply stunning!  We have been told that we are only the second ship to visit Cartagena since the pandemic and the people were glad to see us.  However, the drawback was that the people were glad to see us!

 

I have never seen so many street peddlers in my life! One poor and inexperienced couple got off the bus, walked for a few minutes and fled back to the relative safety of the bus - only to have vendors push shirts, table cloths, Cuban cigars and souvenirs up against their window! You have to hand it to the street peddlers - they were persistent!

 

Street Vendor: “Senor, would you like a hat?”

SailorJack (pointing to my hat): “I already have one.”

SV: “But, senor, this one is a different color. It is pink and matches your face.”

SJ: “My face is not pink!”

SV: “OK, senor, then you want the red one?”

 

No sooner had you escaped one vendor when another took his place!

 

Street Vendor: “Senor, you want to buy a Cartagena shirt.

SailorJack: “Thank you, but I already have a Colombian T-shirt.”

Street Vendor: “But this one is different color.”

SailorJack: “AAARRRGGG!”

 

Momentarily escaping the street vendors we entered a rather upscale looking boutique. Browsing through the store, Jill found an artist print with which she fell in love. In what was obviously a serious misprint, the price tag for the print was 339,000 pesos. I wasn’t quite sure what that was in dollars, but I assumed the zeros were in error. Taking our selection to the clerk, I pulled out my left over money from our last trip to Mexico City:

 

Clerk: “But, sir these are Mexican Pesos.”

SailorJack: “ I know, they were left over from my last trip to Mexico.”

Clerk (patiently): “But we use Colombian pesos here, they are not the same.”

SJ (even more patiently): “But, sir, it's a peso. Isn’t that what you have here  - pesos?  It’s like Europe - if you buy a French Euro it is just the same as a German Euro.”

 

I can’t recall the last time I was asked to leave a store.  Well, actually, I can but that’s another story.  So, as it later turned out, the clerk was actually right - Columbia does have a different peso - who knew?  Not only that, but, as I found out, the exchange rate for the Colombian Peso (COP) was an astronomical 3,879 COP to the US dollar! The price for the print really was 339,000 pesos!

 

And in another international coincidence where fact is stranger than fiction, Colombia is home to the Medellin cartel which has been featured on the US television program - COPS. And the currency used  here in Colombia - COPS! Coincidence? I’m not sure!

 

I digress.

 

 Now that we have the currency situation under control we bought a small tote bag and exchanged $150 for 581,803 COPS and went back to buy the print. That is, Jill went back after suggesting that I remain outside.

 

Day 10 - At Sea

 

We are now on the way home and this is the first of two sea days before we reach Ft. Lauderdale. As usual, we visited Al Bacio to relax and decide upon the days activities.

 

One of the items that attracted Jill’s attention was a seminar put on by the Future Cruises staff regarding a cruise to Gallipoli. I thought that was an excellent idea as it has been a long time since we sailed on the Aegean Sea and visited Turkey. Not only that, but the history of Gallipoli and the famous battle fought between the Ottoman Empire and the English in World War 1was legendary. Quite frankly I was quite surprised as Jill is normally not interested in military adventures, but I was delighted at her interest.

 

“Jack, I said it was a Galapagos cruise not a Gallipoli cruise! We have never been to the Galapagos Islands and this will be a great time to learn more.

 

Hiding my disappointment, we arrived at the lecture hall at the appointed hour and listened to what turned out to be a very interesting presentation and a very good video of what could be seen on the islands.  However, I became a little concerned when I asked the presenter how much it cost and she replied that she was not authorized to talk about the cost! The cost is a secret? It turned out that we needed to go to the Future Cruise office to learn about that little detail.

 

At Jill’s insistence our next stop was the Future Cruise office where we learned that a cruise for two to the Galapagos Islands would require  either an extraordinarily long and exceptional run of luck at the casino across the hallway, or a second mortgage on our home in Arizona. Not only that, but the cruise did not qualify for the usual bonus for booking while we were aboard!

 

Sensing our concern, the future cruise consultant suggested that perhaps in lieu of actually going to the Galapagos he could sell us a copy of the video we had just attended.

 

Ft. Lauderdale

 

We are finally back in Ft. Lauderdale  and after an easy deboarding process we are seated comfortably at our gate in the airport.  As we reminisce about the highlights of our cruise the one thought  keeps crossing my mind:  Dear God, I hope that when I pass there is an Al Bacio in heaven!  Of course that presupposes that heaven will be my final port!

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Azulann "Live from...." Rare

Azulann

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With snow falling outside my window and a cup of dark roast coffee in hand, I so enjoyed your trip review. Love your wit and writing style.

Did you book another cruise to somewhere while on board? 

Cheers!

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drowelf

drowelf

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Very nice post, we've had 2 similar situation to yours on the Vendors and the Prices.

 

We did an Egyptian River Boat Cruise back in 2012, which was after the first Arab Spring and before the Second. We were the only members of the Tour Group to actually go. We basically had a 10 day private tour for 2, but in Egypt there appears to be what I called the Tunnel of Vendors that you have to pass through to exit most of the major archeological sites. We would be descended on by hoards of vendors just trying to get us to buy something just anything. Our guide had to rescue us several times from insistent vendors who would not let us leave. 

 

The second time was in Venice at the Murano Glass works. This was back in 1999 when the currency in Italy was still the lira, all the items in the shop had little cards with description in several languages and a number, like 16,879 or such. We were looking at some lovey crystal wine glasses, which had a 5 digit number, well we say thats not too bad, at about 2,000 lira to $ they were about 20 bucks apiece. So we decided that we would buy a few. Got a sales attendants attention and started in inquire about the glasses. Her first comment was, "Oh you have exquisite taste, that is the same pattern Lady Diana (yes that one) got for her wedding/party/something". Knew trouble was coming now. Turns out the nice 5 digit number was the CATALOG Number. In Italy the comma is used in numbers like we US folks use in Prices. She references a book she has to find the price. Turns out the glasses were about $2500 each. Needless to say we passed, but did pick up some nice aperitif glasses more in out budget.  

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Lady Arwen Holiday Sharing Rare

Lady Arwen

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It’s cold and snowy today where I am, but your review made me forget all about it, at least for a moment.  Probably one of the  best  reviews by one of the best writers on CC.  Thank you for sharing your adventure and giving us all a laugh.  You’ve made my day!

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SailorJack

SailorJack

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2 hours ago, Azulann said:

With snow falling outside my window and a cup of dark roast coffee in hand, I so enjoyed your trip review. Love your wit and writing style.

Did you book another cruise to somewhere while on board? 

Cheers!

Glad you enjoyed it.

 

As to whether we booked while onboard  - no..  We have two other cruises booked, but on Azamara - one to the Black Sea and the other along the west coast of Africa.

 

We like Celebrity - this was our third cruise with them, but their itineraries did not match up at this time.

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chemmo Holiday Sharing Rare

chemmo

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Loved reading your review!

 

Totally understood what you mean about the vendors in Cartagena….We had previously read reviews about the ‘insistence’ of sales and decided to book a carriage tour…It was ideal as we were ‘above’ the height of the persistent and our personal space was protected and could simply enjoy the views!

 

We were on Silhouette in September and loved her, cannot wait to board again next year!

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vms

vms

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Great review! I can't wait for my March Silhouette cruise that is this itinerary.  Can I ask if you booked the ship's SCUBA tour in Bonaire or if not, which company you went with?

 

Thanks for the great nuggets of information wrapped in delightful humor!

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Oceangoer2

Oceangoer2

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It was so much fun reading a review which is entertaining and goes beyond the factual.  Noticed your 'self deprecation' which brings the reader into your personality as if we're in the same room and old friends.  Thank you for the 'dailies'.....your trips to the pastry counter and the refreshment booths along the way surely was part of your 'walking' schedule!  Dry wit pushes us to pay attention;  there's truth in the humour.  Sailor Jill has a gem in tow...literally it seems.

 

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SailorJack

SailorJack

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6 hours ago, drowelf said:

Very nice post, we've had 2 similar situation to yours on the Vendors and the Prices.

 

We did an Egyptian River Boat Cruise back in 2012, which was after the first Arab Spring and before the Second. We were the only members of the Tour Group to actually go. We basically had a 10 day private tour for 2, but in Egypt there appears to be what I called the Tunnel of Vendors that you have to pass through to exit most of the major archeological sites. We would be descended on by hoards of vendors just trying to get us to buy something just anything. Our guide had to rescue us several times from insistent vendors who would not let us leave. 

 

The second time was in Venice at the Murano Glass works. This was back in 1999 when the currency in Italy was still the lira, all the items in the shop had little cards with description in several languages and a number, like 16,879 or such. We were looking at some lovey crystal wine glasses, which had a 5 digit number, well we say thats not too bad, at about 2,000 lira to $ they were about 20 bucks apiece. So we decided that we would buy a few. Got a sales attendants attention and started in inquire about the glasses. Her first comment was, "Oh you have exquisite taste, that is the same pattern Lady Diana (yes that one) got for her wedding/party/something". Knew trouble was coming now. Turns out the nice 5 digit number was the CATALOG Number. In Italy the comma is used in numbers like we US folks use in Prices. She references a book she has to find the price. Turns out the glasses were about $2500 each. Needless to say we passed, but did pick up some nice aperitif glasses more in out budget.  

Glad you liked it. 

We also had similar experiences in Egypt - but not as bad. We took a Nile cruise and our boat was surrounded by vendors each time we had to stop at a lock. At least we were 10 feet above them, but it was fun negotiating with them because they were well below us.

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SailorJack

SailorJack

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6 hours ago, drowelf said:

Very nice post, we've had 2 similar situation to yours on the Vendors and the Prices.

 

We did an Egyptian River Boat Cruise back in 2012, which was after the first Arab Spring and before the Second. We were the only members of the Tour Group to actually go. We basically had a 10 day private tour for 2, but in Egypt there appears to be what I called the Tunnel of Vendors that you have to pass through to exit most of the major archeological sites. We would be descended on by hoards of vendors just trying to get us to buy something just anything. Our guide had to rescue us several times from insistent vendors who would not let us leave. 

 

The second time was in Venice at the Murano Glass works. This was back in 1999 when the currency in Italy was still the lira, all the items in the shop had little cards with description in several languages and a number, like 16,879 or such. We were looking at some lovey crystal wine glasses, which had a 5 digit number, well we say thats not too bad, at about 2,000 lira to $ they were about 20 bucks apiece. So we decided that we would buy a few. Got a sales attendants attention and started in inquire about the glasses. Her first comment was, "Oh you have exquisite taste, that is the same pattern Lady Diana (yes that one) got for her wedding/party/something". Knew trouble was coming now. Turns out the nice 5 digit number was the CATALOG Number. In Italy the comma is used in numbers like we US folks use in Prices. She references a book she has to find the price. Turns out the glasses were about $2500 each. Needless to say we passed, but did pick up some nice aperitif glasses more in out budget.  

Glad you liked it.

 

Good to know that I am not the only one confused by foreign currency😃

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SailorJack

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7 hours ago, Lady Arwen said:

It’s cold and snowy today where I am, but your review made me forget all about it, at least for a moment.  Probably one of the  best  reviews by one of the best writers on CC.  Thank you for sharing your adventure and giving us all a laugh.  You’ve made my day!

Good to hear from a fellow Canadian (I'm from BC).  Glad you enjoyed it.

 

Jack

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SailorJack

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19 hours ago, Purplsmurf said:

Funny about your daughter’s name. My niece is Lexus (spelled like the car) and we have been asked many times over the years why her sister wasn’t named Mercedes!…..glad you had a great cruise!

That is to much of a coincidence!😃

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gfkcruiser

gfkcruiser

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I have missed your reviews!  
 

We leave the cold north to board the Silhouette on the 13th with same itinerary - that is if we get negative results from Covid test Saturday.  Only new for us is Columbia!   
This is our first cruise in 2 years to the date and on the same ship we last sailed.  
Looking forward to this. 

 

Gail

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drowelf

drowelf

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19 hours ago, SailorJack said:

Glad you liked it. 

We also had similar experiences in Egypt - but not as bad. We took a Nile cruise and our boat was surrounded by vendors each time we had to stop at a lock. At least we were 10 feet above them, but it was fun negotiating with them because they were well below us.

I forgotten about the lock treatment. We got that too. Vendors on boats speeding along with us tossing wares up onto the decks and balconies. It was hilarious at times. The boat was only about 15% of capacity so many of the items thrown on the ship ended up on balconies that had no tenants. The crew had to go into all those cabins and retrieve there stuff to throw back at them. 

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