Silver Moon 3 Jan 2022 it's finally here! Feedback.... And any Questions, fire away.

[FauxNom]

Really sorry to hear this news. You and your wife deserve a medal for self-reporting 🥇 as there is clearly a huge incentive to hide one's symptoms and carry on. I'm afraid you might be right about the future PCR test for all passengers; it's most likely lurking out there.

 

I was getting a fairly positive sense of the experience until I saw the sad picture of muffins in styrofoam! Yikes! When they had to isolate all passengers on the Explorer at the start of the pandemic, lovely meals were delivered on real plates. Although left outside the door, the food was still very good, considering it had to be served en masse to 100 people. Silversea could certainly do better for the few who are currently quarantined.

 

Stay strong. We're all eager to hear more.

[RachelG]

So sorry to hear of this, Les.  I suspect you are right about Roatan being the culprit--or you got it from someone totally asymptomatic on the ship.   When we were in Roatan this week on our Regent cruise, we were coming back to port.  A guy at the entrance stuck his head in the passenger window, not 6 inches from my husband's face to talk to the driver.  My husband had no place to go, so just tried to hold his breath.  He did have a mask on.

 

Hope you get out of jail fast!

[WesW]

Les, thanks for sharing and for your wife and you doing the right thing and self reporting.

Sending get well wishes soonest and escaping the Red Zone and Isolation too.

[les37b]

Another update which is predominately not good.

 

My wife after receiving her 7am "breakfast" at 9 got a call to order her lunch for her delivery at 12.

 

Whilst she is not starving and it is a first world thing, it's dawned on me here there is a missing ingredient which  is unforgivable. Compassion. She doesn't appear to have received any.

 

She got another call just before 2pm which hit with the explosive force of Hiroshima.

 

Ecuador have said she can't come ashore. Not SS fault and the Captain is doing all he can.  The attitude from Ecuador fills me with fear even more that even if they say yes, we might need to start Quarantine for another full (or worse) 14 days. 

 

We are in Costa Rica. They've already been asked and said no.

 

Chile are as cold as ice for immigration.

 

The HD when I spoke said a guest had seen something saying Argentina had or were about to shut shop.

 

Brazil already have....

 

So next stop Bridgetown!

 

I am sort of joking. But after what we've seen in the last 2 years, who knows.

 

I have another scenario, which I've shared with someone..... Which if ecuador don't relent, could well get to number 1 on the outcome list which started in last place  I will divulge once we know our fate.

 

Finally I got a visit from the nurse (a very nice one I might add) who also did the first. She sure knows how to reach brain,! Not pleasant and both times I've had a reflect to wildly breath from mouth even though it is still covered.... That resembles a sneeze.

 

We had a brief chat. She showed the characteristics the other lacked and it was appreciated. I await another 20 mins to learn my full day one outcome... Which is another 24 hours here or sharing a cell in H block.... Code named Red.

 

Meanwhile. The pizza I was brought was like cardboard and cold. Overcooked. Burned Basle and left after 2 slices. I described this pizza 4 days ago as the best I've had. Chalk and cheese. The rest I had just wasn't fresh either. Again, there is no excuse for this. Maybe I should just keep reordering until the message is understood. Make it edible.

 

I will update when I hear my PCR result and a good message (for me) or the hazmat brigade.

 

What the nurse did say was the fact I did have a slight temperate was a really good sign I was resisting and mean I will be fine. I didn't want to ask if that also.mesnt she thought I was infected and off to jail soon!

 

Tune in to find out! 

 

 

 

[les37b]

53 minutes ago, voyageur said:

Can you explain your math of 12 weeks...

If you'd be released when you produce a negative PCR... why do you say, "you could be stuck for 12 weeks beyond your 10 days".. ?  

 A negative PCR is fine, but that wasn't what I said. 

 

However after you have Covid and test negative with an antigen, test, you can still test positive up to 12 weeks later.

 

So after 10 days in quarantine you should be free to go ,(but will test)...and it needs to be antigen or very likely you'd get a false positive..... Which have been recorded as lasting for 12 weeks.

 

PCR is not a good benchmark for this purpose. 10 day isolation on its own should be enough.... You wont still be infectious. But I'd be fine if they had to have a clear antigen.... But not PCR as it's not the right tool once infected

 

 

Captain's announcement..... We are now up to 15 Covid cases.... Annoyingly I had the nurse turn up at my door as it was being spoken so I missed most. She wanted to tell me 4 h 20 after my test I was negative take my blood pressure and temperature. It's not if so that announcement was important!!!

 

Basically what I caught was no one ashore until all the PCR from a private lab are completed and negative result and could take up to 24 hours. So even though we arrive 1 day earlier in the afternoon, it would appear Manta is off the table for tours (which I had predicted, but even before arriving the previous day.).

 

Obviously no 3 hour express jobbies here!

 

There was nothing I heard saying what happens if you are positive..... Even though we already know that unless that info is false! 

 

So I now have 20 hours left to be jailed or issued a get out of jail free card....

 

 

Edited January 14, 2022 by les37b

[nowornever]

Les, I am so very sorry about you & your wife.  I wish you both a quick recovery.  This is so stressful for both of you & not helped by the worry that you may get a  Styrofoam container of mystery food.  How awful.  I'm with Faux Nom though about the prior experience of being stuck on a Silversea cruise in 2020 at the beginning of this nightmare.  Yes, the service was slow because the staff was overwhelmed but it showed up on a normal plate & there was a choice of everything.  I don't understand this at all since there are so few of you - it's not like you are overwhelming the system.  I think you NEED a little coddling.  Can you ask your travel agent to contact Silversea to get some answers for you?  Mainly you just need a stress free quarantine.  Best wishes & keep us posted.

[les37b]

Not sure if I will ever get to the bottom of the captain's message. I had a knock on my door about 90 mins later as my wife requested a hairdryer the day before and they were going to take from me. Misunderstanding ... She just wants to dry her hair. Anyway... That waffle was to introduce the fact the tray of food leftovers was still there! Not just unsightly and embarrassing that I would just du.p a try like that.... But aren't I in isolation and potentially infectious? 

 

Anyway, the plot thickens. It would appear my wife got the wrong end of the stick re Equador. Costa Rica is a blanket ban. Ecuador will taken...but her 6 days count for nothing and they have said she (and maybe us and the other 14 plus all the PCR captives) will need to isolate on arrival for 14 DAYS... And still need to get a PCR negative and remain until we and everyone else does. This is madness. Neither of us have the slightest sign of any illness!

 

Oh and Argentina has shut it's borders.

 

There are 36 on this grand cruise.... Ports are getting less and less. Only 80 are joing in Guiyaquil... And the only country on leaving would be Chile? I did ask what countries are open and told Chile and Uyaguay. Not even sure what happens if BA was the end of the second leg? How does that work?

 

Anyway the suggestion was "would we be prepared to stay on and finish our quarantine on the moon?" That's more palatable than the non starter of quarantine ending in an unknown time span.

 

If there really is a huge + count in Manta I really can't see this going forward. Silversea are in a mess with this one and it's just really sad.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[les37b]

25 minutes ago, nowornever said:

Les, I am so very sorry about you & your wife.  I wish you both a quick recovery.  This is so stressful for both of you & not helped by the worry that you may get a  Styrofoam container of mystery food.  How awful.  I'm with Faux Nom though about the prior experience of being stuck on a Silversea cruise in 2020 at the beginning of this nightmare.  Yes, the service was slow because the staff was overwhelmed but it showed up on a normal plate & there was a choice of everything.  I don't understand this at all since there are so few of you - it's not like you are overwhelming the system.  I think you NEED a little coddling.  Can you ask your travel agent to contact Silversea to get some answers for you?  Mainly you just need a stress free quarantine.  Best wishes & keep us posted.

 

Thank you.  The cold polystyrene burger was followed this evening by stone cold French fries. Problem is, the food is prepared and left. This morning breakfast started at 7.02 and arrived at just before 9.... With no coffee.... And of course, you need to wait until 12 for "another"

 

6 days of that is bad enough.... But then followed by probably worse in Guayaquil for a minimum of 14 more and unfortunately it's getting depressing 

 

Edited January 15, 2022 by les37b

[cruiseej]

I'm surprised to hear of the poor quarantine food service on Silversea. I've also been following several people reporting from Seabourn's two ships who have tested positive. While they are similarly quarantined, they can order room service at any time; they can order from the restaurant menus during restaurant hours; they get their food on real plates with real silverware. I'm sure it's not perfect and there are undoubtedly some stories of service misses, but it s sounds just night and day different from what quarantined passengers on Silversea are reporting.

 

Picture of quarantine meal on Silversea:

 

Pictures of quarantine meals on Seabourn:

 

 

Seabourn used styrofoam plates for the first on for two days of the first Covid cases, but then found a way to make things work with real plates and silverware. It's obviously a difficult situation for the ships to deal with, but it's surprising Silversea seems to be so far off the mark.

 

(If anyone is interested in reading a report from a recent quarantine couple on Seabourn, here's a link to their blog. Sounds quite different than the experience Les is describing here.) 

 

[les37b]

I did raise this to the head of guest services today and told it's impossible to achieve.

 

She did say there was no reason the Pizza I had delivered should have been the way it was.i will just reorder if it happened again (if I get the chance)

 

Feel no different this morning and temp is 36.8 .... A US doctor friend had already suggested "sometimes it just takes a little longer to come through.... But it will". So encouraging! lo

 

I'm still mentally strong with what's going on, but my wife definitely isn't. I'm just hoping the PCR today is still clear and can gain access to a computer to fact find and investigate. 

 

It would seem on paper the best option which could happen is cruise cancelled and return to FLL via Panama. Wishful thinking I know.... And not one the 80 joining the 36 grand voyages would appreciate. I expect the 3rd leg will just be 36 as I can't see anyone just doing that leg with 10 straight seadays..... Sounds like quarantine territory.

 

 

[machotspur]

Les - we truly feel your pain, experiencing this nightmare rather than the dream cruise that you began reporting to us. 

 

I have to say that in this situation I would hope/expect that my cruise travel agent would engage with this issue, at least in helping to get some clarity on the uncertainties you are facing.

I seem to remember from cruisecritic communication with you a few years back that your workplace is/was somewhere on the South Bank ?

A long shot I know, but does your travel agent happen to be the specialist agency that is based in central London, not far from Regent Street ?  

      

[Silver Spectre]

12 minutes ago, machotspur said:

Les - we truly feel your pain, experiencing this nightmare rather than the dream cruise that you began reporting to us. 

 

I have to say that in this situation I would hope/expect that my cruise travel agent would engage with this issue, at least in helping to get some clarity on the uncertainties you are facing.

I seem to remember from cruisecritic communication with you a few years back that your workplace is/was somewhere on the South Bank ?

A long shot I know, but does your travel agent happen to be the specialist agency that is based in central London, not far from Regent Street ?  

      

Hi @machotspurI’ll answer for Les as I am in touch outside of this thread. He is booked via the London office and I spoke to our main contact yesterday and who is aware of his situation. Probably cant do much now as it’s the weekend.

[machotspur]

Just now, Silver Spectre said:

Hi @machotspurI’ll answer for Les as I am in touch outside of this thread. He is booked via the London office and I spoke to our main contact yesterday and who is aware of his situation. Probably cant do much now as it’s the weekend.

 

Hi - is that the London SS office, as opposed to a London TA ?  If so then my post is of course pointless.

[RetiredandTravel]

Les, considering you have time on your hands here is a link of someone on Regent in a similar situation.  Thought you might find it interesting.  It was his first Regent cruise and he got quarantined, poor fella.  The last page he goes into detail on how the food has been handled.  They have sent your link to them so its only fair.

 

 

Edited January 15, 2022 by RetiredandTravel

[Silver Spectre]

8 minutes ago, machotspur said:

 

Hi - is that the London SS office, as opposed to a London TA ?  If so then my post is of course pointless.

London SS office.

Edited January 15, 2022 by Silver Spectre

[Silver Spectre]

There is a post this morning on FB by Barbara Muckermann explaining why SS has just had to pull out of Ushuaia in Argentina and relocate to Punta Arenas in Chile.

[Lois R]

3 minutes ago, Silver Spectre said:

There is a post this morning on FB by Barbara Muckermann explaining why SS has just had to pull out of Ushuaia in Argentina and relocate to Punta Arenas in Chile.

Too bad there cannot be some kind of thread on here about that too.......where is SS going and where they are not? 

Some of us don't do FB........would you be able to give us a synopsis of that explanation please?

[RetiredandTravel]

5 minutes ago, Silver Spectre said:

There is a post this morning on FB by Barbara Muckermann explaining why SS has just had to pull out of Ushuaia in Argentina and relocate to Punta Arenas in Chile.

 

 

I'm not on FB but I think some one should let Barbara Muckermann know how Les & his wife have been treated.  I would guess she would be appalled, I can't believe his is SS standard protocol.

 

We fully intended to go on a SS cruise in 2023, after reading this we'll go with Seabourn.

 

 

 

 

[Trailcreek]

We are going to try and cancel, not sure if we are going to get anything back for this cruise. If someone else canceled recently how were you able to get a FC credit?

very concerned and disappointing with the way SS has handled this entire event.

 

[Silver Spectre]

52 minutes ago, Lois R said:

Too bad there cannot be some kind of thread on here about that too.......where is SS going and where they are not? 

Some of us don't do FB........would you be able to give us a synopsis of that explanation please?

Taken from BM’s post this morning:

“ Argentina recently changed its covid protocols and it makes it difficult to operate there so we had to take the decision to cancel it”

[RetiredandTravel]

We looked at this 21 day 2022 cruise initially from Lima to Buenos Aires (then 23 then 24 🙄).  It leaves in 4 days, if Argentina is an issue what about Buenos Aires?

Edited January 15, 2022 by RetiredandTravel

[Trailcreek]

Agree completely, SS seems totally incompetent . Just called and got off the phone and they have no clue of any new changes. However, they did say I would be able to get a FC credit. Since we paid a lot of money for this cruise on a Silver Suite it is good to know that at least we will not lose it and will be able to sail in better times. However, need my TA to cancel. You never know how good your TA is until something goes wrong. She told me we would lose everything if we cancelled now. It has already cost us several hundred dollars in auxiliary expenses due to all the schedule changes and requirements. Yes, I am completely disappointed in SS and have sailed with them on several expeditions cruises. Their handling of Les is inexcusable, especially compared to what other cruise lines are doing. Am I excited to cruise with them again, no not really, am I happy we might a cc, will see if I get it. Les can not begin to thank you for all your postings and can not begin to tell you how sorry we are for all your hardships. I know that you are concerned on how you are going to get back to the UK and end this nightmare. Nothing else to do but soldier on. Thoughts are with you and your wife. 

[nowornever]

This was during the Brazil quarantine  on the Shadow in 2020. It's not as "fancy" as the restaurants but certainly better than a Styrofoam container.   There were around 400 of us so it's absolutely possible to do so of you who are confined to your cabin.  For 400'ish, it exhausted the staff but in your situation, if they can do it for the routine room service orders, will another 10 or so make a difference?  They just leave it at the door (they used our luggage racks ), ring the bell & run!!!  For the first couple of days, you could order off the regular room service menu but then they narrowed it down to 3-4 mains with a couple of salads, etc.   Good luck!

 

[FauxNom]

28 minutes ago, gatormotherof2 said:

Again, I request that if someone could post the entire letter from Barbara Muckerman

Not much there, really.  In response to a passenger Q about her cruise ending in  Punta Arenas vs. Ushuaia:   "the team is working through everyone’s ajr and wjll be able to assist, please try to reach them during operating times today, the emergency air number is for passengers in transit. Argentina recently changed its covid protocols and it makes it difficult to operate there so we had to take the decision to cancel it. Am sure it won’t be the case but if you have issues reaching the team please feel free to pm me"

[Silver Spectre]

47 minutes ago, gatormotherof2 said:

Again, I request that if someone could post the entire letter from Barbara Muckerman regarding the adjustment to the itinerary posted this morning to this message board, I would appreciate it. I do not have a Facebook account, but have asked family to look into it and have subsequently been advised that they cannot find any public statement. The plot thickens and this thread has gone awfully quiet…..

There is no public statement, it’s just an answer to a question about flight and port changes in the FB SS group. If you are worried then contact SS or your TA directly.