A Silver Shadow Over The World - December 2023 to May 2024

[mysty]

1 minute ago, HappyCamper777 said:

Of course.  There are too many brands that make zipperless luggage to list them all here.

 

Thank you Happy!  😁

[mysty]

I think the key to protecting valuable items is to pack them in carry on. Checked or ship ahead luggage can be violated at any point in transit.   Obviously it would be distressing to lose anything from packed luggage!  If the valuables are with you you can mitigate the loss. 

[crusinbanjo]

1 hour ago, mysty said:

 

Obviously there are ways to confound locks.  Hopefully an inventory of contents would help should nefarious intruders decide to ply their trade.   The example in the video is rather odd.   The metal piece to the right of the screen shot just slightly below the zipper seems designed to allow the two zipper heads to fit into the two slots on the metal bar.  

I have tried this and it is quite simple.  So, our strategy is to never place anything we absolutely cannot do without in checked luggage

 

[mysty]

Silversea is obviously fine tuning the shore excursions for our voyage.  We've been advised that the "In Alaska’s Wildest Kitchen, Icy Strait Point, Alaska, 13 May 2024" excursion has been cancelled due to operational reasons.  That excursion sounded great......

 

Alaska's Wildest Kitchen is a hands-on tasting session hosted by a colorful Alaska fisherwoman and master wilderness chef. Experience wild, natural, and sustainable Alaska seafood as only Alaskans do while learning what sets Alaska seafood apart, including local fishing, preserving, and cooking techniques. Later, you'll watch an expert filleting demonstration and even get a chance to grill your own sample catch-of-the-day over our alder-wood grill.

 

Instead we have booked.......

 

WHALE & MARINE MAMMALS CRUISE

Depart directly from Icy Strait Point for a two-and-a-half-hour cruise on a safe, stable, covered, comfortable whale-watching vessel. Travel through the bountiful waters of Icy Strait to the renowned Point Adolphus area, home to Alaska's largest summer population of humpback whales. Along the way there is the possibility of spotting some of the region's other marine life including orca (killer whales), seal, porpoise and Steller's sea lions. Don't forget to scan the shore for bald eagles in the evergreen treetops and bears on the beaches. Listen to an onboard naturalist describe the biology and behavior of the diverse species that gather every summer to indulge in Alaska's nutrient-rich waters. Enjoy the open-air observation deck, scan the area with binoculars and take advantage of the many and varied photo opportunities. The whales are so plentiful that Icy Strait Point offers a 100% refund if a whale is not spotted on every trip.

[chrism23]

27 minutes ago, mysty said:

Silversea is obviously fine tuning the shore excursions for our voyage.  We've been advised that the "In Alaska’s Wildest Kitchen, Icy Strait Point, Alaska, 13 May 2024" excursion has been cancelled due to operational reasons.  That excursion sounded great......

 

Alaska's Wildest Kitchen is a hands-on tasting session hosted by a colorful Alaska fisherwoman and master wilderness chef. Experience wild, natural, and sustainable Alaska seafood as only Alaskans do while learning what sets Alaska seafood apart, including local fishing, preserving, and cooking techniques. Later, you'll watch an expert filleting demonstration and even get a chance to grill your own sample catch-of-the-day over our alder-wood grill.

 

Instead we have booked.......

 

WHALE & MARINE MAMMALS CRUISE

Depart directly from Icy Strait Point for a two-and-a-half-hour cruise on a safe, stable, covered, comfortable whale-watching vessel. Travel through the bountiful waters of Icy Strait to the renowned Point Adolphus area, home to Alaska's largest summer population of humpback whales. Along the way there is the possibility of spotting some of the region's other marine life including orca (killer whales), seal, porpoise and Steller's sea lions. Don't forget to scan the shore for bald eagles in the evergreen treetops and bears on the beaches. Listen to an onboard naturalist describe the biology and behavior of the diverse species that gather every summer to indulge in Alaska's nutrient-rich waters. Enjoy the open-air observation deck, scan the area with binoculars and take advantage of the many and varied photo opportunities.

The whales are so plentiful that Icy Strait Point offers a 100% refund if a whale is not spotted on every trip.

 

@mysty Hi Mysty.  A couple of suggestions.  First SS should hire you, to write, if you want to do any work, the Gray Travel Journals they used to provide.  I miss them.  Your work, and the time you must spend on it is astounding.  Your descriptions are spot on.  Second, whales.  I need to get this right but I don't quite remember where.  I think it was Juneau.  We went out in a small boat, about 20 people, to do what they called whale watching.  They were not kidding, this was a one off experience that probably never can be repeated.  We are on the water, first we see a couple of fins, then flukes of diving whales, then more, and more.  I think they were humpbacks.  The whales are sort of crashing into each other (find mating habits of humpback whales).  So we are in the midst,  and I don't want to exaggerate here, at least 20 whales having fun.  Some came right up to the side of the boat and some passengers were able to reach out and touch them.  Ever petted a whale before?  This was truly mind blowing.  Then there was a 3 hour long kayak trip in Ketchikan, with a guide that seemed to know where every bald eagle nest was on the shore. There were only 4 of us.  In addition to the eagle chicks (eaglets?).  A couple of orcas decided to breach a few hundred yards away.  I have to admit being scared in case one of  these things landed on us.  This was on the Silver Shadow in August of 2016.  I was so awestruck by all that I experienced I have returned to SS at least twice a year ever since.  But your prose and the depth of your insight is a real asset to the group.  If they would only bring back the gray journals.  Cheers.  

 

 

 

 

then a couple of rear diving, then more fins more tail

[mysty]

34 minutes ago, chrism23 said:

The whales are so plentiful that Icy Strait Point offers a 100% refund if a whale is not spotted on every trip.

 

@mysty Hi Mysty.  A couple of suggestions.  First SS should hire you, to write, if you want to do any work, the Gray Travel Journals they used to provide.  I miss them.  Your work, and the time you must spend on it is astounding.  Your descriptions are spot on.  Second, whales.  I need to get this right but I don't quite remember where.  I think it was Juneau.  We went out in a small boat, about 20 people, to do what they called whale watching.  They were not kidding, this was a one off experience that probably never can be repeated.  We are on the water, first we see a couple of fins, then flukes of diving whales, then more, and more.  I think they were humpbacks.  The whales are sort of crashing into each other (find mating habits of humpback whales).  So we are in the midst,  and I don't want to exaggerate here, at least 20 whales having fun.  Some came right up to the side of the boat and some passengers were able to reach out and touch them.  Ever petted a whale before?  This was truly mind blowing.  Then there was a 3 hour long kayak trip in Ketchikan, with a guide that seemed to know where every bald eagle nest was on the shore. There were only 4 of us.  In addition to the eagle chicks (eaglets?).  A couple of orcas decided to breach a few hundred yards away.  I have to admit being scared in case one of  these things landed on us.  This was on the Silver Shadow in August of 2016.  I was so awestruck by all that I experienced I have returned to SS at least twice a year ever since.  But your prose and the depth of your insight is a real asset to the group.  If they would only bring back the gray journals.  Cheers.  

 

 

 

 

then a couple of rear diving, then more fins more tail

 

WOW!  @chrism23, thank you so much for your very kind words!  I enjoy research and I love to write.  This thread gives me the opportunity to have fun doing both!  Hopefully I am providing useful info!  However, it is not intended to be the Mysty Show.  I encourage participation and respectful discussion.

 

Your experience with the whales sounds magical!  What a treat!  We saw whales close up for the first time this summer in Iceland.  One surfaced close to the boat we were on (on our way to Flatey Island) and my heart stopped briefly.  They are sooooo big!

 

Thanks for adding your wonderful experience to this topic!  I hope your decision to try (or not) a World Cruise becomes easier!

[drron29]

May I recommend one of SS’s fiercest competitors. MV Sikumi. An 8 passenger crab boat that does cruises of the Inside Passage. 
They have kayaks aboard and one day we were in a 2 person kayak and a humpback whale surfaced about 2 feet away beside us. Fantastic looking into that huge eye.

 

There were hundreds of whales and all we could hear was whale song. But as well an eagle flew over head with a large salmon in it’s talons whilst on the shore a black bear was watching us.

[mysty]

49 minutes ago, drron29 said:

May I recommend one of SS’s fiercest competitors. MV Sikumi. An 8 passenger crab boat that does cruises of the Inside Passage. 
They have kayaks aboard and one day we were in a 2 person kayak and a humpback whale surfaced about 2 feet away beside us. Fantastic looking into that huge eye.

 

There were hundreds of whales and all we could hear was whale song. But as well an eagle flew over head with a large salmon in it’s talons whilst on the shore a black bear was watching us.

 

That sounds like a spectacular experience!!!  Lucky ducks you are! 😁

[mysty]

Here is a link to an interesting and entertaining video called Chip Richards: Singing with Whales.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rkPPnPH7xs 

[Tothesunset]

1 hour ago, drron29 said:

... An 8 passenger crab boat that does cruises of the Inside Passage...

Sounds like a scene from the film Fantastic Voyage! 😎

[Host Jazzbeau]

55 minutes ago, Tothesunset said:

Sounds like a scene from the film Fantastic Voyage! 😎

I have a friend with internal bleeding who is going to swallow a camera on Monday. I asked if Rachel Welch would be inside it. 🤣

[mysty]

1 hour ago, Tothesunset said:

Sounds like a scene from the film Fantastic Voyage! 😎

 

49 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

 I asked if Rachel Welch would be inside it. 🤣

 

My son and I went on a ride at Epcot in about 1990 that was based on the Fantastic Voyage movie.  The ride was called Body Wars. 

 

"Body Wars was a motion simulator attraction inside the Wonders of Life pavilion at the Walt Disney World Resort's Epcot. Riders would be taken on a mission by the fictional Miniaturized Exploration Technologies corporation (Stylized as MET) to study the effects of the white blood cells on a splinter inside the left index finger of a volunteer. The attraction used the Advanced Technology Leisure Application Simulator technology previously seen at Disneyland's Star Tours attraction. The ride is no longer in operation along with the other attractions inside the Wonders of Life pavilion, which opened on October 19, 1989, and closed on January 1, 2007."  - from Wikipedia. 

 

It was an experience.  😅

[Tothesunset]

Did they succeed in Fantastic Voyage? 

Or was it all in vein? 

[mysty]

6 minutes ago, Tothesunset said:

Did they succeed in Fantastic Voyage? 

Or was it all in vein? 

 

It was subvenio.  😃

[Host Jazzbeau]

7 hours ago, mysty said:

 

It was subvenio.  😃

Keep it sub rosa.  And sotto voce...

[Host Jazzbeau]

7 hours ago, mysty said:

 

 

My son and I went on a ride at Epcot in about 1990 that was based on the Fantastic Voyage movie.  The ride was called Body Wars. 

Body Wars featured Elisabeth Shue, who at her best wasn't as sexy as Raquel Welch was at age 80...

[mysty]

There has been another change to our itinerary.  Brisbane is back and Mooloolaba is gone.  Apparently the new Passenger Cruise Terminal in Brisbane will be open for our arrival.  The new itinerary for segment 3 looks like this:

 

Currently there is only one excursion listed and it's an included one.

 

I am a tad disappointed as I was looking forward to visiting Mooloolaba.  Friends we met on the 2019 cruise live in the area and it seems friends we haven't yet met are also in the area.  We have visited Brisbane before.  We did the XXXX Brewery tour and visited the the Sirromet winery for a tasting.  

One of the articles I came across in my research for something to explore there said:

 "Catching one of the sleek CityCat ferries down the Brisbane River has become the popular sightseeing journey. Passengers can stand on the open-air front deck of the blue, white and yellow catamarans and glide under the Story Bridge to South Bank and the city center. They run every 15 to 30 minutes, between 5.40am and 11.45pm, from the University of Queensland in the southwest to Apollo Rd, Bulimba, and back (a little over one hour each way). There are 15 terminals in total including New Farm Park, North Quay (for the Queen St Mall), Riverside (for the CBD) and West End. The CityCats are wheelchair accessible at the University of Queensland, Guyatt Park, North Quay, South Bank 1 and 2, Hawthorne and Apollo Rd.   The Bretts Wharf City Cat (a ferry) stop is just 300 meters from Portside and will take you to a number of key city stops such as the Riverside center, South Bank, New Farm Park, and Bulimba. It is a sightseeing trip by itself."

 

Here is a link from the city of Brisbane site which provides a system map as well as a list of Places of Interest at each ferry stop:

 

https://www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/traffic-transport/public-transport/citycat-ferry-services/citycatspeedycat-ferry-terminal-locations

 

I think this may be an option for us.  We may have to make our way by shuttle bus to a terminal for the CityCat as there doesn't appear to be one at the new Cruise Terminal location.

Edited March 25, 2023 by mysty

[turtlemichael]

1 hour ago, mysty said:

There has been another change to our itinerary.  Brisbane is back and Mooloolaba is gone. 

You'll see more of Australia than most Australians! Interesting about Brisbane. We are through there on February 16 on Whisper and are still listed as Mooloolaba. You may be one of the first Silversea customers. Maybe it is not so busy on your day?

Edited March 25, 2023 by turtlemichael

[mysty]

7 minutes ago, turtlemichael said:

You'll see more of Australia than most Australians! Interesting about Brisbane. We are through there on February 16 on Whisper and are still listed as Mooloolaba. You may be one of the first Silversea customers. Maybe it is not so busy on your day?

 

Originally we were scheduled for Brisbane right after Sydney and Mooloolaba was on the itinerary.   Then they changed it to Newcastle after Sydney because the new Brisbane Terminal was not going to be ready and Mooloolaba was still on the itinerary.   Now it's Newcastle after Sydney and Brisbane replaces Mooloolaba.  I wish they had left Mooloolaba on and left Brisbane off.   Oh well....I'm sure we'll find something awesome to explore! 😁

[mysty]

Our flights are now booked (not yet ticketed) with Silversea to Bridgetown for the Holiday cruise portion of this adventure.   We would depart December 16th.  The cruise sets sail on December 18th.  One teensy step closer! 😁

[mysty]

Silversea provides a guideline for determining the number of Formal, Informal and Casual nights based on the number of days of the cruise.  I presented that information in an earlier post but here is a refresher.

 

Based on the table above this is how the evenings look for our December cruises and for the World Cruise (subject to change as per the Silversea qualifier on the original table).....

 

 

Myster is not a big fan of Formal nights so we typically only do a few of those.  Our favourite venue is the Grill.

[Stumblefoot]

8 hours ago, mysty said:

Our favourite venue is the Grill.

On any given night, or just on formal nights?

[mysty]

23 minutes ago, Stumblefoot said:

On any given night, or just on formal nights?

 

On any given night!  In our experience the Grill never feels crowded.   The tables are well-spaced. It's rarely loud which allows for easy conversation.   When the weather is comfortable it is an absolute delight.  Myster has gotten quite creative.  He asks for aluminum foil,  a piece of white fish, melted butter and proceeds to poach the fish in butter inside the aluminum foil envelope that he fashions.  Because cooking is anathema to me I ask for my meal to be plated.  I have enjoyed King Crab legs and lobster (by making a special request 2 days ahead).  We both relish open-air dining.

[mysty]

Full World Cruisers have complimentary access to the ship medical staff as a perk.  Of course, you don't want to run down to medical for minor issues.  Before our last grand adventure my very good friend (a retired nurse) was kind enough to provide a list of medications to bring with us.  I will be using her list again for this next adventure.  Readers may find the list helpful:

 

Anti-emetics/gastro ailments:

Gravol (for nausea/vomiting and dizziness, may also be helpful for seasickness)
Draminine, also known as Bonnine, can only be bought in US but can be obtained without prescription if you ask druggist, good for seasickness, dizziness caused by seasickness
Imodium for diarrhea
Kaopectate also good for diarrhea, can be bought in pill form as well as liquid
Tums work well can can be carried with you in pocket.

 

Cough and Cold Meds:

Coricidin tablets, this would be good as it is decongestant free and therefore safe if you have any blood pressure problems
Nyquil tablets for day and night, they contain cough syrup in them so are good for coughs as well
Cough syrup, a good one is Benylin DM as it helps with sleeping at night if you have a bad cough

 

Analgesics:

Tylenol 500mg tablets for aches and pains, fever 
ASA 325mg, good to take if you think you are having symptoms of heart attack or stroke, take some immediately and then see Dr.

 

Antihistamines for allergic reactions:

Benadryl for itchiness, rashes, insect bites that cause swelling, redness, any problems breathing as result of allergic reaction
Hyrdrocortisone cream 0.5 to 1% for bites, rashes, redness, itchiness

 

Cuts, sprains etc.:

Tensor bandages, 4 inch size works best, good for sprained ankle, wrist etc.
Bandages, all sizes, elastoplast are the best, gets some large ones also in case of large cut or large amount of bleeding
Polysporin antibiotic ointment to prevent infection or if redness, discharge.

 

[JoGay]

18 minutes ago, mysty said:

Full World Cruisers have complimentary access to the ship medical staff as a perk.  Of course, you don't want to run down to medical for minor issues.  Before our last grand adventure my very good friend (a retired nurse) was kind enough to provide a list of medications to bring with us.  I will be using her list again for this next adventure.  Readers may find the list helpful:

 

Anti-emetics/gastro ailments:

Gravol (for nausea/vomiting and dizziness, may also be helpful for seasickness)
Draminine, also known as Bonnine, can only be bought in US but can be obtained without prescription if you ask druggist, good for seasickness, dizziness caused by seasickness
Imodium for diarrhea
Kaopectate also good for diarrhea, can be bought in pill form as well as liquid
Tums work well can can be carried with you in pocket.

 

Cough and Cold Meds:

Coricidin tablets, this would be good as it is decongestant free and therefore safe if you have any blood pressure problems
Nyquil tablets for day and night, they contain cough syrup in them so are good for coughs as well
Cough syrup, a good one is Benylin DM as it helps with sleeping at night if you have a bad cough

 

Analgesics:

Tylenol 500mg tablets for aches and pains, fever 
ASA 325mg, good to take if you think you are having symptoms of heart attack or stroke, take some immediately and then see Dr.

 

Antihistamines for allergic reactions:

Benadryl for itchiness, rashes, insect bites that cause swelling, redness, any problems breathing as result of allergic reaction
Hyrdrocortisone cream 0.5 to 1% for bites, rashes, redness, itchiness

 

Cuts, sprains etc.:

Tensor bandages, 4 inch size works best, good for sprained ankle, wrist etc.
Bandages, all sizes, elastoplast are the best, gets some large ones also in case of large cut or large amount of bleeding
Polysporin antibiotic ointment to prevent infection or if redness, discharge.

 

I also take a thermometer, rubbing alcohol and hydrogen peroxide.