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

[mysty]

29 minutes ago, CruzinFeraBruzin said:

I spoke with Silversea's Events and Experiences Manager the beginning of August and he indicated the events would be posted "in the coming weeks".  5 months later, we are still waiting.  We were so impressed with the events on our Grand Med Voyage last year - very memorable...

 

Did you contact Jannie Cloete?  He is simply amazing!  Our special events on the Northern Europe Grand Voyage this early summer were spectacular.  He has a gift!  The plans may have run amok or the staff who handle updates are mired.

 

In case folks are wondering who Jannie Cloete is here is a link to an article about him...

https://discover.silversea.com/destinations/world-cruise/jannie-cloete-world-cruise-events/

[Stumblefoot]

If you’ve never been to Uluru, be sure to bring head netting with you.  The flies are unbearable without them, starting at dawn until sunset.

Edited January 20, 2023 by Stumblefoot

[mysty]

13 minutes ago, Stumblefoot said:

If you’ve never been to Uluru, be sure to bring head netting with you.  The flies are unbearable without them, starting at dawn until sunset.

 

Thanks Stumble!  We were there in 2004.  The flies were unrelenting!  I was surprised at the idea of the Uluru event because of the issue with flies!  We'll see if they can perform any magic to deal with them!

[Stumblefoot]

7 minutes ago, mysty said:

I was surprised at the idea of the Uluru event because of the issue with flies!

Okay, good.  Glad you know.  Maybe the flies won’t see you in artificial light. 😁

[mysty]

7 minutes ago, Stumblefoot said:

Okay, good.  Glad you know.  Maybe the flies won’t see you in artificial light. 😁

 

May Silversea will gift us with an appropriate fashion piece.....

 

[lincslady]

Oh, sorry Mysty, I didn't know about the flies. Still at least you know how to prepare for the visit!  Obviously it is somewhere which was on my bucket list, and never got round to it.  Have flown  more or less over, but it is not the same.

 

Lola

[taxatty]

You'll never take more pictures of the same object than you will of Uluru at sunset. As the sun begins to go down, the colors constantly change. It's absolutely magnificent.

[mysty]

Some advice from https://britonthemove.com/uluru/   ........

 

The absolute DO NOT LEAVE HOME WITHOUT:

Head Net

A head net is probably the most critical thing you will need while visiting Uluru. The flies are relentless and will chew away at you all day. Bug spray helps, but it’s challenging to protect your eyes.

Travel EssentialsInsect Repellent

I think this is essential for any trip, but it’s beyond necessary for Uluru. You need this even if you get head nets!  Not only will you get eaten by flies at the rock, but you will also encounter hungry bugs all over the resorts. Spray this over your clothes to ward off as many pests as possible. You will also need this if you plan to spend any time at the pool.

Travel EssentialsAfter Bite

You may still get bitten even with a head net and insect repellant.  Be prepared after Bite Advanced Formula is a portable solution that relieves the itch and sting from mosquitoes, flea, and other insect bites.

[mysty]

1 minute ago, taxatty said:

You'll never take more pictures of the same object than you will of Uluru at sunset. As the sun begins to go down, the colors constantly change. It's absolutely magnificent.

 

Very true!  We have a scazillion shots from dusk and from dawn at Uluru.  We found the same shutter happy situation at the Grand Canyon!  There is something alluring about rocks!  😁

[CruzinFeraBruzin]

3 hours ago, mysty said:

Did you contact Jannie Cloete? 

No, I spoke with Kevin McKeon who reports to Conrad Combrink.  Kevin was very responsive, but sadly I think I was given the corporate answer.  We'll just have to sit tight and wait.

[mysty]

For the last two World Cruises I brought a paper map of the world so I could trace out the route we took as we sailed.  The ship coordinates were available on the TV so it was fairly easy to keep up.  Here is the map at the beginning of 2019 and further on.

 

 

 

The small red magnet on the left of the maps was the location of the ship at the time the photo was taken.  I intend to do the same for the upcoming cruises.  I just hope I can find a paper map of the world.  Old school, I know!  😁

[Port Power]

22 minutes ago, mysty said:

For the last two World Cruises I brought a paper map of the world so I could trace out the route we took as we sailed.  The ship coordinates were available on the TV so it was fairly easy to keep up.  Here is the map at the beginning of 2019 and further on.

 

 

 

The small red magnet on the left of the maps was the location of the ship at the time the photo was taken.  I intend to do the same for the upcoming cruises.  I just hope I can find a paper map of the world.  Old school, I know!  😁

I think it’s a marvellous idea! I’m going to steal it when I go on my 2025 World Cruise.  Now, where to find a map?  

[mysty]

11 minutes ago, Port Power said:

I think it’s a marvellous idea! I’m going to steal it when I go on my 2025 World Cruise.  Now, where to find a map?  

 

I used to find them in book stores.  The last time I looked for one was 2018 so I'm not sure if they still carry them.  I'm going to start my search there and move to an online vendor if necessary.  I'm glad you like the idea! 😁

[jpalbny]

National Geographic:

 

https://www.natgeomaps.com/wall-maps/reference-maps/world

 

Or this site:

 

https://www.worldmapsonline.com/

 

That's where I bought my 5' x 10' wall map that we put on the wall of our travel room. We add stars every time we visit a new country.

[mysty]

26 minutes ago, jpalbny said:

National Geographic:

 

https://www.natgeomaps.com/wall-maps/reference-maps/world

 

Or this site:

 

https://www.worldmapsonline.com/

 

That's where I bought my 5' x 10' wall map that we put on the wall of our travel room. We add stars every time we visit a new country.

 

Thanks JP!  Your map wall sounds amazing!  I'll definitely check out your link suggestions!  Much appreciated!

[brumagin1]

If you don’t have any luck finding a new map - maybe just use a different color marker on your last map.  I might be fun to see how the two itineraries compare on one map.

[mysty]

11 minutes ago, brumagin1 said:

If you don’t have any luck finding a new map - maybe just use a different color marker on your last map.  I might be fun to see how the two itineraries compare on one map.

 

Thank you brumagin!  Very interesting suggestion!  The 2016 went from Fort Lauderdale through the Panama Canal across the Pacific then through the Middle East and the Suez Canal to end in Venice. The 2019 went from San Francisco to London (Greenwich) travelling down the east and up the west coasts of Africa.  The 2024 stays in the Pacific.  Some ports will be duplicates of the 2019 with more ports in Japan.

[jpalbny]

Here's a shot of part of our travel room.

 

The map is a single 5x10 foot mural with an adhesive back so we carefully attached it to the wall after drawing a level guideline.

 

Once it was attached and adjusted I used prefinished molding to make a faux frame. Just cut the pieces to size and nailed them to the wall and voila, it looks like a real frame.

 

On the left wall we hung some prints of our favorite wildlife shots from past trips. On the right side we have some bookshelves with old photo albums from the print days, travel books, etc. Behind me, there's a closet stuffed full of suitcases, backpacks, and other assorted travel necessities. 

 

 

It's fun to come up here and look for new places to go, and dream up itineraries. One-stop shopping! 

[mysty]

2 minutes ago, jpalbny said:

Here's a shot of part of our travel room.

 

The map is a single 5x10 foot mural with an adhesive back so we carefully attached it to the wall after drawing a level guideline.

 

Once it was attached and adjusted I used prefinished molding to make a faux frame. Just cut the pieces to size and nailed them to the wall and voila, it looks like a real frame.

 

On the left wall we hung some prints of our favorite wildlife shots from past trips. On the right side we have some bookshelves with old photo albums from the print days, travel books, etc. Behind me, there's a closet stuffed full of suitcases, backpacks, and other assorted travel necessities. 

 

 

It's fun to come up here and look for new places to go, and dream up itineraries. One-stop shopping! 

 

That room is a piece of art JP!  Magical!

 

I found a map on the National Geographic site that caught my eye.  Messaged them about the dimensions because they were not listed.

 

https://www.natgeomaps.com/re-world-explorer

 

[Stumblefoot]

3 minutes ago, jpalbny said:

Behind me, there's a closet stuffed full of suitcases...

Wait... as in plural?  Excuse me, but are you trying to tell us you and Chris own more than one suitcase each?  That seems incredibly hard to believe.

[jpalbny]

Yes Stumblefoot, we do!

 

Back in the day, we used to overpack. And we do still own a larger suitcase that isn't carry-on size. Just in case!

[mysty]

There's a really cool site where you tick the countries you have visited and it colours in a map of the world for you.  Obviously you may not have visited the whole country but it is interesting to see what your world map looks like.

 

This is what ours currently looks like....

 

 

Here is the link if you are interested....

https://www.amcharts.com/visited_countries/

[Stumblefoot]

1 hour ago, jpalbny said:

And we do still own a larger suitcase that isn't carry-on size.

Be careful… people may start calling you a hoarder with all of that extra space. 😁

 

32 minutes ago, mysty said:

Looks like you need to join us in Brazil in 2025!

[gnome12]

4 hours ago, mysty said:

For the last two World Cruises I brought a paper map of the world so I could trace out the route we took as we sailed.  The ship coordinates were available on the TV so it was fairly easy to keep up.  Here is the map at the beginning of 2019 and further on.

When I started my last job, (before I retired), I was replacing a woman who had taken a year’s sabbatical to travel the world. We put up a world map and traced her route while she was gone. 
Then, when she returned (and I kept my job) we put up the map. Every year people on the floor would put in pins for all the places they had been to, so we could see how far people went. It was fun to start a new session every year. 
 

As to the map, there is a really good map store in Ottawa https://www.worldofmaps.com/

There are also lots of world maps on Amazon.ca. 

[mysty]

9 minutes ago, Stumblefoot said:

Be careful… people may start calling you a hoarder with all of that extra space. 😁

 

Looks like you need to join us in Brazil in 2025!

 

Yes, Stumble, Brazil is yet to be conquered.  We'll add it to our list!  😁