Silver Wind Live! Helsinki to Hamburg, June 4-16, 2023

[LAexNY]

Yes, we are safely arrived after a grueling 10 hour red eye from Portland to Amsterdam, then a grueling 5 hour connection and an easy 2 hour hop to Helsinki.

Things were easy and well-organized at the airport. Met by Silversea rep, half hour drive to hotel and easy check-in.  Hotel Kamp is lovely, room very nice.  Breakfast included, buffet or a la carte.  There is a Silversea rep in the lobby from 9-6 daily with luggage tags and transfer info.  Only negative is that they want luggage out by 6:30 A.M. Sunday even though transfer is at noon!

Weather is clear, 45 degrees now at 10 A.M.

Safe travels everyone.  Looking forward to meeting you all.

David & Laura

[lincslady]

No doubt you have all done the Kiel canal before but if not it is a lovely lazy day watching the bucolic countryside go by, along with the odd lock etc.  Let's hope it is a sunny day, for sitting on your balcony with a glass or two.

[jpalbny]

Thanks for the preview of the hotel, LAexNY! We are also looking at a 5h connection, but in CDG. Let's hope that it passes by quickly.

 

We were on the Kiel Canal almost 5 years ago - and we were on Silver Wind, but pre-conversion. A nice sunny day with beautiful scenery. Glasses were indeed raised but I can't vouch for how many...

 

 

Now time to get some last-minute stuff done around the house. I have to do a water change in the fish tank, then grab some extra fish food from the pet store. Would be nice to take a walk before we sit in the plane for hours. And we might jump in the pool for a minute since it's warmed up to over 80 degrees. Sounds like I'd better get moving!

 

We should leave between 10:30 and 11:00 for the Massport garage in Framingham. We have a lunch reservation at 1:00 (my cousin lives nearby and is meeting us) but if we're running later we'll just push that back an hour. Then she'll drop us at Logan and we're off!

[RachelG]

 

June 2, 2023–enroute to Helsinki

 

I am glad JP got this report started.  I had been too busy at work to even think about starting.  It is always super busy right before a trip. Also, yesterday was the one year anniversary of the tragic mass shooting at my hospital, a very emotional day.  I did surgery all morning yesterday just a floor below where it occurred.  So I am ready to get away for a break.

 

This trip offers lots of outdoor activities which is just what George prefers.  And we both like off the beaten path ports.

 

Our flight to get to Helsinki goes by a somewhat circuitous route as I was determined to get there using frequent flier miles.  There aren’t a lot of options period, and using miles in business class, even fewer.  We flew from Tulsa to DFW and then to Austin on  AA.  We are currently in the Admirals Club awaiting our flight on BA to LHR where we will have a longish layover before our Finnair flight to Helsinki.  I really wanted to try out Finnair’s long haul product from Chicago to Helsinki, but getting 2 award tickets in business class proved impossible.  Buying them would have been just too expensive.

 

Weather there has been very cool the past couple of weeks, with highs in the low 50s and quite a bit of rain.  Forecast looks better for next week with highs in the 60s and less rain.  We have our water proof jackets just in case.

 

We have been to Helsinki previously,but every other stop will be new to us.  We also have not sailed on Wind before, but I hear she is very similar to Cloud which we have sailed on many times.

 

I will post daily, internet allowing,and expect JP will chime in too.  He is way better at posting pictures than me.  Anyone else onboard who wants to add comments is welcome as well.  

 

Here’s to a great trip!

.  

[daddyo]

We in the Greenwich Lounge at JFK with a 5 hour layover on Finnair.  Arrival is 2:00 PM tomorrow!

[drron29]

Congratulations Rachel on your award success. It really is a major problem this last year and probably for a year or two longer. Impossible very nearly to get flights by the shortest route so I liked the way you routed via Austin. Well done.

And by the look of it several Cruise Critic cruisers on board so wish you all an amazing cruise.

Edited June 2, 2023 by drron29

[jpalbny]

So glad to hear from everyone that you're enroute!

 

We are at the AF lounge at Logan. The DL "skyclub" is a temporary pit on the other side of Terminal E, and the VA clubhouse (which we really like) is closed for renovation today! We went to the DL club and it was icky.

 

So we walked all the way here to the AF lounge to find out that they weren't accepting Priority Pass, but they were happy to let us in with our DL One boarding passes. Much nicer than the SkyClub.

 

We got everything done around the house this morning by 11:30, and met my cousin for lunch in Framingham at 2:00. Since I knew that our inbound plane was running 90 minutes late, we took our time and didn't rush. 

 

After lunch she drove us right to Terminal E where the person ahead of us was checking in about $1000 of extra baggage! It took forever so they called another agent over to check us in. No fuss for us...no baggage to check! Just a swipe of the passport. 

 

No line at TSA PreCheck so we were lounge hunting shortly thereafter.

 

Our inbound plane arrived at 6:01 and departure is rescheduled for 8:00 instead of 6:55. No worries, as we had a 5h layover in CDG so 4 is better.

 

Hope everyone's flights are smooth and we'll see you tomorrow! 

[spinnaker2]

Bon voyage from the Shadow as we leave Boston harbor.

[RachelG]

Onboard our BA plane now.  It was a long walk from the Admiral’s Club to gate 4 and we gave ourselves plenty of time.  We got there and boarding hadn’t started yet.  I noticed that there was a newly opened Chase lounge right by the gate, so we went to check it out.  Very modern with inside and outside seating, automated food machines and interesting drinks.  They had my lime bubly water that I drink all the time at home.  George got a salad from the automated food contraption.  We spent longer there than planned as it was really nice outside.  Boarding was well underway by the time we went to the gate.

[jpalbny]

It is a bit of a cluster here at Logan. The DL app still insists that we're leaving at 8:00. So we got up and started walking out of the lounge at 7... Only to see that the monitors said ETD 8:50!

 

Back to our seats. The Delta app stubbornly remained at 8:00... Finally at about 7:25 we got a notification that the flight was boarding. 

 

We walked to the gate to hear an announcement... "We've closed the jet way because of lightning strikes." A brief delay and we were on board sipping sparkling wine by 7:35.

 

The new DL One suites are pretty nice. Since we had to change flights just a few weeks ago, we're in the last row (7) but we have seats together. So all is good.

 

[mysty]

1 hour ago, jpalbny said:

It is a bit of a cluster here at Logan. The DL app still insists that we're leaving at 8:00. So we got up and started walking out of the lounge at 7... Only to see that the monitors said ETD 8:50!

 

Back to our seats. The Delta app stubbornly remained at 8:00... Finally at about 7:25 we got a notification that the flight was boarding. 

 

We walked to the gate to hear an announcement... "We've closed the jet way because of lightning strikes." A brief delay and we were on board sipping sparkling wine by 7:35.

 

The new DL One suites are pretty nice. Since we had to change flights just a few weeks ago, we're in the last row (7) but we have seats together. So all is good.

 

 

Awesome smile Chris!  Happy to hear that you are on the plane! 😁

[jpalbny]

Now that we've actually boarded for the second leg, I'm comfortable posting that we made the connection. 

 

A 4h50 connection should be no problem, right? Well.. 

 

We were scheduled to leave BOS at 6:55PM. That got pushed to 8:30 because the incoming plane was late, so we boarded around 7:30. And then we sat at the gate for about 3 hours, while the storms delayed baggage loading and refueling.

 

Finally we pushed back at 10:30, and were airborne at 10:58. ETA was now 11:30, and the flight to Helsinki was scheduled for 12:45. Doable, but more stressful than needed! 

 

The flight was uneventful and we touched down at 11:28. Boarding in 40 minutes... Ten minutes to taxi to the gate. We were #3/4 off the plane, one advantage of being in the last row of business.

 

We didn't run, but walked briskly. Of course we'd landed way out in 2E, Terminal M... So a good long walk to the train, then 2 stops to 2E, Terminal K. Then security, minimal wait. Immigration was quick too. Another walk to cross over to 2F and we were at the gate two minutes before boarding time!

 

A new record for CDG, 30 minutes from gate to gate! And none of the priority lines had been open. And again, I'm really glad that we didn't have to check bags. These tight connections are pesky.

 

Of course, this flight is now a little delayed but hopefully not another 3h saga! We ended up waiting about 15 minutes to board, and we haven't pushed back yet for the 12:45 departure, but the door just closed (12:53). Let's hope we leave soon, so we can have a minute to relax before our 8PM dinner reservation! 

[Mr Luxury]

3 hours ago, jpalbny said:

Now that we've actually boarded for the second leg, I'm comfortable posting that we made the connection. 

 

A 4h50 connection should be no problem, right? Well.. 

 

We were scheduled to leave BOS at 6:55PM. That got pushed to 8:30 because the incoming plane was late, so we boarded around 7:30. And then we sat at the gate for about 3 hours, while the storms delayed baggage loading and refueling.

 

Finally we pushed back at 10:30, and were airborne at 10:58. ETA was now 11:30, and the flight to Helsinki was scheduled for 12:45. Doable, but more stressful than needed! 

 

The flight was uneventful and we touched down at 11:28. Boarding in 40 minutes... Ten minutes to taxi to the gate. We were #3/4 off the plane, one advantage of being in the last row of business.

 

We didn't run, but walked briskly. Of course we'd landed way out in 2E, Terminal M... So a good long walk to the train, then 2 stops to 2E, Terminal K. Then security, minimal wait. Immigration was quick too. Another walk to cross over to 2F and we were at the gate two minutes before boarding time!

 

A new record for CDG, 30 minutes from gate to gate! And none of the priority lines had been open. And again, I'm really glad that we didn't have to check bags. These tight connections are pesky.

 

Of course, this flight is now a little delayed but hopefully not another 3h saga! We ended up waiting about 15 minutes to board, and we haven't pushed back yet for the 12:45 departure, but the door just closed (12:53). Let's hope we leave soon, so we can have a minute to relax before our 8PM dinner reservation! 

I can see an ulcer coming on JP

Gaviscon at the ready 😁

[jpalbny]

1 hour ago, Mr Luxury said:

I can see an ulcer coming on JP

Gaviscon at the ready 😁

 

Nah, 55 minutes at CDG is a walk in the park. Some day I'll tell you about the 15 minute connection in Belgrade when we had to fly Air Serbia! 

 

We arrived in Helsinki at 16:55 and went straight for the train station. I bought tickets on my phone app as we walked. Arrived at the station and caught the 17:15 train with a minute to spare.

 

A relaxing ride to the Helsinki Central Station then a pleasant slow walk to Hotel Kämp. We arrived and were checking in just after 6PM. 

 

Dinner at 20:00 so hopefully we'll have time for a wander first.

[mysty]

40 minutes ago, jpalbny said:

 

Nah, 55 minutes at CDG is a walk in the park. Some day I'll tell you about the 15 minute connection in Belgrade when we had to fly Air Serbia! 

 

We arrived in Helsinki at 16:55 and went straight for the train station. I bought tickets on my phone app as we walked. Arrived at the station and caught the 17:15 train with a minute to spare.

 

A relaxing ride to the Helsinki Central Station then a pleasant slow walk to Hotel Kämp. We arrived and were checking in just after 6PM. 

 

Dinner at 20:00 so hopefully we'll have time for a wander first.

 

Well done oh fearless travellers!  Enjoy dinner! 🥰

[Mr Luxury]

1 hour ago, jpalbny said:

 

Nah, 55 minutes at CDG is a walk in the park. Some day I'll tell you about the 15 minute connection in Belgrade when we had to fly Air Serbia! 

 

We arrived in Helsinki at 16:55 and went straight for the train station. I bought tickets on my phone app as we walked. Arrived at the station and caught the 17:15 train with a minute to spare.

 

A relaxing ride to the Helsinki Central Station then a pleasant slow walk to Hotel Kämp. We arrived and were checking in just after 6PM. 

 

Dinner at 20:00 so hopefully we'll have time for a wander first.

I would slow the dinner down a bit though

[Hezu]

On 5/31/2023 at 5:20 PM, lincslady said:

Looks great, jp.  Lots of ports most of us have never even heard of, so looking forward to reading about them.

For me the names are mostly familiar, although the only ones I have actually visited are Örö and obviously Helsinki, where I currently reside.

Although I have to say the spelling those names on that map is somewhat dubious (granted I can understand the lack of Scandinavian letters), the most odd one is clearly "Ulko Island", which should actually say Ulko-Tammio (the prefix "Ulko" means outer, there happens to be other island called Sisä-Tammio, "Inner Tammio" and those names tell something about those islands' relative distance to the mainland). Another  weird spelling is "Gotska Island", which is less ambigous, but probably most often you see the name written as Gotska Sandön. The rest are more understandable, albeit there is umlauts missing in Örö, Valsörarna, Örnsköldvik and slash in Christiansø. And in most of those names, the base word is ö or ø, which means island in Swedish/Danish.

[Mr Luxury]

2 minutes ago, Hezu said:

For me the names are mostly familiar, although the only ones I have actually visited are Örö and obviously Helsinki, where I currently reside.

Although I have to say the spelling those names on that map is somewhat dubious (granted I can understand the lack of Scandinavian letters), the most odd one is clearly "Ulko Island", which should actually say Ulko-Tammio (the prefix "Ulko" means outer, there happens to be other island called Sisä-Tammio, "Inner Tammio" and those names tell something about those islands' relative distance to the mainland). Another  weird spelling is "Gotska Island", which is less ambigous, but probably most often you see the name written as Gotska Sandön. The rest are more understandable, albeit there is umlauts missing in Örö, Valsörarna, Örnsköldvik and slash in Christiansø. And in most of those names, the base word is ö or ø, which means island in Swedish/Danish.

Hold on,let me get the wine out before you carry on.

[Hezu]

On 5/31/2023 at 7:02 PM, pavementends said:

Looks like a neat itinerary with visits to many of the smaller islands. You get to peer across the water into Russia, for now inaccessible to most of us.

I think you probably won't see that much into Russian territory despite the eastern-most stop is near the Finnish-Russian border, although at least the silhouette of island Gogland in middle of eastern Finnish Gulf should be visible while sailing to/from Ulko-Tammio.

[Mr Luxury]

12 minutes ago, Hezu said:

I think you probably won't see that much into Russian territory despite the eastern-most stop is near the Finnish-Russian border, although at least the silhouette of island Gogland in middle of eastern Finnish Gulf should be visible while sailing to/from Ulko-Tammio.

Did you know that Gogland Island is 173m at its highest point.

Edited June 3, 2023 by Mr Luxury

[Hezu]

2 minutes ago, Mr Luxury said:

Did you know that Gogland Island is 173m at its highest point.

I didn't remember the exact height, but I knew it was tall and I have seen it (from a distance) when I have been in the vicinity.

[gnome12]

2 hours ago, jpalbny said:

Nah, 55 minutes at CDG is a walk in the park. Some day I'll tell you about the 15 minute connection in Belgrade when we had to fly Air Serbia! 

I had quite an experience in Las Vegas. I had been at a conference in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and due to lousy weather in Chicago (what a surprise) my return flight was canceled. I needed to be home the next day, so I got routed Cedar Rapids to Denver to Las Vegas to Toronto. When I got to Denver the next flight was delayed. I asked whether I should bother boarding because the connection was so tight. They said board, so I did. We landed, I sprinted to the next gate, and they closed the door behind me. I don’t think I was on the ground for 10 minutes in total. 

[A Tucson Guy]

32 minutes ago, gnome12 said:

I had quite an experience in Las Vegas. I had been at a conference in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and due to lousy weather in Chicago (what a surprise) my return flight was canceled. I needed to be home the next day, so I got routed Cedar Rapids to Denver to Las Vegas to Toronto. When I got to Denver the next flight was delayed. I asked whether I should bother boarding because the connection was so tight. They said board, so I did. We landed, I sprinted to the next gate, and they closed the door behind me. I don’t think I was on the ground for 10 minutes in total. 

That's a lot of stress!!

[RachelG]

June 3,2023–LHR to Helsinki Finland

 

I generally find the international business class seats on AA quite comfortable and get a pretty good sleep in them.  The same cannot be said for the BA business class seats, and I knew this in advance from previous experience.  For one thing, they are hard as a rock.  For another, they just don’t fit my body when in the lie flat mode.  It seems like my hips are higher than the rest of me.

 

George just doesn’t even try to sleep.  He watched movies all night.  I flipped and flopped trying to find a reasonably comfortable position and was able to eventually get about 4 hours sleep.  All my practice from years of uncomfortable call rooms and having to grab sleep wherever the opportunity arose as a medical student and resident then as an ob attending help.

 

We landed right ontime at LHR terminal 5.  Our Finnair flight was to depart from terminal 3, so it was the dreaded transit bus for us.  Depending on the time of day, that can be a madhouse, but earlier in the morning is generally calmer.  We made it from the plane, on the bus to terminal 3 and back through security in an hour which isn’t bad for LHR. And since our layover was 6 hours, no stress.

 

With Finnair plus George’s executive platinum status on AA, we had our choice of lounges in terminal 3.  BA first lounge, Admiral’s club, Qantas lounge, or Cathay Pacific first lounge.  We went with the Cathay lounge over the BA lounge as we thought the food would probably be a little better, though either would be fine.

 

We found some very comfortable lounge chairs for good napping, then sampled the  buffet.  You could also have made to order dishes, including noodles.  I wasn’t particularly hungry so stuck to fruit and yogurt.  George ordered some noodles and gyoza which he said were great.  The time actually passed pretty quickly.

 

Finnair flight to Helsinki was the typical European business class, ie coach with the middle seat blocked off.  Dinner was one choice only-gnocchi with eggplant and tomato sauce.  This is ironic, as George’s two least favorite foods in the world are eggplant and gnocchi.  Good thing he ate in the lounge first.  There was also a weird starter—a frozen solid cheese and meat roll.  I took one bite, and the that was too much.  But the gnocchi was actually good.

 

We were the first through customs—no line at all.   The agent wanted to know our entire itinerary and how much cash we had!  Luggage was already on the carousel, and there was no line for a taxi.  Fixed rate to downtown is 35 euro.

 

Hotel Kamp, the Silversea assigned hotel, is old and elegant, and our room is very nice with updated bathroom, but no USB ports at all.  This is something of a problem as we have several devices that need charging, and I only have one converter that fits the outlets. We will have to take turns I suppose.

 

Luggage has to be out by 6:30, so we already put ours out tonight.

[ronrick1943]

I’m looking forward to reading more, want to thank all those that are writing about the trip.  Enjoy!