Silver Cloud Live - Dublin to Reykjavik - June 15th to 25th

[RyanJCanada]

Hello all - long time reader, first time poster. I'll be posting updates as we make the trip from Dublin to Reykjavik aboard the Silver Cloud, with stops at Bushmills, Isle of Skye, Isle of Canna, Isle of Skye (Dunvegan), Shetland, Orkney Islands, St. Kilda and Western Iceland.

 

We are currently on board the Silver Cloud after spending last night at Anantara the Marker in Dublin, which was booked for us as part of our Silversea door-to-door fare. We spent the previous week in Dublin and Wales. The Anantara was quite a good hotel - we are travelling with our two children, and they had booked 2 rooms for us. They were next to each other rather than connecting, but it still worked well enough for our purposes.

 

Beds were very comfortable and rooms got nice and dark through the use of blackout curtains. Breakfast was included, and was one of the better continental breakfasts that we've had - scrambled eggs were very good, which is something I rarely say about eggs served at a buffet. We were a bit disappointed that Anantara wasn't able to arrange for transportation for us from the Dublin Ferries terminal - but given how many guests they had staying, it was understandable. We had tried to book through the Dublin NXT taxi app but they were unfortunately a no-show after confirming the booking.

 

Few other cabs were present and we'd wondered if we'd have to take the bus into Dublin, but thankfully we were able to grab some other cabs as they dropped people off. We'd arranged our pickup from the airport through Dublin's Corporate Chauffeur Services - Home - Corporate Chauffeur Services - if I'd been thinking, I would have booked through them again. We had a Mercedes van driven by a retired Garda sergeant name Kevin who was a great guide and driver.

 

Embarkation was straightforward. We were the second bus out, scheduled to leave the hotel at 12:20 pm. We were onboard by 12:10, and left around 12:25 or so after waiting for a few stragglers. Then about 10 minutes to the ship and - after a minor collision between the bus and the wall - were in line to board the ship by around 12:35. 5 minutes outside, then we had champagne in hand and were part of a well-organized circuit that got us registered. Better than expected.

 

Grill was busy - no tables available, but we found a spot on the lounge chairs. Staff was great and continually checked in to see if we needed anything. We'd eaten before leaving and so just had a few drinks. Kids had a nice swim in the pool and enjoyed the hot tub. It's been lovely weather in Dublin, and by all reports the water in the pool is nice and warm.

 

Otherwise, Silversea has cancelled our planned hike on the Old Man of Storr in Skye so we're trying to figure out a workaround with that. We have a driver lined up but it's looking like we won't get in to Dunvegan until after 9 am. With a 12:30 departure, we wouldn't have time to make the hike. Sounds like they're trying to extend the stay at Dunvegan Castle but no promises yet. Disappointing, but we'll see what we can work out.

 

That's all for now - look forward to posting more updates throughout the cruise.

 

 

 

[RyanJCanada]

Today's Chronicle for those interested -

 

 

[TLCOhio]

3 hours ago, RyanJCanada said:

Hello all - long time reader, first time poster. I'll be posting updates as we make the trip from Dublin to Reykjavik aboard the Silver Cloud, with stops at Bushmills, Isle of Skye, Isle of Canna, Isle of Skye (Dunvegan), Shetland, Orkney Islands, St. Kilda and Western Iceland.   We are currently on board the Silver Cloud after spending last night at Anantara the Marker in Dublin, which was booked for us as part of our Silversea door-to-door fare. We spent the previous week in Dublin and Wales.

 

Appreciate your posting and follow-ups, especially as a first-timer.  We have great memories from doing four cruises on the Silver Cloud, including the Norway Coast up to the top of Europe, in South Africa and up and down the amazing Amazon River.  

 

Be interested, when handy, as to how many are on this ship for your sailing.  Plus, if you can share any visuals of the food, crew, locations, etc., that is always interesting for those of us following along.  Hint!  Hint!! 

 

We have done much previously for Dublin, Wales, etc.  Love those charming and iteresting areas  Look forward for much more from your upcoming locations.   

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio 

 

 

Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise from Copenhagen, July 2010, to the top of Europe. Scenic visuals with key tips. Live/blog at 247,516 views.
https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/1172051-livesilver-cloud-norway-coastfjords-july-1-16-reports/

[RyanJCanada]

2 hours ago, TLCOhio said:

Be interested, when handy, as to how many are on this ship for your sailing.  Plus, if you can share any visuals of the food, crew, locations, etc., that is always interesting for those of us following along.  Hint!  Hint!! 

Thanks, Terry... seems like it's a full sailing, but I'll check with Reservations to see if they can confirm.

 

And appreciate the advice - pictures are on the way!

[RyanJCanada]

Getting ready to leave Dublin.

Getting underway - view from the Observation Room.

 

Monument outside the Dublin Ferries terminal - Our Lady, Star of the Sea

 

 

View from La Terraza leaving Dublin.

 

 

 

Racing sailboats off the Irish coast.

[RyanJCanada]

Tomorrow's Chronicle - 

 

[RyanJCanada]

Seagulls keep pace as the sun sets on the Silver Cloud

[RachelG]

That is a great itinerary.  We just got off Wind today so following along will prevent me going into withdrawal 

[LouChamp]

Aloha. Thank you for your reports and welcome to CC. Have a wonderful voyage!

[RyanJCanada]

Zodiac trip to Portrush, then on to a 5 mile hike to Giant’s Causeway:

 

[RyanJCanada]

Hiking Giant’s Causeway:

 

Sheep on the cliff side 

[RyanJCanada]

Giant’s Causeway:

 

[Tothesunset]

You're in my homeland there, RJC. Take good care of it! 

[RyanJCanada]

Day 2 Update:

 

 

The rest of our first day went quite well. We were invited to meet our butler and see our room at around 2 pm. One of our bags had not yet arrived, but appeared soon afterward. We had had some concerns that our butler would unpack for us, so we’d left a note asking that they not do so – no issues with this.

 

Took a few minutes to figure out the television system, but we were soon watching the safety video (and giving our acknowledgement). Then we spent some time unpacking and getting settled in, while the kids had a bit of quiet time.

 

Muster went well – certainly much better than it did on Disney, which has been our only other cruise experience to date. Everyone showed up promptly and we were there for perhaps 15 minutes before we followed the line out to the life rafts and went on our merry way. You can definitely tell the difference between a cruise with 221 guests (current number according to Reception) and one with 800 or more – everything seems to be moving smoothly, and there’s much less waiting.

 

After the muster drill, we went to the observation deck to watch the ship get underway. Dublin port isn’t terribly scenic but it was still interesting to see the mix of buildings – old and new, rugged and modern. Then down to the theatre for the Zodiac briefing, which is mandatory for anyone who will be using the Zodiacs to get off the ship – which I expect will be practically everyone, as it’s the only option for most ports. No complaints here, though, as it’s a great way to travel.

 

We had dinner booked at La Terraza for 7 pm – it was a lovely meal. We had antipasta plates and I had the duck ragout pasta. We had a small glass of Prosecco, followed by the house white and a lovely pinot noir. All very tasty – though I did not manage to get a shot of the pasta until I’d already dislodged the garnish. I’ll try to remember for next time…

 

 

Everyone else turned in early, then I stopped by La Dolce Vita for a small bourbon and to listen to the guitarist, Helder, who is very good. Then off to sleep - we are in the Royal Suite with 4 people so the 2 kids are in the main suite, my wife is on the single sofa bed, and I am on an inflatabed next to the desk. Silversea's luxury bedding makes an interesting contrast with an inflatable bed - sort of like a hot dog topped with fois gras - but it was comfortable enough. The only downside was that it shook a bit with the motion of the ship, but that didn't prevent me from getting a very good night's sleep.

 

Up early the next day – still figuring out the ship’s routine, so we went to the Panorama lounge for a 6:30 breakfast only to discover that they just serve light fare and pastries. So it was down to La Terraza for a proper breakfast at 7 am. We stuck to the buffet – yoghurt, berries, eggs, sausage, freshly baked baguette – and then were quick out the door so as not to miss our Zodiac.

 

We weren’t sure what to expect with the Zodiacs, and were ready to fully dress in wet weather gear before embarking. But the weather was fine and we stuck to our regular hiking clothes. About 5 – 10 minutes on the water and we were docked on Portrush and then onto our coach bus headed for the Giant’s Causeway Hike.

 

After about a 20 minute bus ride, there was a short stop at the visitor’s centre so that we could take a brief bio-break, and then we were dropped off on a hiking trail about 5 miles away from the Causeway. Terrain could be a bit difficult at times – slippery steps, inclines, close to the cliffside, etc. – but generally it was a very pleasant and extremely scenic walk. Took us about 3 hours to make the trip.

 

I won’t go into all the details around the Causeway, but I will point you to some of the geological information - The Giant's Causeway and Causeway Coast - British Geological Survey (bgs.ac.uk) - and some of the fables - Giant's Causeway's history | County Antrim | National Trust - around its creation. I found it interesting to learn that there’s apparently a Scottish counterpart to the Causeway, Fingal’s Cave. Going to add that to the list for a future visit…

 

The Causeway itself was very busy, but no problem finding a quiet spot to take in the views and snap a few pictures. We didn’t have long to stay, though, before we needed to get back to the visitor’s centre. There was a shuttle bus available (extra charge – 1 GBP) but due to the crowds we decided to walk it back instead. But despite the somewhat tight timeline, we all made it back to the bus for 12:45 for an on-time departure. Short bus ride back, and then immediately back on the Zodiac and back to the Silver Cloud.

 

First impressions – we really, really like the ‘expedition’ model being used by Silver Seas. The Zodiacs are letting us get into ports that this vessel would otherwise not be able to dock at. It’s all extremely well run and safe, and there’s very little lost time spent waiting. Lots of thoughtful touches – coaches are large and air conditioned, included water and bananas, and our great local guide, Jennifer.

 

Once back, we headed off to the Grill for a quick lunch. Service was truly exceptional with most of the guests still off the boat. No pictures, but we got the chicken Caesar salad, Silver beef burger, and the hot dog – that has to be one of the best burgers I’ve had in a long time, and I’m not easily impressed when it comes to burgers.

 

Phone was charging in the suite so no pictures from the Grill at this time, but more coming soon...

[FauxNom]

Sounds great! I love those expedition ships....

 

One tip: at some point you might find the buffet offering up eggs or meat that's not hot. If so, and if you have time, don't hesitate to order from the waiter. I'm not hard to please, but once I figured out that I could ask for almost anything, the dining experience became even better than it already was.

 

How old are your kids? I hope they are enjoying being onboard.

[spinnaker2]

Fabulous reporting, photos and trip!!! Enjoy it all.

[RyanJCanada]

1 hour ago, FauxNom said:

Sounds great! I love those expedition ships....

 

One tip: at some point you might find the buffet offering up eggs or meat that's not hot. If so, and if you have time, don't hesitate to order from the waiter. I'm not hard to please, but once I figured out that I could ask for almost anything, the dining experience became even better than it already was.

 

How old are your kids? I hope they are enjoying being onboard.

Good tip - thanks!

 

Kids are 10 and 7 years old. They’re having a great time so far.

[RyanJCanada]

La Terraza menu and antipasto plate:

 

[RyanJCanada]

The sun again sets on the Silver Cloud

[RyanJCanada]

Good morning, Isle of Skye!

[RachelG]

Interesting that you found the hamburger at the grill good, as we just got off Wind and the hamburgers were borderline inedible.    My husband even talked to the chef about this.  He had said they had many complaints, but that they weren’t able to source American beef, and that the beef they were getting was Italian.

[RyanJCanada]

Just now, RachelG said:

Interesting that you found the hamburger at the grill good, as we just got off Wind and the hamburgers were borderline inedible.    My husband even talked to the chef about this.  He had said they had many complaints, but that they weren’t able to source American beef, and that the beef they were getting was Italian.

Good to know that there can be such a difference between the ships - though I will order another, just to be certain…

[RyanJCanada]

Lock Scavaig, Isle of Skye:

 

[RyanJCanada]

 

 

 

 

 

 

Seals

Edited June 17, 2023 by RyanJCanada

[RyanJCanada]

Today’s Chronicle: