Silversea Water Cooler: Welcome! Part Two

Silver_traveller, yes, it was a different experience. I have my own thoughts on what could have been done differently. I would talk to Christian Saleau but he is gone!! All in all, a good trip and I enjoyed it. How come we never met?

Mysty,

I ran across this graphic this morning showing the 50/50 Canadian population distribution line, I thought you'd find it interesting ...

Makes sense when you think about it... Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, and Halifax are all south of that line. But it's an amazing graphic!

More important than the Brexit debacle is the fact that Leicester City need only secure 5 points from their last 3 matches to guarantee the Premiership title. Fewer if Spurs slip up. Could it really happen?

Congratulations to Leicester City and their big win in what those across the Atlantic call "football". Fun, interesting story!!! From the BBC, they have this headline: "Leicester City win Premier League title after Tottenham draw at Chelsea" with these highlights: "Leicester started the campaign as 5,000-1 outsiders for the title after almost being relegated last season. But they have lost just three league games in what has been described as a 'fairytale' and the 'most unlikely triumph in the history of team sport'." This story has received good coverage here in the USA.

Full story at:

http://www.bbc.com/sport/football/35988673

Back from traveling to the University of Illinois for a concert by the Utah Symphony on Wednesday as they were on their way to playing at Carnegie Hall in New York City Friday night. Our good friend's daughter-in-law is the new Concertmaster with that rising orchestra. Was backstage after the program, talked with the conductor (who is from Switzerland and had conducted the Wales orchestra, etc.) Then just got back last night from being with two fun grandsons in Charlottesville, Virginia. More pictures to follow.

Welcome back to all of the various travelers, etc.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Enjoyed a 14-day, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure, getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for more info and many pictures of these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 141,701 views for this posting.

Congratulations to Leicester City and their big win in what those across the Atlantic call "football".

It really is one of the biggest stories in modern sport. Our son lives in Leicester although he is in Nevada at the moment but he got to watch the Chelsea/Spurs game that decided the title in Leicester's favour. Our other son lives in the SE of England but also supports Leicester. You wouldn't believe the number of texts, Hangouts, WhatsApps etc flitting around the family last night!

Son No 2 is hosting us for the day that the team parade the trophy around the city followed by an almighty curry on the ''Golden Mile'' - Leicester's own Little India.

It's hard to overestimate the feelgood factor in the East Midlands right now. This is a truly astonishing performance by a team built around good players creating a team that is much more than the sum of its parts.

Mysty,

 

I ran across this graphic this morning showing the 50/50 Canadian population distribution line, I thought you'd find it interesting ...

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Thanks Mark! As JP mentioned a number of big Canadian cities fall below that line. I think the only other really large city is Vancouver on the west coast. Great graphic!

Since I am new to the boards and Silversea, I though I would jump in and introduce myself (and the hubby). No one has signed up on the roll call, so I guess this is where the social action is on this board!

My hubby and I live in a rural part of Michigan, USA. The hubby is retired and I work in the Mental Health field. Our Silversea cruise will be my first luxury cruise, and the husband's first cruise. We never got a honeymoon, so this is our belated one.

I love to talk cruises and cannot wait to learn more about Silversea!

Hi,

Welcome back, I remember your earlier posts on the Cooler, and that you are interested in food, and your hubby is a reitired cop?

The cooler is the place for both SS and non SS stuff ..... and to anticipate your Feb cruise.

I know you were also thinking about your piccy taking and Mysty is the cooler expert on transforming from non-expert to expert with her new Sony, and we're looking forward to seeing more of her world cruise.

:)

Jeff

Thanks for the "pat on the back" Jeff! :) I don't think I am anywhere near an expert but the camera sure gives me a lot more confidence! It was an awesome piece of equipment to have on our grand adventure! Thanks again for the suggestion!

I am currently going through my 4,000 pictures and doing a necessary culling. I did not want to delete anything until I had time to review and assess. I have gone through all the pictures from Fort Lauderdale to Hong Kong (about 2,000 of them). Our Fedex bags are due to arrive this week so it may take me a while to post more photos here. Stay tuned!

Since I am new to the boards and Silversea, I though I would jump in and introduce myself (and the hubby). No one has signed up on the roll call, so I guess this is where the social action is on this board! My hubby and I live in a rural part of Michigan, USA. The hubby is retired and I work in the Mental Health field. Our Silversea cruise will be my first luxury cruise, and the husband's first cruise. We never got a honeymoon, so this is our belated one. I love to talk cruises and cannot wait to learn more about Silversea!

mysty: I don't think I am anywhere near an expert but the camera sure gives me a lot more confidence! It was an awesome piece of equipment to have on our grand adventure! Thanks again for the suggestion! I am currently going through my 4' date='000 pictures and doing a necessary culling[/b']. I did not want to delete anything until I had time to review and assess. I have gone through all the pictures from Fort Lauderdale to Hong Kong (about 2,000 of them). Our Fedex bags are due to arrive this week so it may take me a while to post more photos here. Stay tuned!

Tothesunset: Our son lives in Leicester although he is in Nevada at the moment but he got to watch the Chelsea/Spurs game that decided the title in Leicester's favour. Our other son lives in the SE of England but also supports Leicester. It's hard to overestimate the feelgood factor in the East Midlands right now. This is a truly astonishing performance by a team built around good players creating a team that is much more than the sum of its parts.

Welcome to our "neighbor" to the north in Michigan. What part of rural Michigan? Yes' date=' don't be shy in [i']asking any and all questions[/i] on Silversea and/or about cruising. Unfortunately with Silversea, the roll calls are pretty "dry" and limited here on these Cruise Critic boards. As I have detailed below from our most recent Silversea cruise earlier this year with this live/blog and others, there are lots of info about SS available on these boards. Fire away with any and all questions. The only "dumb" question is the one you do not ask!!

For mysty, yes, it takes some time and to look carefully through your many, many photos. We really look forward to seeing lots . . . and LOTS more from your picture files of your amazing ADVENTURE around the world. Keep 'em coming!!! YES, a better camera does help in getting better results. Glad your confidence is building. Can't post enough to make us lovers of "eye-candy" happy in seeing and learning about these interesting parts of the world.

Great added info from Tothesunset on the big-time win by Leicester City. Very, very amazing story to achieve such a major championship . . . against all odds!!

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

AFRICA?!!?: Lots of interesting and dramatic pictures can be seen from my latest live/blog from being on the Silver Cloud at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2310337

Now at 13,424 views for this reporting and visual sharing that includes Cape Town, all along the South Africa coast, Mozambique, Victoria Falls/Zambia and Botswana's famed Delta area.

To inspire and encourage mysty to keep checking and posting more great visual images, below are just six "eye-candy" examples from our past weekend in Virginia. Yes, Spring is coming and bringing lots of enjoyable fun with the better weather that is coming. And, arrived!! And, growing with its examples for nature's wonders!!

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 197,810 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

From being in Charlottesville, Virginia, this past weekend with our grandsons, etc., below are only six examples for what is happening with Spring. Nice to see lots of varied flowers, etc. Spring is wonderful!!:

Beautiful flowers Terry! And thanks for the encouragement! :)

Thanks to everyone for the welcome!

My husband is retired law enforcement, but not a cop. He was a Parole Officer back when that actually meant something, then worked for a local Sheriff until he retired in October.

We live in Southwest Michigan on a lovely ranch in the middle of nowhere! Can't beat not seeing another house for miles....

What kind of camera(s) do you folks prefer?? I still haven't decided on what to purchase, I just don't feel I know enough to make an educated decision at this point in time!

Hi,

You really need to decide a few things about your camera before anyone can advise you helpfully. Things like how much you want to spend, whether photography is going to be a hobby or do you want to just point and shoot and be happy with what tuat gives. Are you happy to carry it around in a case or do you want it to always sit in a pocket. Are you going to play around with piccies in pursut of perfectin after you have taken your piccies in a software darkroom. Would You like it to take video as well as stills. Stuff like that.

Otherwise the danger is we'll just tell you what we have and like and that will almost certainly not be right for you.

Jeff

Hi,

 

You really need to decide a few things about your camera before anyone can advise you helpfully. Things like how much you want to spend, whether photography is going to be a hobby or do you want to just point and shoot and be happy with what tuat gives. Are you happy to carry it around in a case or do you want it to always sit in a pocket. Are you going to play around with piccies in pursut of perfectin after you have taken your piccies in a software darkroom. Would You like it to take video as well as stills. Stuff like that.

 

 

Otherwise the danger is we'll just tell you what we have and like and that will almost certainly not be right for you.

 

Jeff

I am interested in a DSLR that can "grow" with me. Point and shoot is not going to be enough. I don't have the time to spend editing a lot of pictures, but would like the ability to take much better quality pictures than my current point and shoot. Video is not as important as good stills. I have been looking at Cannon T6i and the Sony A1. Budget is hopefully less than $800 to start, and I plan to add lenses and such as I become more advanced.

I suspect that JP, spins and Terry are the best to advise ... I'm clueless!

Good luck!

Jeff

I am just getting my head above water. The flights back were so long I was completely jet lagged. Still don't really know what time it is.

Trying to post photos where I fell down on my assigned duties on the mini cruise. May take awhile, but it was a short cruise so hopefully not too long to catch up.

Loved the crossing, great to meet Sophia and see old friends.

The mini cruise was another story. I loved the ports but the pax were, for the most part, just plain strange. I have already commented a little on the "vibe".

I am not sure what Silversea was trying to do, but I feel that they used the ship for meetings and that unused suites were dumped into a discounter at the last minute.

I was told that the suites were pretty empty until the last few weeks before the cruise.

I resented the fact that the ship was used as a floating birthday barge and that pax were displaced for the event.

The crew were also on edge, it was palpable.

Anyway, enuf on that topic.

I have missed a lot of the posts in the cooler, so I will have some reading to do.

:-)

Great to meet you Spins and really sorry the mini cruise was so disappointing for you along with your demise health wise......hope you will soon recover from the jet lag......I'll have that to deal with on the crossing in November!!

It's been a long and busy week since my return but everything is getting better as the days go along with Father....hopefully he'll be soon settled into a residential home which will take much pressure off for all of us.

I had my home decorated whilst away and today all the new carpets were laid....my kids chose them and they did good so all is well.

S [emoji4]

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I am just getting my head above water. The flights back were so long I was completely jet lagged. Trying to post photos where I fell down on my assigned duties on the mini cruise. May take awhile, but it was a short cruise so hopefully not too long to catch up. Loved the crossing, great to meet Sophia and see old friends. The mini cruise was another story. I loved the ports but the pax were, for the most part, just plain strange. I have already commented a little on the "vibe". I am not sure what Silversea was trying to do, but I feel that they used the ship for meetings and that unused suites were dumped into a discounter at the last minute. I resented the fact that the ship was used as a floating birthday barge and that pax were displaced for the event.

Appreciate BOTH that Spins is back safe and somewhat sound, maybe!!?? Very interesting background and insights for how these two cruises worked in such very, very different ways!!! Early last year when we combined the 17-day Amazon River cruise with the nine-days in the Caribbean, it was the same ship and crew. BUT, "things" were varied between the two experiences. Nothing that bad or jarring for us. But, as the Hotel Director told us in advance, it would be "different" and it was. Different "audiences" and customers interests. Varied port stops, number of sea days, customer desires/needs, etc.

BOTTOM LINE: The other passengers on your cruise can impact, both positive and negative, for the quality and type of travel experiences you enjoy and experience. Earlier this year in doing our Silver Cloud sailing along the South African coast, I found out in advance that there would be a group of 75 golfers on our cruise. From what others have written, in some cases such a large group can be a "problem" and/or a negative. Fortunately that golfing group did not cause us any challenges and/or disruptions. In a few cases, it turned into some positives.

Ideally, it would have been great to have had some advance "warnings" for those "twists and turns" that ended up affecting your short cruise in the Med. Interesting!!??

Yes, look forward to more visuals and experience sharing as time and recovery permits.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

From our Jan. 25-Feb. 20, 2015, Amazon River-Caribbean combo sailing over 26 days that started in Barbados, here is the link below to that live/blog. Lots of great visuals from this amazing Brazil river and these various Caribbean Islands (Dutch ABC's, St. Barts, Dominica, Grenada, etc.) that we experienced. Check it out at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2157696

Now at 38,966 views for these postings.

I am interested in a DSLR that can "grow" with me. Point and shoot is not going to be enough. I don't have the time to spend editing a lot of pictures, but would like the ability to take much better quality pictures than my current point and shoot. Video is not as important as good stills. I have been looking at Cannon T6i and the Sony A1. Budget is hopefully less than $800 to start, and I plan to add lenses and such as I become more advanced.

UKCruiseJeff: I suspect that JP' date=' spins and Terry are the best to advise ... [b']I'm clueless![/b] Good luck! Jeff

Appreciate these many, important details from our Michigan "neighbor". With your budget range and priorities cited, you have lots of very good options to consider. Don't think Jeff is "clueless" on this and/or other question, but appreciate his mention.

BRAND?: Both Canon and Sony are now making some very, very good DSLR cameras. Personally, I have used Nikon products since the late 1960's and have been very, very satisfied with their quality, innovations, lenses, etc. With an $800 budget, I would look at the Nikon D3300 package with a couple different lenses. In fact right now at Costco, they have a Nikon D3300 DSLR two-lens bundle with Nikkor 18-55mm and 55-200mm lenses, etc., for that exact target price.

PIX PRIORITIES/NEEDS?: Depending on what types of pictures you seek, that can reflect which exact lenses are needed and would work best. For me, it's much about people, architecture, travel, etc. Having a wide-angle lens is important as an option. I also like to capture some nature, wildlife aspects, etc. Having a longer lens, as used recently in Africa, can be vital for those purposes.

CAMERA & USER COMBO?: Just like with cooking and painting art works, the "tools" (pots & pans, paint brushes) can be of importance. BUT, it is also, maybe more so, what you, personally, bring to the "creative equation" that yields the best quality pictures. A good or better camera can help and be of value, but you will need to bring a new focus on practicing, thinking about varied picture angles, etc. Below are some of my general tips to help in gaining more and better photographic results.

What other questions and info needs would be helpful?

MY PHOTO TIPS/INSIGHTS:

In most cases, I shoot in the program or auto setting, letting the camera do the work on settings and focus so that I can be more concerned on framing, subject and creative options. These new digital cameras can be “complicated”, but I try to avoid those challenges and distractions. Here are a few of my basic, key photography secrets:

1. Shooting lots of pictures. That's easier with digital to do, learning as you are taking pictures. When done and sharing, only show people the "good ones!" and do not bother them with the average, duplicate and/or poor ones. The more you shoot, that improves your "odds" to get more better pictures, varied framings, magic moments, etc.

2. Move closer! Zoom in, fill up the frame, try different, more interesting angles.

3. Involve people and light. Make it interesting. Get that human element/connection when possible. Do NOT be boring!! Get something better than just the normal "post-card" picture that everyone has previously seen.

4. Hold things steady. Gently squeeze. Use door frames, walls to give more "stability" and lessen the blurs in lower-light situations. Night pictures can have a real drama.

5. Editing: Fine-tune your pictures on your lap-top, brighten when needed, level it out, improve the cropping, etc. Narrow down to only your "best of the best" pictures before sharing. I have done that on my MacBook Pro computer using their iPhoto and now Aperture software tools. Fairly quick and easy!! That thoughtful editing really can make a major difference to increase quality and interest.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

If Venice is one of your future desires or past favorites, look at this earlier posting for many options and visual samples this city that is so great for "walking around", personally seeing its great history and architecture. This posting is now at 59,515 views.

Venice: Loving It & Why??!!

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1278226

Hm. I am decidedly not a fan of changing lenses on my DSLR. It takes too long and lets dust in. So I am much happier to spend about $500 on a decent-range all-purpose lens such as an 18-250 lens, though an 18-200 wouldn't be half bad, and would cost less.

The only time I change is to put on the monster lens (100-400 zoom). And honestly, unless you're used to changing lenses, it may not be fun for you to do this with your first DSLR. Get a camera and lens that meets most of your photo needs and concentrate on taking pictures.

Remember almost all low cost DSLRs have a small sensor which makes the lens deliver more of an effective zoom than its rating. So an 18-200 is effectively a 27-300. It increases the zoom by a factor of about 1.5. This allows lenses to be made more cheaply for these cameras because the focal area for the image is much smaller.

Other tips - get a protective filter (UV or Sky) and leave it on the lens. It protects the lens and helps the color of your pictures.

Browse Amazon and B&H Photo for some ideas on pricing. One money saving tip - consider a knock-off lens such as Sigma or Tamron. They cost about half to 2/3 of what a Nikon lens does and compatibility is quite good. I'm a cheapo so I only use Sigma, and have for 10 years.

Happy shopping!

I think there was a recent thread about this. Anyway, for what it's worth, on serious trips I take a Canon EOS 6D with three lenses - a 12-24mm, a 24-105mm and a 70-300mm. My wife takes a Nikon D3300 with a 24-105mm. I'll take polarising filters as well as the UVs when conditions allow. I also take a Mac laptop which not only acts as a back-up but also for some preliminary editing which helps with space on the memory cards. However, I am a very parsimonious photographer, a hangover perhaps from the 35mm film days - on a major trip I'll still take only about 400-500 shots. All this goes in a classic Billingham bag.

And simply for the sake of completelness this is why as an ex dslr owner (a new Sony and unused kit) who has gone the quality compact route and why I am totally sold on having a decent (expensive) point and shoot that fits in the pocket.

In the old days all those lenses were necessary to get up close. Although not a 100% substitute, the new current megapixel pocket cameras allows you to zoom in on the software later if you want and as long as you are using it for screen viewing rather than printing large pictures or posters, for many this is a viable and sensible compromise. with lot's of plusses.

The plusses are that you don't take all that stuff around with tou, you always have a camera with you at all times and you avoid what I thnkmalways happens when you point a larger camera at anyone, and that is you lose spontaneity. You can even take pictures at times when larger cameras might be obtrusive or even rude. They also have lot's of new functions that many dslrs do not have.

Mysty has just made this transition from old trusty to the Sony and it would be interesting to hear her views of the tradeoffs.

Jeff

OK, here goes..... I originally wanted a smaller and lighter camera than Old Faithful Betsy (Olympus e300) because we would be taking a number of flights for our planned Over Land excursions on our cruise. Carry on luggage was restricted for size and weight. Jeff seemed very taken with his new Sony so I did the research and determined that it would work for me. I was very surprised and impressed with the performance and capabilities of the Sony. I'm not suggesting that this is the camera for everyone. I'm just saying that I can do almost everything with it that I could do with the Olympus and do it easily. The Olympus has a better zoom but I do not use zoom very frequently so it was not a problem for the Sony. I suggest that there are options for great pictures without necessarily using a DSLR. However, anyone interested in a new camera really needs to do a "test drive" to determine what will give them the kind of image they want to end up with.

Happy Cinco de Mayo! I marinated a flatiron steak in orange juice, chipotle pepper, adobo sauce, and garlic. Grilled to rare then served with an avocado-corn-chipotle salsa. Funny enough I didn't realize that it was an appropriate dish for today until we were eating!

It went well with a California Zinfandel. Time for relaxing tonight, as I'm working this weekend - again! :mad: