Port Power

We did that same tour last year on Muse. The temple was wonderful, as were the coastal views. You seem to have a lovely day for your visit. Ours was on a holy day and was extremely crowded with local families. The “sky walk” is simply a thick glass platform jutting out over the water. Five minutes looking at the view. A few people walked the stairs down to the rocks. The rest of us stood around chatting in the shade of the building across the road for half an hour! Or was it longer than that?

Absolutely agree. They contracted with a good, reliable company in Australia. Why can’t they do that in the USA?

Ships will always have soda water. It is required for mixing with whiskey! It might be post soda water, but still acceptable. Soda water is quite different to sparkling water or sparkling mineral water, though. Anyway, let’s stop hijacking @flyers trip report.

Yes, previous posters have done this. After all, it is up to you to supply two addresses of your choice.

Lea was on Wind when I did the Antarctic cruise in December / January just gone. I first met her on Coral Expeditions in the Kimberley. She is a marine biologist, but so knowledgeable over a wide area of nature. Competent but also very engaging. And I’ll now cross Sierra Leone off my bucket list. 😆 🦛

Why not use it at the spa? A relaxing back massage after a long day out never goes astray, @mklions. You can also buy overpriced but lovely lotions there, too.

I’m pretty sure you won’t be able to purchase the transfer at the airport, but could be wrong. You should be able to book it in advance though. However, being pre-cruise, I doubt OBC can be applied. A good idea is to ask the shore concierge as recommended above.

I agree that views of a first time cruiser will be very interesting. Please do post. I really enjoyed my Alaskan ports on Muse last year. Look at the excursions to see what you might enjoy. There was a very good tour in Sitka to the Eagle sanctuary followed by the bear sanctuary. We did a fantastic included tour in Ketchikan out to a fishing lodge, including a lovely but short temperate rainforest walk on a boarded walkway. Highly recommend if it is still included. (I usually never get my hands messy, but I dig into this delicious lunch!)

@Fletcher, you need to go higher up the food chain for some recompense. Usually guest services can email reservations with a request for future OBC if they agree your cabin or cruise has been impacted. Better yet, have your TA write to SS.

In the heat of the tropics, no one on Silver Explorer ever wore a jacket. Zilch! Too hot. Wear slacks/cargo pants and a cotton collared shirt on Captain’s night rather than a polo top, and polos the rest of the time. For ladies, a simple cotton dress is fine, or pants and a cool top. My sleeveless cotton dresses were so cool, although not my usual restaurant standard. Passengers dressed for the weather.

I did a tour out of the Valencia last November. There were people walking out, but the shuttles were at the port. I agree that they were probably every 30 mins. I have a photo of the beautiful warehouses by the port where oranges used to be stored prior to shipping, but nothing else. Crew walked out to find food shops. I don't think the old town was within walking distance, but am not certain.

I have just received an email from SS prior to the Silver Wind Arctic cruise late next month. The dress code states no sports shoes after 6pm. When I was on Wind in the Antarctic, that was all that most passengers wore most of the time! With nice jeans or slacks, with polo shirts or button through shirts. The occasional leather lace-up or slip on was seen, or me in open sandals nearly all the time. Many of us wore smart casual pants and tops at dinner, but on the Captain's night and one other some ladies wore a dress they would wear to a nice restaurant, or slacks and a pretty top. Many still wore slacks and a jumper (pullover) though. Expedition cruises are casual (but not daggy).

I have sailed both Silversea and Azamara, and like them both. As a solo cruiser, I found that on Silversea it was easy to meet new people in the lounges as well as making up tables for dinner. As a solo, I also like that shore excursions are included. However, Silversea has now priced itself well outside my budget. I went to SS because I enjoyed the size of Azamara ships. Azamara still remains my favourite, even with smaller cabins and fewer lounge areas. I’ll just budget in shore excursions in future, although many private excursions are booked with the CC roll call group. I’ve always met people around the ship and at trivia, and enjoy the AZ ambience. I do like to dress up sometimes, and feel quite comfortable wearing a cocktail dress some evenings on AZ. I’m never the only one, either!

I compared my Silver Ray 2026 bookings with the current promotion. I had booked under a suite upgrade promo in any case. The price hikes from March were massive! The 10 day Caribbean cruise is now $4,000 dearer and the 14 day transatlantic is $5,350 more expensive for the same cabin category. I won't be changing or cancelling my cruises.

Oh, dear! My apologies for giving the wrong impression. I was not blaming the victim, but wondering why these issues could not be addressed earlier.