turtlemichael

Tick Tick Tick......

Far be it from me to be contrary, but my view is more akin to drron29's. If I had not been to Vietnam before I'd do that country, as thoroughly as possible, before venturing to Angkor Wat. Therefore, I'd stay ship based. Vietnam is amongst the best of tourist destinations and deserves a lot of attention. I'd save Angkor Wat for a land-based tour. There is just so much to see in Angkor Wat. I'd also check the price before making a decision. These add on tours from Silversea can require a second mortgage.

And then charge for the same product a second time.

It seems to me that the topic of included/selected tours is well worth discussing and that there are many places to discuss the Nova dress code. I for one would appreciate the thread staying on that topic. My general observation from a long cruise earlier this year is that the included tours are increasingly the very basic ones - panoramic bus rides. As the inclusion of tours meant price increases only recently it would be doubly off-putting if I pay for them as part of the cruise price and then have to pay again for something I actually want to do.

As I detailed earlier in this thread, exactly what happened on Shadow earlier this year.

Jon and Tracey were not on WC2023. There were various rumors as to why not. All I can say is that Jon, in particular, was greatly missed by many as the Destination Consultant. I hope that the issue, if there is one, has been resolved for 2024.

Great suggestion mysty! You can pay cash on the bus so no need to worry about tickets. A taxi would be about AUD20.00. The gardens are very good. They are not large but good for an hour or so. There are some spectacular tropical plants and also a good variety of orchids. The gardens have a funky cafe too.

All digits and bendy bits are crossed with you. It's hard to see what alternatives they would have. And on the subject of you swimming and dancing - go for it!!!! On WC 2019, not so much in 2023, the pool in the morning was the best place to keep UpToDate with the gossip. Just sayin' xx

What will we make of that change? Not a lot, I'm suspecting.

A couple of comments. On this year's World Cruise on Shadow, your fears about a singer getting sick (and on another occasion having to leave for a period for personal reasons) were exactly what happened thus severely limiting the performances of the remaining performers. We were told they would review the format. If your informant is right, they appear to have decided not to change the structure. Big mistake. On the other hand, A Tuscan Guy reports Nova has four singers and five dancers. Hopefully, this will be what happens on all ships.

Thanks for your "hot off the press" comments. Reading them, I have the impression that most of the justification for the extra $100 per person is, in your view, because of the superior wines. If you don't drink alcohol are you getting very similar food, maybe better caviar, but at a $100 surcharge?

Please don't give them any more clever ideas.

A variation on the question in this discussion, if I may? We want to get from Heathrow to Bankside Hilton with a couple of cases. Apart from a cab all the way, I thought of the Elizabeth Line to Farringdon and a taxi from there to the hotel heading down Farringdon Road and across Blackfriars Bridge. Unfortunately, this will be at around 5.00 or 6.00pm on a Tuesday, so near peak time. How hard will it be to pick up a cab outside Farringdon? Is there a rank? Thank you.

Welcome to my world!

They are actually a bit different but good luck in picking the differences on your plate! UPDATED BUG GUIDE WEB_v2 (daf.qld.gov.au)

We had dinner there tonight! But alas not the Moreton Bay bugs.

At least it’s not being advertised in the Sun or Mirror.

I was on the World Cruise and I know I mentioned that the new concept had started from the time we boarded as did others here and in the place whose name isn’t mentioned. The problems I saw were first, with the vocalists. One had personal issues at home and had to leave the ship for a time, as well as health issues after they returned. With just one vocalist remaining the planned shows were generally not possible as there was no one able to step in. Second, the six dancers did not have the breadth of skills to take work pressure off the CD in related areas eg hosting some late night events such as Name That Tune etc. From the chatter around the ship there were other issues which I won’t go into. While there was a big up-step in skills, I’m sure Silversea will still be working on refining the new approach.

As reported elsewhere, the new concept started on Shadow in January for the World Cruise. Though standards were high there were a number of problems identified. It would not surprise me if they were looking at refinements to the concept to avoid the problems.

Useless fact of the day: There are apparently more camels in Australia, mainly of the feral sort, than in the Middle East. Who knew? Even if you don't pay the small fortune they ask to have your rear end bruised by the walk, the procession makes a great photo with the sun setting over the Indian Ocean.

The exact time will be confirmed on board. Almost certainly it will be 7.00pm. If that doesn't suit you, for whatever reason, just tell the Maitre D' you'd prefer 7.45pm or 8.15pm or whatever. Even if you are fashionably late, they will do everything to accommodate you. It all becomes stress-free when you are on board.

From my observation, you have got it about right. I have not owned any sort of suit for 20 years and happily have been able to dine in any Silversea venue on formal nights whenever I wanted to.

Australia. The convicts apparently brought in the term “clobber”. Indeed, there are quite a few like that though most young people wouldn’t know them.

That's pretty much a put-down of those who enjoy Silversea's ambiance and style, Many feel they have a lovely "adult dining experience" on Silversea wearing formal clobber together with others doing the same thing. (sorry, clobber is slang for clothes!) Of course, times are always changing and "the old guard" may be diminishing. Silversea, though it's definition of formal is not what it was not too many years ago, is pretty much hanging out. I'm sure Silversea will change when they determine that it is in their best interests to do so. They are, after all, a business.