Port Power

You can order lobster at any time during a cruise, plus it is on the Atlantide menu periodically through a cruise. Formal nights often do something a little special, or the Captain’s welcome dinner. Then there is the seafood buffet! I can’t comment on whether been Wellington is on the menu as I cannot eat it.

It was 2:30 in the afternoon here. 😎

As I said, I’ve taken many Kimberley expeditions with various companies. Some didn’t need passports. I probably mixed them up. Some didn’t go out to Ashmore reef. One was a round trip from Broome. I totally agree Silversea never “dumped” any cruises in Australia, including the Kimberley. Silversea doesn’t discount at all as far as I’m aware. They will offer no solo supplement closer to departure, which is the big draw card for solo travellers. Australia’s would just have taken the opportunity of a close to home, luxury cruise.

You could be right. I seem to remember an email from my TA, but not the price now. It’s the sort of cruise I would book last minute if the price was attractive and I was free. I guess some people just read the “luxury cruise” part, maybe “Kimberley”, and didn’t look any further! And no need for expensive flights to go to the other side of the planet. Nor a passport required.

Notice the instruction to “upsell”. Possibly this has always been the case, but it seems more a RCI instruction. As all staff are new employees and never in the cruise business, how can they immediately and effectively advise the customer of cruises that meet their needs? Previously there would have been a mix of old and new employees, so assistance and advice available. I wonder if these new recruits will ever get to @expeditionexpert’s standard? Probably not under RCI conditions.

On older ships we used to take our own extension cord. The electrician would check and tag it. Better than the dirty cords that were seemingly dragged out of the engine room! Cruise companies usually have a request form to fill out prior to sailing where you can ask for distilled water. This helps the ship cater for everyone. We would receive a 2 litre bottle. My husband took his usual CPAP machine. Modern ones are pretty compact and come with a bag.

Because of the rules that allowed cruise ships to operate in Australian waters, many more smaller and medium sized expedition ships are coming into the Kimberley. There should have been a size limit set for cruise ships initially, but expedition cruising was not an industry back then, so it wasn’t thought necessary. So more and more international ships are heading into the Kimberley, often too big at more than 200 passengers to get into many areas of interest. Nor can zodiacs handle the distance to visit other beautiful waterfalls and rock pools. Obtaining sufficient numbers of experienced expedition staff who know northern Australia then becomes another problem. International ships are also selling expedition cruises years in advance, even though they don’t have their permits for said cruises at the time of booking. There are really a lot of ships in the northwest during the season. The smaller ones (up to 120 maximum dual occupancy or less) IMO offer a much better overall experience. (If of interest, I have been on six Kimberley expedition cruises, as well as across the top end and down the coral coast.)

Thank you very much for posting your first hand knowledge. And welcome to Cruise Critic. Please stay as a contributor and enjoy the conversations. They’re not all bad! Mostly we enjoy our cruises, but perhaps this isn’t told often enough. Thank you for working hard for your guests. Hopefully you will confuse to do so with your new company.

When you book back to back cruises (segments), there is a reduction in total price. It is considered one cruise for the purpose of booking D2D flights.

I actually booked through my US travel agent. Even at the current really low exchange rate, I will save a few thousand dollars at the very least, possibly much more by the time of final payment. Plus US$6,000 OBC.

Please come back and clarify for us. Did you book with a UK travel agent because you prefer that particular agent? That is what I have assumed. It’s good to see that you are well aware of the various legalities and responsibilities of TAs and different regions.

Yes. Silversea’s 2027 World Cruise.

I did notice that a good many of these zero single supplement cruises are this year. As the ships are ready to sail and are not full, that’s the perfect opportunity to sell some more cabins. Just desperate marketing rather than wanting to open opportunities for solo cruisers. The alternative is to book 18-24 months in advance. That early there is usually a 25% supplement that disappears when the cruise is within 18 months of departure. I have just booked 2027 and was charged only a 25% solo supplement.

The Alaskan cruise boards in Seattle but ends in Vancouver. The cruise to Honolulu starts in Vancouver. Surely that covers the cabotage laws? Not knowing the exact itinerary, are there any port stops in between the two countries?

I definitely recommend buying the Myki on line. You then register the card and can top it up either online with your credit card or at top up machines at some tram stops. Keep the Myki card in case you return to Melbourne. I also have an Opal card for Sydney and one for Auckland. Very handy. The latter two cities enable use of public transport by using your credit card to tap on. Melbourne is in the process of doing that too, which will be a boon for visitors.

I did the reverse itinerary in 2016 on Queen Victoria, Cape Town to Fremantle. As there are a lot of sea days, there was an excellent lecture program. Cunard is particularly good in that field. My husband grudgingly took a suit, but wore shorts the rest of the time. His slacks and a short sleeved shirt were fine most nights in the MDR. Women have much more flexibility. Many Cunard cruisers are definitely not sophisticated!

I’m glad it helped. I think $99 is worth it for the ease of travel including your luggage. I have used the limousine bus, but it is more cumbersome if you have lots of luggage. Using the SS transfer is more expensive (although not “expensive”) but also more relaxed. Plus you get to see yet another temple 🤣, and also beautiful gardens. Without anxiety.

Why don’t you think you can use the Silversea transfer? If you have not booked door-to-door, you can still purchase the transfer from the Shore Excursions desk. When I was on Silver Dawn last year, I went on the tour/transfer to Narita. Three hours is plenty of time to check in and go through security. It didn’t take long at all from memory. Before I knew it, there I was in the JAL lounge with something bubbly in my hand! Often airlines are not available for check in until 3 hours prior to the flight anyway.

As several people with long histories with Silversea have stated above, the 7-day cruise is benefit after 350 nights. No one seems to agree it is 300 days, at least not since at least 201.

Did you read post #1 by @sea bright? It seems your questions were answered there. I never feel sea sick, so my answer might be very different to your personal equilibrium. Aft is quite stable, with less sense of motion than forward cabins. There are many threads about Silver Nova, with guest experiences quite different even on the same cruise. Look up one of the recent threads for descriptions of the ship. Welcome to Cruise Critic. Please do look through the list of threads, and read a few that might be of interest to you.

There is something I must correct. There was an accident a few years ago, but never any fatalities. No one died at Horizontal Falls. The traditional caretakers have now stopped the boats going through, although with about two years’ notice IIRC. (Totally unrelated to the previous accident.) There was quite a business with float planes flying from Broome and landing on the water there, and passengers then boarding the boats. I’m glad you have been enjoying your Kimberley cruise. The area is a wonderful part of my home state.

That’s what my son and I have done for the last few years (there’s only two of us in our immediate family now), and I thoroughly enjoy the experiences. Sometimes a favourite restaurant to return to, sometimes experiences run by wineries. For his birthday last week we went to a bourbon pairing dinner with Weller and Pappy Van Winkle bourbons. One happy son!

It is most unfortunate that guests do have to advise the cruise line! I agree with your statement, and the cruises Iines indeed should remedy the situation, including all costs and transfers, until the guest reaches the ship. But it’s not happening in real life! SS should book flights to arrive the day before and advise guests they will need to book a hotel at own cost. If the customer then says “no, fly us in on boarding day”, Silversea is off the hook. Newbies and the naive (perfect term) will probably go with the itinerary SS recommended.

Here is Falcon. He is pretty gorgeous. His tail is so full and fluffy! His mother was a rescued feral cat that took extremely well to domesticity. As did young Falcon, now 2 years old.

I am so sorry for your friends. I hope they have learned from this that they need to fly into the port city at least a day early. Silversea will book earlier flights if requested. There was no hotel included in the D2D booking, so no reason SS would pay for it. Also the transfers from airport to port are group transfers, not an individual vehicle. At least their new flights were supplied at no further cost. Hopefully their travel insurance will compensate due to the missed connection, unless the cost is less than the excess.