Port Power

I still believe you should be offered a similar length cruise at no extra charge. A 15% discount off fares that have increased since you booked is not a fair exchange. That’s not going to happen either, along with 25%!

Perhaps snorkeling was allowed because of Seabourn’s partnership with local traditional caretakers? I do remember the wind and current picked up. Before it became too strong and we were called back to the Xplorer, many less strong swimmers used noodles to help themselves float.

You have showcased the scenery of Australia and New Zealand beautifully. A lovely video. Thank you. I watched it over breakfast and a cuppa rather than reading.

Don’t tell me after all these years that @mysty and @jpalbny are the same person? Boy, they travel enough for two people, much less one! 🤣

What about @mysty? I think she was the gem. 🤔

@highplanesdrifters posted a trip report when she did it last year (April May) before I joined the ship in Cairns. Well worth having a look. Lots of information about activities and experiences.

S.A.L.T. Restaurant is an alternative choice as a main dining. No bookings required. Their main menu if local flavours changes daily or every second day, then there are regular menus that lasts about four days. Plus standard faves. You can also request dishes with sufficient notice. Just enjoy!

I snorkelled at Ashmore Reef and Scot Reef earlier last year when on an Australian registered expedition ship. When I was on a foreign registered vessel, it was not permitted. We could only zodiac to view bird breeding colonies, rays and turtles. Therefore I was surprised when JP said they snorkelled in that area. Their good luck! All those expedition ships, including Silversea, provided snorkels, masks and find for the duration of the expedition. (On Silversea we snorkelled off Queensland islands.)

Fingers crossed for you. I just read about a couple denied boarding when they arrived after the all aboard time. Evidently it has something to do with clearance paperwork the ship has to give to port authorities. On the other hand, on another cruise I was on, a couple whose delayed flight was quite late arriving telephoned the ship as soon as they landed. Doing that meant they were registered as boarded on the paperwork, even though they turned up just before the tops were released. It pays to let the ship know.

You had to book a cruise after the status match announcement to receive the discount. Discounts are not retrospective. Your booking sounds borderline.

It’s amazing that there was any water falling at all at this time of year! Lucky you. Did you see Ospreys and an osprey nest?

I visited the Canary Islands last year on Silver Dawn, Lisbon to Fort Lauderdale. The tours were very good to excellent. Unfortunately some those great tours are now select, or don’t exist. I agree you should read @Fletcher’s trip report from earlier this year.

Where did you put your suitcases? That’s a lot for under the bed, even with the spare bedding removed. Did the ship store them somewhere?

Thank you, Mysty. Like you, I look up the average temperatures along the itinerary and plan accordingly. I won’t have really cold weather, so no need for boots and parkas. Even the scenic “float past” of Antarctica will only need a puffer jacket. I will need more hot weather clothing, so won’t scrimp there. It sounds like four large suitcases will certainly be enough for one person. I still have the shoe hanger from our very early cruising days. That was an early Cruise Critic hint. It was used over the bathroom door to hold toiletries and sundries though, not shoes. I also have stronger magnetic hooks now, so another one inside the wardrobe actually for shoes is a good idea. I’ll look for cheaper fabric boxes, Kmart rather than IKEA. Why did you take cloth hangers? Wouldn’t the ship be able to supply as many as you needed? But you have made me think that connectors to hang one hanger on another will be very useful. I’ll collect pull rings from baked bean cans to take with me. I appreciate your suggestions and taking the time to respond. 😀

Do you have a few days in Sydney? How will George manage the winter weather? I guess he was only thinking of the tropical north and not the cold and wet winter of Sydney. Perhaps find a Salvo's charity shop for a temporary fix? Or will he just tough it out? 💪

I can now confirm that Silversea has applied a straight 10% discount to the total fare, listed as 'Venetian Society savings'. I am still very happy.

You may well be right that my TA worded the request unclearly. Nevertheless, the printed quote from Silversea yesterday, which also had my VS number on it, has had a further almost $10,000 dollars VS discount applied today. I agree that the status match information must have caught up when the actual booking was processed. In the end, I am one happy cruiser! 🤩 I guess I am now an example that the status match system does actually work.

I have gone ahead and booked the 2027 World Cruise on Silver Dawn. To my surprise, the invoice came through with a further almost $10,000 Venetian Society savings from yesterday’s holding quote. Maybe someone did their homework?

I am in the process booking a future cruise through my travel agent. Due to the status match, I now have the equivalent venetians society rating of 250 days. I therefore asked for the 10% discount that level offers. Silversea came back to my travel agent advising I am not eligible for 10%, just 5% for my 100+ days level. Why offer status matching if it is going to ignored? “The Celebrity status match will have nothing to do with this Silversea voyage. Her VS savings have been applied based on the Venetian Society loyalty program. If she was to travel on Celebrity, then her Celebrity benefits would apply to that booking. The status match will only affect her if she had not travelled with one of our brands (Celebrity , or RCL ), then she would have a match of status on that brand and receive the benefits offered by that brand on that voyage.’”

Definitely have your full name on the Silversea booking the same as your passport. Often it will not matter, but some immigration officers are sticklers for accuracy. It’s not worth the chance of not being able to board the ship or inability to go ashore. Extreme, sure, but why risk it?

RSSC removed the offer for Australians and gave us some OBC instead. I have asked my TA to confirm with SS as it does state luggage forwarding on their website. I looked up the charge by DHL, which is AU450-$500 per piece one way. I wouldn’t mind if SS took $2,000 off my cruise fare instead! 🧳

I searched titles using “Silver Shadow over the world” but this thread did not show up. Fickle! This is the right place for my questions. Thanks for answering. Re-reading this whole thread might answer some questions, but that would take weeks. 🤪. IIRC, the majority of passengers were WC. Did you find you became close to many? Or that it was somewhat like being with your neighbourhood? I remember your photos of suitcases laid out for packing. A lady doing the Pole-to-Pole said to me that it is not that we need lots of clothes, it’s more for our vanity. With laundry included, that is quite true. How many suitcases did you take on board each? Luggage forwarding isn’t available from Australia, but I can take four large suitcases if I fly business class. What were your must haves? Very useful items? Should have left it at home items? The longest period I’ve been on a ship is 47 days, but I’m not concerned about the length of a world cruise. I can retreat to my suite for some down time away from company whenever the need arises. I’ve sailed on Silver Dawn a few times. The 2027 itinerary really interests me. Some known ports, some new ones. Yes, I can afford it. Just! I will have to keep discretionary spending to a minimum in the meantime, but think of what I will save by not being home for five months! ☺️ I will read the penalty terms and conditions closely. Paying the deposit secures travel insurance, so I will be covered if there are any medical reasons for cancelling. Thanks for letting me pick your brain. The 2027 WC has just been released, but vista suites have already sold out! I would want a balcony for that long away.

I was staying with friends in Niebul a couple of weeks ago. We went to Sylt/Zylt on my last visit. Beautiful holiday location. Lots of good eateries.

@mysty, I need to pick your brain. I haven’t even been on my first World Cruise yet (January next year), yet I am considering putting down a deposit on Silversea’s 2027 World Cruise. Am I mad? I would have posted this question on your WC thread, but I couldn’t find it. 😕

Looking at future cruises, the included excursions now only basic walking tours. The lovely snorkelling tours, catamaran tours or other similar tours are now for a fee. $1,000 OBC on a world cruise won’t go very far at all. I am truly sorry to see the reduction quality of included tours.