Port Power

As you say, it is for enticing Celebrity passengers to try Silversea. SS clients just have to grin and bear the inequity of it.

Luggage tags are supplied upon check in at the ship. These can be removed and disposed of once in the cabin. Departure luggage tags are supplied before disembarking. The are colour coded depending upon the next destination, whether the airport or a post cruise tour. All these paper tags are sturdy enough for their short life not to need holders. Persons, choice, of course.

No.

No need for you to worry at all. The ship will either dock, or it will not. Nothing for you to do at all as it is out of your hands. You might end up enjoying a sea day, or visiting an entirely different port. No worries!

I did the Falkland’s battlefield tour led by a now local resident who was a paratrooper during the initial invasion. The best tour ever! Having that first hand information of how they had to cross the land was incredible. He met the girl who would later become his wife when they released the locals from being held in the church. I cannot describe how fantastic the tour was! Take tablets in advance of the possible (or not) Drake Passage discomfort rather than miss out on the history and fauna of the Falklands and South Georgia.

I was on Silver Wind a couple of weeks ago and was entirely happy with the ship. Homely, yes, but enjoyably so. There were absolutely no bathroom problems at all. Zilch!

“Seattle Underground” tour. Also the Boeing factory.

Just do the whole Antarctica, Falklands and South Georgia expedition. Much more interesting and much more to see.

I think that was something to do with the ship having its hull scraped, which SS had not had done prior to arriving. In Japan we went for a day excursion, but that was voluntary. In Dubai we went to a lounge to receive our new pass cards, then walked out on deck to tag off, tag on with new card, and came straight back onboard. USA IIRC is one of the countries that require clearing the ship.

Wow, that’s unusual! I have always received very clear, printed instructions a day or two in advance about what would be happening on changeover day.

I didn’t think I would want to go the distance and pay the premium for a visit to the Galapagos. However, I have been follow your current trip as well as reading @twangster’s trip report from September 2023. A good comparison between a family’s experience and a solo photographer’s experience that combines to relate such a good experience. I cannot reconcile having to wear a wetsuit when snorkelling at that latitude, so will look at my future booking when slightly warmer. Love that ship! Meanwhile I’m heading back to the zoo to spend the day with Perth’s Galapagos tortoises!

The caveat is in relation to where your back to back cruises are. You have not mentioned destinations. Some countries require the ship to clear all passengers, in which case you must disembark by a certain time so the ship can be “cleared”. Just you. Your cabin remains unchanged and luggage stays under the bed. In such countries you might be able to board again almost immediately. In other cases you will not be able to board again for several hours. Silversea usually provides a shore excursion specifically for B2B passengers in this instance. Definitely have your TA get the B2B discount for you. No matter how long between booking the two cruises, this discount still applies.

Included shore excursions always had prices attached in case they were a second option. On average I would say $180 each. You should still be able to book them in advance in My Silversea, or on board the ship. Only you will know whether the aggregate is good value. Silversea nearly always docks close to town. If not, there will be a free shuttle provided. This is an opportunity to consider local shore excursions if you are that way inclined. Especially a small group (6) with fellow passengers through your Roll Call.

NEVER! Vinyl records have returned in strength. Even my 30+ son bought a turntable and LPs. In fact, it turns out I had good taste back in the day and he took a good selection of my LPs! Pink Floyd lives again!

Jeff, your knowledge and explanations are very informative. I am on a world cruise with RSSC commencing next January and have had some excursions already cancelled because of “logistical” reasons. Six or more months in advance, that is perfectly acceptable. Whether there were not enough participants or whether the supplier price had increased too much, there has been plenty of notice. Surely the increase being asked once onboard the ship is too close for comfort? I saw the snow skis in Iceland last month when I did the “Into the Glacier” tour. I would expect it is expensive because of the distance from Reykjavik and the complexity of the experience. But asking for so much extra so close to the excursion is pretty poor! SS should have been informed of cost variations well before guests boarded the ship. Thank you for your insight.

I would suggest that more cruise passengers would head to Las Ramblas, whereas fly-in tourists, and especially those driving cars, would spread out into other areas and the countryside.

Might I add that the beach landing locations change from cruise to cruise. Sometimes the beaches are strewn with sharp, broken shells and coral. They are uncomfortable to walk on and can cut your feet. Also, depending on the time of year you visit, as well as the time of day, some of the mud flats can be, well, muddy. Now Silica Beach is quite another matter, with sand softer than anywhere I’ve ever been to!

I thought I was gentle, asking him to give folk a bit of time to answer. Apart from the post probably being in the wrong thread, why shouldn’t an experienced and recent SS cruiser be able to answer? I have made shore excursion reservations and dining reservations that appear in my “My Silversea” booking. I have also had OBC that does not show up there. “My Silversea” is not different in different countries. When I book using my US travel agent, the same information appears as booked through my Australian TA. @Pizzasteve did not state where he lives.

You might like to at least leave enough time for Coolers to read your post. Denizens are from countries all over the world, not all in the same time zone as you. A reasonable question is how long ago did you make your booking? It sometimes seems to take time to load into My Silversea. Onboard credit does not show up in there from my experience. I don’t have an App, so don’t know how that works.

I would never try to sneak food from the ship! There is no way I am going to bring potential destructive insects, grains or diseases into Australia that could affect local agriculture and fauna. These types of excursions I’ve only experienced on transatlantic cruises from Europe to USA, like in Grand Canary. In Australia I might bring my own commercial muesli bars bought from a local supermarket, so I know they are safe. Otherwise I just go without. I’m hardly likely to starve on a 4-hour tour! 😂. Actually, I very rarely eat a morning snack or biscuit anyway.

I am coeliac and rarely have a problem. I don't do chef tours or market food tours though. The ship has my dietary need on file and puts that in place for the lunch on any excursion. I always then double check with shore excursions when I board the ship. In a very few instances there were no alternatives, so I usually carry a gluten-free muesli bar just in case. Coffee stops where a local specialist bakery item is provided, I miss out, although sometimes will be given a piece of fruit if I ask. With so much food on the ship, I don't feel that I "miss out" by not eating a pastry!

Suite lounges and suite dining rooms are for those ships that contain 2,000+ passengers. Definitely not needed for these lovely, smaller ships of 600-odd guests.

Crew are always going ashore to buy snacks and personal care items. They need the currency of the port for that, so the pound in Britain and Euros in Ireland and Europe. Enough passengers will tip in local currency for shopping purposes, and more in USD for sending home.

I think the point of the lagoons is the natural thermally heated water from the volcanic system, not the actual facility that holds the water. It is not chlorinated water from the mains! I quite enjoyed Star Lagoon, which also included a sauna room and steam room and salt scrub. It was well managed and drinks were limited to three, with a wrist band to be scanned as proof. The view of the sea was lovely.