CamMag

16 hours ago, UKCruiseJeff said:

 

Margaret,

 

Have you requested a Blacklane quote? 

 

A sensible starter for your decision would be to put in a pricing request from Ferndown to Southampton, on the Blacklane site and if as the case is for much of the UK that the Blacklane site does not quote because the service in “unavailable” in Ferndown then this might imply that it is perhaps an option you should avoid. if you wish to avoid a layer of avoidable stress and use a trustworthy local company. If it quotes then at least you know where you are.

 

https://www.blacklane.com/en/

 

Jeff

 I'll give it a go and also check with a local firm.

16 hours ago, machotspur said:

Hi CamMag

 

You may be on the same Silver Moon cruise as us, departing Southampton on 9th September 22 ?

If so the port website shows the departure as being from City Terminal 101, which is the one just before Mayflower Park (where people stand to wave at outgoing ships !) and the IOW ferry !

 

Regarding Blackstone. We don’t use them because the Silversea distance limit is 50 miles I think. We receive a £75 credit each way for not using this service. It may be that a cost of a local taxi from Ferndown is less than this so it may make sense for you to do the same DIY as ourselves.

 

 

Yes, we're on the same cruise. Thanks for the port information - we went to Norway in 2017 on the Wind from Tower Bridge and haven't travelled from Southampton before. We are leaving our car at the mother-in-law's so will probably think about using her reliable local taxi company.

We're thinking about using Blacklane for travel from Ferndown to Southampton for our Norway cruise in September. It's less than 30 miles. Anyone had experience of them in the UK? 

Also, when do we get a time to check in and told where the Silver Moon will be docked?

TIA

Margaret

I worked out where the pier is. What time did you choose? Documents say 2 to 5 but I seem to recall silversea is ready earlier (unless I’m mixing myself up with seabourn). Hotel tosses us out at 12 so getting on board early even to sit in a lounge wild be handy.

Hopefully someone else can answer that one! Because we didn't have far to travel, we were at home mowing the lawn and cutting the hedge so that it would last the 17 days we were away!! We didn't arrive until about 4.30 p.m.

We are indeed. As you can see we've left 'doing anything about it' a bit late in the game but this weekend should see us packed and rocking. Leave Monday night, couple-o-days in London and see you at Tower Bridge. I believe we just turn up at the departure point for HMS Belfast and look for a sign. Sure we'll figure it out.

 

See you on board. I'm the guy with the MacBook and a glass of bubbly.

There last month! Silversea personnel will find you before you can look for them! Our car drew up and porters had the bags out of the boot (trunk) and away before we'd even thanked our driver. A Silversea lady ticked us off a list, whisked us through Security and on to a small boat to cross to HMS Belfast. Up some steps and before we knew it we were checked in and had a drink in our hands. So slick! Loved departing through Tower Bridge and the trip down the Thames looking at at the London landmarks.

Would be interested in hearing others opinions of recent experiences on the Wind. I am concerned not just about this review, but the other recent reviews have been rather lackluster . It seems those loyal to Silverseas tend not to focus on any negatives, but if they exist it would be good to share. I guess this refurbishment was more a freshen up than an extensive overhaul, which is what I was afraid of. Especially since we are scheduled to travel next year and if the recent"refurb" did not address the mechanics, what should we expect next year.

Hi, We were on the second Norway trip, arriving back last Monday. Silversea first-timers and not loyal to any line in particular!

Chosen for timing and itinerary (have been to Norway a number of times at this time of year) and also because the Wind is a small ship with a high staff/passenger ratio and carries few, if any, children.

Did it deliver? Yes. It's an older ship with very traditional decor but I think much of the furnishing and carpeting was probably changed or cleaned during the refurb as it was clean and generally in good repair for a ship of its age. Our room (mid-ship Veranda on deck 5) was a nice size and everything worked. The bathroom is small and has shower over bath - that was my one compromise as I much prefer a walk-in shower but not available at that level. We did not detect any sewage smells in our room or have any toilet problems.

What struck us was that the Wind is well run, morale seems high and the staff work in a very cooperative way, supporting each other and are unfailingly polite. We tried all the dining rooms and enjoyed the variety of food and wine. We met some very nice like-minded people and enjoyed the choice of joining a large table or dining on our own when we felt like it.

We would definitely consider the Wind again for a future cruise.

Very happy with Uniworld (traditional) and AMA (modern). Would have tried Scenic but they have always been booked up when we were considering them.

Just one word of warning about European river cruising - we have had some great trips but have also been subject to some major changes owing to "not enough water" in the summer and "too much water" in the winter. Can mean that you end up spending a lot of time on a coach and using the boat as a hotel!

Luxury means different things to different people! Important to me is good service, good food, pleasant surroundings. The Wind provides all of these things but it is an older ship and does not offer the glitz and glamour of some more modern ships. Carpets, upholstery and drapes are in good repair and the outdoor spaces are also well kept. The Wind reminds me of the days of Ocean liners and there are touches in the Theatre and public areas which are in that style - a traditional, some might call it old fashioned, style.

The Wind (in mid-ship Veranda staterooms has a Philips flat screen TV but it is not a Smart TV and the number of useful channels is small - Fox News, Sky News, BBC World News, Sky Sports News is about it. Wifi is OK at the moment and the one free hour a day has proved adequate. I bought a 24-hour package at $25 when I needed to do some work.

Our room is a good size with a very comfortable bed and lots of seating by the windows. There is plenty of storage. The walk-in wardrobe is big and even I didn't manage to fill it. Our room is in very good repair except for the coffee table which looks a little scuffed but this is because they put a bigger top on it if you want to dine in your room and it has left marks.

My only criticism concerns the bathrooms. On our deck they are small and all have a small bath with choice of two showers (one fixed and one hand-held) over. The bath has a fixed shower screen up one end and plenty of hand rails. The showers are efficient and the hot watere plentiful but I would have liked the choice of a shower cubicle which I just find safer on a moving ship.

This is our first time on Silversea and we would be happy to return, even on the older of their ships. At the moment, the service is second to none and the food is exceptionally good.

It was the first time we had seen the sun for 5 days, however it has been nice in Bodo today as well.

 

Lovely cathedral and excellent Town Museum. We watched a film of the history and development of the town seen through one families eyes. Also found our first liquor store since arriving in Norway.

Glad to see you've found some sun! Am enjoying your pictures so much and it's getting us in the mood for our visit! Missed the cathedral so will try and get there this time.

Love Norway but the prices make me glad that we visit from an all-inclusive ship!

Mid morning lift maintenance

 

 

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Hope you're getting that ship into tiptop condition for our cruise!!

CamMag; if your interested there are some terrific private excursions offered by fjordtours.com for our Norway voyage. We booked the Rib boat tour in Svolvaer (starts at 11 a.m vs SS start time at 9:30a.m)--same exact tour SS offers in Svolvaer but $100 less). We also booked a Bergen (leisurely 2 hr) hiking excursion to Mount Floyen.

 

However, thanks to Mr. Silver's recommendations we r mainly doing SS excursions that he/others highly recommend.

 

Mr. Silver thanks for allowing me to go off topic a tad.

 

And loved your Facebook Honningsvag Ice bar pix--bet Mrs. Silver would love to have this pix framed and given to her.

 

 

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Thanks WesW for the fjordtours heads-up!:) I tried to book the Flam railway independently some weeks ago and found I'd missed the boat (or train in this case) and all sensible timings were already sold out so we are going with the Ship's group.

Yes, there is an alarm clock with an iPod dock on top. You can either have the old connection or ask for one with a lightning connection for the new IPods

 

 

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Thank you. Ours is old but we'll be fine then.

Enjoying your pictures and reports. We revisit Norway next month on same itinerary and SS for the first time.

Is there an ipod dock in cabin?

We did at least get a replacement with the correct information after a mild grumble. It's not just the proofreading it's a lack of care and attention to detail.

 

 

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We haven't travelled with SS before and I do set store by administrative efficiency and accuracy. This isn't something which has to be prepared in a hurry so it's a shame they can't get it right!

I'm glad I read this thread before my first silver box arrived. Very smart Journal with our names on the front and initially impressive until I see that we are supposedly going on an 8 day cruise (instead of 17 night) although we are, at least, apparently departing from the correct port. A shame someone hasn't proofed this!

Posting pictures has become a monster pain in the rear for the past few months.

 

It used to be pretty simple, and it worked exactly like Terry outlined it. Now there are a few kinks in the system. Here's why.

 

The method that Terry outlines works by inserting a "Direct Link" to your picture, which is stored on another server. When you insert that direct link into your post, the picture itself is NOT stored on CC. When the page is displayed, that link points to your picture, and it is displayed along with your post.

 

Now, the problem. Picasa no longer exists, and Google Photos no longer allows direct links! There used to be a workaround but they closed the loophole about 6 months ago and I can't find another one. The reason, I assume, is that they want you to visit their site directly (and see the ads there) in order to view any pictures, and a direct link doesn't allow that. Flickr also seems to suffer from that limitation; you can't get a direct link without manipulating the provided URL. You can bypass the limitation, and manually create direct links from the URL that they give, but AFAIK it is a violation of their TOS to do so.

 

There are some paid sites that still allow direct links. I am pretty sure that SmugMug allows them. But I am a cheapo and won't pay. Terry - what do you use, and does it still allow direct links? Or do you have to work around it?

 

My current workaround is to use Tapatalk (the smartphone app) that Wes references; it is the same as the iPad app. But I want to post pictures that I've taken with my camera, in addition to the occasional smartphone picture. How do I do that?

 

I organize my pictures with Adobe Photoshop Elements. Once I decide which pictures belong in my posts, I shrink them and move the smaller copies to my phone. Then I write the post on my laptop (typing long posts on the phone can be painful) and submit it. Lastly, I open the Forums app, and add the pictures. The process using the Forums app (Tapatalk; also works on iPad) is amazingly simple to use, and I really like it. In fact, it's so simple that it makes all the editing and exporting work in PSE worth the hassle.

 

To answer one of the original questions, I shrink my pictures to 1024x768 for posting. SOME direct links allow you to specify the size of the displayed image, and you can display it at a lower resolution that the original. Picasa used to do that; I'd usually use 800x600, no matter what the size of the original.

 

It would be much easier if CC allowed us to upload directly. Even when you use the forums app, the picture is uploaded to the tapatalk server, not CC. But the process is automatic, and easy.

Thanks for the additional information. i didn't realise it would be so complex! Luckily I have time to sort out what will work before our trip.

I printed out Terry's instructions and carried them with me.

I agree with Wes that the iPad and upload to tapatalk is an easy way to post pictures.

Not sure what the future will hold for posting pictures if we can't use iPad or laptop due to plane restrictions.

I sure won't pack either of those in baggage. And I guess my digital camera may be banned too.

Yes, I'm definitely going to need to print them out!

Luckily for me we board this trip in London which is just a taxi ride away but, like you, I am concerned about the future when we fly as we take all the usual technology with us including cameras and there's no way I would want to check any of it in to hold baggage.

Thank you to Keith1010, WesW, les37B and TLCOhio. That's all helpful. I'm glad I asked early as I can now decide what will work best for me!

Margaret

Thinking about our July trip already! Would like to know how to upload pictures. Is the any guidance here about size of file etc? Thanks

have just disembarked in Venice after eighteen days and must say the Wind delivered well beyond and after nearly three hundred days with S S I would say this was as good as it gets.

 

Every single department was firing on all cylinders simply nothing to criticise or complain about. They really have got a great team there and it truly shows.:)

So pleased to read this! We do our research and choose carefully but I'm always apprehensive when we travel with a company for the first time. We sail with SS on the Wind in mid-July and it sounds as if it is operating very well this season.

The wifi is good now on the wind, they installed a new satellite dish last Saturday and it's now much quicker. You get one hour free maybe more for premium suites and then there are a variety of packages you can purchase.

Thank you. It's good to hear about the speed upgrade. We tend to compose our messages off-line and then log on just to send, so one hour free will probably be sufficient for us.

Pleased to read your comments as we join the Wind for the first time in July - heading for Norway from Tower Bridge. How is the WiFi on this ship? We like to keep in touch with home if possible when cruising.