OctoberKat

Thank you so much for the recommendations.

 

If you can remember, I would love to hear what your experience is at each of these places.

 

Thank you again.

 

Keith

Will do, Keith, with pleasure.

Sorry to learn of the valiant sacrifice you had to make, smile. You're a scotch man, yes? As well as wine, of course.

Oh, another Amazon book and by my favorite travel-adventure writer!

In Trouble Again: A Journey Between Orinoco and the Amazon by Redmond O'Hanlon

http://amzn.to/1ZseHdP

We are late-starters at cruising so likely never will give our all to any one line. Itinerary/time driven but must be luxe lines. Our first cruise in January was aboard Regent Navigator. It was sufficiently decent. The Amazon on Silversea in Nov/Dec followed by LA-FLL via the Panama Canal on Seabourn, the Norwegian Fjordes also aboard Seabourn.

I am open to Crystal and Oceania, albeit at the larger suite level.

I figure we'll be good to go for another three years.

We are flying into Barbados four days ahead of our Amazon cruise and staying three days afterward. I want plenty of time there so we can have a good introduction to the island which sent so many of its people to Panama in the early 20th century to labor on digging (and blasting) The Big Ditch, aka the Panama Canal. I grew up in the Panama Panama Canal Zone with a good dose of Bajan influence and am eager to know the home island.

P.S.....so nice to read your review pros and cons without the regular backlash you receive...HA!

I've really been getting a large dose of this lately and begin to feel I cannot put a foot right

Eagerly anticipating our first Silversea cruise in November to the Amazon, outbound from Barbados.

Keith, in Barbados, Sandpiper Inn and Coral Reef get rave reviews. We are staying at the former in December post-Amazon cruise and at the tiny Lone Star boutique pre-cruise.

http://www.sandpiperbarbados.com

http://coralreefbarbados.com

http://www.thelonestar.com

Having had Malaria and seen the effects of Dengue I would not trust just one form of deterrent when traveling in areas with mosquito carrying these diseases.

That's good thinking. And DEET, DEET, DEET. Sorry you were ill.

These are the only bands I could find with Deet in them.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Mosiband-Insect-Repellent-Wrist-Ankle/dp/B000YH3S94/ref=sr_1_18?ie=UTF8&qid=1444411707&sr=8-18&keywords=deet+wrist+bands

Good find! Thank you.

This is absolutely not true. The Aedes mosquito is a daytime feeder and is also a potential carrier of Chikungunya, Dengue Fever and Eastern Equine Encephalitis.

Yes, tahqa, you are correct. Many believe mosquitos to be of only of crepuscular concern but that is untrue of Aedes which can transmit, as you noted, various nasties including Chikungunya and Dengue. Aedes is a daytime feeder, all day long. There are no inoculations or vaccinations against these diseases. Yet. They are apparently getting close on dengue.

Too good to be true seems to be the case. There are many internet sites that debunk bracelet/band efficacy over topical DEET compounds. Here's a link that summarizes issues and conclusions. Also, a fan-powered clip-on version (!) exists and it, too, is not as protective as DEET topicals.

https://cameronwebb.wordpress.com/2013/11/25/do-mosquito-repellent-wrist-bands-work/

Given the exposure we expect, we're going for DEET sprays, lotions and pads.

We've never been bothered by mosquitos on a cruise....you're generally not out in the twilight, which is when they're active. During the daytime, they're a non-issue.

We'll be cruising deep into the Amazon and our suite fearures a large veranda. Plus outdoor dining, etc.

I figure mosquito repellant bracelets come under the too-good-to-be-true category but i thought to check here to learn if anyone has experience of these and their efficacy.

As for comparisons, we recently sailed aboard Regent's Navigator and were not wowed by the food. For those who have sailed Regent AND Silversea I'd appreciate that comparison. And, if you've sailed Seabourn as well, all the better.

We are on Silversea in November and on Seabourn in March and again in June.

This so sadddening, mrs crab, to have to deal with this whilst grieving. My condolences.

Question for the board: I have AmEx platinum. Does this mean I need not buy insurance when traveling?

I applaud all of you who do this and am envious beyond belief ... But never will it work for me and Jim and that's ok, strokes and folks, folks and strokes.

It all sounds lovely but I am much too disorganized and disoriented to go in that direction.

Neither. I fear I will pack and ship the luggage, then forget what's in it leading me to packing all over again. An, individual difficulty, as it were. Of course, I could make a detailed list (I am, after all, librarian but, apparently a very lazy one such).

"Logistical chops" = organizational ability

I love the idea but very much doubt I have the logistical chops for this.

Nunham, are you on the Nov. 20 SS Barbados/Amazon sailing?

Appreciate seeing the menus, thank you. We're on Whisper in November.

Boy howdy, am I sorry to have mentioned the NaCl component of some Keller meals.

Herewith novels set in Brazil, some on the Amazon. I've read many of these and am confident others will enjoy some of them even though we all differ in preferences and genres. I love to read about the places I go and, of course, aboard ship. Your suggestions most welcome!

State of Wonder by Ann Patchett [contemporary novel with scientific / anthropological bent]

http://amzn.to/1adx5er

Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon by Jorge Amado, Brazilian writer [romantic, comedic novel]

http://amzn.to/1KvtzNM

Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands by Jorge Amado, Brazilian writer [unexpected]

http://amzn.to/1LH9nt3

The Seamstress by Frances de Pontes Peebles, Brazilian writer [historical fiction]

http://amzn.to/1KZPjaZK

Hunter's Run by George R.R. Martin et al. [science fiction]

http://amzn.to/1FWbyqI

Amazonia by James Rollins [thriller]

http://amzn.to/1KsDrsmk

Kiss of the Spider Woman by Manuel Puig, Brazilian writer [originally a play, made famous by the movie, two men in a Brazilian prison]

http://amzn.to/1KpdJqR

At Play in the Fields of the Lord by Peter Matthiessen [heavy philosophical lit]

http://amzn.to/1NN7xNo

A Breath of Life by Clarice Lispector, Brazilian writer [something different]

http://amzn.to/1PhFJxS

For more on Amazonian literature and movies, this link is an outstanding resource.

http://www.brazilmax.com/columnist.cfm/idcolumn/82

For boring medical reasons, I must be exceedingly careful of sun exposure so I've learned my way around the multitudinous offerings.

Research plus practical experience point me toward Neutrogena products in general, and specifically to Ultra Sport Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 100+. I also like, prefer actually, the Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Body Mist sunscreen with a broad spectrum SPF of 70+. It has a lighter feel on one's skin.

In any case, I'll be loaded for, um, bearish sun as well as ravenous mosquitos.

Tapirs are so much nicer, don't you think?!