FauxNom

Fairmont Queen Elizabeth in Montreal for my recent Endeavour trip

The paired suites have a small hallway behind the first door, which changes the layout a bit. Compared to 663, the un-paired suite (see my other post for photos), the bathroom is superior, I think, because the WC can be accessed from within the bathroom and from the main part of the suite. The WC is much more spacious than the somewhat cramped little room in 663. The walk-in closet in 663 is huge and contains a large cabinet for hanging wet clothing (i.e. parkas). The other suites have a smaller cabinet located outside the closet on the opposite wall. 663 does not have a desk; that space instead houses the fridge and other stuff under the TV mounted on the wall. The other suites have a desk in addition to the vanity along the main wall; the fridge is on the wall by the coat cabinet and is set up as a drawer. I like this design slightly more than that of 663. If you don't mind being at the stern end of the hall, the un-paired suites are great. Layout is fine and the balcony is open to the rear of the ship for prime viewing. All the suites seem to be very quiet and well-appointed. I don't think there are any bad choices!

Yes. The head of the bed points to the bow.

Thanks @spinnaker2 and @highplanesdrifters! The narwhals are super hard to spot so I take no credit! If I'm being honest I saw only the bubbly aftermath of their surfacing. But it was fun to charge around in the Zodiac following their trail!

I'm on the ship currently and absolutely love it. With a beautiful ship, terrific crew, and only 66 passengers, what's not to like (other than the weather)? We all feel lucky that we got out of Iqaluit on the appointed day. There was a lot of suspense as we waited for fog to lift so we could fly. The problem was not taking off but the fact that the people disembarking the ship had nowhere to go. Flights couldn't land in Iqaluit so Silversea wasn't about to drop us into a crowd of stranded folks in Pond Inlet, which has minimal airport facilities. After about 6 hours' delay we got permission to travel. The only problem with our flight was that we had to circle for 25-20 minutes because the tarmac was crowded with stranded planes. We cheered as we watched the disembarking passengers take off, headed to Iqaluit. We've since experienced 4 days of mixed weather but some great excursions. All but 1 were zodiac-only; a hoped for hike was cancelled because the clouds were too low to allow for polar bear scouting. Yesterday we had a beautiful walk on shore, mainly admiring the tundra but also checking out the remains of a Thule village/camp. We've seen a goodly number of polar bears, pods of narwhals and beluga whales, seals, and birds of course. Our cruise is 16 nights -- I think a longer cruise is a good insurance policy when traveling an itinerary where changes are inevitable. I can heartily recommend this cruise.

I hadn't noticed -- too busy to turn it on!

I'm in 663 right now! It's a terrific suite. You can go down a staircase right outside the suite and you are at the grill. No noise at all and the end of the balcony has a wide open view. Adding a photo of the suite just for fun.

I think the Shadow is wonderful, but there are places around the central stairway that sometimes smelled icky to me, like the carpet wasn't quite as fresh as one would like. But I have an acute sense of smell, so that might be an issue you wouldn't notice. Definitely no issues that would prevent me sailing on her though!

Sounds great! I love those expedition ships.... One tip: at some point you might find the buffet offering up eggs or meat that's not hot. If so, and if you have time, don't hesitate to order from the waiter. I'm not hard to please, but once I figured out that I could ask for almost anything, the dining experience became even better than it already was. How old are your kids? I hope they are enjoying being onboard.

I find it so inconsiderate when the folks with obvious respiratory viruses insist on frequenting all venues, but this really exceeds anything I've seen on a ship. Acccck!

Happy anniversary to you two! I'm (as always) really enjoying the pix and descriptions, so thank you.

The menu always starts with a sort of "chef's recommendation" theme menu with a cute name. I don't think it's meant quite as literally as you might suppose. 😉 You can choose all or some of those courses combined with others from the rest of the menu (or off menu if you ask in advance).

You can have a preview main menu delivered to your suite the day before--helpful for people with diet restrictions. On the Explorer recently, a friend with Celiac was able to request modifications, such as "please make the crab cakes without bread crumbs". They also post all menus on the TV the day of.

You sound most interested in the classic ship experience, but you might want to consider an expedition cruise if you like more enrichment and outdoor activities. The clientele skews younger on these small ships, so you would be among a higher percentage of age-peers. As for investment, consider a repositioning cruise; these itineraries can be quite interesting while also less expensive relative to super popular destinations. That's how I tried my first Silversea cruise, and I was hooked. Now I tend to have 2 or 3 future cruises booked at any given time! While my travel is itinerary-focused, I do love the crew's attitudes. To a person, they always work hard to make sure the passengers have a great experience.

I loved being on the Explorer! One hundred pax is the key; I think you meet more people and it's a very friendly atmosphere. Many people gladly share a table so people aren't stuck in silos. The crew is terrific and the expedition program is both fun and educational. I was so sad to leave the ship yesterday. 😞

FOMO alert! If I hadn't been on the Explorer in Australia I would have booked this in a hot minute. My grandmother came from a village near Vaasa so that area holds great interest. Let me know if you see Oravais, and have a great time!

Thanks @jpalbny! It's been fun getting back on the Explorer. I'm really enjoying your commentary @highplanesdrifters--especially now that we know each other! I'm also having fun playing trivia with @Port Power and her son. We actually won today, no thanks to me 😉

I wanted to tell the chef he could have looked at the Chipotle menu for inspiration. Apparently the meal planner didn't know Mexican food involves vegetables 🙂. Enjoy Cinco de Mayo!

For me, the food has gotten better the more I've cruised Silversea. That's because I know it's okay to have high expectations and send back what isn't making me happy. E.g. I was served a virtually raw hamburger my first day on the Shadow this winter; once I sent it back, a good one magically appeared. If the kitchen isn't getting your omelette order right several days in a row, the restaurant supervisor will want to know, so don't be shy. The only unavoidably bad food on my recent cruise was on Mexican theme night. Worst food I've ever had onboard, served family style so you couldn't change you mind and order something new. Live and learn!

Got it (I was confused because the quote talked about expeditions). For informal nights, a blazer would be perfectly in place. There's a pretty big range on those nights. Have fun!

Is this an expedition cruise? If so, you don't necessarily need a jacket, though many men will wear one on the informal night. If you're on a classic ship, I'd venture to guess that you would feel right at home in a suit rather than a dinner jacket or tux on formal night.

This is lots of fun to follow, especially as I will be joining the Explorer in Cairns! Thanks for the reports.

Lots of screenings on the Shadow when I sailed for 5 weeks recently. Many of them corresponded to a guest lecturer who was a character actor in many films, so these tended to be older movies rather than current blockbusters. I heard the popcorn was good.

Recently on the Shadow and there were a few small scooters and walkers in the hallway on my deck, but they weren't a problem because the doorways are recessed enough that it creates an out-of-the-way space for parking. This wouldn't work for one of the large models that took the place of an electric wheelchair for one patient. She traveled with an attendant and they managed everything nicely, always booking private tours instead of taking the bus excursions. I think it's manageable @bobolz I've seen many people use a walker that has a flip down seat to allow rest when needed. Maybe that's worth trying out before the cruise.

How about another variation... I received a final electronic ticket yesterday for a Feb. 11 voyage out of Manilla. It said no testing would be required. Today a new one arrived, with no direction to reread the fine print, which happens to say this: Fully Vaccinated Guests Embarkation Testing Requirements Guests embarking on a Silversea vessel who are fully vaccinated or up-to-date must hold proof of a valid PCR negative test result performed within 48 hours of embarkation OR a valid Antigen test result performed within 24 hours of embarkation. • IMPORTANT – a healthcare professional must administer the COVID-19 test in a healthcare facility. • The Certificate must contain the guest’s name (as shown on the cruise ticket), as well as the date of test, and result. You must provide digital or printed proof upon embarkation. So should I assume that "in a healthcare facility" rules out the video monitored antigen tests? What a pain! I was planning to test myself before leaving anyway, but this timeframe is really restrictive.