FauxNom

Bravo! I'm so glad to hear the potential drama was handled generously by Silversea--what a great way to end your amazing cruise!

I'm in the "keep the testing" camp. I'd love to see Silversea test both day of embarkation and day 3, just to catch those who caught COVID in transit. If that roots out most cases, that extra prevention is well worth it, IMO. We had 14 days on the Wind with no cases, so I can only conclude the testing must have helped. And yes, it would be far easier if Silversea continued to offer the tests onsite. Or maybe they could just assign staff to watch us take a self-test we brought from home 🙂 On the Wind, excursion masking was actually mandated by the countries we visited. Expedition staffers did a very good job enforcing the policy, despite some extremely rude reactions from passengers. There were only 140 passengers on board, so people weren't too vigorous about masking indoors. Social distancing was easy!

Not quite, if you read the second paragraph without extra text, it looks like this: I believe that means no jacket is required on nights that are not formal.

I didn't say I was worried, did I? I merely noted the fact because other cruise lines are already cancelling Asia trips well into 2023. Silversea is not. That's all.

Because it's always a good idea to hop on a plane knowing you have COVID 😲 As far as you know, have there been other cases? When I sailed the Wind in early June our tally was an impressive 0. I hope it's still low.

I just received the same notice for my booking on the Whisper, September 2023, Seward to Tokyo. Also not surprised, but it's interesting to see Japan is still on the table.

Thanks Wes. I checked the 2023 trip and it's still listed as Cape Town disembarkation. It seems odd that "operational reasons" are expected in 2024 that don't also affect '23.

I'm booked on the Silver Cloud Cape to Cape expedition cruise in March 2024. Today I received this message: Due to operational considerations, we have changed the disembarkation port from Cape Town, South Africa to Walvis Bay, Namibia. They will fly us by charter to Capetown at the end of the cruise so we can fly home from there. For those who've done the trip, does missing the arrival to Cape Town by ship seem like a big negative? Any upside to disembarking in Walvis Bay instead? I'm trying not to be too disappointed, but I was really looking forward to our 2 days on the ship in Cape Town. Maybe I need to console myself by adding on a 10-day Antarctica jaunt at the beginning. 🤔

I nearly always travel carry-on only; it's sort of a religion in my family. But for my recent cruise of 14 days, I let myself overstuff my expandable carry-on bag and check it. My excuse was a "frozen shoulder" that would have made it tough to lift the bag overhead, but I confess that I also wanted more than a basic black wardrobe for swanning through the Med 🙂 Predictably, the airline lost the bag in Germany. It was so annoying to have to spend 90 minutes in Athens airport trying to navigate the world of lost luggage, and then worry for the next day about whether the suitcase would arrive before we boarded the ship. Happily it did, but it sure gave me motivation to try harder the next time!

The deviation fee is US $150, which is described in the huge "Terms and Conditions" page on the website. (excerpt below) I met several people who flew out of NYC for our Athens-Lisbon cruise recently. They all were happy with their Silversea air arrangements, but I don't know which airlines they flew. SILVERSEA AIR PROGRAMME AND AIR CHARTER PACKAGES DEVIATION, CANCELLATION & ADMINISTRATIVE FEES (the “Fees”) Deviation Charges and Administrative Fee (collectively referred to as the “Fees”) After deposit has been applied to the booking (or final payment, if booking is made inside 90-days), any additional air cost associated with confirmed changes to travel dates, flight schedules and/or airlines will be the responsibility of the guest and relevant fees will be applied to guest’s booking. In addition, for each confirmed change, guests will be charged as follows: USD$150 per person non-refundable administrative fee. All changes to confirmed air schedules at any time prior to departure will incur such fees and charges as the airline supplier may impose and any additional air costs associated with the confirmed changes to travel dates, flight schedules and/or airlines will be the responsibility of the Passengers and relevant fees will be applied to the Passenger’s booking. In addition, Passengers will be charged a non-refundable administrative fee of US$150 per person.

Indeed! Since the OP started that thread yet never bothered to offer the customary thanks to the folks who tried to be helpful, I'm not holding my breath that responses to the current thread will be appreciated. But if you're still reading, I do hope you were able to get out and enjoy Vancouver--a very walkable and vibrant city. Bon voyage!

On Facebook, passengers reported this 1 day ago: We lost power (lights out/no flush) for a few moments at 11:00 last night and then the engines came to an abrupt halt at around 2AM. Power was lost and we were adrift for about 25 minutes we estimate. Engines were in and out throughout the rest of the early morning and then we got the announcements of the port cancellation this morning. My dad said they put a tender and a zodiac down and were examining the outside of the ship (probably standard operating procedure). We are bobbing at the moment. They fixed the problem but had to wait for Canadian Coast Guard clearance. They missed the port call in Ketchikan and will disembark a day late in Vancouver.

I understand completely! Sometimes the extra expense more than compensates for the mental and physical energy you would have to expend. Have a great cruise!

I saw numerous pharmacies and kiosks that offer rapid antigen tests while I was walking around Athens, Granada, Seville, Lisbon the past two weeks. The prices range from 10E in Athens to maybe 30E tops. So it is possible not to pay what seems like quite a high price in the Silversea hotels. I found a test with 20-minute results at the Barcelona airport, @Lois RIt's 30 Euro if you make an appointment, more for walk-in: https://flycovidtestcenter.com/en/barcelona-t1/

That is a horrendous bathroom design! At least when the floor got wet in my Vista Suite the puddle of water wasn't sitting right at the threshold to the bathroom door, in prime slipping territory. In my suite, you could use the mat to confine the water to the edge right next to the shower. And the floor was tile, so no problem with sitting water. Even so, this same problem existed last time I sailed on the Cloud, so it's a shame they didn't take the opportunity to fix a known problem. Collapsed ceiling? Oy! I'm glad you guys are still having fun. How's your trivia team holding up?

Just got off the Wind in Lisbon with most passengers flying out tomorrow. Silversea still offered the testing at the hotel today just in case any airlines are not up to the minute in their procedures. Removing the test requirement should help Silversea and its guests a lot, as @TLCOhio said. Over-planners like me were easily distracted by the looming test! I do hope pre-cruise testing continues though. We just enjoyed 14 days of Covid free cruising on the Wind, and I felt comforted knowing that we started out that way.

Gibraltar!

This is correct. They added a platform and I honestly don’t think it kills the ambience @Stumblefoot The zodiacs are lower than eye level so you barely notice them. I do think they make the stern look a bit awkward when viewed from a distance, but you get used to it.

Yesterday was a much-needed sea day; I think most of us were exhausted from the busy excursion schedule combined with very high temperatures. It reached 39 C our first day in Sicily! The tours have been mostly wonderful, with excellent guides and really interesting content ranging from archeological sites to wineries to unique museums. I was on the long tour that many abandoned to join Clarky’s shorter tour, fleeing the heat. On my tour, with two minimally populated buses, the expedition team was able to divide us up and let the hot, tired, and bedraggled return to the ship early. I was impressed by the team’s ability to make adjustments mid-tour. In addition, they have begun offering a hiking option in each port—pushing the expedition experience a bit more. One interesting aspect of this cruise is that there seem to be many passengers who prefer to view it as a classic cruise. Some (I have heard) have been disappointed or surprised by the lack of formal nights, dress code, and strenuous tours. For me, it feels like a nice mix of classic and expedition. For example, having an entertainment director means we have daily trivia and performances in two lounges by truly talented performers. My prior expedition trips have featured a keyboardist playing mostly background music. The Venetian party was last night. Remarkably, 86 of the ~140 passengers had sailed with Silversea before. One couple had sailed 994 days! We just docked in Motril, Spain, so I’m off to the Alhambra! Here is a look at where they added zodiacs to the Wind, taken from La Terrazza.

The best feeling! Congratulations to you too! @clarky My fault for the thread going astray—sorry 🙂

From another passenger, who happens to book through a TA who is perhaps not a Silversea expert. I’m glad to hear that my understanding is correct!

Sadly, it’s 250 days, according to today’s Chronicles. Last night I heard that these milestone discounts cannot be combined with the 5% for the earmarked Venetian voyages. Have others encountered that?

That was our first cruise! @WesW and Ida were also there, seizing the day. I must say, JP, that you guys aren’t waiting til retirement to travel well; it will be interesting to see what happens when you actually retire! @Lois R I started the same year but you are the one who has attained senior stateswoman status on this forum 🙂 I want to cruise as much as you! (My 100 days come partly from referrals and a cancelled cruise, so I’m a bit of an imposter. But free laundry is free laundry, right?)

Thanks @Stumblefoot, And you too @Lois Rand @les37b- I’m happy to join you in retirement!

I’m celebrating 2 milestones on this cruise: retirement and free laundry! My butler just delivered a bunch of crumpled active wear on hangers and my linen shirt was even ironed. I am impressed!