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rumba2015

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Posts posted by rumba2015

    Uniworld-Egypt

    in River Cruising

    Posted

    The Tosca is a beautiful boat and our cabin and bathroom were the largest that we've ever had on a ship. The cruise director told us that when Uniworld decided to enter Egypt, they examined all the river boats and chose the Tosca which was then remodeled to Uniworld's specifications. You'll have a wonderful time.

     

     

     

    Wonder if you can describe your tour to Giza and sakkara? Did you see the older pyramids? We have a day to plan and do not want to miss the complete older pyramid experience.

     

     

     

    Sent from my iPhone using Forums

    Tell Me About "THE WIND"

    in Silversea

    Posted

    My husband and I went on cruises on the Wind in both April and September 2017. Loved it. We have done the Cloud and the Shadow previously. The smaller ships are lovely. Especially on our return, so many staff treated us like we had just gotten off the ship the previous week - remembered our names, our preferences, etc. I wouldn’t hesitate to sail on her again.

     

     

     

    Sweetpea,

     

    We love small ships having sailed the Wind and Cloud several times.

     

    Will we have these intimate experiences in the next decade? We hope so! Take note Silverseas management[emoji4]

     

     

    Sent from my iPhone using Forums

    It Is Time To Return To Egypt!!!

    in River Cruising

    Posted

    Rumba;

     

     

     

    We flew Business Class. Undoubtedly the worst BC service I have ever experienced. The seats are angle flat not lie flat, and I kept sliding down. Finally gave up and slept with my feet on the floor to braced myself in.

     

     

     

    They do not serve alcohol aboard the flight. Many passengers bought their own in the airport and consumed it during the flight.

     

     

     

    Food and service were poor . Only advantages were (a) a lot cheaper than alternatives; (b) non stop JFK- CAI for the overnight flight. We flew back through LHR with the first leg on Egyptair. Was happy to change over to UA at that point!

     

     

     

    One big pain. UA doesn’t fly to JFK, so we had to do the EWR to JFK transfer. Then, since we got into JFK early , we had to sit outside of checkin, with our luggage, for several hours waiting for Egyptair to open up.

     

     

     

    Pinotlover,

     

    Oh my[emoji30]

     

    Thank you for the review.

     

    Always good to hear from actual travelers!

     

     

     

    Sent from my iPhone using Forums

    It Is Time To Return To Egypt!!!

    in River Cruising

    Posted

    I did a fairly extensive review on this wonderful cruise after our trip their in February. It’s in the roll call for Uniworld Egypt.

     

     

     

    A couple of things. Uniworld requests that you get your visa prior to arrival. Reason, 1. They shut down for an hour at lunch and dinner . If you’re in line, they shut down an hour for lunch. One waits until lunch break is over and wait. 2. Many people, particularly Americans consider getting their Visa early a hassle, therefore, the line can get very long. If you have any snafus, you are stuck at the airport.

     

    3. If they are meeting a group of arrivals which all have their visas and clear quickly and you are standing in the line waiting, you will be left at the airport while they take the others to the hotel, then they come back for you.

     

     

     

    We arrived in Cairo on the Egyptian Air non stop flight from JFK. There ended up being eight of us on that flight with the Uniworld tour. Six of us had our visas, processed through, got our luggage and were delivered to Four Seasons quickly and efficiently. The other couple stood in the Visa request line for over two hours and was brought to the hotel much later. One might get a quick line or one might get caught in a long slow line and wait, perhaps even over their meal time. How lucky are you? Getting the visas early takes Luck out of it.

     

     

     

    Let me add. Fortunately, they didn’t have luggage problems, because all that time that couple was waiting in line, their luggage was going round and round at baggage claim, then just sat our in the aisle for collection !

     

     

     

    Hi, How was the Egypt Air flight from JFK? Heard mixed reviews.

     

     

    Sent from my iPhone using Forums

    Silver Cloud bad reviews

    in Silversea

    Posted

    We sailed on the Cloud from Cape Town to Mombassa in Jan 2016. The trip was very enjoyable. The Cloud was comfortable, well-maintained and intimate. Service was outstanding. Food was good overall. Hope you have a similar experience.

    Africa & Silversea: Upcoming Cloud, Other Sailings??

    in Silversea

    Posted

    We have returned from our trip to Africa and our cruise from Cape Town to Mombassa on the Silver Cloud. This was our first trip on Silversea in many years. We sailed with 205 guests on board. Here are our comments.

     

    Overall Impression

     

    We thoroughly enjoyed our trip on the Cloud. The recent drydock has "spiffed-up" the ship with new decking, carpets and upholstery. The condition of the ship was very good for a 20+ year old lady. Yes, we noticed a few signs of its age, but overall we enjoyed the facilities. AC and plumbing worked fine. We noticed no deficiencies with the AC throughout the ship. What a joy to sail with a small number of guests! We had many opportunities to enjoy the ship with quiet and empty spaces.

     

    Crew

     

    We have very positive comments regarding the crew. It is obvious that Silversea has mastered the process of recruiting, training and retaining great staff. The folks were friendly, efficient and hard working. The crew quality and performance was the highlight of the cruise.

     

    Food

     

    We were pleased with the restaurant quality and service. La Terrazza was the star for us. The MDR had a few hits and misses, but we enjoyed the variety of dishes offered throughout the cruise. We did notice that some cost reduction had taken place since our last cruise. We enjoyed the BBQ-outdoor lunch service on day two of the cruise that served a variety of South African specialties including Bunny Chow, Biltong and game sausages. The Grill hot rocks experience was fun, and provided a nice change-of-pace for dinner. Most certainly, we gained a few pounds over the 14 day cruise!

     

    Wine

     

    Overall, wine service was good. The South African wines offered the first several days were very good. We did not enjoy the Chilean wines especially the reds. We recommend substituting for these selections. The Champagne, Sparkling Wines, Prosecco and Spumante offerings were average. The wines were selected to be good pairings with food. On this evaluation, we thought the selections were more than acceptable.

     

    Tours

     

    We participated in many excursions offered by Silversea. We would skip the Thousand Hills tour in Durban. In addition, the Madagascar Natural Treasures is a 7 hour tour that includes 5 hours of time on a bus without air conditioning. The breezes created while moving did provide good cooling. On the other hand, the destination of the Ampijoroa National Park was disappointing with very few lemurs viewed on our walking tour. This tour provided good sight seeing of the countryside, local villages and small towns, which made the long drive worth the effort for us. On Mayotte, we took the glass bottom boat ride and felt that this was not a good use of our time. IMHO, Mayotte is a beautiful island that deserves a tour.

     

    In conclusion, we are sorry that the Cloud is being converted to an expedition ship. Small ship cruising is very enjoyable for us. The Cloud delivered a great experience that was relaxing, enjoyable and very memorable.

     

    Without hesitation, we would cruise again with Silversea.

     

    Happy and Safe Travels to All

    Africa & Silversea: Upcoming Cloud, Other Sailings??

    in Silversea

    Posted

    We have moved our comments from Cloud XMAS thread to this thread.

     

    Terry, your Google Maps photo of where Cloud is docked is correct. We will try to post a photo today.

     

    Last night, we started our evening at Den Anker at the waterfront for oysters, mussels and sparkling wine. Very good!

     

    We then headed to Harbour House for our next course. We booked reservation three weeks in advance and requested a window/patio table that provide a great view of the Cloud. Upon arrival, we were told that no window/patio was available. Showed our email confirmation and a window table appeared! Dinner was good but not great. No kingklip on the menu.

     

    Will post today on embarkation process and sailing out of harbor.

    Africa & Silversea: Upcoming Cloud, Other Sailings??

    in Silversea

    Posted

     

    It appears this link is unavailable. Information can be accessed on KLM website. My apologies for the confusion.

    Africa & Silversea: Upcoming Cloud, Other Sailings??

    in Silversea

    Posted

    QUESTIONS??: From those who have done Silversea in and around South Africa, etc., what are your special tips, best memories, cautions, secrets insights, ideas, suggestions, etc.? Our port stops will include Port Elizabeth/SA (7 am-5 pm), Maputo/Mozambique (2-7 pm),

    Richards Bay/SA, (Sun. 10 am arrive, overnight, Mon., 11 pm depart), Durban/SA (8 am-6 pm) and East London/SA (1-6 pm). Unfortunately for most Silversea cruises, the Roll Calls on these Cruise Critic boards do not attract much, if any, activity, involvement.

     

    We are going to have five nights in Cape Town before our cruise and then do post-cruise travel to Johannesburg, Victoria Falls, three different safari camps in Botswana, etc.

     

    Other questions/interests:

    1. Any special super loves for Cape Town? Everyone who has been there raves about how wonderful is this scenic city, its charm, location, etc. Right?

    2. When doing a safari, any special insights, warnings, etc.?

    3. For photography in Africa, people have suggested that dust, bumpy jeep rides, etc., can require special care, patience, etc. Right?

    4. What special or different for Africa does Silversea do, offer?

     

    If you are scheduled for any late 2015, 2016 or 2017 sailings in Africa with Silversea, please jump in, share your questions and comments, interests, info needs, etc.

     

    THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio[/font][/size][/color]

     

    For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 187,274 views.

    http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

     

    Terry,

     

    Thanks for starting this thread. We are looking forward to a January 2016 voyage on the Cloud doing the Cape Town to Maputo leg .

     

    Would welcome recommendations on restaurants for a great lunch experience in these ports - especially fresh seafood. Any ideas?

    This is the "Actually, I quite like Silversea" thread

    in Silversea

    Posted

    Couldn't agree more. Things may have changed over the years but they are still doing enough to gain my continued custom. And their wonderful on-board staff is what makes them special!

     

    Thanks to all for positive comments on Silverseas. We are returning on the Cloud this January after several years. Having enjoyed our trips in the past, we were concerned about some of the negative comments.

     

    Also agree that a positive attitude about your experience goes a long way in enjoying the trip!

    Whisper Menus

    in Silversea

    Posted

    Thanks for posting the menus, however to clear up the confusion on the wine menu, these are the discounted prices for 3 bottles!

     

    Cloudy Bay SB still costs $45 a pop on the standard Whisper price list, and this is not the Te Koko, which can be bought in Majestic for 32.5 STG today.

     

    Thanks for the updated info.

     

    Cloudy Bay markup at $45 is reasonable.

    Whisper Menus

    in Silversea

    Posted

    Two of the $140.00 Sauvignon Blanc wines (Matanzas Creek California and Cloudy Bay New Zealand) are served without extra charge on Seabourn.

     

    Matanzas Creek is less than 3 miles from my home; the Sauvignon Blanc retails for less than $50.00 here.

     

    Just back from Costco. 2014 Cloudy Bay at $22.99!

     

    Love California retail wine prices!

    Whisper Menus

    in Silversea

    Posted

    Our first post!

     

    Thank you, Looking, for the menus.

     

    We last sailed SS on the Wind in 2006. Return to SS in Jan 2016 on the Cloud in Africa.

     

    We were hoping menus would be about the same in 2015 as in 2006. Seems to be the case except for the burgers. I do like Kansas beef, but....

     

    On the other hand, we are surprised with the over-the-top mark-ups on the wine.

     

    BYOB!

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