les37b

Yes I do remember going to Panarama and thinking those stairs don’t appear on the moon and dawn. Probably cuts into dance floor a bit. How did you enjoy? I spotted you mention your Shinkensen ride.I intend to return in 2025 for an extended overland trip. Absolutely loved Japan and the people. So much to see, though annoyingly the JR pass has just doubled in price, which I’d intended to make good use of.

Nothing new to add but agree that the differences are insignificant. Personally prefer Muse because of Indochine - though miss the improvement made to dolce vita with the central bar. In reality the cruise chosen would be for the itinerary and would be zero influence over picking or avoiding any of these 3 ships (4 including Spirit.) I’d chose not to cruise on Nova or Ray.

At last…. A dress code bun fight! Whatever next. Whilst I always believe if codes are in place, you should abide by them or book something else. I was shown something from the site from someone complaining a guest was in La Terazza in shorts for dinner. My first thoughts were Carnival dress code has come to SS, but then it was revealed the person in question arrived without their lost luggage. I guess it’s all about context.Hardly his fault and I suspect some would have made him most uncomfortable. RCL bought a successful CL. Genuinely feels to me like they are hell bent on ruining a winning formula but the dress code is the tip of the iceberg it’s minor in the scheme of things. Outside of a bargain deal, my Dawn sailing in 2 weeks will be my last SS cruise. It says a lot that when I ask myself what I will miss the most, my answer is free laundry. That really isn’t enough to keep the loyalty. It’s been fun and thanks for all the fish.

There is clearly different marketing and inclusions going on depending from which country your booking is made. Certainly from the UK the post above is accurate in that if you have D2D you will be booked on the train. If you have booked P2P interestingly, you are still given the transfer but on the bus. We did a Seward arrival 6 months ago but we had Americans in the roll call who were D2D and had to pay extra to get on the charter. In the event, the train got cancelled and we were forced to take the coach… which while pleasant, is no match for the train route, which I agree takes a similar path, is a fair bit different and of course you miss the ability to take photos as you are seated and the results would be poor and ability to video go out the window. We also missed 3 ports on our voyage and then the train. Anyone who paid extra for the train excursion were “generously” offered a refund for the fare that was cancelled. Everyone else got zilch. Yet another reason I dislike D2D. We certainly didn’t get what we paid for. On a side note. The charter pulls in right next to the ships berth and is a simple 100 yard walk from train to ship through the security building. The train does not appear on the AR timetable and the AR scheduled journey is from Seward station, not the port which the charter uses. It’s a very nice touch and resonates with the D2D concept. i made 100% sure before our voyage that what was shown in my.silversea would happen and was on the train. I noticed the AR timetable didn’t start until 3 days after our arrival… but was reassured it’s a charter and nothing to worry about … we were definitely on the train. When out ticketing was issued 2 weeks before departure, it didn’t mention the train but said it was dealt with locally via Alaskan tours. I phoned them and they confirmed they only dealt with coaches. Armed with this, SS still insisted we were 100% on the train. On the day of boarding, an email was sent out (to TA) that the train had been cancelled due to “logistic” reasons. So after all the assurances, I suspect this train wasn’t even booked because the lines didn’t reopen for 3 days after our schedule. It was meant to be a highlight, but ended being our biggest disappointment and despite pressing, we never did get the answer to what logistical reasons actually really meant which in itself was very telling.

I would think only SS head office / GS would be able to answer this specifically. If its positive, I'd make 100% sure you get it in writing. I've had a couple of verbal assurances get kicked into touch, so insist now. Personally, I think they will tell you your change would remove the discount if it wasn't available at the time of booking. PS can I borrow your time machine! prices were so much cheaper back then! lol

No. They were in a prominent position and visible by all - including the ships cameras. Besides, this was a SS ship and only had 220 passengers on board. That said, Ive done this on an Azamara ship through the Kiel canal. Generally on any port arrival or departure that sounds interesting, I do the same. Arriving at Ho Chi Minn City and Hong Kong below. Those were actually interval shot, but these days I just capture the whole thing. And that in itself is a problem. Ive got far too many 256 / 512 and 1GB cards that I still havent gone through from years ago. I enjoy taking.... editing not so much! Ive just resubscribed to adobe cloud so will probably get cracking on them soon. My usual passion is with my drone, but RCI and SS have just banned the carrying on board of drones, so it makes things impossible. My next sailing on SS in January will be my last. Thats their loss but I will miss the free laundry each day from my sailing status.

For $15K Id expect to be taking part in the race! lol I can remember being there in 2016 a good month before the race and the grandstands were already up. Must cause chaos for the residents for 2 months!

haha . I was going to answer that but guessed the position of the video would give the game away. Was on Silver Dawn. Front was simply attached to the railing at front and rear on deck 10/11 and deck 10 on the starboard side. I use an articulating arm to attach and get the angle I want. Got mine from aliexpress or ebay I think for about $8 each, but they are on sale on Amazon for much more. This is on the UK site. PS - hope you have better luck than we did. My wife tested positive for covid 36 hours after the transit and spent the next 10 days in the "red zone" isolation with no contact with anyone and real secured area where you had to wear a hazmat anywhere nearby! She had to leave in a hazmat and get changed in a "lesser" quarantine zone before being allowed back in circulation.

My canon gear was in the front reception room near the door in a rucksack. I had a tracker in the rucksack - but the just took the camera and 2 lenses. Fingers crossed for your trip!

That was my take on it as well and was a cause for concern when I booked my LHR transfers for flights to Tokyo. I do always aim to arrive at least 3 hours prior to flight, so there is a small amount of leeway. It was especially heightened when those idiots were blocking motorways. I expect lots of people missed holidays because of these people.

That's the L series lens I had and took everywhere with me, along with my Canon 6D and 24 to 105mm L series lens ...... Until some ****** stole it from my house about 3 months ago by someone I must have let in. Gutted! Decided not to replace, but have treated myself to an Insta360 X3. OP, when I did the voyage last year, I used 3 DJI action cams to film in 4K the entire 10 hour transit captured on 3 1gb memory cards and with power bank attached to each to keep the batteries working. Worth considering. Below are them converted to timelapse. I did capture the entire transit at 30FPS - just in case there was something of note so it wasn't missed. I should have spent more time in post production with them.

Good for him. He and Vicki are definitely our 2 favourite CD on any ship we've sailed.

Shame. I think the same happened with Kirk didn't it? Anyone know if he is still in the industry on called it a day?

They fell foul of the Schengen terminal in the airport. All "International" flights - ie that are foreign flights outside of the EU, go from Terminal D (I think that's the correct one from memory.) And yes, there is a queue to get through immigration at that point. I think it took us about 30 mins. Security to that point was a breeze. But once through into that terminal, you can walk freely and your gate is easily found once announced. This isn't that obvious and no one told us - I just worked it out looking at the flight board to see the pattern and then asked someone. We flew 3 months ago - out with BA back with Icelandair - economy both ways - on flights booked by Viking. Thought the Icelandair was better than BA - but to be fair, that's not meant as high praise! It was fine though. If the next expected "new volcano" erupts and is a "safe" one like the last 3 new ones in the last 3 years, then I could be making another visit as long as planes can land. Its getting a bit closer to Keflavik now - and Blue Lagoon and the nearby power station are currently closed I believe. I did have a visit last time on the day of embarkation, but the eruption stopped 2 days before (it had been erupting for 6 weeks) - so I missed out!

I didn’t notice any undue noise from our Muse voyage a few months ago, but maybe we had considerate neighbours or that final glass of wine before bedtime was a great sedative eliminating this problem! 🤪

Port Power, I certainly share your views on the fish markets. We had 2 tours featuring them. One thing of note apart from the eye watering prices - the smell - or moreover the lack of it. Without opening your eyes, you wouldn’t have known you were in a fish market! Quite incredible. One annoying thing from our voyage. The one thing I was looking forward to, was Japanese beer, which I was assured would be plentiful. Asahi is the only beer I’ve bought back home for a number of years, so was significant. When we boarded in Osaka, it was available in all bars. By the time we reached Tokyo 2 days later there was none left apart from in Kaiseki. Ordinarily, I’d just take that on the chin, but considering where we were and the news they’d ran out and not getting any more, despite being in Japan was a huge let down. Did you notice if Sapporo or Asahi was being served?

What hotel locations would you recommend or to avoid in Bangkok? My last visit was in 1985 so a little out of touch! lol No sky train or MTS back then. We have a cruise booked in March 2024 from Bali to Bangkok. Had intended on 3 nights pre cruise in Bali, but turns out on our chosen arrival date, Bali is closed for their “day of silence”. So now arriving with just one night and having 4 nights in Bangkok at the end.

Correction…. Osaka to Seward! Cruise critic broke down after posting so unable to edit it time.

Your photos bring back some great memories of our Seward to Osaka voyage on the Muse in April / May. Sounds like you did the same tours we did. Did you get a great send off in Miyako? Felt very humble. We didn’t get a death by chocolate though. We thoroughly enjoyed Japan and intend to go back for a land tour. On the down side, we hated the huge number of sea days once we left Japan. Rough weather meant we missed the 2 Alaskan stops and the time changes each night were horrible. Rained constantly too so no deck days. It was far too cold anyway. We also missed what would have been our highlight - the railroad journey from Anchorage.

Whilst its true to say, transfers to the airport which included a tour, was chargeable. However, when on a late flight (after 18.00), Silversea are meant (expected?) to provide a day room. Only on our Barbados cruise last January, that wasn't provided and a tour was provided that included lunch with no charge. That said, we had originally been allocated a simple bus ride tour and told "that was the only option".... But while at GS I learned of this one and got a place on it. There were about 4 variations so unclear why Id been told its that or straight to the airport at 8 I don't think anyone would be impressed being dumped at the airport at 9 am for a 7pm flight (which was then delayed by 3 hours to boot!)

I have asked for clarity, but no response. There was something posted from the GS manager in Miami stating that drones were now forbidden on board because of the uncertainty of rules around the globe. Signing a disclaimer or handing over as you suggested, Id have no problem with and i really don't see this being any different to SS declaring you are responsible for all individual visa or vaccine requirements. This really is no different. There most certainly are places that SS go to that are sensitive areas like Antarctic and Galapagos which do specifically ban drone usage by the public, so yes, not taking chances at these locations is understandable. Anyone flying from the ship from anywhere, I'd have no problem with SS immediately disembarking and banning them. Before any cruise, I always check the rules and have on my last two SS cruises decided not to take. One was and start and end in Barbados, which is the only western country with a full ban. The other was Japan, which while accepted and legal, there are too many restrictions and frankly most stops had issues or nothing with videoing. Plus you had to register in Japan. However, its perfectly legal to own and use there. Plus of course as mentioned above, a month ago, my use was manly pre cruise - it could have been post cruise. SS simply wont allow this.....other cruise lines will. In fact Viking not only assisted me, they stated they'd love to see the footage. I appreciate this very much is a minority and obscure thing, but in reality its a camera that is capable of stunning photography. Here is a good example. (Not mine - but would have loved it to be.) I think I'm pretty responsible on these matters and accept there are idiots that wont obey, I will obey this SS instruction. I doubt the idiots will.

You got the wrong end of the stick. Flying from the ship moving or stationary is quire rightly barred. Silversea has now taken it upon themselves to ban passage. ie you can’t bring them onto the ship and then use them at a location that may be 10s of miles from civilisation. Last month I sailed with Viking on a circumnavigation. The first 2 days before boarding, I was intending to use at the site of an active volcano, accessed by a 10 mile trek. Why should I be barred from doing that? (Which I would be unless I decided not to board with it!) Unfortunately, the volcano fizzled out 2 days before arriving and it was now just a small hill. So I did the golden triangle, which I’d happily have flown, but there were signs stating no drones. No problem and obeyed. At the top of another volcano later in the trip and at another less spectacular to gulfoss waterfall, Viking knew I had it and there was zero problem. Any pilot will tell you they know you can’t take off and land on the ship. So video and photos will be off ship and my responsibility to obey any restrictions. I have videod ships, but always from land. Silversea have been aware I bring one on with me (but not always) and have used my footage in their advertising. (Look at the Northern Europe video and I have a couple of clips in that compilation.) So, basically this decision on top of everything else is simply making things an unattractive proposition. The reason isn’t to do with privacy, ( though it’s a given you don’t fly too close to the ship)… it’s because some countries have banned then (mostly Middle East countries like Iran and Saudi), some you need to register, but most there isn’t a problem as long as you obey the flying rules which anyone flying in the Uk or US will be aware of as part of their operators license.

Blessed are the cheese makers! lol Though SALT is probably more expensive than gold in this instance. I’ve always been unhappy with the price hike for “included excursions”, though at least the choice is superior to those on Viking, which are simply not worth bothering with. On my last SS cruise, we lost 3 excursions and the scenic train journey at the end for which no refund was offered “because they were free”. That in itself is an insult to your intelligence and knowing the squeeze going on, I can’t help but think it’ll get worse. I am aware of one guest registering a complaint about the above and did receive a FCC. Funnily my SS rep did say I was mad not to have, but I’ve never complained about any sailing directly with SS and decided just to let it sit go. For the first time ever, no future booking was made on my last 2 SS this year. On my next, one of my booked excursions was cancelled, which happened to be the most expensive on the list. When I got round to rebooking, I was unable to add because a system glitch still had reference to my cancelled trip and wouldn’t allow it. I had to call GS to intervene. It got added but the free trip now chargeable. Luckily it was down to that glitch and the charge did get amended back to zero after a further email from the manager. Then I spotted a confirmed trip was now not only showing as wait listed, but now also chargeable. I can only assume someone bumped me and that weird glitch for cancelled by SS was back. I’ve chased this weeks ago and frankly appalled at the lack of response, though they did act quickly when I telephoned and spoke directly with the head of GS in London. It’s still showing wait listed and still showing chargeable despite it being “included”. It’s not the reps we speak to that’s the problem, but those dealing specifically with excursions with no contact with the public. You can add those dealing with flights into that category too. I was always asked what the attraction was with SS and always said it was the little things and attention to detail. I’m afraid those thoughts have virtually gone. I still enjoy the ships, but not their marketing and approach to administration on land. The offices have pretty much always had criticism, but think it’s got worse and doubt it will improve under RCL. My interaction with senior SS management has always been superb. One more to go and certain it’ll be my last. It’s been mostly fun and I sure will miss free laundry. I’ve a feeling we’ll probably be doing a few DIY land based trips starting with Japan, though would grab a half price bargain like the recent Southampton to Copenhagen should similar reappear, though the apparent blanket ban on drones, might even scupper that.

Have fun spins. Hoping Greenland lives up to expectations. We were dead lucky in Iceland with weather. Predicted rain the whole time we were there, but they got it wrong thankfully. Fingers crossed you get the same luck we had.

Quite often (maybe 50% or more) I elect not to take the included transfer and make my own way. Obviously it depends on the port and distance from the hotel. On one trip a year ago, I used the official taxi rank at Lisbon airport and got totally ripped off. Same for Barcelona…. But found using Uber cheap speedy and efficient. Worth exploring.