chrism23

I have never had a long wait in embarking. (8). It has been relatively seamless. I always stay and leave from the pre-cruise basic hotel because it simplifies the whole process. Your luggage is in the room when your get there. The only delay I have experienced was in Iceland. The pre-cruise testing went off without a hitch. Then we were shown to a tent to wait...and wait. The problem was the Icelandic authorities who just took forever. Just a quick tip for those flying. After a number of 6:00 am arrivals at various destinations, and not, of course having a room available, check in time always seems to be 3:00 PM, I always travel at least a day before embarkation, stay at the SS hotel, waltz into my room at 6:00 AM and sleep. For me, the extra $400-500 is worth it. The extra day is worth the peace of mind of delays and not making your departure. For example, this weekend there is going to be an epic storm, which is being called a "generational" storm, that will, if as advertised, shut done air traffic in the eastern US perhaps for days Of course you Aussies will probably spend the morning on the beach refreshing your tans.

Sort of my bad. Sorry. I reread the insurance policy and it does cover something called TERRORISM. I can imagine if things go really south we all might have dueling lawyers for years arguing over the definition of terrorism. BTW My offer to pick up the bar tab for Piscos at the Westin the night before embarking still stands. Hell, it will be the last time I pay for a drink for the next month. Cheers

A few things. I will see Daddyo and others at the Westin in Lima because I will be embarking from there.(if I get to Lima) I'll buy you all a Pisco if we can hook up I have one MAJOR complaint about the Macchu Picchu tour, In the promotional material they say that by staying at the Belmond Micchu Picchu, which is literally at the gate, you will have the park and the sunrise all to your self. Wrong. At about 5:00 AM you are awakened to the sound of tour buses, lining up for admission to the park. Quiet it is not. Second this version has SS using the Marriot in Lima. We stayed at the Belmond Miraflores Park(a SS choice) which was one of the best hotels I have ever stayed in-imagine a giant whirlpool in the bathroom that could hold 10 people in warm bubbly comfort. You can have one helluva of a party. Also mentioned above is the issue of insurance. Read the small print carefully if you are using the trip insurance from SS, and I assume most others do the same-no insurance refund in event of war. Now what is happening in Peru, is not a "war" it is an insurrection. But I am about 100% certain the insurance company will call it a war, if it continues, and you are out the bucks. The only real out here is if SS cancels the excursion. So if things heat up over the next few weeks one will have to deal with SS.

@SWFLAOK- you have more guts than I do, I wouldn't go to Myanmar unless you held a gun to my head, and to go on a leisurely scenic cruise, phew. I am very gun shy, for that reason I no longer go to Mexico. It seems there used to be an understanding between the cartels and the authorities to leave the tourists alone. No more. Restaurant have been shot up in Cabo and Cancun And then there is Acapulco,oncethe playground of the rich, now home to the cartels; Lest we forget the unsolved murder capitol of the western hemisphere, ciudad Juarez Sorry to go on. My point, finally to get to it, is that it is becoming increasingly to travel, of course, due to COVID, but also due to rapidly evolving political events, I started this thread half tongue and cheek and self referential, and mentioned Peru and Argentina being on the edge. The next damn day, Peru comes apart Thousands of tourists are stranded around Machu Picco . The discontented have seized Cusco airport where most wide trips to Macchu Picco depart. This was also s bit of seriousness behind my remark about Travel Insurance. If one ia caught up in one of these fright situations and misses flight, incur hotel and all sorts of other expenses, does the travel insurance cove it. This might currently be an issue for SS pax.

OK. I hope people read this because it may be very relevant to your trip. A headline from this mornings New York Times 12/14 reads "At Least 7 Dead in Peru as...." Where this effects SS passengers is that they have closed airports including Cusco which is the jumping off point to Machu Picchu. Many people, myself included, added an after or before excursion to Machu Picchu as part of a Galapagos trip. For the moment, that is off the table, which is a shame. Yes, and naturally I am flying into Lima next month.

A post here a few weeks ago, said that the Silver Moon, which I will shortly be for 31 days does not have a library. (other than the coffee table large books in one of the lounges), if it had one in the first place. Is that still the case? If so, this is a killer for me. I am a compulsive reader, averaging 2-3 books week. Usually after embarkation I make a dash for the library and grab a couple I want to read. Now I have to bring the books with me? (Don't say buy a kindle, one of my many neurosis is that I must have paper-but for this a kindle would be the solution). If there isn't a library I will buy long books, to minimize weight. I did this in Dublin, when of course, I had to go out and buy Ulysses. Damn thing took me almost 2 weeks of the cruise. This time, if I have to bring my own, I will pack, stuff I haven't read yet, in this case, The Karamazoz Brothers by Doetovsky and Anna Kanenina by Toltstoy. I will probably need a couple more. Problem is together these 2 weigh 5 pounds and I will be trying to pack every ounce and inch of luggage space, A quick by the way, if any one else is in the same predicament I recommend Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace and anything by William T. Vollman all coming in at about 1000 pages. TIA. .

This is a brief fun note. Find out where and when I am traveling and pick a new date and destination. Trouble seems to follow me. Yesterday they overthrew they President of Peru. Two people have gotten killed so far. I am due there in January. Then they just put the VP of Argentina in jail.. Due there in January. My best story is I was in a bar my Marrakech hotel the night of Paris terrorist attack. I was there to watch the soccer game. When the TV coverage cut away to the violence many of the patrons in the bar started cheering. Naturally I opened my my big mouth and said to the guy next to me "What the f**k are you cheering about? Whoops. Vacated the bar in a hurry. Then I was in Jerusalem when the 2nd intifada kicked. off. I had walked to the Damascus Gate, with East Jerusalem across the Street, Got there, and a couple of hundred kids were across the street letting go with rocks and sling shots. I was with my wife and mother-law. I jumped in front of a cab, threw them inside and said to the driver "King David Hotel fast" Then I was in Paris for the last major protest by ETA. I remember walking around a corner and there were over 500 French cops in full riot gear. A good street fight ensued. And then the best/worst one. I was in St. Petersburg, when there was both, a Euro Cup soccer game between Shaktar Donetsk and Spartak Moscow. The soccer Ultras wore all black military gear and were up for a riot. There were thousands. Our hotel was right off Nevsky Prospect near the Hermitage, the route Lenin took. The day I was there there was also s LGBTQ march. Then soccer ultras, led by Putin's personal motorcycle gang, the Night Wolves, waded into the gay crowd and were absolutely kicking the crap out of them. I grabbed one guys arm, just as he was about to hit a protester with a steel pipe. I got out of there in a hurry. I am much, much too old to engage in street fighting. I realize this posting will probably be deleted for being off topic. So one cruise trip to make it relevant. Always find out if there is big trouble, say a revolution, going on where you are going. And then head the other way. I wonder if Silversea gives a discount for avoiding war zones. I know this because I thought best to look it up. SS's trip insurance does not cover acts of war. With my luck the Brits will start another war over the Falklands while we are there. Cheers.

I always fly in the day before. Especially these days even though I have always done it. If for some reason i have to fly into somewhere with a very early arrival, say 6:00 AM or so I will always book a room for the day before so we would be sure to have a room to crash in when we arrive. (this seems to always happen in Dublin). The peace of mind this gives on is worth the extra $$. Also, depending on where you are flying in and out of, it is winter, there is snow, and places like JFK or Logan shut down with some regularity. Another reason to book a hotel a day or two early.

The wet suits SS provides are fine. The fins are even ok. The water temp is neutral, you aren't diving, just snorkeling, so I wouldn't worry too much about gear. I would absolutely though bring your own mask and snorkel. Also essential are water shoes. A quick story, we went snorkeling the second day off a beach, that was next to a sea lion rookery, There were maybe 100+. When we got in the water, the sea lions came in too. They wanted to play. Don't freak when one of these things comes at you at 30 mph. They won't hit you. They'll veer off. or go over you or under you but they won't crash into you. Most fun I had on any of my adventures. Oh. When the beach master-the 750 lb male that rules the beach, wakes up and starts bellowing, exit the water. Have fun.

When I started this thread I didn't imagine the response it would get. If this small sample of clients on Cruise Critic willing to take the time to share their experiences is any indication then, SS is having major issues with its Air Department that need to be quickly remedied or they will be losing customers in droves in real difficult market. But....after posting I spent some time talking with my CC at SS and lo and behold everything worked out, says Chris holding his breath because we don't sail until the end of January out of Lima. This experience has taught me one major lesson in dealing with SS, which I sort of knew before but is now totally confirmed. It is absolutely essential with SS to develop as close a relationship as possible with your cruise consultant and keep that relationship going forward. And try to get a CC that is based in Miami and has friends in the Air Division which is in the same building. If you can do this, cultivate the relationship, your cruising life will be a lot simpler. My CC has pulled out some near impossibilities, including our last return from Dublin in July, on Aer Lingus, after being told by SS it had severed its relationship with Aer Lingus (this was the Air Division) and they had routed my return from Dublin, to Boston, through Frankfurt, which prompted my initial post. And also prompted my CC to let loose a string of expletives about the Air Division. I flew back on Aer Lingus. For my next trip he conjured up a non-stop flight from JFK to Lima and a one stop in Miami back from Rio. Best I could possibly hope for. By relationship building, I mean little things, that go above and beyond, like I am going to take him and his partner out to dinner next time I pass through Miami. (btw this will be my 8th cruise with SS). Yelling at your CC is of course counter productive, and let him yell at their Air Division. Granted that flying in this brave new COVID is nerve fraying and difficult at best. Some of the horror stories posted above make me cringe. Some problems just can't be avoided. But it helps immeasurably to have someone at SS on your side.

Oh no. Now I will have to pack books (I only use paper and not Kindles etc) and i won't have enough space as is. I always, when boarding, make a beeline for the library to grab books to get my through the cruise. This irks me.

Hi, this is my second obnoxious post of the day. We are leaving for 2 legs of the South American Grand Voyage at the end of January, from Lima to Rio. While on board, after a week or so, we pass the magic 100 day barrier, that entitles us to free laundry. Since we are on board for 31 days could be an issue. Has anyone encountered this situation before? And if so did SS (do the right thing) and provide free laundry. Naturally my CC says, of course, no problem, sure, you got it. This is just to double check. Things have gotten a little confused some times at SS's home base. Thanks.

Hi, I have a cruise coming up and have a bunch of questions, I will try to limit them to save myself from becoming a pain in the butt. I have 2 questions today. First, is I have a place holder in for the 2024 World Cruise. This version focuses primarily to far east-Japan, Vietnam, Singpore etc. This is the itinerary I was looking for. It solves my total aversion to 18 hour plane rides. The question is this. This particular world cruise is slated to happen on the Silver Shadow. The next year, 2025, focuses on Europe and the Mediterranean which I have done to death. That sailing is on the Silver Moon. SS took out a full, really fancy, 6 page insert in the NY Times a couple of weeks ago promoting the 2025 cruise and the Moon. When SS is launching all these higher end new ships, why use the Shadow which has got to be as tired as any ship in the Silver Sea fleet. Now I am assuming, and correct me if I am wrong, the reason they are using the smaller ship is they want top go places that won't accommodate the new larger ships. Am I missing something? TIA.

Hi, See you on the Moon in January, we are doing back to back segments from Lima to Rio. The black tie logo has appeared on two days in the first segment, Tuesday January 24 and Friday the 27th, and none yet on the second leg. I watch for these because I tend to do La Dame on Formal nights. This outing I don't know, after the last few meals at La Dame, I have come to the conclusion that they basically serve the same fare the the MDR but more of it, i.e 4 chops on a rack of lamb instead of 2 in the MDR. It all comes out from the same kitchen.

I have to give credit to where credit is due. Cotto 22 above say he was 'pleasantly;' surprised '. I was floored. My CC took care of all of my flight problems, and it seems like I am good to go. (knock wood). In this post-COVID (world (not really), Murphy's law applies. There is still ample time for all to screw up. But my experience underscores a point I alway make in my posts whee relevant. There is nothing more important SS than to develop a relationship with you cruise consultant, if he or she is any good. A good CC will, most importantly go to bat for you with SS air, throw in an extra night a hotel pre or post cruise if your time is too tight, throw out deviation fees, all sorts of little things that makes your experience more seemless and thus more pleasurable. I thought I had hit a wall with mine, but I was wrong and he didn't disappoint. The problems I was having with SS air was all SS air. It seems, adding insult to injury, that SS air is having problems with its software which they are trying to correct on the fly. Which may experience the chaos they are leaving in their wake. Anyhow, good luck to all.

Hi WES. Thank you. If Ms. Muckerman does check this out I want to make one think perfectly clear. The problem was not with my cruise consultant (MN) The delays, the phone calls the emails were caused by him trying to address our issues with SS Air. He too was pulling his hair out. As I said he has been very good to us and I really don't want this to reflect badly on him. I will send, with no hesitation all our business to him in the future. The reason I am doing this is for new cruisers and people who have not been through this before. It is a shame that people are getting angry at SS, because of the incompetence of just one part of their operation. For these folks, calling their general number or emailing them, is not going to get your concerns addressed. You absolutely need a CC that will strongly go to bat for you with the AIR division. This is a shame because after sailing around, I feel the SS is the best cruise line in the world. Selfishly I don't want to see them lose business, both new and repeat, by having just one of their divisions ruining the experience for so many people. Thanks again.

OK. A couple of things. Heard from ny CC consultant last night and it seems that they have finally gotten it right. Let me stress how important it is to have a good CC at SS. My last two were great at working out issues with SS air. Probably by picking up the phone and threatening them with bodily harm. But this begs the bigger and more important question. Given the avalanche and horror stories above in response to my original post SS undeniably has as a major problem with its AIR division. If as many people that responded to this thread are any indication, figure that the real number is at least 10x the number of people with problems, maybe even 100X. This had been going on for some time, pre-COVID, so that is not an excuse, it just makes it more difficult. So I think the solution here is self-evident. SS needs to fire, immediately, the Director/Manager of their AIR division and bring or promote someone who can fix it and get it right. If this person worked for me back in the day, I would have had him/her clean their desk and be shown the door a while ago. Thanks to everyone that responded. The problem was much more widespread and serious than I thought. cheers all chris

Bolllocks. After leaving 4 emails and three voice messages, they still have my wife and I booked on separate flights. This can be fixed with one quick phone call to the Air Division. I hope Barbara Muckerman is reading this thread, she used to, or someone else at SS to pick up the phone and get it done. All I need is for the air for me under VS 3139334 to match the air for my wife inner V 3130193. Or send my the number of your AIR division, you will have my particulars from the VS numbers, and I will do it myself. Unfortunately I can't cancel because I would be out 25% of $54,000 which is real money these days. I will also cancel my booking for the 2023 world cruise which is $144,000, which is significant real money. This sailing is in January, part of the Grand Voyage promotion,, we are doing 2 legs, the whole cruise sails in December so its is not 11 months away. I don not want to get my CC in hot water, he has been really very very good to us on out 5 previous cruises, which may happen because I included the VS numbers. And I look forward, hopefully in working with him in the future. I started this thread and I can't believe how many people have piled. on. Glad to know its not just me.

Fort Myers. I hope you guys are ok. If there Ian must have been hell.

Hi. I don't have a TA. He died. I used to book everything myself when I traveled, once upon a time. Now SS takes the hassle out of it. I prefer to have someone do the work for me, even it it means staying at a hotel I wouldn't normally stay at. I only have had one horrible hotel when booking their simply hotel which was the Costa in Barcelona. Staying at their hotels also includes portage, which is very convenient as well as having staff in the lobby to answer questions and smooth out any problems. Yes, I have become lazy.

I am posting this in hopes that someone from Silversea actually reads this forum. By far, the worst part of the Silversea experience, is dealing with its Air department, albeit through your Cruise Consultant. My last two trips serve as case studies on how bad they are. Last July we were on on Scots Isles expedition cruise which ended in Dublin. SS air had our return tickets routed through Frankfurt. Huh? A 1000 miles in the wrong direction, we were trying to go to Boston. That got fixed. Then this time, down to Lima and home from Rio. They have my wife and I booked on different flights which we have tried to correct twice. Still trying. Now why do I subject myself to this incompetence. By using them they provide transfers to and from hotels. By using their hotels for transfers you get more information, luggage tags, and other perks that makes the whole process easier. We also always fly business class, and once we are booked on the right flights, they can help with seat selection, cancellations and other stuff. I have had 2 cruise consultants at SS. Each of whom have been good at ultimately straightening out problems with SS air. I have done 8 cruises and have 2 more booked including the round the world cruise in 2024 (more on that in another thread). I would say out of the 8, SS air has screwed up the first pass at booking 7 of 8 times. There have been continuing complaints about SS air in this forum. The obvious question is why in the hell don't the fix it. Feel free to pile on please. Maybe a lot of comments will get their attention.

Mr. Foot-We finally completely agree on something. 2.75.2 is the newest of Omnicron's grandchildren identified just last month. Glad to see you are on top of things. Thus far in testing it has evaded 12 of the 13 monoclonal antibodies. No real data yet on severity or how it responds to bivalent boosters. Coming soon to a theater near you.

I will be on the moon in January-February. I have had 8 SS cruises, 2 expeditions with no real dress code, 6 with the standard dress code and Formal nights. I am trying to find out what nights will be Formal Nights on the Moon. I like to go to La Dame in a tux, just a thing. I am making restaurant reservations on the activities page now and I can't find a place where Formal nights are identified. Anyone know where? Or should I just wait and see whether it pops up or not. Thanks

I absolutely agree. The omicron sub variants, I believe there are five with BA-5 now being dominant, popped up and achieve dominance in a couple of months and is now responsible for 85% of all COVID cases in the US. Granted all could change again in the next few months. I did say above that more variants will definitely arise over time Granted that COVID boosters do not absolutely stop you from getting infected. But they definitely mitigate transmission and severity. Right now there are just two omicron specific bilvalent boosters, one from Pfizer the other from Moderna. It seems to me that since there is or was a a vaccine required by SS for embarkation that requirement should extend to omnicron specific boosters since omnicron and its variants are by far the dominant iteration of the virus in circulation. Granted come January that might not be the case. Again, what concerns me it is the lack of clarity, that you addressed by posting the entirety of the SS vaccination policies above in response to a couple of comments that were made. Thank you this was helpful. Lord knows what these policies will be after the new year, Also of concern were the comments of Nuka and Gourmet Gal and others above that seemed to be saying that on the Moon, which is why I jumped into this thread, there seemed to be profligate disregard of basic safety guidelines, Based on their comments I don't think I will set foot in the S.A.L.T. bar for example. Yes, I realize the last thing anyone needs is more stress and confusion when returning to the sea. I got back in July with a Scots island expedition cruise. All the embarking issues were handled very smoothly. We did the pre-cruise thing and before embarking our group,, there were perhaps 15 of us, after presenting our vax cards were then give the BinX rapid test and then allowed to board. There were no reports of anyone, pax and crew, on board becoming sick. Being back to sea, I felt an enormous weight lift from my shoulders. I cannot wait to return. Thanks for your patience.

I will be on the Moon for 31 days in January and February. The comments above create some concern. I am sorry that people got sick. I need to know whether those infected are vaxed and to what extent. I just received my third booster which targets the omicron variant of SARS coV-2, the original virus There are now at least 5 branches of the original Omicron virus, all are more infectious but less deadly than the original. There will be more variants to come, sorry to say. It would be wise for Silversea to require being vaxed with the Omicron specific booster as well as the two previous boosters. If the people here who commented above were vaxed with the omnicron specific booster, my concern would go through the roof. Thanks in advance for any response.