TLCOhio

Yes, things still need fixed for Feb. 11, etc., but starting Feb. 14 things are looking good and closer to NORMAL!! Will keep monitoring later today and Tuesday. Hopefully, by early Wednesday, we will see continued solid progress and more details/specifics for Mumbai. Plus, the Silver Moon will be getting nearly to Cape Town and on schedule for the Indian Ocean crossing to Mumbai. THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Just went back to our My Silversea site and was able to lock in excursion bookings for Goa through Colombo. Previously the tour booking for Hambamtota was done and is showing for us. Nothing has been opened up yet for Mumbai excursions, but this is solid, positive progress on Monday morning. THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Appreciate the great visual, comment and follow-up from travel savvy Fletcher. Yes, lots of ships these days doing the South Africa sail-around to avoid the Yemen coast dangers. As a positive update, below is the how, slowly, the My Silversea website schedule for our Mumbai-Singapore cruise is getting updated and fixed. For these dates shown below, they have not yet opened up the bookings potentials and/or restored tours previously scheduled. But, I can fortunately see some progress this am. THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Agree strongly that the above comment about much being a "work in progress" summarizes these "things" much very well. Much needs to be done and I am fairly hopefully that by Tuesday afternoon, we should receive more specific details for what will happen Feb. 11-14 in Mumbai with food, tours, etc., there. Clearly in some markets such as Australia, there are more challenges and the communications has been less than ideal. Or, worse? This morning from www.cruisemapper.com below is what they show as the Silver Moon (circled in red) getting closer to Cape Town. The ship speed is at 19.2 knots, a very nice pace that shows the Captain is moving along at a pace to arrive for that South Africa re-fueling either on schedule or slightly ahead of the planned schedule. Encouraging to me for making Mumbai by early morning Feb. 14!! THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio Panama Canal? Early 2017, Fort Lauderdale to San Francisco adventure through Panama Canal. Our first stops in Colombia, Central America and Mexico, plus added time in the great Golden Gate City. Now at 32,804 views. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2465580

How do you get from Cape Town to Mumbai? As shown below from Google, flying would be the FASTEST!! BUT, for Silversea, moving the Silver Moon does not load that well on a Boeing 787. This information next shows that sailing speed make a difference. From sea-distances.org, here are three examples to illustrate what the Captain of the Silver Moon will consider: Cape Town to Mumbai, 4599 nautical miles, 10 days 16 hours, at 18 knots speed Cape Town to Mumbai, 4599 nautical miles, 10 days 2 hours, at 19 knots speed Cape Town to Mumbai, 4599 nautical miles, 9 days 14 hours, at 20 knots speed Between a sail-away time later on Feb. 2 from Cape Town to arriving early morning of Feb. 14 in Mumbai is very possible, if and if. BUT, will a re-fueling stop be needed between South Africa and India? Where? How long to re-fuel a ship such as the Silver Moon? It is just one week till we fly out from Ohio to JFK airport in NYC and then board our American flight, non-stop, to Delhi. The EXCITEMENT is building and getting much closer for this adventure. It will be interesting during this coming week to monitor the Silver Moon progress to Cape Town and then to Mumbai. THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio Lisbon, NWSpain, Bordeaux/Brittany: Live/blog, June 2017 from Portugal to France along scenic Atlantic Coast on the Silver Spirit. Now at 34,457 views. Many pictures, details for history, food, culture, etc.: www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2511358

The www.cruisemapper.com site continues to be a very helpful and fascinating site with such great info, updates. Earlier today, it shows the Silver Moon speed as being at 20 knots. When I just checked now, the ship's speed was 19.3 knots. Clearly they can crank up the sailing speed as needed. That's encouraging for the ability to make Mumbai by early on the morning of Feb. 14. THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Continued good news with certain excursion bookings being updated and opening up? Was just able to go on and make a Feb. 20 reservation for this Hambantota tour as per below. Much still needing to be fixed and fine-tuned. But, seeing such added signs being progress? THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

From the New York Times Travel Section this weekend, they had this headline: “36 Hours Grenada” with these highlights: “Celebration is in the air on Grenada, the lush Caribbean island nation between Trinidad, St. Vincent and Barbados, which in February marks its 50th year of independence after centuries of French and British rule. The small country, a paradise of volcanic hills and idyllic bays, is often overlooked by vacationers despite being home to Grand Anse, a perennial candidate for the best beach in the Caribbean. There’s more than just lying on the shore on Grenada, a 52 Places to Go pick for 2024. Scuba dive through a recently expanded underwater art gallery, and on land, explore St. George’s, a photogenic capital with a popular spice market. Grenadians are famously friendly, especially when you join them for “liming,” the unofficial, delightfully indescribable national pastime of chilling out and enjoying everything island life has to offer." A nice variety of options and ideas for attractions and outdoor activities, restaurants and bars, shopping, where to stay and getting around are offered in this detailed profile. Here is another sample from their reporting: "Even if you’ve never had any interest in boating, it’s easy to understand why Grenada is one of the Caribbean’s most popular sailing destinations: It has a tropical climate, cooling tradewinds and is rarely hit by hurricanes. It also has endless anchorage points and secluded beaches best reached from the water." Full story at: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/01/25/travel/things-to-do-grenada.html THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio Sydney to NZ/Auckland Adventure, live/blog 2014 sampling/details with many exciting visuals and key highlights. On page 23, post #571, see a complete index for all of the pictures, postings. Now at 248,606 views. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/1896175-solstice-live-australianzhawaii-many-pix’s-jan-20-feb-3/

Good luck for our Aussie, UK, etc., friends as to Silversea getting things "caught up" with the needed web info and communications. As a positive, forward-looking preview for those of us staying at the Taj Mahal Palace, here is more background. They just had on December 16, 2023, their 120th anniversary celebration since its opening in 1903. It is India's first hotel to have electricity, American fans, German elevators, Turkish baths and English butlers. Located in Mumbai’s historical and commercial hub, it is in walking distance from Colaba Causeway, known for its touristy tiny roadside shops. Each room is different, drawing from Mogul, European, and Anglo-Indian styles. The hotel’s public areas are decorated with antiques, silk carpets, crystal chandeliers, paintings and contemporary art. Overall, this famed hotel has 560 rooms and 44 suites. This means there are about 319 rooms in the 1972-built Tower. The dramatic 240-feet high central dome serves as an official daytime triangulation point for ships of the Indian Navy. Among the dining options are: Souk for Middle Eastern fare at this rooftop restaurant offering views of the Mumbai harbor and Gateway of India. Or, head to Golden Dragon for upscale Sichuan and Cantonese dishes. Also, Wasabi By Morimoto for Japanese dishes with contemporary twists, made with ingredients flown in from Japan. Masala Kraft is their speciality Indian restaurant with hand-ground spices and traditional recipes. There is also High Tea at Sea Lounge. Their highly-rated pool area has a full-service restaurant, Aquarius, with afternoon sitar music. But, at this point, it is unclear as to exactly how Silversea will deliver their promised “food” during our three days in Mumbai at either the Taj or Trident. From this hotel's FB site or Wikipedia, here are three different visuals to offer a little sample for this hotel's architecture, style, setting, etc. THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio AFRICA?!!?: Fun, interesting visuals, plus travel details from this early 2016 live/blog. At 55,586 views. Featuring Cape Town, South Africa’s coast, Mozambique, Victoria Falls/Zambia and Botswana's famed Okavango Delta. www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2310337

From this side of the Atlantic, still no communications received as of 8 am Saturday from Silversea by email as had happened originally on Tuesday afternoon. That's when Silversea promised: “Our Destination Management team will communicate in the next few days, update your booking with hotel details." As per The Dog Fosterer and UK__cruiser, three of our tours booked for Thailand and Malaysia have been restored on our My Silversea website. The probably "mistaken" Cochin-Singapore cruise showing in only a few parts of the world is still there, but nothing can be booked. We here remain "hopeful" and look forward early next week to receiving some tangible details as we fly Feb. 4 to Delhi to start our privately-arranged "Golden Triangle" touring. Still flying Air India from Jaipur to Mumbai on the afternoon of Feb. 11 with our transportation arranged to take us to the Taj Mahal Palace hotel. More on that hotel later. As per www.cruisemapper.com this morning, below is the position of the Silver Moon (circled in red). Good news? The ship's speed is now up 19 knots as it works towards its scheduled 6 am Feb. 2 arrival in Cape Town. THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio Athens & Greece: Visuals, details from two visits in a city and nearby with great history, culture and architecture. Now at 62,019 views. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1101008

From this side of the Atlantic, still no communications received as of 8 am Saturday from Silversea by email as had happened originally on Tuesday afternoon. BUT, slightly good, is that three of our tours booked for Thailand and Malaysia have been restored on our My Silversea website. The probably "mistake" Cochin-Singapore cruise is still there, but nothing can be booked. We here remain "hopeful" and look forward early next week to receiving some tangible details as we fly Feb. 4 to Delhi to start our privately-arranged "Golden Triangle" touring. Still flying Air India from Jaipur to Mumbai on the afternoon of Feb. 11 with our transportation arranged to take us to the Taj Mahal Palace hotel. As per www.cruisemapper.com this morning, below is the position of the Silver Moon. Good news? The ship's speed is up 19 knots as it works towards its 6 am Feb. 2 arrival in Cape Town. THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio Sydney to NZ/Auckland Adventure, live/blog 2014 sampling/details with many exciting visuals and key highlights. On page 23, post #571, see a complete index for all of the pictures, postings. Now at 248,212 views. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/1896175-solstice-live-australianzhawaii-many-pix’s-jan-20-feb-3/

Understand the super frustrations, especially for those in Australia. BUT, there is solid wisdom as expressed above as to the challenges facing the Silversea staff to shift and make all of these new arrangements. The three days of promised "luxury" in Mumbai has been a good starting point. As stated above: "I am being hopeful". My guessing and predictions are that Silversea and staff will be strongly motivated to provide some nice "above and beyond" extras in Mumbai and on the ship's sailing. Again, FINGERS CROSSED! THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

From the Wall Street Journal late Friday afternoon, below are the charts for the three major cruise companies. Is downward a reasonable summary, especially with Friday's major slide for these cruise stocks? Norwegian had a really rocky week, up and down, DOWN!! Also below is the chart for this past week showing the contrast to the overall, broader S&P 500 performance. Mostly up and UP? Why the differences in market trends for the cruise stocks? THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio Athens & Greece: Visuals, details from two visits in a city and nearby with great history, culture and architecture. Now at 62,019 views. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1101008 Here are the Wall Street Journal charts to reflect the past five days of trading for the three major cruise lines during the past trading week. Not exactly good and positive news? Why?: (Open your screen/viewer wider to see these visuals larger/better!) By contrast, here is what the more broadly-based S&P 500 did in the past week. Mostly up and UP?:

From an active UK poster on that other site, it has been shared for Silver Moon, Mumbai arrangements: "I have been advised by my ssea rep all passengers should have received details about the arrangements today." Just eight hours left till midnight here in the U.S. It's 9 pm in the UK. Nothing yet here in the Colonies!! Yes, we can see the three nights and hotel to port transfer on our My Silversea. But, the Cochin-Singapore offering starting Feb. 15 on the Silversea web creates confusion and doubts. The clock is ticking and I am being hopeful. Here in the US, a SS source just told me that "soon" is the expected timing. Fingers crossed!! THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Sorry to hear of those challenges getting info and communications for those in Australia. The good news is that I just heard from a booked cruiser in southern California that he had previously paid for an extra two-day pre-cruise stay in the Oberoi. BUT, he was being moved to the Trident, a much lower-cost hotel. His TA asked for a refund because of the downgrade in hotels and will receive $520 refund from Silversea. Positive news and responsiveness from SS!! As to the Tuesday Silversea email, they clearly said "Our Destination Management team will communicate in the next few days, update your booking with hotel details", etc. That Tuesday email did not say "next week". It implied communications and more details THIS WEEK. A couple days means two days. A few day might mean three days, roughly. What is reasonable or unreasonable for our "few days" assumption/expectations/hope to hear more specifics?? THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio Amazon River-Caribbean 2015 adventure live/blog starting in Barbados. Many visuals from this amazing river and Caribbean Islands (Dutch ABC's, St. Barts, Dominica, Grenada, San Juan, etc.). Now at 73,926 views: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2076101-live-amazon-river-caribbean-many-pix’s-terryohio/

YES, it gets confusing as to Goa versus Cochin. Goa could be a back-up options, maybe, if and if. Still view that the 14th in Mumbai is very possible if the "bean-counters" do not foolishly tell the Captain to slow down and improve fuel "economy". Appreciate your checking and monitoring the port schedules. Good news that this potential Cochin-Singapore cruise is NOT showing on the UK Silversea website. That causes me to assume some careless Silversea web operative has been sloppy for playing around with potential, if and if, options as to whether there is some sailing problem in getting from the western coast of Africa to Cape Town and Mumbai. Reactions? THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Excellent question and point from Marc. When checking, it is 611 nm between Mumbai and Cochin. Even if sailing at 17 knots, it would take a day and a half to make that journey down the India coast. If departing at 2 pm on the 14th from Mumbai, they could not make it to Cochin by the newly-advertised time of 7 am on the 15th. I continue with my reactions and questions as to . . . strange and puzzling? THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Here are a couple of added reactions for what is happening (or not) with the Silversea management in posting such a Cochin to Singapore sailing options. Is it??: Red herring by inept or free-lancing SS web people? Or, a back-up plan, if and if? But, flying and moving 500+ booked/paid people from Mumbai to Cochin would involve serious logistical challenges. Plus, dealing with the anger and huge disappointment from those of us who did not sign up for this type of mismanagement. Silversea can easily make Mumbai by early on the 14th. Just crank up the sailing speed to 18 or 19 knots. Cheaper to spend more on the added fuel required than dealing with such a major scheduling change/flip-flop? Plus, continuing to look bad by not providing better communications and honesty with Silversea loyal customers? Other theories or speculation? Fair or unfair? THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Here are a couple of added reactions for what is happening (or not) with the Silversea management in posting such a Cochin to Singapore sailing options. Is it??: Red herring by inept or free-lancing SS web people? Or, a back-up plan, if and if? But, flying and moving 500+ booked/paid people from Mumbai to Cochin would involve serious logistical challenges. Plus, dealing with the anger and huge disappointment from those of us who did not sign up for this type of mismanagement. Silversea can easily make Mumbai by early on the 14th. Just crank up the sailing speed to 18 or 19 knots. Cheaper to spend more on the added fuel required than dealing with such a major scheduling change/flip-flop? Plus, continuing to look bad by not providing better communications and honesty with Silversea loyal customers? Other theories or speculation? Fair or unfair? THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Need "Good News"? The Silver Moon is now traveling at a speed of 17.2 knots and seems on track to arrive in Cape Town on Feb. 2. The other blue ship symbol is the Silver Spirit now sailing around in South Africa. Update from www.cruisemapper.com THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Need "Good News"? The Silver Moon is now traveling at a speed of 17.2 knots and seems on track to arrive in Cape Town on Feb. 2. The other blue ship symbol is the Silver Spirit now sailing around in South Africa. Update from www.cruisemapper.com THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

BUT, when you try to move ahead and start a booking, this message pops up on the screen, this shows: Maybe a goof by the web department at Silversea? THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

BUT, when you try to move ahead and start a booking, this message pops up on the screen, this shows: Maybe a goof by the web department at Silversea? THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

YES or NO!! Very strange and puzzling. That's "our" Mumbai to Singapore cruise and supposedly all cabin levels are now open and available for bookings. But starting on the 15th and in Cochin???? How will that work out for those of us already booked and paid? Lots of serious questions from Silversea and their Simon & Garfunkel game with the "Sounds of Silence" getting rather old and extremely frustrating. THANKS! Enjoy???? Terry in Ohio

YES or NO!! Very strange and puzzling. That's "our" Mumbai to Singapore cruise and supposedly all cabin levels are now open and available for bookings. But starting on the 15th and in Cochin???? How will that work out for those of us already booked and paid? Lots of serious questions from Silversea and their Simon & Garfunkel game with the "Sounds of Silence" getting rather old and extremely frustrating. THANKS! Enjoy???? Terry in Ohio