TLCOhio

Here in the USA on the Silversea website, below is what shows as a "special": Is it just for expedition cruises? THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Welcome back for travel and cruising. Although the Shadow is an older Silversea ship, hopefully the staffing and food quality will be up to their traditionally high levels. This sailing offers many interesting ports and cities, especially during the fall season. Weather might have some risks, but there is great, scenic and history options through this itinerary. Need proof? We visited, in depth, in the Canada Maritimes. This includes for your two ports of Charlottetown (Prince Edward Island) and Halifax, Nova Scotia. Need more ideas and options? Check on the visual summary connected below. Like seafood? Great opportunities in these wonderful areas. THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio Late Summer 2022, many scenic visuals and details from Canada Maritimes doing Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Cape Breton Island, etc., via a Tauck land tour. Visual Summary: www.flickr.com/photos/196555480@N08/albums In and near to Halifax, below are some visual samples to reflect the beauty for this part of Canada. The fourth picture shows people walking on the "ocean floor" at the Bay of Fundy where the tides dramatically rise and fall.: (Open your screen/viewer wider to see these visuals larger/better!) This is an example of the historic area in Charlottetown.:

Appreciate the great above comments and follow-up from R&T. It does look like this evening the U.S. House will approve the debt limit bill and that the world will not "end" as some in the media and politics had been saying, claiming and/or threatening. Lots of hype and hand-wringing?? From the Wall Street Journal-connected Investors Business Daily today, they had this headline: “Royal Caribbean Stock: How To Capture $1,250 In Income With Options Today” with these highlights: “Royal Caribbean Group is currently sitting at No. 26 on the IBD 50. Plus, Royal Caribbean stock is showing improving relative strength. While RCL currently does not pay a dividend, savvy investors can still create a yield from RCL using covered calls. According to IBD Stock Checkup, RCL stock ranks No. 2 in its group and has a Composite Rating of 92, an EPS Rating of 67 and a Relative Strength Rating of 96. A covered call involves buying 100 shares of the underlying stock and simultaneously selling a call option against those shares. Selling the call option limits the upside but it increases the yield from the investment in the form of option premium received. The investor keeps the premium generated from selling calls no matter what happens with Royal Caribbean stock or any other equity investment.” Ready to gamble? Ever heard of "using covered calls"?? Understand it? Do you seem confused like me? For yesterday and today, things were much more stable for Carnival and Norwegian. Was all of the "call option" stuff causing much of this "wild ride"? Full story at: https://www.investors.com/research/options/royal-caribbean-stock-how-to-capture-1250-in-income-with-options-today/?src=A00619&refcode=aflMarketWatch From the Wall Street Journal late this afternoon, below is their chart showing for yesterday and today, the values for Royal Caribbean stock being up and down like a roller coaster. Wild ride? Why? 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 53,659 views. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1101008

Yes to both Lois' kind, helpful follow-up, plus for this being a tender port. I kind of said it, but not exactly 100% clear. The small downtown there has many interesting, varied shops. We found some interesting fabric to buy and take back for a quilting friend in Columbus. The Russian church is historic and fascinating. Below are a few more visuals to help build up excitement for going ashore in this tendering spot. THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise from Copenhagen, July 2010, to the top of Europe. Scenic visuals with key tips. Live/blog at 247,072 views. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/1172051-livesilver-cloud-norway-coastfjords-july-1-16-reports/ The Russian church in Sitka is not quite like in St. Petersburg, but it is worth a stop and to understand the "connection" that Europe/Asia country had prior to the purchase of Alaska by the USA.: (Open your screen/viewer wider to see these visuals larger/better!) Here are a couple more wildlife samples, including this cute little "wave" or greeting that we received.:

From our summer 2019 experience on Silver Muse, yes, Sitka is a fairly small port that is not visited by many cruise ships. Good news!! We super loved this port and all that we experienced and did. This included a private, charter boat for the four of us that allowed seeing many, many birds, wildlife, whales and more whales, etc., etc. Need proof and evidence? See below just a few visuals. More on the live/blog connected below. Any other questions for Sitka? THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio Summer 2019 Calgary, Jasper/Banff National Parks, Western Canada Rocky Mountaineer rail adventure, Vancouver, sailing up to Alaska on Silver Muse, post-cruise excursion to Denali, etc. Many visuals, Our firsts in these scenic areas! Now at 19,195 views. Live/blog: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2682584-live-terryohio-silver-muse-alaska-canadarockies-pix’s/ Here is the Silver Muse anchored in this scenic Sitka area.: (Open your screen/viewer wider to see these visuals larger/better!) Seeing wildlife in this port is very possible in this port area. Here is a small sample for what we experienced from our private charter, including with the puffins, eagle, whales action, etc. etc.:

YES, lovely pictures and updates from PR. Sorry about your cat. Ritz prices are normally high, HIGH!! Great, scenic rocks and water down there. Glad you are enjoying. Nice "food porn"!! Super fun and wonderful grandchildren items from Host Jazzbeau. Personally, I like most this one: "Grandpa is the smartest man on earth! He teaches me good things, but I don't get to see him enough to get as smart as him!" Love from Lirio about "Sunday concert at Theatro Municipal (Rio de Janeiro)." Brings back memories from the famed Opera House in Manaus, Brazil. THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

YES, that flip top makes things much easier and simpler!! Glad you have been allowed in the "secret club" to know that important insider info. Wonderful pix, food porn, etc. Great croc fun. Seeing the "Black Angus Wellington Dinner!" brought back great memories from when we did a special order on the Silver Muse for that tasty treat. THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Your question for the ten year items is way above my pay grade and knowledge/skill level. Clearly the questions over the "debt ceiling", spending, etc., has many investors uncertain. From the Wall Street Journal late Friday, below are their charts for the three major cruise lines during the past week. Rocky? Rough seas? Does that sum up a rather strange week of trading for these stocks. Tuesday was good. Wednesday bad. Overall? Confusing?? Who can predict next week and the month of June? THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio Late Summer 2022, many scenic visuals and details from Canada Maritimes doing Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Cape Breton Island, etc., via a Tauck land tour. Visual Summary: www.flickr.com/photos/196555480@N08/albums From the Wall Street Journal during the past five trading days, here are their charts for the three major cruise lines. Lots of ups and downs?: (Open your screen/viewer wider to see these visuals larger/better!)

Our new puppy makes us smile. See below for why. THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio Late Summer 2022, many scenic visuals and details from Canada Maritimes doing Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Cape Breton Island, etc., via a Tauck land tour. Visual Summary: www.flickr.com/photos/196555480@N08/albums Since many like cute dogs, here is a visual update for our Aussie Labradoddle, Lizzie. Still growing and liking to explore and be active at age 6.5 months.: (Open your screen/viewer wider to see these visuals larger/better!) Plus, as a bonus, here is a recent backyard floral happening.:

YES!! Love Tina Turner. Have her on my iPhone music top five-star play-list. Proud Mary, Simply the Best and the others are so totally amazing. In June 2000, Tina and Lionel Ritchie did a concert here in Central Ohio where we attended. Simply the best and wonderful. For part of the performance, Tina was on a large, moving arm of a "crane" that rose up and went out over part of the audience. Quite a show!!! Great memories!! Coming up in Columbus and other parts of the country will be the Broadway program "Tina - The Tina Turner Musical". It will be here in May 2024. Will need to work on getting tickets for that program. THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio Late Summer 2022, many scenic visuals and details from Canada Maritimes doing Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Cape Breton Island, etc., via a Tauck land tour. Visual Summary: www.flickr.com/photos/196555480@N08/albums Since many at The Cooler like cute dogs, here is a visual update for our Aussie Labradoddle, Lizzie. Still growing and liking to explore and be active at age 6.5 months.: (Open your screen/viewer wider to see these visuals larger/better!) Plus, as a bonus, here is a recent backyard floral happening.:

Super appreciate, Randy, this great follow-up and the keen insights from your recent Silversea sailings. Very interesting with the higher number of "new to SS" travelers being aboard. Added comments and experiences from others? From the New York Times Travel Section this weekend, they will have this headline: “Strikes, Delays and Lost Luggage: How to Survive Air Travel This Summer" with this sub headline: "With Memorial Day approaching, we compiled a guide to help you navigate the year’s most hectic season in the skies.” Here are some of their tips and reporting highlights: “With summer on the horizon, experts are renewing their annual alarm to brace for the busiest travel season of the year. Coming out of the pandemic, fewer flights, a shortage of airline workers and higher fuel costs, have helped push prices up. And consumers, eager to travel, haven’t revolted sufficiently to persuade carriers to bring them down. International fares, where available flights lag demand, are a bleaker story: travel booking app Hopper expects tickets abroad this summer to be at a five-year high, up 32 percent to Europe compared with last summer. More travelers may mean longer lines at airport security and customs and immigration checkpoints. Ongoing labor actions continue to wreak havoc on major European transit hubs and may upend the plans of travelers this summer. Jammed airports and planes this summer will inevitably mean more checked suitcases, duffels and backpacks that don’t show up at baggage claim.” Makes me glad for now that we do not have any summer air and/or cruise options planned. Sounds rather busy and challenged?? Am focusing currently most on research and planning for our February 2024 India to Singapore Silver Moon sailing with added time pre in the Golden Triangle plus post time for Japan, etc. Full NY Times story at: https://www.nytimes.com/explain/2023/05/25/travel/summer-travel-airports-flights THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio Late Summer 2022, many scenic visuals and details from Canada Maritimes doing Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Cape Breton Island, etc., via a Tauck land tour. Visual Summary: www.flickr.com/photos/196555480@N08/albums

Super nice views and angles from your flight in that Cessna Caravan aircraft. YES, getting up, UP in the air provides a better perspective for what all is below and why for this amazing topography. Being on a ship or on the ground is nice and good. However, seeing things from that higher angles really reveals it in a much better manner. Great sharing!! THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

From the Wall Street Journal late last night, they had this headline: “Half-Empty a Year Ago, Cruises Are Now Packed Like Sardines" with this sub-headline: "Crowds have returned to cruise ships to the point that some are oversold and even bumping passengers,” Here are some of their reporting highlights: “Anyone expecting a repeat of the ample elbow room on many cruises last summer should prepare. The crowds are back at sea. Cruise lines are seeing occupancy levels above 100% on many ships, largely due to the discounts and promotions many cruise lines offered in late fall and winter. Passengers are encountering long lines for activities on board, sold-out excursions and stressed-out crew members, a year after all but having ships to themselves. In extreme cases, cruise lines are canceling some people’s trips after overselling. Royal Caribbean Group reported that the occupancy rate across its cruise lines averaged 102.1% during the first quarter of 2023, up from 57.4% in early 2022.” Anyone having "crowding issues" while sailing with Silversea recently? Hopefully, SS is not over-selling and/or bumping people. Reactions and insights? Also shared in this story: "Bookings have been strongest for 'sun and fun destinations' like the Caribbean. Much like airlines, cruise lines sell more reservations than they can accommodate for a given booking, cruise industry executives say, under the expectation that some portion of travelers will choose not to go. The recent spate of overbooked sailings is a reflection of pent-up travel demand." Full story at: https://www.wsj.com/articles/cruise-vacations-oversold-crowds-808349f1?mod=hp_lead_pos7 THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio Summer 2019 Calgary, Jasper/Banff National Parks, Western Canada Rocky Mountaineer rail adventure, Vancouver, sailing up to Alaska on Silver Muse, post-cruise excursion to Denali, etc. Many visuals, Our firsts in these scenic areas! Now at 19,195 views. Live/blog: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2682584-live-terryohio-silver-muse-alaska-canadarockies-pix’s/

WOW!! If I had been on board, I would be rather unhappy. That's a tangled, difficult situation to explain and compensate. Appreciate the updating by the always-knowing and smart Fletcher. THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Super appreciate these added details and helpful follow-up. I had forgotten the name for the town of Richmond. Very charming. As I recall that bridge is very, very old and has stood up well over a long period of time. Those convicts performed excellent service during that construction period. THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Great news and nice visual shared. Glad that Silversea has not moved to those pump bottles on the wall. Keep it classy!! Excellent reporting by Port Power about: "The big ship moored at Ashmore Reef is Border Force. They are there watching out for illegal fishing and illegal immigration. In the past there were many instances of “boat people” crashing into the reef. The low flying plane was also Border Force. They usually fly along the coast daily." THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Nice background about Ashmore Reef, plus fun, interesting food, sunset and bird visuals. Keep it coming!! Were you flipping the "bird" to that airplane and nearly causing an International Incident? Would stye have burned the Silversea ship if you had been caught fishing? Oh, so you were spoofing us about the shampoo, conditioner, etc., being on the wall of the shower? Having fun with us?? Does Silversea still have the luxury brands as shown below? Hoping so!! THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Need more "eye candy" from Tasmania to bring back nice memories from visiting this interesting, historic and scenic part of Australia? See below! 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 243,340 views. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/1896175-solstice-live-australianzhawaii-many-pix’s-jan-20-feb-3/ From our ship, below is the view of Hobart, its harbor, etc. As I recall, that red ship was used by the Russian to visit Antarctica.: (Open your screen/viewer wider to see these visuals larger/better!) In driving back from Port Arthur, below is a charming/historic bridge in the scenic countryside, plus inside when visiting a church there.: Here is more from Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary. Cute or not?: At Port Arthur, here is a view for some of the historic stonework at this site. Plus, the clear, great blue sky.: Near Hobart, here is their waterside art museum.:

Appreciate this helpful follow-up from our Australia friend. Yes, paywall can be a challenge. Also, enjoyed this added Kangaroo background: "Kangaroo 'babies' are called joeys. Those cute koalas can be more aggressive and vicious than emu's. Only go near ones that are in a petting zoo. And don't even mention the 'drop bears'. If you see a kangaroo in the wild, make sure that it has a pouch. The males can send you to hospital, or worse." THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Appreciate these great details and follow-up as to your fun, exciting upcoming cruises and other activities. Busy, busy!!! Glad to hear that Ashmore Reef worked well. Look forward to learning and seeing more. Is the bulk shampoo, conditioner, etc., on the wall now the new "standard" for all Silversea ships? No more of the small bottles and soaps that we can take home to keep the "luxury memories" alive and extended? THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Appreciate these up-side-down time zone challenges for highplanesdrifters and this follow-up. And, we still do know if and when any type of economic recession/down-turn will happen. From the Investor's Business Daily last week, they had this headline: “Does 297% Growth Sound Fun? Hop On Board This IBD 50 Stock” with these highlights: “With passenger volumes at Transportation Security Administration checkpoints now exceeding pre-pandemic levels and expected to spike this summer, Royal Caribbean joins several travel stocks on the IBD 50. And as rival Carnival navigates rough seas, RCL stock continues to weather the storm and test a new buy zone. In addition to a spot on the IBD 50 list of top growth stocks, Royal Caribbean has sailed onto the IBD Breakout Stocks Index. Over the last three quarters, the cruise ship operator has generated average sales growth of 297%. RCL stock scores a 91 Composite Rating, clearly exceeding the 50 score of rival CCL stock. Royal Caribbean leaves Norwegian Cruise Line, which earns a 46 Composite Rating, even further behind in its wake.” Good news for RCL? Full story at: https://www.investors.com/research/breakout-stocks-technical-analysis/rcl-stock-does-297-percent-growth-sound-fun-hop-on-board-the-royal-caribbean-as-it-sails-into-the-buy-zone/?src=A00619&refcode=aflMarketWatch THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio AFRICA?!!?: Fun, interesting visuals, plus travel details from this early 2016 live/blog. At 54,035 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

At the start of this long posting are a number of keen insights and comments from a top Silversea official. He was kind and generous in providing this important background. From a travel news website earlier this month, they had this headline: “Silversea Cruises' Mark Conroy to Transition to Senior Advisor Role” with these highlights: “After seven years as managing director of the Americas for Silversea Cruises, Mark Conroy will be transitioning to a position of senior advisor supporting the cruise line's sales team. He will be replaced by Joe Leon, who moves from head of trade sales to head of sales. Conroy has been a presence in the travel industry for 50 years and has served in a variety of senior leadership positions throughout his tenure. Most notably, Conroy led start-up Diamond Cruises, which later merged with Seven Seas Cruise Line to become Radisson, and later Regent Seven Seas Cruises. He was also the president of Renaissance Cruises, vice president of sales for Royal Viking Line, and director of group sales and passenger services for Norwegian Cruise Line. He was inducted into CLIA's Cruise Industry Hall of Fame in 2013.” WOW!! Great experience during a long and successful career. Full story at: https://www.travelmarketreport.com/Cruise/articles/Silversea-Cruises-Mark-Conroy-to-Transition-to-Senior-Advisor-Role THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio From late 2018, see “Holy Lands, Egypt, Jordan, Oman, Dubai, Greece, etc.”, with many visuals, details and ideas for the historic and scenic Middle East. Now at 21,833 views. Connect at: www.boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2607054-livenautica-greece-holy-lands-egypt-dubai-terrypix’s/

Appreciate the very kind comments and follow-ups by Wes and Bellanina. For background, that pottery shop was in Ravello. Wonderful, charming town among many along that scenic coast. Just for fun, here is another "eye candy" sample from my files for traveling along this area. As I recall, this is a luxury hotel with great views along this coast. What is not to love in this region?? THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

For the FUTURE of cruise, here is an interesting article today from the Forbes business magazine. They have this headline: “The Newest Trend In Active And Adventure Travel - Boat Trips And Cruises.” Here are some of their highlights: “For decades, cruises were the vacation antithesis of active travel, more associated with overeating, midnight buffets and inactivity than anything resembling wellness. But times have changed dramatically - so much so that you might well consider a cruise for your next fitness-focused trip.” As to added background for the shifting market trends, they share: "During the pandemic, participation in all kinds of outdoor activities, including hiking and cycling, skyrocketed, and the elevated rates appear to be here to stay, with most major active travel specialty companies reporting record bookings in 2023. As travelers flock back to vacations, especially overseas, these two trends have shown amazing synergy, and active travel by boat is hotter than ever. 'Active cruises have been a fast-growing part of Backroads’s business since 2015. Guests love the combination of living aboard a luxurious ship and unpacking just once while enjoying a Backroads hiking, biking or multi-adventure vacation during the day,' said Liz Enbinder, spokesperson for Backroads, the largest and oldest active travel tour company in the U.S. Many of the companies offering active travel trips by boat point to the convenience of packing and unpacking just once as prime motivator, since the equivalent land-based tours typically change hotels three times." Clearly Silversea has been smart in pushing more for expedition-types of sailings. It also helps attract younger cruisers who want more than just "Floating on a Boat" and only visiting boring, business-as-usual ports. Full story at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/allisonolms/2023/05/21/the-newest-trend-in-active-and-adventure-travelboat-trips-and-cruises/?sh=1f2969ca2f31 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 31,944 views. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2465580

Great summary and background from Dr. Ron for getting to know the staff so well during such a long cruise experience. Agree getting back to good, land-based Internet can be a game-changer. What will be your next adventure? THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio