highplanesdrifters

On 5/10/2024 at 4:32 PM, chuckncole said:

Casamigos passionfruit margaritas, They  knew it was my preference and daily got the fresh passionfruit and brought it up to The Retreat

Yes please.

16 hours ago, kej1 said:

Yesterday we were in Orluuk Lagoon, Micronesia and it was a really nice day.  The island really only has 6 inhabitants.  It’s tiny but located in a great spot for snorkeling.  We snorkeled off the zodiac platform on a beautiful deep reef which had terrific clarity. Lovely coral and lots of fish including reef sharks.  I’d rate it in the top two snorkeling spots we’ve had so far.  They did not bring out the submarine and didn’t dive.

 

Today as I write this we are entering Chuuk Lagoon ( aka Truk) in Micronesia where we have a day full of water activities.  Submarine has permission to dive the San Francisco Maru, the scuba group will dive another ship wreck, and there will be snorkeling over a shallow airplane wreck and another location.  We are doing the submarine again as that wreck is quite deep and then will snorkel as well.  More later!

Thanks much for the intel.  New ports for us and the beginning of our trip in September.

Go back and try in day or two. The SS site is notoriously bad, especially on weekends when they are tweaking it.

On 5/7/2024 at 12:53 PM, Neilio said:

I have been writing covered calls

An option trader buddy referred to selling calls and puts as picking up dimes in front of a steamroller. You can make a lot of money, but you really need to pay attention.  😃 At least yours are covered calls!

15 hours ago, notjaded said:

Thanks for the information. We are doing a circle-UK cruise.

 

Did you feel that the bedroom window shades adequately blocked light?

TBH, we didn't stay in the suite but would consider it.  In general we like the front suites on the sister ships.  I suspect blackout curtains would be the rule. I'll see if I can find photos. 

18 hours ago, MamaFej said:

Thank you for this. We are taking our three adult children on an Endeavour expedition to celebrate my husband's 60th birthday next month. I'm trying hard not to panic about how much we are spending. Your comments and this thread are helpful. 

You are going to have a fantastic time!

12 hours ago, UKCruiseJeff said:

I appreciate wine.

 

I like almost any wine.  My preference is if someone else buys it and pours it in a mug for me. And when my mug is empty buys more.  It has in fact never happened,  

 

I am the dribbling man in Dirty Rotten Rascals. 

You bring the bread and I'll fill your mug!

7 hours ago, notjaded said:

My wife and I just booked a PH Spa suite on the Soujourn. We are located in one of the outermost suites (1090/1093), rather than the interior suites (1091/2). I'm curious if anyone has experienced both, and which was their favorite location and why?

 

Many thanks!

On the Quest a sistership, the 1090/1093 suites have a side window which is quite nice.  They also have the ability to peek around the corner from the veranda, a more open feel. At times there might be a tad more wind right at the corner. This could be a positive or negative depending on the weather. A nice breeze in a tropical location or howling wind in the poles.   I have not been in the 1091/2 suites.

Where are you headed?  Look forward to your report.

3 hours ago, Isr45 said:

We were last onboard in January but there are changes in the champagne - once was purely that they ran out of stock - to be fair they enhanced the champagne usually provided.

I have read before that people say they can take the Champagne elsewhere ( we do full cruise Retreat every time). Twice I have seen someone ask to take the champagne and been told no it is for consuming in the Retreat. In January I saw someone put the bottle in their bag and they came over to say couldn’t do that. That one resulted in a semi heated argument where the Hotel Director was called who specifically stated the champagne was for consumption in the Retreat.

I am not saying it has not been done but am saying you can be told no 😀

Wow!

1 hour ago, UKCruiseJeff said:

Like being force-fed Chardonnay with no other choice for example.

 

What about Montrachet?

Although you will not find that on the included list.😃

BTW, I know the Chardonnay type of which you speak.  Not passing my lips.

18 hours ago, Observer said:

 

Perhaps you were fortunate.  I called reception late one afternoon to ask that my reservation for that evening be canceled. I had decided to go to one of the no-reservation-required restaurants.  I discovered that reception had canceled all of my reservations for the remaining couple of weeks of my cruise.  

I've had that happen. I've also found reservations that I never made appear.  The new AI TV likes to mess with us.😅

6 hours ago, kej1 said:

We’ve enjoyed the cruise but the expedition and excursion  piece has been pretty disorganized and with no communication until the night before even in std ports.  Guests we have spoken with pretty unanimously have expressed this is an area that needs to be improved even if some things need to change as they do on all cruises at the last minute.  It’s like there was no planning going into this. Maybe that’s not the case but it comes across that way.  

I'd push for some form of compensation. Group efforts always help along with a good TA.

27 minutes ago, RetiredandTravel said:

When you look at SS newer schedules there are many 7 day itineraries in the summer, directly targeting a younger demographic.

I've ranted about being on a Seabourn 21 day Med cruise which was really 3 back to back 7 day runs.  Heard some EU/UK TA's running specials. Great ports and had an amazing time. Sadly a party ship. Younger demographic (35-55) making sure they got their monies worth of booze. Oh lordy,  put a shirt on and get a cover up. Things I can't unsee.  Never again.

Want a younger demographic?  Seven day trips and cheap fares will get you there.

29 minutes ago, RetiredandTravel said:

they were on social media on their phones and when they found something of interest they would show the other person 

Picture us headed to lunch last week right after the Fed decision.   We paused in the car before going into the restaurant to listen to Powells opening remarks. We watched the markets gyrate on our phones, showing each other charts.

We laughed - what must people be saying about those oldsters sitting in the car on their phones. 😂

Dinner - those phones better stay hidden.

21 hours ago, TLCOhio said:

Going after "older customers"!!  Yes, that's one of the focuses for the luxury and upscale cruise lines.  BUT, how does Silversea and others shift and also appeal and connect with those younger for the future as our demographic ages out and has a shrinking wallet?

Their embrace and doling of free cabins to Tic Tok influencers is one way the luxury lines are connecting. Appealing is another issue.  Expedition trips are an easier sell.

At what point do luxury cruise lines market and cater to the multi-generational market. Grandparents want to spend time with kids and grandchildren. They finance these trips as a sort of bribe. Resorts and larger cruise lines are on it. Will families with hoards of children and mopey teenagers be a turn off for their loyal clientele?

That was one for the senses. Thanks.

A quiet word or note to the CD can sometimes turn the volume down and the singing off.

1 hour ago, wineasmusic said:

Excursions just like Seabourn.  We had a famous pickpocket on board who did 3 shows.  One was just for fun and really showed how exposed we are as tourists.  The other two showed us things we could do to protect ourselves better.  He was great, really entertaining and you learned valuable lessons.  They had events and activities, but was more laid back than Seabourn.  We were busy enough I never found time to crack my book somehow...

Pickpocket show.  Who knew.  Sound interesting and Informative. 😀

On 5/4/2024 at 3:14 PM, jpalbny said:

EVERY cruise line has sharply-dressed models in their catalogs. I have yet to see those people on any line.

Cracked me up!

@wineasmusic Thanks for posting your review. Were there any enrichment lectures? How did you feel about excursions offered?  Thanks.

1 hour ago, kej1 said:

Apologize for the horrible spelling mistakes.  Between my fingers and the rogue spell check on my iPad I’m embarrassed, but hope you get something out of this!

I for one am grateful for the report, minor spelling issues and all.

I frequently suffer from fat finger spellcheck errors along with a plethora of grammatical errors.  It's tough trying to get real time thoughts down quickly with the pressure of getting to dinner or a tour on time along with knowing that the internet is currently working and you need to hit send. IMHO, no apology necessary. Of course I send shivers up Fletchers spine with most of my posts. 😂

On 5/4/2024 at 4:23 AM, Aussieflyer said:

My question is - when does this become a deal breaker for you? Is there a 'line in the sand' that once crossed means that SS is off the table and you will look for alternative ship experiences? 

I eliminated SS traditional ocean ships from my searches when SS went D2D fares. Paying an exorbitant rate for crowded bus rides is not my cup of tea.  Blacklane does not service our city.  Unless you are at a major international hub Silversea air useless. You never know what Silversea is going to consider a "luxury" hotel anymore.  I was shocked when I compared similar itineraries on similar ships SS vs. Seabourn. 

21 hours ago, RetiredandTravel said:

 

When they farm the food & service at Atlantide to "Applebee's" I'm out.

 

There was one trip of late where the food was so bad I would have played La Dame prices for Applebees.  And I'm not sure if I've ever been to an Applebees. 😂

22 hours ago, RetiredandTravel said:

 

 If that doesn't hit home the Gin choices according to attached are Beefeater or Gordons.  We loved Gin & Tonic's, they are another casualty of aging for us.  

 

https://docs.vikingcruises.com/MVJ/onboardbeveragemenu_oceans.pdf

 

 

 

 

$9 for a shot of Titos? If that's what they're getting it should up the stock valuation.

G&T victim here.  Might be a bit snobby about the options though. Should I be, been ages since I've tasted them?

13 hours ago, Silver Spectre said:

It’s 30F outside and pool deck is deserted apart from our little feathered Japanese stowaways, who are struggling to survive

 

I'm surprised the pool waiters haven't offered them a blanket and a cup of warm birdseed.

18 hours ago, mysty said:

According to the Chronicles,  the high today will be 35F / 2C.  BRRRRR!

So no grill tonight in a strapless gown? 😃

20 hours ago, machotspur said:

We chatted with quite a number of (Brit) first timers whose previous experiences were with the likes of Oceania, Azamara, Viking, Saga (and others that I can't recall). Without exception they failed to see why they should spend £000's more with Silversea versus their usual preferred operator, as the Silversea product was no better - and at times inferior.

All very interesting, thanks for the perspective. 

Reading through some threads sounds like the ball is being dropped on a regular basis, crowded buses, bad service, less then desireable food, etc.  I can see their point.

As mentioned we experienced this on Seabourn Encore last fall. It was in the Mediterranean. We called it the hop on hop off party cruise.  It was all about the pool parties with zero enrichment. A bit of a zoo full of Holiday Makers. Lest you think I'm anti party, we did find ourselves dancing till 1 a.m on one occasion.  But every night, crikey, good for them!

I like the smaller ships and will continue to roll the dice on them.