Jonesy333

We travelled on The Wind on an Antartica expedition in February and found it a small but beautifully put together ship with excellent staff . There are 14 guests travelling on The Wind from Antartica to Arctic on a mammoth cruise of 9 BTB legs . I hope you enjoy your trip and I look forward to reading your reports .

Happy Sailing 

Hi Fellow Cruisers ,

Has anyone been on Silver Sea Wind recently for an Antarctic expedition cruise ? My partner and I are sailing Feb 22 2024 and have been looking forward to this cruise for two years so I was upset to read a really bad review of the condition of the ship on this site . We sailed on Explorer in July 22 to the Kimberley and although the ship was older we enjoyed the cruise immensely especially the expedition crew members . Our cabin was spacious and all the food we had was excellent so I'm hoping we are not going to be disappointed in our choice of ship this time . Can anyone comment on their recent experiences on this particular ship ??

TIA 

Jacqui

Thank you for your replies regarding the Visa .

On a different subject but for the same cruise that we are doing in Feb 24 when did you apply for visa and how long did it take to arrive ?

Thanks 

Jacqui

On 7/5/2023 at 7:34 PM, AusMum said:

Perth (Salter Point) - you?

Our cruise is in September next year, so we will be in Iceland in late August.  I have a wedding to go to in Denmark in August, so we needed something that suited our time frame.

Any words of wisdom for an Australian in Iceland?

We had booked to go to Antarctica in 2021, but it was only with Celebrity, and we had to cancel.  We always hated the journey we would have to take to get there, via Argentina. The dates had us passing through Sydney for NYE, so it was always going to be difficult.

We were watching Foxtel, where we saw an ad for The Arctic on Silverseas.  They enticed us with images of polar bears etc, and both of us said, "Hey, let's go there, it seems to be so much easier to get to."  We have our 30th wedding anniversary next month, so I guess we are just celebrating a year late.

Hi AusMum ,

We live near Hillarys . I honestly expected Iceland to be cool at the end of May when we went but with the rain came very low clouds which restricted the scenery a bit . We did a day trip with Iceland Everywhere from Akureyri which was great and can recommend this company . Then I caught COVID as we reached Reykjavik only started being ill after doing a HOHO bus which I hated as it seemed like the city was a concrete building site to me ( my partner said it was because I was starting to feel unwell ) I can't really say anything else because that was the last of Iceland I saw .

My partner did a Day trip with the same company to se the Southern coast he loved it but weather again wasn't good I was refunded my money for trip . 

August I would hope its good weather as its peak summer but probably a rain coat just in case ?

Hope you love Iceland more than I did . 

Happy travels 

Jacqui

17 minutes ago, AusMum said:

I think this recent weather has been helping us to prepare lol. I keep getting hubby to stand outside in his new gear from the Anaconda sale, and have said, "This is as hot as it ever gets in Iceland!".

Which journey are you taking?

Antarctica expedition cruise . We did Iceland in May it was cold wet and windy . Where do you live in Australia .

Thank you for all the information on this thread . We are on Silver Wind in Feb24 so I'm grateful for all advise I had already bought waterproof slip ons for travel between mud room and cabin so no crocs for me . 

Layers seems to be the way to go as we are from Australia we feel the cold more so we are prepared to layer up or down depending on the day and activity .

I was on this cruise too from NY and I agree with your review in some points . 
Totally agree that Prima is a warm weather destination ship not suitable for Northern Europe. I liked the ship especially the cabins we were in a Club family cabin first cruise which I loved Deck 11 aft and our room steward was lovely . I agree why it’s a special Club cabin I’m not sure one free bag of laundry , chocolate coated strawberries once and a bottle of bubbles doesn’t feel too special to me .
We moved to Deck 16 Spa cabin second cruise but I preferred Deck 11 cabin as the noise in the cabin on 16 was bad it kept me awake creaking , popping noises all the time ship was moving . 
Food in MDR like you said was warm and unremarkable and I loved Indulge Indian food but you had to time it just right to get a seat . I thought there were a lot of inconsiderate people spreading  themselves over a table for four when they could have shared with someone else . 
Didn’t like Onda but loved Paloma and Le Bistro go figure , each to our own 😂. 
i would sail on Prima again but for warmer weather destinations as I liked outdoor areas but I love like my Deck 11 cabin again not a noisy one . 
I loved reading your review you need to write a book 🤔

On 5/23/2023 at 11:11 AM, UKstages said:

oh, geez. i see i have an email from corporate that came in today. i took a quick glance. it appears to be very much a pro forma canned response. they kind of lost me when they referred to me as a “shareholder.” i am not. and they seem to have got other key details wrong. sheesh.

 

i’m still a bit loopy. i’ve been sleeping well in the new room, but i had such a deficit that i’m still not fully recovered. in fact, i fell asleep on a tour bus yesterday. i didn’t have the most engaging tour guide, but that had very little to do with it.

 

so, i’m going to go enjoy the rest of my cruise(s) now.

 

you kids behave yourselves.

 

i’m sure the usual suspects will be along soon to tell me what a nutter i am and also how brilliant i am. i’m sure there will be those who will demand to know why i let this go on so long and others who will wonder how NCL could let this go on so long. i think marc spijkerboer is likely to see increased traffic to his linkedin profile. and i’m sure it won’t be long before cruise critic runs a feature article on how to make your ship’s bathroom floor the most comfortable it can be. they will reveal shocking details on which lines have the most spacious floors and which have oversized toilets that obstruct the footprint and pose an obstacle to a good night’s sleep.

 

and some forum folks, i’m sure, will want to know how much i tipped the security officers who stormed the new room and interrogated me.

 

i adore you all.

 

(except for the ones i have on ignore... them, not so much.)

I’m in a very noisy creaky , popping cabin too and it’s so hard to fall asleep . I’ll go and report noisy cabin at CS this morning but Don t expect anything to be resolved as it’s construction issues but a warning to others there are cabins to avoid .

We tipped our Butler and the Cabin steward for good service at the end of the trip .

Hi ,

We were on The Silverseas Explorer in July last year and there were no formal nights so it was entirely up to the individual what to wear . I can't remember if there was a stipulation what you couldn't wear but I do remember for some reason no hats or caps in the Dining room ? Our butler asked us if there was anything we may like in our room which might answer your mini bar question ?

Someone else on here might know more 

Jacqui

55 minutes ago, cruiseej said:

 

I agree. I can't believe how warm the boots are! You step off the zodiac into six inches of freezing water and you don't feel it at all. I'm not saying that you don't get cold; I'm saying you're not even aware you've stepped off dry land into freezing water! We had to hike up some areas with snow, often sinking into the snow halfway to my knee... and I never felt anything cold, even after an hour. They are amazing. And there's no need for more than one pair of wool hiking socks.

55 minutes ago, cruiseej said:

 

I agree. I can't believe how warm the boots are! You step off the zodiac into six inches of freezing water and you don't feel it at all. I'm not saying that you don't get cold; I'm saying you're not even aware you've stepped off dry land into freezing water! We had to hike up some areas with snow, often sinking into the snow halfway to my knee... and I never felt anything cold, even after an hour. They are amazing. And there's no need for more than one pair of wool hiking socks.

Thank you 

11 hours ago, labrasett said:

Look at the shiptoshore webpages to assess sizing of boots etc.  You dont need "thick" socks if you get the rental boots, they are extremely well insulated and warm so just one pair of socks such as you would wear with light hiking boots will be fine.   I am a really "chilly mortal" and I have never been cold on an Antarctic expedition.  

 

Thank you

Hello,

I have a question did anyone hire boots , we are coming from Australia we have no need here for such items so we are going to hire, what are sizes like allowing for thick socks as well ??

Our cruise is not till January 24 but we have birthdays etc that we can ask for various items useful for trip I was thinking .

All the above info is very useful we have sailed Explorer July last year around the Kimberly region so we used Zodiacs every day sometimes twice a day but of course the Antarctica is completely different . Although we had wet landings it was crocodiles we had to watch out for and getting wet was pleasant because it was hot . I became a Zodiac fan very quickly every chance I could I was out exploring loved them !

I will continue to absorb as much advise and info from this link while planning our holidays .

Happy Sailing

Jacqueline 

Thanks for photos , can't beat a Drone photo these days .

Lovely photo we are going on The Wind January 24 and looking forward to it immensely .

Any tips or suggestions for us ? Did you not pack anything you regret not taking ?

Enjoy 

Jacqui

We were on Silversea Explorer in July in the Kimberleys and we were lucky that the seas were calm so much that Expedition crew commented how lucky we were . Getting in and out yes using the correct grip and with assistance we had no problem but the zodiacs do bob around so it can be a little tricky getting in but out is easier I found .

I actually loved the zodiacs and took every opportunity to go in them .

Jacqui

This is very sad for all involved and my condolences to the families affected .

Thank you 

18 hours ago, V8Babe said:

Hope someone can assist (I realise we’re not allowed to mention names but any assistance would be appreciated).

Would like to book a cruise but when I request a ‘quote’ online, from Silversea,  I get the price that is advertised - no incentive, OBC, nothing, just the price online.  I’ve had a quote from a company in the US, good cash back after travel but with the exchange rate (no-one’s fault), not worth doing.

I’ve read so many people say their TA gives all kinds of OBC and perks.  Any ideas how we can get a better deal.  Travelling with my daughter who hasn’t sailed before but told because she is in my room the ‘referral’ bonus doesn’t apply.
Hope all this makes sense, thanks, Karin

 

Hi Karin ,

excuse my ignorance OBC ????

Jacqui

 

Thank you for everyones help.

I've booked on NCL Prima from NY to Southampton next May as it ticks off a few Bucket list destinations ( actually a lot especially for my partner) on a new ship so we are  excited .

Hi RMS Olympic,

Can you let me know the places you visiting then I can help you more , WA is a giant of a coastline 10,000 km . 

Jacqui

The Prima has got the cruise we want so just waiting on prices and I think we’ll give it a go ! I sailed with NCL about 30 years ago around Caribbean and we really liked it but I do know from past experiences that if you get the choice wrong it really spoils your holiday .Thanks for all the comments 

Thank for for information

Thanks for thoughts , the fares are reasonable from here but waiting for final quote from TA . The trouble im having is that the itinerary I want are on ships I don't like or are too expensive . There' s a great cruise on NCL Prima Iconic NY, Iceland and London which knocks off a fair chunk of my better half's Wish List so I'm waiting for a quote to decide .