Pumblechook

This was roughly the experience of a couple of others of us also. I was 2nd to the check-in desk from the bus from the second charter plane, at 1:45pm, and I couldn’t get my room until 3 pm. I didn’t get my checked bag until about 4 pm and then only going down to the concierge and getting it from the 'pantry' on my floor where it was still sitting. Oh, and I had to go down and change my room, just like it did the first time we stayed here a few weeks ago. It's very large logistical exercise with at least 200 guests arriving and 200 guests departing on these change-over days, but it is the very expensive Mandarin Oriental supplemented by number of dedicated SilverSea people and they’ve been doing this quite a lot of time, so I’d hope they were better at it by now.

See comment above. Show me an agreed manual of tipping customs in a particular country and the amounts, and variations within said country, and I'll follow it. Or perhaps you can squelch the holier-than-thous by listing the customs right here? Anyone who tips when the server had been rude or not up to the task, 'because it is the custom in this country' is a mug.

Coming from a non-tipping nation, (or rather truly voluntary tipping, if the service is better than expected) I continue to be amazed when visiting say the USA and Canada at the variations I’m told by locals as to where, and who to tip. And how much. 40 years of visiting those nations, and I still can’t figure it out for sure. I will tip anywhere in the world for good or better than expected service ( except Japan). This encourages it. I will not tip in the western world for bad service. This too would encourage such. I will always discretely tip anyone providing a service in a Third World country where it looks as though it won’t offend. And yes, I tipped my Butler and room attendant over and above the gratuities that are included in my recent SilverSea cruise because to my mind, they did provide outstanding service, irrespective of whether that was the expected standard or not. Moral for me, I tip on the occasion, not the custom.

I agree with the quality of the two-piece jacket. I used only the red outer 'shell' for zodiacs; on one early landing it was snowing/sleeting and also a very wet zodiac return to the ship. The outer jacket worked perfectly, and the pockets and cabin key-card holder were all very functional. I frequently wore the grey inner jacket on a windy but not wet outside Deck 9 viewing point on board. Again, pretty good (with gloves!) Unfortunately I judged my outer shell a bit large; OK with the extra layers I wore under it, but without them it wouldn't be useful back home, so all the SS gear, incl the backpack (which I never used) got donated for the 'below stairs' crew use. I congratulate you on your photographic coverage - all those hours in the wind and cold paid off!! As a first-time SilverSea-er, I was extremely pleased with the cruise, especially the efforts of the Captain and Expedition Leader in delivering some superb landings. We were so lucky with the weather.

Having just completed a cruise to Falklands, Sth Georgia and Antarctic Peninsula on the Wind, I may be able to update this. The Silver Wind folks said that, because of their strict and effective on-board biosecurity measures, and passengers' efforts in presenting well in "in person" inspections by the biosecurity officials, SS were allowed the maximum opportunities to land on Sth Georgia. This was quoted as 3 possible, of which we did 2 landings - both on the north side. Implications being that other cruise lines may not be able to offer the same range of experiences (all subject to weather, of course). This may be a bit self-serving of course. There were very detailed - down to tweezer level - inspections by the expedition team of our 'outer layers' (esp. Velcro) several times, at the most sensitive areas, plus boot power washing, disinfectant troughs etc etc. You can't put anything down on the ground except your boots and the end of walking poles - no sitting, no backpacks put down. I was completely satisfied with our Sth Georgia (and Elephant Island) experiences.

It was the first time any of the Expedition team had landed there. Exped leader said today that it was one of his highlights over 5 years in the business.

I think max capacity would compromise the zodiac excursions' experience. I had heard that they limit these cruises to 200pax, but obviously not. Fewer pax make for more cabins available to crew 🙂

That this almost exactly mimics my experience with Ponant last year in the Kimberley is a bit alarming. I agree about the wine. Unlike my Ponant trip, I haven't had to resort to the "pay extra" wine list here! Solid selection of reds and whites from around the world. I'm sure you will be pleased with your SS trip. Got the best chance of seeing the good stuff, but always weather dependent!

I'm not sure what you are saying here, and whether or not its for me or CJL2. I simply responded, with qualifications, to a question from CJL2, based on my experiences, no-one else's. Hopefully CLJ2 found it useful.

If I may. I used Ponant in the Kimberlys Australia (Le Laperouse) last year, and SS (S Wind) here and now. Both have pros and cons. So far, Ponant had better expedition team but of course there you get calm, warm water and here its often blowing hard and there is Bird Flu affecting landings. But the SS team seems to have a number of first timers to the area and detailed knowledge is often lacking. We don't get an evening recap of what we saw during the day, only a very general forecast of the locations for the next day, which I think is a major deficiency. I have given feedback about that. Food and bev better here on the Wind (especially the wines), although again, I feel that many of the wait staff are pretty new so lack some experience. Our Captain is very passenger-experience-friendly, deviating for us to see big icebergs, so far, and there have been announcements about wildlife while sailing. The captain on Le LaPerouse last year was NOT passenger friendly and we never heard about passing wildlife. So far I'm calling it a draw, but again noting different cruises and different conditions.

Expanding what Port power has said about Bird Flu. SS have told us that each cruise line gets 'rated' according to their biosecurity measures, and the results of inspections. They claim to have the top rating, and therefore have access to as many sites as are open. At the moment that's 3 sites in all of Sth Georgia; we did 2 in one day. At other sites we could do a zodiac 'drive by' of the beach. Of course this rating/access might be a bit of puff by SilverSeas. The Bird Flu has crossed into the mammal population; I believe it attacks their brain. I have seen far, far more dead seals than dead penguins, both at landing sites and drive-bys, but possibly because of their bulk. The only predators of dead animals here are skuas. One of the Expedition team said that the bird flu usually goes in 2 year cycles; if so, this season will be the worst in this cycle, but we shall see. The presence of bird flu will not lessen your enjoyment here, except for seeing seal carcases.

Just catching up. An Expeditionist told me, and this gelled with something one of the others mentioned earlier, that a small 'growler' piece of ice drifted by the zodiac landing platform and damaged something. That, together with the high winds at the time, necessitated the 6 or so zodiacs that were about to dock, to head back to the bay and shelter. I saw them all zooming back in the wrong direction from my suite and wondered what was up. After about an ?hour, they came back to the ship and they used the port side platform, for the first time, as the starboard side was out of order. The starboard platform was repaired promptly and both are now being used.

Greetings from another on this cruise. The flight down from Santiago was stunning. I was forward, on the left side, and as a geologist, the scenery was just from a textbook. The geology of where we are going is similarly amazing, on a global tectonics scale - I hope their geology explanations are up to scratch 🙂

I heard a report that Silver Cloud landed pax on Sth Georgia maybe a week ago. Can anyone substantiate, or know of current policy/restrictions?

Great, thanks. Reason for my uncertainty was this. Under "Complimentary parka" they say: It is important to supply accurate measurements taking into account extra layers (sweaters, fleeces, etc.) you may be wearing. The parkas are made to order and will be delivered to the guest(s)’ suite prior to embarkation. So you measure and then you make allowance for layers underneath, And then, under "Antarctica jackets" they say: We recommend guests take accurate body measurements. Size chart measurements refer to body size and have taken into consideration space for layering. Select the size that corresponds to the widest body measurement (chest/bust, waist or hips). So its already taking layers into account on the size chart. 😶‍🌫️ On my measurements, I'm at the top of the XL range, so I think I'll order 2XL and either swap if too large or wear an extra jumper underneath.

Also on Silver Wind to Antarctica mid December. Decided to purchase boots (and bring them from Australia) - Bogs Classic High with handles (I think Bogs Classic High are what is supplied on board). Considerably more than US$90, but having a bit of a 'foot issue', I didn't want to risk any ill-fitting gear and a trivial increment on the overall cost. Speaking of fitting gear .... the parka. They say measure yourself, and then order the size off the chart. Do I understand it correctly that the size chart takes account of layers you will be wearing when using the parker? That is, the parka will be a size or so bigger than what your measurements would translate to, say, for a shirt?

A bit late here - started reading as I'm on the Wind later this year. Yes, a very interesting rock. What used to be a planar vein of quartz has been intensely squeezed and folded. Take a piece of paper and fold it like this - then imagine a rock doing it. "The Earth is a geologist's paradise"

Isn't the issue in the post not about it being an airport hotel, but the quality of it, the lack of promised shuttle to town, the under-staffing of local reps and having to check-out in the morning when faced with a 10pm flight? Sounds like a very un-SilverSea experience.

@JazzyTheTraveler here are a few pages from the Le Laperouse Darwin-Broome, August 2022 ... Of course no idea how 'standard' the selection is accross vessels/itineraries, but you'll get an idea of the standard/breadth. Cheers!

May not be relevant for your trip, but as a data point. Le Laperouse, Darwin to Broome in August, I took the Premium drinks package. Very disappointed in the 'premium' wines. The only 'premium' whites were an Australian chardonnay (Yering), that changed once for another Australian chardonnay (Penfolds Max's A$30/bottle) - perfectly serviceable, but neither the choice nor the wine was what I'd call premium. The reds were a bit more varied, much like Jardin des Charmes merlot and Moulin de Gassac; again, OK but I expected better. I ended up buying wines off the very extensive wine list for dinner - not as cheap as they might have been 'duty free'. ☺️ The premium champagne was Veuve Brut, ordinary Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve. The premium gin was Tanqueray 10 Vs Bombay and Sapphire. If wine is your thing, I'd ask about what the premium wines will be before you buy - if my experience is typical, I wouldn't bother again.

I did Darwin to Broome on Le Laperouse in August. Gorgeous cruise, weather and scenery. As well as the change of itinerary to Ashmore Reef, the Horizontal Falls transit was also cancelled for us, due to the accident there a month or so before. About E100 OBC or a cash refund for that. Its running again now but I'm not sure if Ponant are re-including it in the itinerary yet. The big item that can happily consume OBCs on this cruise is the helicopter trip & back to the Mitchell Falls from the stop at the Hunter River. A$800 approx; 20 mins there and back, great views on the way and a nice excursion at the Falls. You can either book it before the cruise, or on board, although the latter is subject to capacity. A TIP for anyone contemplating this cruise. Check the tide and/or the phase of the moon. If there is a full moon during the cruise, the tides will be largest and your experience the better.

Wonder what the coverage will be like in Antarctic waters? This (unofficial) site suggests it will be patchy, at the moment. https://starlink.sx/

Or Autumn, depending in which hemisphere they are 😊

Where have I seen those photos before? 😃

FWIW, I moved after my first cruise on Ponant across to SS for an Antarctic cruise because although Ponant were offering zero Single Supplement on their Antarctic cruises '23/24, and I would have received a 5% discount, they were for the inferior cruises - complete end of the season, or very short cruises. I never wanted to take a 'luxury' cruise but I swallowed hard with a 25% single supplement as it is a great itinerary over December 2023.