scmomofboys

We did this cruise on another cruise line in 2019. It was fantastic! We booked a private wine tour on our Picton NZ stop with https://discoverywinetours.co.nz/. They pick up at multiple locations. Our guide was Chris. Excellent tour! He was very communicative via email prior to the tour and everything was as described or better. He crafted the tour to suit our tastes and we shipped quite a bit of wine home (after we swore we wouldn't do this at the start of the trip). In Auckland, we did a tour to Hobbiton with https://bushandbeach.co.nz/. They picked us up from our hotel. We were not really Lord of the Rings fans, but when in Hobbiton... It was an enjoyable tour and I do recommend if at all interested. We also did a private wine tour while in Auckland over to Waiheke Island via ferry with https://www.insidertouring.co.nz/. Also highly recommend.

Haven't been on the Silhouette but recently (November 2023) on Infinity. It is definitely showing age and the outdoor 'Retreat' is non-existent on the Infinity. No outdoor area designated for Retreat guests at all. The Michael's Club is very nice and large but no views outside at all. It does have Luminae restaurant for suites guests. I will say, the staff in all Retreat areas were wonderful. However, the only bar we got a decent drink at was in Michael's Club. We won't sail another M class ship unless it has been properly refit for Retreat guest. Just not worth the extra cost vs what you get on other newer ships IMO.

We did this on our pre-cruise tour in May 2022. It was very enjoyable and led by one of the hosts. We took a tour bus from our hotel to a stop near the palace, then walked to the restaurants which were all fairly close to each other. We visited 3 different restaurants and sampled a few tapas and wines at each. I believe we also stopped at a candy store which had free samples and chance to purchase items. I think it was about 100 euro (cash) per person.

Enjoying your trip report very much! Did Celebrity have a shuttle into Porto from the port area (free or purchase)? Thanks!

We did the Madrid add on before our cruise that left out of Barcelona. We were blown away by Madrid! Viking did everything right on that trip and this add on was no different. We had great guides (loved the Prado too and we aren't really art enthusiasts either). The high speed train was a fantastic way to travel - much better than flying I can tell you. Everything was seamless and we would highly recommend. We didn't really see much of Barcelona that trip (we went to Monseratt -excellent! - which ate up much of our time there) so we are going a few days early on our trip this November. So I can't compare the two but Madrid was a definite gem!

Just off the Beyond in Sky Suite 10140 and relatives is 10142. The noise was unreal - cracking, popping and slamming (kept thinking the door was opening and closing) any time we were underway and even in moderate seas. It was worse when we had some rolling seas but still very noisy regardless. Noise cancelling headphones did not help. My relative had maintenance come twice to make "adjustments". That was a waste of time. Our assumption is that it is a design issue and there is nothing they can do to "fix" it. The noise was a topic multiple people joined in whenever we discussed, so not an isolated problem to this deck or class of cabins. We sailed on the Edge twice in same location (SS & CS) and never experienced anything like this. We won't sail Beyond again for this reason - my husband calls it Cap't Kate's Creaky Crate. It's such a shame, as this ship is beautiful and we loved almost everything about it - except if you want to sleep.