Lirio

starting the long joyrney from Rio to Auckland!

51 minutes ago, Fletcher said:

7 - Fortaleza woes

Fortaleza was our first time on dry land since we left Manaus last Monday.  We didn’t want to go to Fortaleza which is just a huge Brazilian city with big beaches, high rise buildings, a lot of squalor and a reputation for street crime.   But it was always on our itinerary as the ship needs to fill up with stuff and clear immigration formalities before we head across the Atlantic.  We wanted to make the most of what little it has to offer.

 

But before I tell you about our visit to Fortaleza here’s a little amuse bouche.  We have another cruise booked, on the Dawn, later this year.  Because we have been messed around quite a bit on this current cruise - not only the itinerary but our cabin as well - we thought we’d see how Silversea behaves and consider our options.  At the moment I think we are about 70 percent on the side of bailing out.

 

Anyway, we were chatting to this guy on the Future Cruise Booking desk.  He wears a suit and tie and seems very keen to help.  We said we already had this Dawn booking.  He said he’d look it up, apply the discount, and see what else he could do.  He could get us an upgrade, on board credit, all sorts of lovely stuff.  And the next day we were presented with an offer which came in at about £3000 more than our existing booking.  I said we’ll stick with that.  He said, yes, that’s a good idea.  He looked a bit crestfallen.

 

Back to Fortaleza.  That’s something I hope never to say again because we will not go back to Fortaleza. The tour today was the absolute pits.   It was billed as a nature walk.  So we drove for half an hour through some scruffy areas and came to a stop near a sand dune which rose up beside a four-lane highway.  Some people climbed it. I asked our resident ophiologist, the charismatic Greg, why people were doing that.  He said they were channelling their inner Sean Connerys.  I loved that.

 

We drove around a bit more, past many high-rise blocks which filled our local motormouth guide with pride, and came to the nature walk, a mangrove swamp right in the middle of the city.   This was muddy and vaguely on the underside of whelming.  We saw perhaps three birds.  After half an hour we got back on the coaches and did another tour of the high-rise buildings.  I should mention here that there is only one building in Fortaleza worthy of serious scrutiny and that is the theatre, as impressive in its way as the opera house in Manaus.  Sadly, the theatre was not on the itinerary.  Nor was a pretty beach area.  Instead we were taken to a shopping mall and told to shop for 30 minutes.  We declined the offer and waited until the others maxed out their credit cards on knick-nacks from China.  We returned to the ship.  What a waste of time this was.

 

We knew Fortaleza would be rubbish.  And it lived up to all the hype.   We wouldn’t have minded so much had São Luis and Barra Grande remained on the itinerary.   But Silversea nixed them.  And having monitored a recent cruise with the Silver Nova,  I believe that the people on that ship had a far better, far richer experience of this part of Brazil and the Amazon than we have had on this so-called expedition ship.  We now have five sea days to get to Africa where I learn there is barely a 50-50 chance of making our first landfall at Tokeh Beach in Sierra Leone.  Are we downhearted?

I have no idea why Silversea chose Fortaleza. It is a windy beach city, which is nice for kite surfing or wind surfing, does anyone in the cruise would do that?  And the beaches aren’t very beautiful. There are great beaches at about 200 km, but does it worth visiting them as day trip. I consider that it is not a good idea at all.

I am sorrow you didn’t have great days in Brazil. Should you ever come to Brazil again, there are great things that deserves visiting. I would be pleased to tell.

1 hour ago, Fletcher said:

Thanks @mklions Insects have not been an issue on board.  A few mozzies and moths but nothing like the invasion you describe or the blizzards of insects we experienced on the Irrawaddy.  The issue here on the Wind is the rain - torrential last night and pretty grim this morning.  Hey ho.

The rainy period or strong convective activity in the Amazon region is between November and March, while the dry period (without great convective activity) is between the months of May and September. The months of April and October are months of transition between one regime and another.

2 hours ago, jpalbny said:

 

I've almost been there. In fact from a technical point of view, maybe I have?

 

We've stood at the corner of Argentina and Brazil, where we could see Paraguay, waving to us from the opposite shore.

 

We've been on a boat ride along the Paraná River, and we definitely crossed the midpoint, but we didn't touch the opposite shore. So we were in Paraguayan waters.

 

And the most objective evidence? Naturally, I picked up a cell phone signal and got the message, 'Welcome to Paraguay! Your T-mobile plan gives you..."

 

So, have I been there? I didn't put a star on my map. But, awfully close!

 

 

 

Great journalism. Hook the audience with a stunner in the first line, and they can't stop reading until the question is resolved! 

I only visited Paraguay once when I stayed 1 day in Assuncion, the capital.

But we know a lot of Paraguay because of a war. The Paraguayan War, when a dictator from Paraguay decided that Paraguay must have access to the Atlantic Ocean and invaded Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay. it was 1864, the war lasted up to 1870 and was won by Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay. This was a bloody war. The Paraguay was almost complete destroyed and half the population dyed. Brazil lost 50k, Argentina 18k and Paraguay about 150k (there is a huge debate about this number from Paraguay).

The day we are schedule there are 8 ships due........Almost everything is fully booked. 

I hope and pray that SS management will see all these posts before sep. when I will cruise Alaska on the Muse.

Will see and take an action!

🙏

5 hours ago, Fletcher said:

1 -  Welcome Aboard!

 

Let me start my latest cruise blog with a familiar rhyme:

 

“It was in Manaus

that Johann Strauss

composed Die Fledermaus.“

 

OK, it might have been Vienna but there is an opera house in Manaus, quite a famous one.  Not perhaps as famous as the one in Vienna but I bet it was much harder to build because all the materials had to be schlepped over from Europe.  And instead of a dainty slice of sachertorte mit Einspänner to eat in the interval, here in Amazonas you get an anaconda nugget on a stick.

 

I won’t bore you with the gory details about how we got here.  If you know the BBC show Race Across the World you’ll get the picture. Suffice to say, Manaus is not the easiest port of embarkation I’ve ever been to, not least because we changed planes in São Paulo which is 2000 miles in the wrong direction.   That’s like flying from New York to Los Angeles via Mexico City.  I blame the Brazilians entirely because they refuse to make Manaus a proper port of entry.   It took us 26 hours door to door which did not include Blacklane.  Anyway, we got here . . . and now we are installed in a premium view room at a pleasant boutique hotel right opposite the Opera House.  We get on the ship tomorrow, Sunday, and then have an extra day in Manaus.  We’re happy where we are, simply acclimatising which meant a modest walk down to the port and back again.   Manaus doesn’t seem touristy and clearly has character by the ton load plus high levels of scruffiness. It was hot, it was steamy, it was exhausting.

 

As you know, Manaus is one thousand miles upriver from the Atlantic Ocean.  Yet it is from here that we are beginning our cruise along the coast of West Africa.   Yes, West Africa.  Isn’t that weird?  I’ll tell you more about the whys and wherefores as we commence sailing.   Be warned though, this is going to be a long haul, thirty-five days on an aging sloop called Silver Wind.

 

After we cross the Atlantic at its narrowest point  - still a five-day sail - we hit Sierra Leone, Guinea-Bissau, The Gambia and Senegal.  Then we do a swing through Cabo Verde, say hello to Morocco and then run headlong to Lisbon and Civilisation, having dodged everything from pink dolphins to thundering cargo ships avoiding Suez, saltwater hippos to civil unrest.  Maybe the odd spear dipped in curare casually thrown from the riverbank.    I expect it’s going to be fairly challenging in parts because West Africa is always challenging, like India with added squalor, threat and despair.  A riot of colour and smells and sometimes just a riot.  Some of you with sensitive or nervous dispositions might be better off travelling with me, vicariously.  So hop on board this blog for I shall soon - to coin a phrase - be Gone With the Wind. 

I can’t believe you went all the way down to SP and then to Manaus. There are flights from Miami or Panamá to Manaus. Not many, but it would be easier. I like this hotel, and the restaurant is quite good for Manaus standards. I hope you enjoy.

14 hours ago, luv2cruisenz said:

We’re in a similar situation for our September cruise. I know it’s late in the season and several operators have said they’d have finished, especially in Kodiak. I did find this company for Valdez though and have booked this trip

https://alaska.guide/tours/valdez-glacier-shuttle-tour

 

I also looked at this company but have booked the other one

https://valdezwatertaxiandcharters.com/sightseeing

 

So I’m still looking for something in Kodiak. 

I am also looking for alternatives in Valdez. The good cruise tours are all fully booked.

9 hours ago, irvington said:

Wow, I had a really different experience boarding the Muse last September. I had flown up from Portland that morning and got a cab to the cruise port. It was the only time I have cut it close like that, but I am a 2-hour flight away. Anyway, it was the easiest thing. I was directed to Silversea. While there were other ships there, the line I was in seemed only related to Silversea. The US passport holders went through without any wait in the line. It was only weird since I had just entered Canada an hour ago and now needed to "re-enter" the US. But zero delays - I have never gotten onboard a cruise ship so easily.

 

That said, the non-US passengers seemed to have a bit of a queue.

 

Emily

After the Alaska cruise in September, I am going to Portland for a conference. I will have plenty of time to touring around. Any recommendation will be welcomed.

4 hours ago, Fletcher said:

I'm boarding The Wind in two days . . . taking my own food.  Oh and Mrs Fletcher.

Are you in Manaus already?

4 minutes ago, RetiredandTravel said:

 

I have the same exact ships in Vancouver in May. I guess its better than 7600.  I went to cruise mapper and it appears both ships leave before SS.  I'm not confident I can predict when will be the slowest.  Grin and bear in I guess.  One would think they would add resources.

 

 

Are you on the Muse? Please, let me know your impression!

3 hours ago, dmwnc1959 said:

Comparisons between a picture on cruise lines advertisement for shore excursions and the new one (cropped to better show the same area). 

 

Global warming.....😢

19 hours ago, Coral said:

Wow. That has retreated quite a bit.

 

I personally don't think it is worth going out there anymore. There are other great things to do in Juneau.

 

Thanks for the pic. 

Can you suggest some? I will be there in september/24.

We will board the Muse (0,6k guests) on Sep. 2 as well as guests for Norwegian Jewel (2.4k guests) and for Disney Wonder (2.7k guests)!

Total of 5.8k guests!

2 hours ago, Joc123 said:

Personally I’ve never liked Tim Tams but my grandchildren love them.

I much prefer Iced Volvos but only Aussies would understand that 

Is it possible that are there Tim Tam in NZ? I will check 16 days and counting....

On 4/8/2024 at 8:30 PM, jpalbny said:

A few phone pics of today's eclipse. Here in Albany we got to about 97% totality. It was.dark enough to .ake the outdoor lighting come on, and it got noticeably colder during the maximum.

 

Samsung Galaxy S22, about 20x zoom, eclipse glasses over the lens.

 

 

 

Anyone up to visit Egypt in 2027? It should be spectacular! 

Great photos!

On 4/8/2024 at 12:19 PM, Lois R said:

Boy, this Eclipse thing is just too over the top for me. Am I the only person who really doesn't care or is not all excited about it?

 

No Eclipse here.........And I am very busy working + organizing my coming trip to NZ......no time to Eclipse.

On 3/13/2024 at 3:47 PM, Northern Aurora said:

Celebrity does not use Ward Cove.  Your ship will be right downtown.  And all aboard for passengers is half an hour before departure, so in your case 8 PM.  You will be able to visit the downtown area with no problem.

Do you know Silversea docks? I will be there in Sep. My main focus is wild life. What would be the best option?

7 hours ago, UKCruiseJeff said:

Good Afternoon Coolers ….

 

Glancing in I thought I’d just say how lovely it was to see that the  Cooler 5 has had a million views and 20k’ish posts.  What on earth happened?! 🙂  I wonder how many posts and views there are since we collectively started this mini-community which was intended to be specifically about nothing too important and it is a credit to all new and established members that stop by and sometimes even stay a while that it survives and is a place of sanctuary and sanity in an increasingly bewildering world. 

 

Anyway, self-indulgently I’ll share that it is our 50th Anniversary today. and I’m so happy that she still hasn’t found the combination of the padlock and made her escape.  She is simply the loveliest thing on two legs and I’m so happy she has enjoyed our journey together.

 

Some still might like my mundane food piccies so today was chill garlic enormous prawns with home made baguette and Laurent Perrier.

 

Keep enjoying this community and if you are a lurker who has yet to post please just visit and post.

 

Bestest wishes to all. 

 

 

Congrats !!!!

My condolences QSS and Lois R. 

17C is great to work with business attire.

I work from home so I use business attire above the waist.

15 hours ago, lincslady said:

It is the humidity - and I noticed especially in Singapore that the aircon is set so cold indoors that outside feels even worse than it needs to.  

Same here in Rio  (not all places in Brazil, but in Rio yes!). At home the aircon is always at 17oC.

9 hours ago, drron29 said:

Well I am getting on the Muse tomorrow so I will see if we have  very dissimilar tastes in food.

looking forward for your posts. I will be on Muse next August. It is still time to cancel if you do not like it.

5 hours ago, carefreecruise said:

Log on to My Silversea and study the excursions and select according to your likeing.

I have already done it. But maybe someone is kind enough to tell me some great things or bad choices they made in this area.

In preparation for this cruise any recommendation is welcomed. My preference is hiking, wild life, outdoors.

Ports of call:  Ketchikan, Juneau, Sitka, Icy Strait Point, Haines, Valdez.