Mocamps

We’ve been on the Cloud twice and Wind once, and booked again for Wind next year. We love the whole expedition experience. No need to dress up, casual atmosphere, guests tend to be of a more active and adventurous nature. Expedition staff are experts in their field and organise hikes, zodiac trips, kayaking etc. We had some very interesting talks on the Cloud (Antarctic and Arctic) but were less impressed with the presentations on the Wind last year in the Arctic. There’s not much in the way of entertainment though we’ve enjoyed trivia, Bingo, Name that Tune etc. But all very laid back and not taken at all seriously! if that’s not for you and you prefer things to be more like traditional cruising, I’d probably stick to the Dawn.

We have so far only ever been on expedition cruises with SS - and we love them! We're booked for another one next year and can't wait! But we are currently looking at the more classic cruises and I just wanted to ask about casinos. Generally we prefer smaller ships and have cruised quite a bit with Windstar where there no casinos. But on the few big ship cruises we have done we have actually quite enjoyed things like a blackjack tournament. We're not big gamblers and we'd hate to sit for hours playing on slots but the blackjack tournaments have been fun on sea days. Can anyone tell me if any (or all?) of the classic ships have casinos? I have noticed them on deck plans but then read somewhere that SS don't have casinos so I did wonder if they had got rid of them? I know that the Silver Cloud apparently used to have one but it was scrapped when they turned it into an expedition ship. Have the classic ones also been scrapped? And if any DO have casinos do they have blackjack tournaments or is it all big bucks gambling?

We did one last August and went from Reykjavik to Kangerlussaq and back. Silversea put us up in a hotel in Reykjavik on the way out and back and the charter flight was included in our fare but we made our own way to and from Iceland.

We had some excellent talks on our Galapagos cruise on the old Silver Galapagos and on our Antarctic and Arctic cruises on Silver Cloud. They were mainly given by the expedition leaders but all of them were experts in their field, and most of them had good presentation skills. There was a notable difference on our most recent (2022) Arctic cruise on Silver Wind. The speakers (again the expedition leaders) still seemed to be knowledgeable but presentation skills in most cases were sadly lacking. And there were a couple who didn't really have good English which made them difficult for us to understand. I have to admit that, although I always went to the briefings, we gave up on the additional lectures. And we watched a lot more TV than we normally do on cruises!! Obviously these were all expedition cruises. I have no experience of classis cruises with Silversea.

Yes, it does have 2 days on other islands. And our previous cruise also went to these islands and I totally agree.........it was absolutely fascinating to see how people live with just a few of them on one island!! In one case it was just one family which I cannot begin to imagine!! And I am definitely looking forward to going back to these islands. But my husband has a personal connection with Port Stanley and the battlefields so he is particularly keen to go there. For me, South Georgia is the big attraction of this cruise.

You see, these last few posts are actually what I LIKE about the roll calls!! With the only difference being that you're all looking forward to the same cruise! And you're often stressing about the same things - what to pack, entry requirements, weather etc etc. Before our Antarctic trip I found it invaluable looking at Antarctic-specific posts with regard to wet landings, boot rental, merino wool undergarments and so on!! I have actually NEVER attended a gathering onboard the ship as I totally agree that once you're on board you tend to chat to everyone - especially on a small ship and you don't NEED a Cruise Critic roll call. For me, it's all about the planning!!

Thank you everyone for all the very prompt responses. Very helpful and much appreciated. So we've made a decision to go ahead and have booked!! So excited but have now got to wait for a year!! I will start a roll call though I know that SS roll calls are notoriously poorly frequented!

Hi all, I desperately need some help in deciding whether or not we should book another Silversea cruise to the South Atlantic! In 2018 we had a memorable and definitely 'bucket list' trip to Antarctic. It included the Falkland Islands but sadly we were unable to get into Stanley due to the sea conditions on that day. My husband was really disappointed because, as he is ex-RAF, he knew a number of people who were involved in the Falklands conflict and, sadly, had a couple of friends who didn't return. So Stanley is still very definitely on our list of places to go. For me, I have read so much about South Georgia and am fascinated by its history. I really enjoyed the Antarctic trip and just know I will love South Georgia. So we are looking at a cruise that includes both the Falklands and South Georgia. My husband is worried that we could go all that way again and still not get into Stanley so he asked me if I could find out how often cruises are unsuccessful at getting into that port. Can anyone help please? Either positive or negative experiences will assist our decision.

We did a Kangerlussaq - Kangerlussaq cruise last August. We were coming from the UK and needed to get ourselves to Reykjavik where we were accommodated for one night in a hotel, then transferred by charter flight to Greenland. At the end of the cruise we were flown back to Reykjavik and put up for another night in a different hotel. Some guests from North America did the same as us, with Reykjavik as their 'hub', Others went from Newark to Greenland and then back to Newark again. I'm not sure if they had a hotel in Newark but would imagine they did if needed. Hope that helps

I don't ever recall getting any little blue bags on my 4 Windstar cruises!!

Thank you. We're both fully vaccinated.

What about credit cards? We very rarely get currency if we're only in a country for a couple of days but haven't had any problems using cards. Thank you for the info regarding the CIBT entry guide. I hadn't found that!! I'll stop panicking!

Please help with my last minute panic!! We board Star Legend on Saturday and one of the places we visit is Columbia. I have just read that cruise passengers need negative Covid tests a maximum of 72 hours before arrival in Columbia. That isn't until Day 4 of the cruise. Does anyone know if they still do testing onboard Windstar ships? Or, if anyone has been to Columbia recently do you know if we DO need tests?

This from the Setting Sail guide.....we board on Saturday! Alcohol On Board For voyages of 7 or fewer days, guests may bring aboard 2 bottles of wine or champagne per stateroom for their enjoyment on board. For voyages of 8 or more days, guests may bring 3 bottles on board per stateroom or suite. All additional alcohol, including those bottles purchased at ports of call along the cruise route, will be kept by the ship’s purser and delivered to your room the last evening of the voyage. Guests may consume the outside beverages in the dining room, but a small corkage fee will be applied to their onboard account.

I'm confused! I read that we are only allowed to bring 3 bottles of wine on per cruise and that we will be charged corkage if we want to drink it with our meal. That is certainly what happened on our last Windstar cruise 6 months ago.

I'm looking at the Miami-Barbados cruise on 23rd January and I have already posted a question on that roll call but unfortunately there seems to be only the OP on that roll call and he/she hasn't responded but I would imagine they have given up checking!! If anyone here happens to be on that cruise, my husband is particularly interested in doing the two tank Scuba dive in Aruba so if anyone IS able to see if there is still availability on that excursion he would be most grateful.

Sorry if this question has been asked before. We are new to Regent (actually sailed once with them in Alaska in 2017 and that was great!!) and considering booking a cruise with them in January. The reason we're attracted to this particular cruise is that we like a number of the included shore excursions. Is there a way of knowing if there's availability on them before we book? What I don't want to happen is to book the cruise and then, because it would be a late booking, we're left with all the excursions that no-one wants!! But I can't see a way of finding this out. So reaching out to all you more experienced Regent cruisers! Many thanks in anticipation

Thank you all very much for the advice. Really helpful and much appreciated!

If you're going to the Antarctic or Arctic or anywhere where there's likely to be rough seas, it's worth considering whether or not it's worth paying extra for a verandah or one of the superior suites. We've always been on Deck 4 midships in a Vista cabin and we've been fine when others have been very sick. They have also had limited use (if any) of their balconies when the weather has been cold. In fact, one guy in a superior suite with a wraparound balcony at the front of the ship told me it was a huge waste of money as he had a foot of snow on it (in the Antarctic) and couldn't even open his door!! His wife and daughter had also been very sick as it was at the bow and higher up so had a lot of motion!

We love it as well! Really useful, especially for an expedition trip where thermals can get sweaty!! I don't know about non-expedition ships but on the Wind and Cloud I think there is only this one guest launderette. It has 3 washers and 3 dryers in. There is also a sink, various hanging racks, baskets etc. And washing capsules are provided.

I wonder if anyone on this forum is very familiar with the Southampton City cruise terminal? My query is about how close we can get in the car to drop my elderly (91 years young!!) father off? I have inadvertently booked our parking in the Triangle car park which is apparently close to the Ocean terminal - though they do provide us with a taxi service to the City terminal. I'm just wondering if it would be best for my husband to drop off Dad and I with the luggage and then park the car or if the taxi (which can take 4 people plus luggage) will actually be able to get us closer. My Dad has good mobility for his age, doesn't use a wheelchair or even a walking stick so doesn't have a blue badge (and would be upset if I even suggested he needs any special assistance!) but I think he would struggle to walk a long distance with luggage.

Some years ago I booked a cruise with Carnival in the US and they had a Guaranteed Lowest price offer. As the price kept dropping I kept applying and receiving OBC for the difference. We used it for drinks and blew some of it in the casino - then won and cashed it in. We came back having paid very little for the cruise - though we haven't sailed with Carnival again as the ship was full of the 'f' word - families with noisy children!! ......though we may be back to join them soon now that we have grandchildren! We also booked a Celebrity cruise last year and that had a Price promise. When the price dropped before final payment, our payment was reduced, And that was booked here in the UK. With regard to booking through US travel agents, I have done it frequently in the past and without lying about my address. Some cruise lines allow it and some don't. However, it is no longer so appealing as, with current exchange rates, there's rarely much difference in price - and sometimes it works best the other way. Though they DO seem to have more flexible conditions.

Panic over! My TA has just managed to get the Cruise ticket from SS and has forwarded it to me. I'm pleased to have it because it does have some useful information on it. So can hopefully now relax and concentrate on the packing and not the documentation! Thank you all for your help and advice.

Thanks everyone - and top tip about the adapter. Mine have a UK plug so will be OK in the 220v socket but I do need an adapter and I might have forgotten it because I don't usually bother with ANY appliances.. They do have a safety cutout and switch off automatically if left unattended so can't accidentally be left on! But have also been experimenting with tying my hair up and that's probably the easiest option of all!

We’ve only been on SS expeditions and, as stated above, it works differently. There are occasionally more traditional excursions offered (and I imagine there are more of these on some itineraries) and you can sign up for them in advance on the website but mostly you decide what you want to do the night before you do it! The exception is kayaking where you need to sign up at the beginning of the cruise. You then have to attend the kayak safety briefing. You then have to indicate which kayak excursions you’re interested in and they sort out a rota as spaces are limited. We didn’t actually get to kayak at all in the Antarctic (as the weather closed in) but, in the Arctic we got to go 3 times and could have done more than that but there were other excursions we wanted to do. On that cruise we did a mix of kayaking, hiking and zodiac cruises with an extra couple of more traditional coach-type excursions where there was a choice but I think most people got to do whichever they chose. We love the expeditions but they are very different from a traditional cruise experience. Much more casual and relaxed. And fewer people. But with SS you still have the luxury element. It’s a great experience. We’re off to Greenland at the weekend!! Can’t wait!!