world cruise 2015

[Silver Spectre]

Thank you Masonic & Rachel. Tomorrow we'll be stopping in Melbourne arriving at 10:30 AM & leaving at 8 PM. That's a slight change in published times due to the rough seas. 20 foot waves last night, but slightly better today. Tonight is the Captains Welcome party,and will now be casual dress instead of formal because of the rocking and rolling. Fernando said the decision was made for safety concerns as walking is difficult in regular clothes and attire. Heels and gowns would almost prove impossible. No one has complained about that decision.

The Capt. is Capt Angelo Corsaro, CD isFernando,and Hotel Mgr. is Norman Rafelson. I forgot how to spell the Maitre D's name,but he's been on the WC before. I'll post it when I can get it right.

Masonic,enjoy your lunch and take care of the Whisper while we enjoy your beautiful city.

 

Thanks for your postings. I think your MD is Gilbert. Have a great day in Melbourne!

[Emtbsam]

Yes - it would be helpful to know about shuttles in Melbourne and Sydney.

 

Thanks.

Edited January 31, 2015 by Emtbsam

[MrsWaldo]

They will have to provide one in Sydney. The terminal at which you arrive is nowhere near anything.

 

Unlike most ports the smaller ships are relegated away from the main city, because the big ones can't get under the bridge.

 

Sorry I can't help with Melbourne. it is serviced by public transport and you need to buy a MYKI ticket to use it. These are sold at the port. If i was SS I would be providing a shuttle :)

 

Rachel,

 

I can help with Melbourne if you want info? What sort of things do you want to do?

Edited January 31, 2015 by MrsWaldo

[fdnycruiser]

The seas have finally settled down,and we'll be docking in 45 mins. or so. The skies are overcast with light rain and 72 F. Colonel Wes will do. Silver Spectre,you're correct Gilbert it is. To answer the shuttle questions,they had a shuttle in Sydney from the white bay port to circular quay. In Melbourne there is no shuttle ,but it is a 5 to 10 minute walk from Station pier to the tram which goes into CBD. Rachel,we have friends in Melbourne who will be showing us around,so I should have plenty to report.

Our butler's name is Xon (pronounced Schwinn ) and he is 27 years old and Chinese.He continues to amaze us with his eagerness to please. Last night when we returned to our cabin the room was dark except for several battery operated candle lights leading to the table where there were 2 glasses of champagne,a hand written note ,and birthday decorations everywhere. He wanted to surprise my wife which he certainly did,and he explained that it was still her birthday on the East Coast of the US !!

[RachelG]

We arrive in Melbourne at 1pm. I am thinking we want to go to the botanical garden in the afternoon. The next day I have hired a car and driver to take us on tour outside the city to see koalas and kangaroos then drop us at the airport.

 

So I guess we will have to figure out how to get to the botanical garden via the tram?

[MrsWaldo]

Pretty sure (but a Melbourne local can correct me) You use the 109 up to the city itself.

 

I'd get off at Flinders St station then walk down past Federation Square across the bridge and along the Yarra into the Gardens.

 

If you wanted to be dropped a bit closer (probably only a stop or 2 and you miss the walk along the river) you could get one of the trams that head down St Kilda Road (3,5,6,8 79) and get off at the Shrine of Remembrance.

 

I much prefer Carlton Gardens and Fitzroy/Treasury TBH,

 

I hope the driver is taking you out to Healesville? It's in the total opposite direction to the airport :)

[RachelG]

Thanks for the advice. And yes, I believe that is where we are going to see the wildlife. We have a whole day, so should not be a problem. Our flight doesn't leave until 10 pm

[fdnycruiser]

Today was a sea day after our stop in Melbourne yesterday. It was raining when we arrived,but the weather soon cooperated in the afternoon. However,the early cloud cover and rain changed plans for some including us. Instead of going out on Ocean Drive and the countryside we stayed in the city with our hosts. It is a very lovely city with plenty going on including the Australian Open. We enjoyed walking along the river front and through the parks,and had a stop in Brighton in the inner suburbs. I enjoyed a beer in front of "Chloe" at Young & Jackson across the from the train station. You'll have to ask an Australian who "Chloe" is if you don't already know.

Today was a sea day under mostly cloudy skies and cool temperatures. The Super Bowl was shown in the Viennnese Lounge on the big screen. Tomorrow we will be in Melbourne. As you've probably figured out already,we purchased the unlimited internet package. It's worked out well for us,and although it can be slow,it's working well. Now if only the cellular data package we bought from our wireless carrier Verizon would work as well.

Colonel Wes & Ida,Fernando was very excited to receive your hello,and passes along his regards. Adelaide tomorrow morning.

[Masonic Phantom]

Today was a sea day after our stop in Melbourne yesterday. It was raining when we arrived,but the weather soon cooperated in the afternoon. However,the early cloud cover and rain changed plans for some including us. Instead of going out on Ocean Drive and the countryside we stayed in the city with our hosts. It is a very lovely city with plenty going on including the Australian Open. We enjoyed walking along the river front and through the parks,and had a stop in Brighton in the inner suburbs. I enjoyed a beer in front of "Chloe" at Young & Jackson across the from the train station. You'll have to ask an Australian who "Chloe" is if you don't already know.

Today was a sea day under mostly cloudy skies and cool temperatures. The Super Bowl was shown in the Viennnese Lounge on the big screen. Tomorrow we will be in Melbourne. As you've probably figured out already,we purchased the unlimited internet package. It's worked out well for us,and although it can be slow,it's working well. Now if only the cellular data package we bought from our wireless carrier Verizon would work as well.

Colonel Wes & Ida,Fernando was very excited to receive your hello,and passes along his regards. Adelaide tomorrow morning.

 

This may help about Chloe http://www.onlymelbourne.com.au/chloe-jules-joseph-lefebvre

[MrsWaldo]

Spoilsport;)

 

and if you don't go to Mel but do Sydney and want a Chloe experience head up to the Australian pub where her um.."sister"??? is on the wall

[fdnycruiser]

Yesterday was a great day in Adelaide. The weather was bright and sunny with a perfect temperature. Adelaide is a nice clean laid back city,and very beautiful. Our travel agency had a great tour for os with a stop for teaat St.Mark's college where we met the Honorable John Bannon the former premier of the state of South Australia. He gave a great lecture on the history of Adelaide and South Australia. After that it was off to lunch at Carrick Hill which was magnificent with its beautiful gardens and views. Dinner last night at Hot Rocks which I always enjoy. Just love the ribeye.

This morning we were at the small port of Port Lincoln. It is a very nice little spot,and like the rest of Australia very friendly people.Unfortunatey the stop was too short to check out the surrounding area which was disappointing as I wanted to stop at the National Park with its wildlife and coastal views. We had to be back on board at 11:30 AM. Two sea days to follow until we reach Freemantle/ Perth.

Haven't been to any shows yet,but will do so tonight,as the Silversea singers will be doing songs from the "British Invasion" of the 60's

BTW,the bed is SO comfortable that I find it hard to get out of bed. The room service breakfast has always been on time,hot and delicious making it to justify sleeping in.

[WesW]

fdnycruiser, thanks again for the entertaining Whisper on board reports--sounds like y'all are having a great time. And special thanks for passing our regards along Fernando.

[fdnycruiser]

You're welcome Colonel. After two sea days we arrive in Perth yesterday,and after an overnight preparing to leave for Bali in about an hours. We managed to get out this morning and leave the remainder of our Australian dollars at the local shops. The weather has been warm here,but not unbearable as there has been a stiff sea breeze. We didn't go over to Perth as there was plenty to keep us occupied in Fremantle.

Service,and food continues to be excellent,and the staff is always asking us if there is anything we need to make our trip better. I also should add that the crew is always cleaning,polishing and washing both inside and out. A few days ago when the elevator door opened there were 2 crewmen working to remove a spot on the wood work. The new boutiques while looking beautiful do not have anything that I'd be interested in buying. We did go to the show a few nights ago and were a little disappointed.They tried very hard,and are verynice young people,but unfortunately are not the same calibre as the SilverSea players IMO.

We did have Oliver sing a few tunes at the bar however. He does a great Tom Jones.Oliver leaves for home when we reach Bali,and returns in Capetown. Going to miss him. The Music Link Duo has been playing in the Bar ,and Michelle has a beautiful voice. I won't bore you any further as we prepare to sail.

[Silver Spectre]

Glad to hear that Oliver will be coming back in Cape Town, we will be looking forward to seeing him again.

[wripro]

Just like Raymond, everyone loves Oliver!

[spinnaker2]

enjoying your posts!

[fdnycruiser]

Today is the 3rd sea day in a row since we left Perth. The seas have been smooth,but it's getting hotter as we approach the equator. The bartender at the pool Albert ( who will be replacing Oliver in Bali) passed out ice cold towels poolside. Tomorrow we end a segment in Bali,and 40 people will be departing,but not sure how many getting on. We also lose our brilliant guest speaker General Michael Hayden,former Director of the CIA and NSA.

I mentioned poolside before,but also should have added that they've had several themed lunches in addition to the regular menu. Some days it's been difficult deciding where to go for lunch.We've been to all the dining venues except La Champagne,but will do so probably next week.

Southeast Asia is uncharted territory for us,and we'll be taking our first Silverseas tour of the trip.tomorrow's will be 5.5 hours,and Saturday's in Semerang 11. I will try and post after Saturday at sea and give another update.

Having dinner with Fernando on Friday night.

Colonel Wes,I was talking to the Capt at lunch yesterday and passed on regards from you and Ida. He of course passed on his regards,and said you need to do some more sailing with him, Good advice I thought.

[WesW]

fdnycruiser thanks for the continued robust, informative and entertaining WC Whisper posts. Especially interested in your view of the entertainers as we board the Spirit for a month soon and will listen to this group for the first time too. And, thanks again for passing our warm regards along to Angelo Corsaro/Captain. We plan to do a (or most) of WC (and sail again with Angelo & Fernando) when our 16 1/2 year old senior best friend (pup) passes in the next few years.

[fdnycruiser]

A belated St. Valentines Day from the Whisper at sea. We had a wonderful evening on board with red hearts placed on everyones cabin doors as well as through out the ship. The butlers came into the main dining room,and presnted roses to the ladies. Coincidently it was the Captains birthday,and there was a beautiful cake presented in the dining room. Unfortunately for my wife,her dining selection was a miss.She had the stuffed quail,but just too many bones for her,so she asked for the halibut and scallop.The scallop was great,but strangely it was served on top of mashed potatoes,and was a little dry.The evening was saved by our butler Xun,and stewardess Leah Beth who had left cards and decorations including 2 glasses of pink champagne surrounded by rose petals. I only wish that I was that creative.

With the end of segment in Bali we lost some passengers,and gained a few. Still not sure of the count as I keep hearing different figures. However, I believe that we're below 290. We picked up a new guest lecturer Bill Boggs,who many people from the NY tri-state area may remember from his mid day talk show. He gave his first presentation this morning and was excellent.

In Bali I took the first of my SS tours, " Temples & Terraces" which was about 5 hours long and took us out into the countryside. Very scenic and interesting. The guide was capable,small van type busses used which were comfortable and only filled to half capacity for our extra comfortable.A refreshment stop was included as well as bottled water on the bus and cool towels. Yesterday's tour to the temple in Borubudor from Semerang was the highlight of our stops in Indonesia.The length of the tour was about 10 hours. Transportation was by air conditioned motor coaches that seated about 50. 3 busses were used with only about 20 psgrs. on each. The trip is about 3 hours each way,with a snack stop each way,and police escorts to move us through traffic quickly.lLunch was at a lovely restaurant across from the temple on the beautiful grounds of the educational center. The food was excellent,as was the local entertainment provided. On return,the butlers were on the pier with a welcome home banner.Once inside cold towels,and champagne were passed around. A nice touch to end the long but wonderful day. I also should mention that the temple is a sight not to be missed.

Before I end this lengthly report,I must once again mention our wonderful and thoughtful butler Xun. My wife awoke yesterday morning with all intentions of taking the long tour.However,she awoke with laryngitis,and her sinuses and throat on fire.When he brought in the breakfast he was very concerned for her and immediately brought in some hot water,lemon and honey which he prepared for her. As we told him that she would be staying behind and visiting the Dr. , he assured me that he would escort her to the Dr. and take care of her for me which he did. A very kind,and caring person,and wonderful human being. End result; sinus infection,antibiotics given and all is good. Sea day tomorrow,and then Brunei. Thanks for reading.

[Silver Spectre]

Thanks fdnycruiser for your continuing and informative posts. Borubudor is certainly worth the long coach trip there and back, we went many years back off a Princess ship, and were glad of both a spare coach and a police escort when one of the coaches broke down. Best wishes for your wife's speedy reccovery.

[josephone]

Sorry to learn about the health issues. At least you are somewhere warm to get over the sinus infection. Warm, humid weather is good for that problem.

 

I do hope you get to see Singapore. It is a lovely city. It is always a great deal of fun. Be sure to have satay off the ship.

 

If you are going to stop anywhere in Borneo be sure to visit the orangutans! There are lots of places that have a small number. If you are in Kota Kinabalu, go the Shangri La hotel where they have a small colony.

 

Get better soon!

[fdnycruiser]

Happy Chinese New Year from the Whisper as we head for the island Haikou,China. We make a very short stop there tomorrow (6 hours)before sailing off to Hong Kong.February 18th was the eve of the new year,and the dining room was decorated nicely with beautiful Chinese decorations and a Chinese themed menu. Our very fine butler Xun was and is super excited and had decorated our room while we were at dinner. We dined with Fernando,so it was a great night all around.

We stopped in Brunei on the 17th,and most of the passengers,including ourselves were not very impressed.Brunei is still very much a dictatorship,and last year the sultan instituted sharia law. Although the sultan does provide for the population there are limited freedoms. Not worth it in my opinion. As lecturer Jon Flemming put it,Brunei lacks a soul.

However,we did enjoy our stop the next day at Kota Kinabalu. We went white water rafting on the river,and found it to be a pleasant way to see the interior of the country. It was a beginners River with a few small Rapids,but nothing terrifying. Jon Flemming was in our raft and actually went swimming.The rest of us being a little older were afraid if we got out we wouldn't be able to get in.

A few things of note before I bore you too much. We currently have 260 on board,and Fernando said it's likely to stay that way. He said that the original itinerary which included West Africa scared some people off. The revised last segment isn't too appealing to many,and we heard the last segment had some deals available. Our veranda walls and railing were painted a few days ago when we were ashore,and there seems to be people working everywhere. That being said,there seems to be difficulty in getting the AC in the Viennese Lounge just right. It's usually too cold for most people,and one day it was very warm. This morning the temperature was ok,but it smelled a little musty/moldy. Other than that everything is in working order,and the unlimited internet is proving reliable.

I think I mentioned that the bar was using the old style cloth coasters,and that is still true. However,at times they use a linen like thin coaster which is disposable.

My wife is feeling much better, and we'll be on until Singapore. Any questions that anyone has I'll try and answer,or find someone that can provide one.

[mysty]

Happy Chinese New Year from the Whisper as we head for the island Haikou,China. We make a very short stop there tomorrow (6 hours)before sailing off to Hong Kong.February 18th was the eve of the new year,and the dining room was decorated nicely with beautiful Chinese decorations and a Chinese themed menu. Our very fine butler Xun was and is super excited and had decorated our room while we were at dinner. We dined with Fernando,so it was a great night all around.

We stopped in Brunei on the 17th,and most of the passengers,including ourselves were not very impressed.Brunei is still very much a dictatorship,and last year the sultan instituted sharia law. Although the sultan does provide for the population there are limited freedoms. Not worth it in my opinion. As lecturer Jon Flemming put it,Brunei lacks a soul.

However,we did enjoy our stop the next day at Kota Kinabalu. We went white water rafting on the river,and found it to be a pleasant way to see the interior of the country. It was a beginners River with a few small Rapids,but nothing terrifying. Jon Flemming was in our raft and actually went swimming.The rest of us being a little older were afraid if we got out we wouldn't be able to get in.

A few things of note before I bore you too much. We currently have 260 on board,and Fernando said it's likely to stay that way. He said that the original itinerary which included West Africa scared some people off. The revised last segment isn't too appealing to many,and we heard the last segment had some deals available. Our veranda walls and railing were painted a few days ago when we were ashore,and there seems to be people working everywhere. That being said,there seems to be difficulty in getting the AC in the Viennese Lounge just right. It's usually too cold for most people,and one day it was very warm. This morning the temperature was ok,but it smelled a little musty/moldy. Other than that everything is in working order,and the unlimited internet is proving reliable.

I think I mentioned that the bar was using the old style cloth coasters,and that is still true. However,at times they use a linen like thin coaster which is disposable.

My wife is feeling much better, and we'll be on until Singapore. Any questions that anyone has I'll try and answer,or find someone that can provide one.

I wanted to add my voice to the chorus of thanks, Mr. fdnycruiser. Your reports have been informative and entertaining! I especially love the little snapshots of life on board! My husband and I are hoping to enjoy the SS World Cruise 2016 and reading your posts has brought the whole potential experience to life. Many, many thanks!

[fdnycruiser]

Back at sea today headed for Chan May Vietnam after leaving Hong Kong last night. Our stop at Haikou,although nothing special,was exciting for us as it was our first taste of China.My wife took a tour to historic Haikou,and I took a tour to the volcano crater. Although the volcano was really nothing special,it was worth the trip to be in the park where it was located. So many families in the park enjoying the new year. I thought of it as a " happening",and enjoyed the people watching,and as this part of the island doesn't get that many Westerners,I think they enjoyed watching us too. My wife felt the same way too. Silversea felt that the tours weren't up to their standards and refunded about half of the tour amount. A pleasant surprise,especially as I didn't think it was that bad considering where we were.

We arrived in Hong Kong the next morning and left late the next night giving us almost 2 days and nights. We docked at the Harbor Terminal,and lucky us had the harbor view which simply spectacular at night. I told Fernando that we had the best hotel room in Hong Kong. I have to tell you that after living in NYC over 50 years my wife and I didn't think that we could be impressed. However,Hong Kong did. To us,just so much more impressive than NYC. So many people,high rises,and high end retail shops. Laying in bed with that view of the city all lit up,gave us a memory that will be etched in our brains forever.The only downside was the weather which was mostly cloudy,with an occasional shower. Made it really hard to get that perfect picture from Mt. Victoria.

As Hong Kong was the end of a segment,we gained about 70 passengers,and lost about the same.Also a change in some of the crew members. Despite the weather our veranda was washed again,and a card was left in our room advising us that our veranda would be cleaned,and that some routine maintenance would be done in our room.They explained that when the ship will be in port for extended length of time,they attempt to do routine maintenance.They also give you the option to decline having anyone enter your room. I noticed that when we came back,the shower had a new seal on the door,and that it was recaulked.

Lunch poolside today was snapper,sea bass and mussels. The fish was fresh and cut up and deboned right there and cooked fresh.I don't eat fish,but my wife does and said it was excellent. Captain's welcome dinner tonight,and we'll be sitting with Norman the Hotel Director. That's it for now,and thank you for reading. Only 10 days left for us,and I'm trying to enjoy every last minute.

[spinnaker2]

Thanks so much for taking us along with you. You have missed some of the coldest weather in south Florida!

Looking forward to hearing about the remaining time aboard.