Silversea Water Cooler: Welcome! Part Two

[spinnaker2]

Um.
Is this stand up comedy?

Or...

[UKCruiseJeff]

It is wonderful to see that the people of Europe, and some other countries stood solidly behind the sentiments of the Ukrainian Eurovision entry. Although the professional juries never "got it" the people's votes fully understood the words, and gave the accolade where it is due. For once it was great to see a "political vote"

Next year Eurovision will be in the Kiev.

:)

Jeff

[les37b]

[quote name='UKCruiseJeff']Don't spoil it Les ..... I'm only on Germany (watching a recording ...) .....:eek:

Are you over you disappointments Les .... ie at one with your cruise decision?

Jeff[/QUOTE]

Haha... I turned it off (or was it fell asleep?) God knows! I woke up at 12.30 not knowing the outcome.

PS that's not a request to find out! lol

On the other bit... No I definitely regret booking, that won't go unless I find at the end I was wrong and it was fabulous. I'm hoping that will be the case.

Interestingly though, it's taught me a few things. Firstly that countries (Spain in particular it seems) are tapping into a free lunch from cruisers. And cruise companies should wake and protect its customers by adding a non EU port to get this pesky tax removed.

It's taught me also not to believe sales people since they gave me inaccurate info on this (or blatantly lied!) so best to research yourself... But that leads into another Unknown......

Because they were adding tax, we decided to go for it buying their "cheers" rip off program at $60 per person per day. That's a lot of booze to get through! We'll have a go! LOL

Anyway, obviously pre paying means that you are not buying on board and therefore no tax. That's my understanding and confirmed by Carnival when I bought but...... After buying, someone else has posted they've been told directly by Carnival after they asked the same thing that they will be totting up all your drinks and adding a "would have cost you" VAT tax. So on top of the rip off cheers package + 15% gratuities, they will add possibly another $30 per day extra if you are a bit of a piggy!

I can't believe that can be true....if they do, I will insist they add up the price of all the food I've eaten too and make sure the Spanish get what's due to them! LOL

I just find it all a bit annoying there isn't precise info available. It's not like this is new (even if it's knowledge is new to me.)

I do know Silversea levied a 21% tax on some jewellery I bought in April.... Which would have been avoided had we stopped in Gibralter, turkey or some other non EU port. Taxes are what they are and as long as you know the facts before booking, then it's all ok... But if you ask and don't get a truthful answer....

I am annoyed about it... But have moved on and will abuse cheers to make me feel better .... until the morning! haha Edited May 15, 2016 by les37b

[les37b]

[quote name='UKCruiseJeff']It is wonderful to see that the people of Europe, and some other countries stood solidly behind the sentiments of the Ukrainian Eurovision entry. Although the professional juries never "got it" the people's votes fully understood the words, and gave the accolade where it is due. For once it was great to see a "political vote"

Next year Eurovision will be in the Kiev.

[/QUOTE]

I just saw the news... The Russians they showed being interviewed in Moscow weren't too happy! lol

I see we came third. Better than usual. Maybe we can reach the dizzy heights of forth from bottom next year!

[Tothesunset]

[quote name='spinnaker2']Um.
Is this stand up comedy?

Or...[/QUOTE]
Just trying to ease the pain of Eurovision...

[UKCruiseJeff]

[quote name='les37b']I just saw the news... The Russians they showed being interviewed in Moscow weren't too happy! lol

I see we came third. Better than usual. Maybe we can reach the dizzy heights of forth from bottom next year![/quote]

[quote name='les37b']Haha... I turned it off (or was it fell asleep?) God knows! I woke up at 12.30 not knowing the outcome.
[/quote]

You know ..... I know we've gotten into a tradition of knocking it. A running joke. But actually it was a very good show last night with some decent music at times. Malta and Oz was good. Sweden not too bad.

[quote name='les37b'] On the other bit... No I definitely regret booking, that won't go unless I find at the end I was wrong and it was fabulous. I'm hoping that will be the case.

I am annoyed about it... But have moved on and will abuse cheers to make me feel better .... until the morning! haha[/quote]

I was thinking of you this morning and wrote a few short lines which I hope lifts.


[I]what is done, is done,
it is, what it is,
we are, where we are,
what will be, will be,
c'est la bleedin' vie.

:)

[/I] Jeff

[specialcruisegirl]

Lots of fun posts going on......I detest Eurovision with a passion and never watch it and wasn't at all surprised we came almost at the bottom along with Germany!

Busy morning here finally having time to get laundry done and put away the cruise stuff.....Father is happily settled into the care home....well...so far so good [emoji6]

Great food going on down there Jeffers.....making my mouth water!! I miss BBQ.....late DH was a corker with the grill....
Just a ready roast here today.....and a glass of red while it cooks...well maybe two!!

Happy Sunday

S [emoji5]




Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Tothesunset]

I've just poured water over the back of a duck.

It wasn't in the least concerned.

[UKCruiseJeff]

Soaper,

Unlike you! :D The whole joy of bbq'ing is that it is the challenge .... and you have to learn it and concentrate. It's such a distraction.

I have just put some pork satay on the grill.

:)

Jeff

[IMG]http://i612.photobucket.com/albums/tt210/sparkyguts/Food/906ED5B3-D2B6-441D-AA6A-56DB3529134B.jpg[/IMG]

[TLCOhio]

[quote name='UKCruiseJeff']Thanks Terry for the kind words .... good to see you are keeping busy. I've always been intrigued in your [B]continued and regular keen interest in the number of views[/B] ie view counts. I know you like to advertise your old threads presumably to increase views. I am genuinely puzzled ..... why do you consider view counts important/significant exactly? Do you think it is like viewers or listeners to tv or radio programmes, because I [B]genuinely don't get it?[/B] Jeff[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=] [B]UKCruiseJeff[/B]: It is wonderful to see that the people of Europe, and some other countries stood solidly behind the sentiments of the [B]Ukrainian Eurovision[/B] entry. Although the professional juries never "got it" the people's votes fully understood the words, and gave the accolade where it is due. For once it was great to see a "political vote" Next year [B]Eurovision[/B] will be in the Kiev. [/QUOTE]

[COLOR="Blue"][SIZE="3"][FONT="Georgia"] Sorry with the various [B]comments on Eurovision[/B] that me and maybe others here in the USA do not quite understand what those discussions are all about. Sounds interesting, but it's all outside of my personal knowledge/interest base. Maybe Jeff can explain more of that background.

Appreciate Jeff's good [B]question to me about numbers[/B] and my interests. YES, I have always been interested in and following numbers whether it deals with sports, elections, polling, media ratings, etc. [B]Who wins? Who loses?[/B] In all of these categories, and more, you can argue or dispute what the numbers might mean, their importance and impact, etc.??? Or, not??? In polling, I always like to look at the details for the cross-tabs, question order, question wording, sample details, etc. For travel and boards like these, it interesting, like with what is seen here at the Cooler, the [B]large numbers who drop by[/B] and are checking out these posts. Very large numbers!!

Given that this Silversea board is somewhat smaller and not as active as seen with many other Cruise Critic boards, it still says something important about the variety and interest for the high numbers who drop by this specific thread. That's to the credit of Jeff, J.P. and others who contribute actively.

[B][U]DOES IT MATTER?[/U][/B]: There's an old saying/question here and from physics about whether a [I]"tree falling in forest with no people there makes any noise"[/I]. Kind of silly, but if nobody is there and/or listening, [B]was there any sound?[/B] If opinion or issues are shared on boards like these and nobody is paying attention, is it that important or worthwhile? Clearly "numbers" are not the only, best or real [B]indicator of "value"[/B]. In this era of "Reality TV" and the Kardashian clan, the numbers of clicks and views might in some cases be rather silly and totally out of balance.

When looking at the fall of [B]print/newspapers[/B], plus brick-and-mortar commerce . . . [B][U]versus[/U][/B] . . . the growth and rise of the [B]Internet/web[/B], it has been interesting and very important to watch and follow these various trends and movements. Numbers are not always the best, most true indicators, but I find it interesting to follow and ask about the "meanings"! Many times those numbers reflects trends, are important. Other times, not as much. Does this help answer Jeff's good, smart question?

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, [B]Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle[/B] cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at [B]198,246 views[/B].
[B][url]www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923[/url][/B]

[UKCruiseJeff]

Thanks Terry,

I guess we know how many people post but making reasonable assumptions, how many people do you think view the thread?

Jeff

[TLCOhio]

[quote name='UKCruiseJeff']Thanks Terry, I guess we know how many people post but making reasonable assumptions, [B]how many people do you think view the thread?[/B] Jeff[/QUOTE]

[COLOR="Blue"][SIZE="3"][FONT="Georgia"] As of right now, the CC board's counting device/tally says there have been [B]101,039 "views"[/B] of this Cooler that started on August 19, 2015. Over 269 days, that is an average of [B]about 376 views each day[/B]. Just 27 hours ago, this Cooler thread was at about 100,300 views. That means about 700 views happening here in the past day or so.

Some of those "views" could have been a few people going back to this thread a few different times. A few could have looked at different pages at one time. Each different page "look", [B]counts as a separate "view"[/B].

It's good and maybe interesting that they keep these kinds of data items available on CC. The best? Lots of smart, varied people here from around the world who are thinking and sharing.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]

From our Jan. 25-Feb. 20, 2015, [B]Amazon River-Caribbean[/B] combo sailing over 26 days that started in Barbados, here is the link below to that live/blog. Lots of great visuals from this amazing Brazil river and these various Caribbean Islands (Dutch ABC's, St. Barts, Dominica, Grenada, etc.) that we experienced. Check it out at:
[B][url]www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2157696[/url][/B]
Now at 39,209 views for these postings.

[jpalbny]

Back from a quick weekend away...visiting Chris' Dad and then some friends who live nearby. Got some work to do this afternoon at home to catch up and be ready for the upcoming week.

Les - great video of the Corinth Canal. We checked it out when we were there in October 2014. We drove along the western edge on a dirt road (northern part of the canal) and you could just walk up to the edge and peer over. We also went south and walked the bridge - I saw that bridge in your video, packed with people. Cool place! Was the fit as tight as it looked?

WRT to "views" and Jeff & Terry's discussion - my totally uneducated hypothesis is that it probably doesn't mean much for this board...but on other sites where they sell advertising, it could mean a big difference in revenue. Though for a prolific blogger like Terry, having several hundred thousand views is good feedback that people are interested in what he's posting, and good incentive to keep at it!

I will admit that I sometimes peek at my view counts for my blogs. The most popular ones are the river cruise ones, but the SS ones still get a decent number of views. Far and away, the most views are on my 2014 Rhine blog. But I prefer comments and questions over views.

How the view count translates to individual viewers is a big unknown. Unique visits certainly could be tracked by CC but if so, it's not displayed in a place that I can see it.

[UKCruiseJeff]

Thanks Terry/JP,

I was hoping a guess of actual people would emerge and a rationale. :)

For what it's worth, I doubt there are as many as one may think. For example the Jen's roll call thread at the top benefits from me using my ipad. For some reason whenever I hit a thread to open it the ipad always jumps and I open that up instead. You would think I would learn and be patient and wait for a second until it settles but I do the same thing every time. I am a slow learner, and as it happens I think I may have read that post once, but I bet I caused a thousand views. :D

You also may find that every time you open the thread and move up and down pages, that is counted as several views ie hits. So someone coming back and reading three pages is three hits but one person.

It is easy to be impressed with views but it may give a false impression? Perhaps a dozen or so people read but don't post?

Jeff

[Tothesunset]

Spent the afternoon at my wife's grave.

She thinks I'm digging a pond.

[Tothesunset]

My wife says sex is much better on holiday.

 

That's not the best postcard I've ever had.

[les37b]

 

Les - great video of the Corinth Canal. We checked it out when we were there in October 2014. We drove along the western edge on a dirt road (northern part of the canal) and you could just walk up to the edge and peer over. We also went south and walked the bridge - I saw that bridge in your video, packed with people. Cool place! Was the fit as tight as it looked?

 

Hi JP

 

Yes, it was as tight as it seemed - probably more so. I did a 360 and the tender looked less than a foot from the side wall. At the waterline, what I saw, it was about 3 foot from the side. That just seems plain nuts to even attempt the transit - but that's the attraction I guess!

 

Looking back, it certainly was the on board highlight.

 

I'll try to upload a video from the aft I took at the same time. (I was running around armed with so many cameras and gadgets - As well as the GoPro and HD Video - I was using my Canon, the 360 and my Phone.... and the wife took a few on her phone and Sony Camera too.) All in all a feast of coverage.

 

I really hope to get back and do it again.... But there is so much more I want to see. So maybe it was a one off.

[TLCOhio]

Yes, it was as tight as it seemed - probably more so. I did a 360 and the tender looked less than a foot from the side wall. At the waterline, what I saw, it was about 3 foot from the side. That just seems plain nuts to even attempt the transit - but that's the attraction I guess! Looking back, it certainly was the on board highlight. I'll try to upload a video from the aft I took at the same time. (I was running around armed with so many cameras and gadgets - As well as the GoPro and HD Video - I was using my Canon, the 360 and my Phone.... and the wife took a few on her phone and Sony Camera too.) All in all a feast of coverage. I really hope to get back and do it again.... But there is so much more I want to see. So maybe it was a one off.

 

Agree with JP that the Corinth Canal video by Les is super amazing and very much appreciated. Excellent and extremely professional with your sharing. Below is one of my pictures of this historic and interesting canal from when we visited in June 2006 before starting our first cruise.

 

Tell us more on the camera, how you did the set-up/positioning, the camera's technical details for how it captures a long transit and does it in short time period on replay, etc.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

ForAthens and nearby, look at this earlier posting for many options and visual samples from this city that is so great for seeing its great history, style and architecture. This posting is now at 12,501 views.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1101008

 

 

The Corinth Canal was right on the route as we were circling the Peloponnesian Peninsula and nearby to the famed, ancient, historic city of Corinth. This canal is a unique engineering job carved through about 260' of rock. The canal is four miles in length, 75' wide and was built between 1881 and 1893:

 

[les37b]

Hi Terry,

 

Nothing special. I used a GoPro Silver using a 4K setting (The image quality is far better than what you see on Youtube)

 

The camera was simply mounted on the front railing using a cheap gopro bracket which cost about $2 on ebay.

 

 

Settings - the GoPro has an inbuilt timelapse function, so I simply used 1 frame per second (which is 30 times speeded up for NTSC or 25 times for PAL)

 

You end up with a finished timelapse movie without any effort at all.

 

I've used it on most ports.... some arent that good to watch - others are outstanding. Loved

,

and

on the last trip.

 

I used my Sony HD Camcorder for the Aft video - which was shot at normal speed at 1080P which I will speed up in Premier Pro before adding music. That said, I have so much footage I've never got round to doing, including the Thames (lower river from around Plumstead to open water) and also Approaching Stockholm, which was a wonderful sight - but spoiled by rain. Once day I'll do them though!

Edited May 15, 2016 by les37b

[Catlover54]

Back from a quick weekend away...visiting Chris' Dad

 

 

[snip]

. . . .

WRT to "views" and Jeff & Terry's discussion - my totally uneducated hypothesis is that it probably doesn't mean much for this board...but on other sites where they sell advertising, it could mean a big difference in revenue. Though for a prolific blogger like Terry, having several hundred thousand views is good feedback that people are interested in what he's posting, and good incentive to keep at it!

 

I will admit that I sometimes peek at my view counts for my blogs. The most popular ones are the river cruise ones, but the SS ones still get a decent number of views. Far and away, the most views are on my 2014 Rhine blog. But I prefer comments and questions over views.

 

How the view count translates to individual viewers is a big unknown. Unique visits certainly could be tracked by CC but if so, it's not displayed in a place that I can see it.

 

I postulate that the main reasons the Cooler is popular, based on view counts, even if many people do not post (posting takes more time), are the following:

 

1. there are many rich photos -- food, travel etc. The photos are also usually embedded in the text, making them easy to scroll through without extra clicking and download barriers. I, for one, like to come here, often when tired of concentrating on things that are perceived to be important in my life and work (where they actually ARE important), just to relax and look at scrumptious dishes (bad for my waistline as I usually then go eat), and/or see inspiring or interesting travel photos (bad for my and DH's wallets, as I may then go book more cruises or other travel). It is all easily brought into my soft lap, from all over the world.

 

2. the CC rules are also relaxed on the Cooler, and generally western people (some exceptions) do not like having too many rules in their lives. Here, unlike on other forums where it is easy to get your posts deleted with a misstep in language, going off-topic is ok, as there is no particular topic that is the topic. Free association is ok. Talking about politics (within reason) is o.k., though some are still fearful. Getting testy (also within reason) is o.k. Silly jokes are o.k. There is a sense (to me anyway) of freedom, laissez-faire, live and let live (courtesy CC). That sense of freedom is complemented by the photos.

[lincslady]

Hear hear to Catlover. As anyone who reads any of my boring missives will know, I am not actually a Silversea person, currently, though have been in the past.

 

Just enjoy a bit of time out when I need to sit down after, for instance, hanging out the washing, reading the silly oneliners (love them, reminds me of Tim Vine) as well as the food and travel pics and the odd bits of fairly serious conversation.

 

And it is good to have an occasional moan. The other day at Copenhagen airport, a security man actually took the pins out of my hair when I 'pinged' the metal detecting thingy. I thought that was completely uncalled for. Not the first time I have had security problems there; I think they have my picture up somewhere, and say to each other 'here she comes again'.

 

Anyway, keep up the good work everyone, so we can all have a bit of light relief in our lives.

 

Regards to all Coolers, on this gloriously sunny day in Lincs.

 

Lola

[Tothesunset]

A Buddhist refused to have local anaesthetic when getting a tooth out. He wanted to transcend dental medication.

[TLCOhio]

Hi Terry, Nothing special. I used a GoPro Silver using a 4K setting (The image quality is far better than what you see on Youtube) Settings - the GoPro has an inbuilt timelapse function, so I simply used 1 frame per second (which is 30 times speeded up for NTSC or 25 times for PAL)

 

Appreciate Les' added details and background for his wonderful Corinth video production. Glad you had that small bracket photo and details. I have one similar to what you have shown. I don't think my camera will do such a video at one frame per second, but I need to check more. Clearly today's cameras will do many amazing "things", but we do not always know the "how-to's" or practice making such magic. Great example and inspiration!!

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Super loved Dubrovnik!!! See more details and lots of great visual samples/examples at this link. Have had over 31,920 views on this posting and appreciate those who have tuned-in and dropped by.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1439227

[TLCOhio]

I postulate that the main reasons the Cooler is popular, based on view counts, even if many people do not post (posting takes more time), are the following:

1. there are many rich photos -- food, travel etc. The photos are also usually embedded in the text, making them easy to scroll through without extra clicking and download barriers.

2. the CC rules are also relaxed on the Cooler, and generally western people (some exceptions) do not like having too many rules in their lives. Here, unlike on other forums where it is easy to get your posts deleted with a misstep in language, going off-topic is ok, as there is no particular topic that is the topic. Free association is ok. Talking about politics (within reason) is o.k., though some are still fearful.

That sense of freedom is complemented by the photos.

 

lincslady: Hear hear to Catlover. As anyone who reads any of my boring missives will know' date=' I am not actually a Silversea person, currently, though have been in the past. Just enjoy a bit of time out when I need to sit down after, for instance, hanging out the washing, reading the silly oneliners as well as the food and travel pics and the odd bits of fairly serious conversation. And it is [b']good to have an occasional moan[/b]. The other day at Copenhagen airport, a security man actually took the pins out of my hair when I 'pinged' the metal detecting thingy. I thought that was completely uncalled for. Not the first time I have had security problems there; I think they have my picture up somewhere, and say to each other 'here she comes again'.

 

Super appreciate the excellent summary and theories from Catlover54 for the success here at the Cooler. YES!!! Visuals are good and interesting. Great point about "photos are also usually embedded". If you need to click on a "link", there is a worry (legitimately) about what site will your personal computer be connected with and what "crap" could come into your own private computer environment. When embedded, it's there, quick, easy and simple!! No risk and/or added worry. The "freedom" of topics and comments here is kind of taken for granted, but serves a very important purpose. Glad that folks are good and reasonable in having some serious discussions, but not getting too carried away.

 

Since lincslady mentioned Copenhagen and I will share this info that I posted on the Baltics CC Board: From the New York Times Travel Section yesterday morning, they have this headline: "COPENHAGEN: Embracing Spring" with these highlights: "Copenhageners live springtime with intensity. It’s not so much the warmth, which is not all that warm. It’s the lengthening days. When the dark and gray recede, it sometimes seems as if the city has turned into a giant experiment in positive phototaxis, every organism drawn inexorably toward the light. Almost any patch of sidewalk sprouts tables to facilitate the quest. For a food writer like myself, it’s thrilling to watch as the restaurant scene becomes almost as feverish as New York’s."

 

Lots of this Copenhagen story is based on food, including: "Each course of the changing tasting menu features mainly local ingredients. The chefs create light-handed dishes that look simple but surprise with the depth of their flavor. And on one of those spring evenings when the rain or cold returns, there is no cozier spot than at one of their candlelit tables."

 

This NY Times story yesterday is titled "Seven Places in Europe We Call Home" and notes "from Madrid to Istanbul, our contributors reveal the hidden delights of their European homes: jewel-box gardens, neighborhood cafes, secret coves."

 

As a salute to Copenhagen and its beauty and charm, below are just a couple of my past pictures. Have many, many more from this charming city with such great character, history and people. Yes, real photo evidence of the style and charm of Copenhagen.

 

Full NY Times story at:

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/05/12/travel/seven-places-europe.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Ftravel&action=click&contentCollection=travel&region=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=sectionfront&_r=2

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Enjoyed a 14-day, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure, getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for more info and many pictures of these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 142,702 views for this posting.

 

 

Copenhagen’s Nyhavn or “new” Harbor is actually old and charming. This waterfront entertainment district is lined by brightly colored 17th and early 18th century townhouses and bars, cafes and restaurants. Serving as a "heritage harbor", the canal also has many historical wooden ships. Lots of people and fun activity!!:

 

 

 

A guard and statue in front of the current Royal Palace in Copenhagen. Amalienborg Slot includes four rococo-styled residences of Denmark’s royal family. This site includes a museum surrounding an octagonal cobblestone courtyard. You can witness the Royal guards walk from Rosenborg Castle to Amalienborg Palace for the Changing of the Guard daily at noon. Adult fee for museum about $13. For more info, see: ses.dk/amalienborg.:

 

[UKCruiseJeff]

Good Afternoon coolers!

 

Yesterdays hot and sticky pork satays with Thai frangrant rice ...... and todays grilled shoulder of lamb with pillaf and khobez. With Vin de Biote.

 

Jeff