Silver Cloud - Cape Town to Mombassa Dec '15

[Critically Cruising]

Aboard the Cloud and all is well. About 200 guests, so plenty of room everywhere. We were a bit concerned on Sunday morning. The ship was not in the harbor and what looked like smoke was coming in from the west. Turned that what looked like smoke was fog. Heavy and thick. Cloud sailed in late, about 09:45.

 

Boarding was smooth and easy. Furnishings were new, new carpets and upholstery – though they looked like the same pattern as before. Crew was loading supplies right up until departure – many boxes in deck 5 suites near lobby. Did not see any that looked like food. <grin>

 

MDR has been empty. Not sure where everyone is dining.

 

Captain’s reception was last night. Majority in black tie.

 

Today in Port Elizabeth. Temps in mid-70’s, but humidity is 85+%. Taking this as an easy day – shuttle provided to the Boardwalk mall. Having a cold beer and using the wifi. Found a good biltang shop, so I have latenight munchie snacks for the suite.

 

More in future posts.

[TLCOhio]

Aboard the Cloud and all is well. About 200 guests, so plenty of room everywhere. Today in Port Elizabeth. Temps in mid-70’s, but humidity is 85+%. Taking this as an easy day – shuttle provided to the Boardwalk mall. Having a cold beer and using the wifi. More in future posts.

 

Appreciate your first and interesting post about the Silver Cloud and your experiences as you sail along the South Africa coast on the way to Mombassa. Will be following with interest!! Keep up the good sharing. When handy, no rush, let us know any information now about who is the Captain and Hotel Director, including how long they will be on the Silver Cloud. Know that your current Cruise Director will be finishing on Dec. 20 as Allan King comes aboard in Mombassa for that important staff role.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

From our Jan. 25-Feb. 20, 2015, Amazon River-Caribbean Silver Cloud 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:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2157696

Now at 33,005 views for these postings.

[Silver Spectre]

Thanks for giving us a 'live' post from the Cloud. Enjoy your trip.

[Silver Spectre]

Looks like the boat building was popular, an inspiring entry from HMAS Kanga and a very smart looking SS Butler.

[Critically Cruising]

Greetings from Africa!! Sorry for not writing earlier. Hope some of this info helps others.

 

Unlike Fletcher in the other thread, we think of the Cloud as more than just a taxi from port to port. And we wondered how true that was for him. Seems he couldn’t find much that he liked onboard.

 

Boarding in Cape Town was quick and efficient – plenty of porters. The cruise terminal is near to the Victoria & Alfred waterfront area and taxis know the way. We have about 195 guests onboard so no sense of being crowded.

 

Now to the ship itself. Last time on the Cloud was in mid-2014, so I can only say that much looks the same, though obviously redone. Public areas look good and I can’t notice much if any changes. Let’s start on Deck 4.

 

The Restaurant has been relatively quiet. Franz the Maitre’D has been able to accommodate tables for two, four, six as well as tables for folks to share. The quality level has been quite good, with a goodly assortment of standard fare and regional dishes. We don’t dine in Le Champagne so can’t give any comments. One comment about “the burgers”: we’ve found that if you take away the bun, it’s quite nice, especially the short rib burger. Flavorful. I call it “steak tartare, done medium rare”. The one negative on Four is still the launderette. No ventilation at all, so it’s a pure sweat box. ‘Nuff said.

 

Deck 5. The Bar has been well populated, both before and after dinner. Chester is behind the bar. He’s an excellent host making everyone feel welcome. Two dance hosts, plus a good quartet that knows bossa nova. Shops have the usual overpriced items – they did have a SS cap on sale for $15. Staff there is friendly and know that prices and selection leave them with few customers. Casino is empty. Repeat – empty. They are not even grossing what the electricity for the slots must cost.

 

Deck 6. Venetian lounge looks good. Card room has had a group of bridge players and a very entertaining director. Lobby area looks good.

 

Deck 7. La Terrazza has had interesting lunch items, including local fare. Attentive service. Busy at dinner time – many wanting the more casual ambiance. Wonder how Fletcher pulled strings to get a standing reservation in that room.

 

Deck 8. Panorama is quieter during the day. Dance class but tea is in Terrazza. Excellent solo pianist. The Grill was extremely busy at night – even with night time temps in the low 80s. Good bartenders at the Pool Bar.

 

All in all, the ship is in pretty good shape. Everything works in our suite, though the A/C throughout is straining with the demands of 90+ degree temps and 80+% humidity. If coming on this itinerary bring plenty of deodorant to cover the multiple showers each day, if you go outside.

 

Have had little use of our balcony. Too hot. Plus, the ship warns of insects in the evening.

 

That’s the ship rundown. More on ports and onboard stuff later.

[duct tape]

Thanx. I enjoyed it so far!

[TLCOhio]

Hope some of this info helps others. We think of the Cloud as more than just a taxi from port to port. Boarding in Cape Town was quick and efficient. The cruise terminal is near to the Victoria & Alfred waterfront area and taxis know the way. We have about 195 guests onboard so no sense of being crowded. Public areas look good. The Restaurant has been relatively quiet. Franz the Maitre’D has been able to accommodate tables for two, four, six as well as tables for folks to share. The quality level has been quite good, with a goodly assortment of standard fare and regional dishes. La Terrazza has had interesting lunch items, including local fare. Attentive service. Busy at dinner time – many wanting the more casual ambiance. All in all, the ship is in pretty good shape. Everything works in our suite, though the A/C throughout is straining with the demands of 90+ degree temps and 80+% humidity. More on ports and onboard stuff later.

 

Appreciate these various details and helpful background. As I have narrowed down above, these are some of the points that are of special interest for us as we get closer to our Feb. 2-12, 2016, Silver Cloud sailing from Cape Town. Glad to know that Franz the Maitre’D is on-board. If handy, you might ask how much longer he will be on the Silver Cloud. With only 195 guests and a crew of 222, that makes things very nice and special.

 

For the question of the ship being "more than just a taxi", our view is that the destinations, plus what we can do before and after the cruise, rank as our first priority. BUT, the ship, food, staff, etc., if good, can be a nice, enjoyable plus, too!! Different people have varied priorities and needs. That's understandable.

 

Interesting to consider the heat and humidity pressures on a ship's AC system for sailing in these areas. Looking forward to getting more details on the ports, especially for Maputo/Mozambique, plus Port Elizabeth, Richards Bay, Durban and East London in South Africa. Keep up the great sharing

 

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 129,303 views for this posting.