Silversea Water Cooler: Part 3, Welcome!

[UKCruiseJeff]

My Daughter in Law is an Australian of Persian descent born in Tehran. Her family came to Australia 22years ago after the Shah was overthrown. She is NOT Muslim. She is an Australian citizen and DOES NOT hold an Iranian passport but no matter what you do, you can never change your place of birth. She is a highly respected respiratory physician who has worked at Beth Israel in Boston and whist there, she had papers published in Lancet and New England Journal.

 

She is no longer welcome in the USA.

 

Australia, along with Canada and U.K have been told they are exempt from the ban but my D I L (who has a meeting to attend in March) was told she still has to apply for entry and it will take 90 days minimum before her application will be looked at.

There must be 1000's like her who will be affected but this is how the ban has hit our family.

 

EDITED: Dumb me. Realised she is going to run out of time ..... very sad. :(

 

Jeff

Edited February 1, 2017 by UKCruiseJeff

[mdpa]

My Daughter in Law is an Australian of Persian descent born in Tehran. Her family came to Australia 22years ago after the Shah was overthrown. She is NOT Muslim. She is an Australian citizen and DOES NOT hold an Iranian passport but no matter what you do, you can never change your place of birth. She is a highly respected respiratory physician who has worked at Beth Israel in Boston and whist there, she had papers published in Lancet and New England Journal.

 

She is no longer welcome in the USA.

 

Australia, along with Canada and U.K have been told they are exempt from the ban but my D I L (who has a meeting to attend in March) was told she still has to apply for entry and it will take 90 days minimum before her application will be looked at.

There must be 1000's like her who will be affected but this is how the ban has hit our family.

 

Thanks for sharing your story. I hope this gets resolved for your D I L soon. She is welcome in the USA, it just seems like she is getting caught up in the vetting process.

 

I am a US Citizen. The first time my wife and I got our passports renewed it took over 90 days and we almost had to cancel our trip. We were told 10-12 weeks for normal processing and it took over 12. Very frustrating.

[tgh]

Dust up today with Au PM Malcolm Turnbull.

Do it now reportedly hung up on hapless Mal after complaining about a bad deal to relocate some (well screened) refugees to the US that would make him "look Bad".

State department has continued to say that the Obama generated agreement will go ahead.

 

Interesting times…..

 

btw Jp.. sorry if you didn't "like"my hotel suggestion..seldom see such strong endorsements.. won't trouble u further… :-)

Edited February 2, 2017 by tgh

[jpalbny]

Vstrong endorsement for the Leela Palace in Delhi, if you are looking for a bed JP

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-reports/1676917-rtw-3-vietnam-maldives-tackling-india-s-golden-triangle-ac-oz-sq-ai-tk-5.html

 

btw Jp.. sorry if you didn't "like"my hotel suggestion..seldom see such strong endorsements.. won't trouble u further… :-)

 

Oh gosh, sorry. Not like that at all. I have been pretty busy this week at work and haven't had time to keep up with the Cooler as much as usual. We are going with Uniworld and our hotel is included, so we're at the Oberoi when we're in Delhi. But I'll file this one away for future reference. Thanks!

[ShotsnCruises]

Well Cruisers, 3 weeks from today is my FIRST Silversea cruise, and I am so excited to experience this line first hand. I feel like I know a lot of what to expect already, thanks to the information on these boards.

[Stumblefoot]

Well Cruisers, 3 weeks from today is my FIRST Silversea cruise, and I am so excited to experience this line first hand.

Very cool! I remember our first Silversea cruise, in fact our first cruise ever, like it was yesterday with fond memories. Have a great voyage!

[spinnaker2]

I didn't find cruise critic until after my first Silversea cruise.

There is a wealth of knowledge especially a thread for first time cruisers.

I learned a lot from that thread.

Any questions, please ask. :-)

[TLCOhio]

Well Cruisers, 3 weeks from today is my FIRST Silversea cruise, and I am so excited to experience this line first hand. I feel like I know a lot of what to expect already, thanks to the information on these boards.

 

spinnaker2: I didn't find cruise critic until after my first Silversea cruise. There is a wealth of knowledge especially a thread for first time cruisers. I learned a lot from that thread. Any questions' date=' please ask.[/b']

 

Yes, looking forward to you enjoying your "adventure" and hopefully you will report back here. Please post your impressions, loves, etc. Agree with Spins on not being shy!! Fire away with any and all questions!!! As I vaguely re-call, I had mentioned earlier how much we had loved our time in San Juan, St. Barts, Dominica, Bequia, Grenada, etc., two years ago on the Silver Cloud. Need more info for any of those ports, what we did, seeing any visuals?

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

 

From our Jan. 25-Feb. 20, 2015, Amazon River-Caribbean 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 47,278 views for these postings.

[UKCruiseJeff]

Good Morning Coolers ...

 

Apart from the Laurent Perrier Big Cycle on the last trip it's been six weeks since I've drunk some wine ...... none in Singapore even though it was free ... that's self-disciplain .... not bad for an old lush like me!

 

Yesterdays fish and chips at home in a rainy blowy Hampshire.

 

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Jeff

[mdpa]

Looks good! What is the green stuff in the left bowl?

[tgh]

Shots excitement reminds me of my second cruise departure.

We flew to Auckland and boarded the nearly new Diamond Princess.

A PR friend had ticked a few boxes for me and there was a cold bottle of bubbly and some choc strawberries waiting for us in our cabin.

I was like a little kid in Willie Wonka's Chocolate factory.

It was a great trip and the Princess shortcomings were far outweighed by the novelty.

 

Fast forward to our upcoming Silversea cruise where I have no excitement , no expectations, and a calm understanding of how the cruise will be because we have done it all before..

 

Getting old is really the pits…..

 

 

Oh the first cruise ? ..was a jaunt around the pacific circa 1980 on the old P&O Oriana, so long ago how that the details r completely dust…..

[UKCruiseJeff]

Looks good! What is the green stuff in the left bowl?

 

An old English delicacy called mushy peas. An absolute must with fish and chips for authenticity.

 

Jeff

[jpalbny]

Yum...mushy peas! I used to hate peas as a child. My mom told me that when I was a toddler, she used to trick me into eating peas by having me count them. It took years to get over that trauma! Now I don't mind them, and I definitely like the mushy ones with fish and chips.

 

Last day of work for two weeks! Unfortunately one of my colleagues is out today so I'm covering him. Not the relaxing last day I was hoping for. Oh well.

 

Sent from my SM-G930T using Forums mobile app

[UKCruiseJeff]

Hi JP ...... mushy peas has to come from a tin ... no point in making them because they are different peas. Much bigger almost bean like. I open a tin and add an enormous knob of butter. Bad luck with the work load.

 

Today was burgers in a big briche bun with fries ...

 

Jeff

 

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[spinnaker2]

Hooray for the peassssssss!

Always good to go for the green.

Jeff, I think your liver is now fine.

Many people don't drink for the month of January to give their liver a rest and detoxify.

Not a bad idea.

[UKCruiseJeff]

Hooray for the peassssssss!

Always good to go for the green.

Jeff, I think your liver is now fine.

Many people don't drink for the month of January to give their liver a rest and detoxify.

Not a bad idea.

 

My puppy fat is hanging on for several decades longer than expected. Hence the loss of wine at lunch for a while. Still taking the armagnac at night tho ....

 

Jeff

[specialcruisegirl]

Hi All.......been sofa bound all week with yet another nasty head cold [emoji20] have to disagree with Jeffers about the tinned mushy peas....much prefer the old ones that you soak in water and bicarbonate before boiling with sugar and salt.....my old Granny called them sloppy peas.......Spins will get them again on the crossing pub lunch....the tinned ones [emoji6]

 

No dry month here...I've been swigging the medicinal brandy....any excuse will do of course...!

 

 

Lovely to hear about everyone's cruising plans.....nine weeks tomorrow for me on The Muse.......first cruise in 1971.....lots of changes since then!!!

 

Hope your last shift goes well JP and you can start your Indian adventure relaxed....safe travels.....currently enjoying Michael Portillos train journey across the USA......something I'd love to do.

 

Happy Weekend

 

S [emoji5]

 

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[mysty]

Greetings Coolers!

 

J...your fish and chips meal looks awesome!

 

S....Hope you feel better soon!

 

JP....Have a great trip!

 

In other news, ripples of the recent travel ban for the US may potentially affect other countries. Apparently Canada is looking into the legality of enforcing the ban by US Border Agents working on Canadian soil. We have pre-clearance available at many of our airports and ports. The US Border Agents working in those pre-clearance locations are working on Canadian soil and thus subject to Canadian laws. Not sure how this will shake out. Other countries with US pre-clearance may have the same issues.

 

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/pre-clearance-trump-ban-1.3965666

 

Keep smiling Coolers! And have a great evening!

[Travelcat2]

Agree that the fish and chips look awesome but I would have needed much more fish (one tiny piece isn't enough). While I have learned to love many British dishes, mushy peas isn't one of them (and I do like peas). Hamburgers also look wonderful! Do most people still use malt vinegar with their fish and chips? It is a must for my DH and I. We have talked ourselves into believing that the vinegar cuts the oil so it has less calories.

 

Think I'll take my toe out of the political waters (at least for now) as I do not want to be the cause of anyone complaining or putting this thread at risk. Reading this thread is a guilty pleasure (even though I don't post often).

[mysty]

TC2...I'm not sure what you are thinking. My concern is that US pre-clearance might disappear from Canadian airports and ports. That will directly affect Canadians travelling to the US and potentially passengers travelling from other places in the world that currently have US pre-clearance. Since many cruises depart from the US this could potentially affect our travel plans.

[jillyf]

JP have a great trip.

We have been in Varanasi 2 days and I love it. We were worried that Varanasi was at the start of the trip as we were told it was chaotic, smelly and dirty. Yes, all of these but it is wonderful. :)

Our Myanmar trip was very good too. The 10 days on the river gave us a chance to visit villages and see "real life".

[jpalbny]

Hi all, thanks for the well wishes! Much appreciated! The last day of work was mildly better than expected so that is safely out of the way. So glad that's done. A great feeling to log out for two weeks. :D

 

Last minute preparations underway for tomorrow's flight out. Bags packed and ready. We got everything into two rollaboard suitcases with room to spare, but we'll check them for convenience rather than lug them. It's enough to know that we could have gone all carry-on.

 

Long day(s) of travel ahead. We'll leave home tomorrow morning and arrive in Long Island around lunch time, to meet Chris' friend (also our maid of honor 21 years ago) and her husband and kids, for lunch. After a nice visit, off to JFK.

 

From there, a red-eye to Paris, then a few hours layover, then an equally long flight to Delhi, arriving after 11 PM Sunday, local time. Phew! Monday is looking like a rest day...zzz...though if we can manage to sleep, you never know what we'll be able to do.

 

Jillyf, glad to hear that you're enjoying it! We'll be in your time zone in less than 36 hours. Hope the rest of your trip is just as fun.

 

Sent from my SM-G930T using Forums mobile app

[UKCruiseJeff]

Safe travels Chris and JP and have a wonderful trip.

 

Jeff

[UKCruiseJeff]

 

 

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[TLCOhio]

The last day of work was mildly better than expected so that is safely out of the way. So glad that's done. A great feeling to log out for two weeks. :D Last minute preparations underway for tomorrow's flight out. Bags packed and ready. We got everything into two rollaboard suitcases with room to spare, but we'll check them for convenience rather than lug them. It's enough to know that we could have gone all carry-on. Long day(s) of travel ahead. We'll leave home tomorrow morning and arrive in Long Island around lunch time, to meet Chris' friend (also our maid of honor 21 years ago) and her husband and kids, for lunch. After a nice visit, off to JFK. From there, a red-eye to Paris, then a few hours layover, then an equally long flight to Delhi, arriving after 11 PM Sunday, local time. Phew!

 

WOW!! Good luck to J.P. and Chris with those serious and challenging logistics in order to reach India. I would love to visit there. My wife is not as excited about some of the challenges and conditions in that country. Hopefully things will work out in the future for us to get there. Amazing history, architecture, etc., there. Look forward to hearing more about this great adventure there.

 

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 169,119 views for this posting.