Silversea Water Cooler: Welcome! Part Four

[mysty]

Hope you and Mrs. J have a delicious time on the Whisper J! Hopefully there will be no disappointments!

 

Myster and I dealt with the mulching this week. Definitely made from recycled tires because there was a rather large piece of tire that must have evaded the shredder. With any luck this will last for at least 2 or 3 years.

[spinnaker2]

have a wonderful time.

a terrific itinerary.

will you be passing by stromboli, the lighthouse of the med?

[Mudhen]

OOOO! That looks lovely!

[UKCruiseJeff]

Thanks all ....

 

M ... they'd have to work really hard at disappointments as we've set our expectations at a reasonable (lowish ...;) ) level. All I want is a decent, clean space ... some time on the ship when everyone else is off to sit quietly with the best wife on two legs (never tried any with one or three) and some stuff to drink and perhaps nibble etc. I am easily satisfied unless prodded with a pointed stick. The food doesn't bother me too much. I have already done my online food shop for when we return home. I've booked the grill most nights giving us either outside or the MDR. I know Whisper is old and we've been on it (and Shadow) many times in it's prime. I just want a change of scenery. :)

 

Spins, I don't know. Stromboli is something one eats I think! We seem to bypass it on our way to Lipari.

[spinnaker2]

J, I hope you pass by Stromboli.

its quite amazing.

erupting for a long long time.

[Camillus112]

Funny, Jeff, this is about the same itinerary we are planning for 2019. Either in SS or SB...DH prefers not to try Crystal... verandah cabins too small.

[UKCruiseJeff]

Funny, Jeff, this is about the same itinerary we are planning for 2019. Either in SS or SB...DH prefers not to try Crystal... verandah cabins too small.

 

Cams,

 

There is a really lovely looking 11 day cruise bobbing down Croatia on Shadow in late 2019 that I hope might tempt Roberto and you? We are booked and I genuinely believe we could lead you both astray on that one. :D

[Camillus112]

Jeff, the reason for the itinerary is to have Athens and Rome as bookends as Roberto will be doing some music research in both cities. I would've loved to have been able to join you next year!!

 

I'm sure you and Mrs Jeff will have a delightful time in the Whisper. That ship is the right size for us and, like you, we don't mind its age much. We did a TA in it last year and it felt so good, almost like home. Enjoy your trip and please post!!!

[Daveywavey70]

Hi Jeff, thanks for the invite.

Hi all, nice to meet you.

[mysty]

Welcome to the Cooler bar DW! The bouncer has brought in some additional stools and has even given them a quick dusting. :)

[UKCruiseJeff]

Hi Jeff, thanks for the invite.

Hi all, nice to meet you. ��

 

And it is lovely to have you here!

 

We are a stoic bunch filled with free booze and nothing better to do!

 

:D

[Daveywavey70]

Welcome to the Cooler bar DW! The bouncer has brought in some additional stools and has even given them a quick dusting. :)

Many thanks.

Mines a G&T if ya buying. :)

[jpalbny]

Hey Davey. Welcome to the cooler!

 

Jeff, you mean the September 2019 one from Venice to Rome? Looks fun, and those Croatian ports are new to us. And a stop directly in Capri is pretty unique. We've been there 3x but always on our own by hydrofoil from Naples or Sorrento. Having your own tender from Capri directly to the ship is neat.

 

Enjoy your cruise next week and have a toast to our anniversary on Sunday, while visiting Malta. BTW we had a nice view of Stromboli a few years ago on a med cruise. We were parked out on the terrace of La T, enjoying food and wine with a view! Would be cool at night, I bet.

 

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[UKCruiseJeff]

Good Afternoon all ...

 

Dave ... M is a worthy welcome as she is our senior committee member who also enlightens our day and our expandable cooler walls with daily funnies with a sometimes Canadian slant to keep us all smiling. :)

 

JP - thanks for the good wishes and yes that was the one. We have been to a few Croatian places and felt it worthy of more attention and it is a bit clumsy getting there by air from LHR so that cruise seemed a good one. It is a bit slow going but takes in a few places, In any event I was told to book it so I did. Capri is an odd one because you have Sorrento on one side and Capri on the other both involve going up. Sorrento is a bit of a dump and I've been there often by air and a few times by boat. But docking at Capri .. welll here's hopeful but why do I expect a last minute change to Sorrento .... :rolleyes: Yes, Malta figures in both planned cruises and it seems almost whatever ones we have booked invariably ends up there which I believe is a cheap feuling stop. I have been there so many times for the day and only once for a land based stay - but that was a convention and I remember very little of it. It was five days of drinking and pretending to be attentive. Every year I want to go for the fireworks festival but we have so far we never made it.

 

To be honest - we have these boat trips booked but what we're really so much looking forward to is Vienna in September. Pork and Gruner. What could possibly go wrong. And January in Singapore. Lots of noodle and satay. :)

[UKCruiseJeff]

Jeff, the reason for the itinerary is to have Athens and Rome as bookends as Roberto will be doing some music research in both cities. I would've loved to have been able to join you next year!!

 

I'm sure you and Mrs Jeff will have a delightful time in the Whisper. That ship is the right size for us and, like you, we don't mind its age much. We did a TA in it last year and it felt so good, almost like home. Enjoy your trip and please post!!!

 

That is a shame. Whisper is our favourite though I'm expecting it to be a bit scrappy.

 

Today I was researching the humidors for suitable sticks for the trip next week. I had a wonderful hour in the garden with some grappa and a cigar. I'm so pleased I spent far (far, far ...) too much around ten years ago on "laying down" several thousand sticks for long term maturation. I found a way of importing them from reliable bonded places tax and duty free so I was buying well and I saw it as a part of my pension fund. I wanted to source them before the US opened their border and the prices went up on all the really rare stock. At the time, after I realised how much I had spent I felt so guilty but much of my stock is now no longer made in the sizes I bought and are rare and the one I have tried today and selected for next week are now 18 years old and are sublime. I don't know why but I presumed (probably wrongly) that Roberto might enjoy a decent Cuban and next September would have been his chance ....:D

[mysty]

Thanks for your kind words J! :) I did not realize that I had made it to the lofty level of senior committee member. Unless of course you were referring to my age and in that case, yes, I am a senior. I have not yet spilled a drink in the Cooler bar though. My mind may flit but my hands are steady.

[UKCruiseJeff]

I’m not surpised you don’t remember the vote.

 

You were proposed and seconded and you started to drink gallons of scrumpy cider out of one of your wellington boots to celebrate, fell off your stool and fell asleepm slumped on the floor. You only woke up the following morning when the cleaner started hoovering, when you then sang “Rule Britannia” at the top of your voice and demanded some hot chocolate with a Mars bar to dip.

 

The film is on Youtube.

[mysty]

OK J! That explains everything! I hope I got the words right to "Rule Britannia". Of all the things that you described as my behaviour after the vote, singing the wrong words would be the biggest embarrassment! But I'll bet I didn't spill the cider! :)

[jpalbny]

But I'll bet I didn't spill the cider! :)

 

That's because you drank it all!

 

 

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[mysty]

Yes JP! There is that! :) Mind you, I should get some points for not losing my grip on the wellington. Does make for an awkward pour down the gullet.

[Daveywavey70]

So your the wild one in the room by the sounds of it mysty.

[Camillus112]

Jeff, you are so right that Roberto would enjoy a good cigar! I have him in front of me as I type this and he congratulates you on your collection of "excellent sticks". He only smokes when traveling to Europe or the Caribbean, as he cannot buy Cuban cigars in the US. In our last Caribbean cruise we stopped in Santo Domingo and visited a cigar factory. According to him, the cigars were very good but not up to par with the Cubans. He does not smoke in the ship... he has not found an interesting companion for the humidor!! Hence, he would really like to sail with you.

[mysty]

DW.....it seems my reputation precedes me. Although there is a hint of exaggeration in some of descriptions. :) Mostly I am very decorous. Not to be confused with decorative though! :)

[UKCruiseJeff]

I shall look forward to that Cams.

 

I was watching a programme a few days ago about Cuban cigars and there was a lovely item from Piere Salinger. I have found an account ....

 

https://www.irishcentral.com/roots/john-f-kennedy-snagged-1200-cuban-cigars-before-ordering-us-trade-embargo-on-cuba-video-139004464-237788511

 

As I understand it it is illegal to sell Cuban cigars in the US but it isn’t illegal to buy them abroad and inport them for personal consumption. I believe the limit is 100 cigars at the US border.

 

Roberto might be interested in tracking down a very reliable long-established cigar exporter based in the Geneva Airport bonded warehouse zone. They have an industrial humidor and sell non fake Cuban cigars tax and duty free. I have become expert in cigar labels which are now as difficult as bank notes to forge!

 

They send them in small parcels ie 25 or 50 in each consignment and they are labelled accurately and appropriately and via tracked courier. In the UK tax would be payable on demand but so far I am told that no tax has ever been requested. This is perfectly legal and legitimate the onus being on the government to request taxes if they want them.

 

Roberto may want to give it try ..

:)

[Camillus112]

Jeff, that's quite a story about Jack Kennedy and his pre-empting the Cuban cigar embargo. Roberto's gone now but I'll tell him of your suggestion...or maybe I better not...no problem once in a while smoking cigars, but I would not like for him to take this as a habit. He does not miss them unless traveling abroad and that's fine with me. Remember London in October and he will certainly join you in a smoke.