Silversea Water Cooler: Welcome! Part Five

[TLCOhio]

On 1/27/2020 at 10:51 AM, Lois R said:

Hi Terry, sounds like a wonderful trip coming up!    And I know you are a sports fan….such sad news about Kobe, his daughter and the other 7 folks too.  He really went beyond sports though...really hard to fathom!

 

Glad, Lois, that your "dry run" went well.  Good luck for the actual start of these procedures. 

 

Yes, SAD NEWS, about Kobe and the others involved in this tragic accident.  Helicopters can be fun and interesting.  BUT, in such bad weather, there can be serious risk, especially when flying near mountains, etc.  

 

Looking forward to exploring these South Pacific islands, plus making a follow-up visit to scenic and charming New Zealand.  Glad that we had not planned for traveling to China at this time.  Below is a graphic I prepared for the various islands we will visit in February and early March.  For J.P. and other super experienced travelers, any suggestions and tips to share?  Will do a live blog with many pictures as we travel in this part of the world.  

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

 

Sydney to NZ/Auckland Adventure, live/blog 2014 sampling/details with many exciting visuals and key highlights.  On page 23, post #571, see a complete index for all of the pictures, postings.  Now at 228,563 views.

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

 

For later February and early March, below are the various stops.  Sailing with Oceania.  Our late 2018 Athens to Dubai adventure with that cruise line worked well.  We like great itineraries as our top priority.  Both Silversea and Oceania offer smaller, more personal ships and a better range of unique ports.:

(Open your screen/viewer wider to see this visual larger/better!)

[Lois R]

Hi friends, day 1 went well...…….the gals in the radiation dept said the sunburn will probably not happen for

about 2 weeks....but to use the moisturizer every day from now on going forward. It will help prevent

dryness, etc.....

 

Terry, you will be away for a long time too! Have you sailed Oceania before? I was looking at them but

have never booked anything.

[mysty]

Greetings Coolers!

 

Today's funny.....

 

 

Have a great day all!

[TLCOhio]

14 hours ago, Lois R said:

Hi friends, day 1 went well...…….the gals in the radiation dept said the sunburn will probably not happen for about 2 weeks....but to use the moisturizer every day from now on going forward. It will help prevent dryness, etc.....

Terry, you will be away for a long time too! Have you sailed Oceania before? I was looking at them but have never booked anything.

 

Great to hear, Lois, that your first day went well and that the staff was good/helpful.  Keep up the positive progress.  

 

Yes, we had our first sailing with Oceania in late 2018 going from Athens to Dubai over 20-days.  See live/blog connection below.  Things worked very well with Oceania.   Their itineraries, like with Silversea, are excellent, diversity and creative.  Oceania also places a high priority on their food quality.  Like with ALL cruise lines, however, there are pro/con factors/questions, value considerations, etc.  Four of their six ships are smaller and somewhat more personal with about 600+ passengers.  Much depends on your personal interests/needs, plus budget flexibility.  For us, where a cruise lines goes is THE top priority, plus making the timing and pricing be reasonable.  I would suggest checking out the Oceania options as you move into your post-employment period.  

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

 

From late 2018, see “Holy Lands, Egypt, Jordan, Oman, Dubai, Greece, etc.”, with many visuals, details and ideas for the historic and scenic Middle East. Now at 17,798 views.  Connect at:

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2607054-livenautica-greece-holy-lands-egypt-dubai-terrypix’s/

[Fletcher]

15 hours ago, TLCOhio said:

Looking forward to exploring these South Pacific islands, plus making a follow-up visit to scenic and charming New Zealand.   Will do a live blog with many pictures as we travel in this part of the world.  

 

Terry - will you post a link to your Oceania blog when it's up and running.  Have a good trip.  

[Lois R]

Hi again...have any of you been to Malaga? (I am sure there are a few of you)………..is this a "DIY",

walkable port/city? Just wondering...……..any help you might provide would be helpful

[tsavorite]

Definitely doable by yourself, if there are things that interest you. Depends where you dock - you can be quite far out. Taxis reasonably plentiful, but not if there is one of the big ships in, especially if there are a lot of changeovers.

Picasso museum is very good, and right next to the cathedral, which is a lovely typical Spanish gothic. In relation to modern art, the Musee Pompidou has a very good branch right at the end of the usual docking space. And if you interests are 19th century art, the Carmen Thyssen is also excellent. We were stuck in Malaga a few years ago, when the Cloud had an engine part failure, and we found plenty to do. You can also walk up to the castle, which is near the dock. And like any Spanish city, there is plenty of good food and drink to be had.

[FlyingScotSailors]

We were in Malaga in May 2013, and walked around on our own.  Pretty streets and parks, sidewalk cafes,  museums and some ruins.

 

We will be in Malaga in May, and will take a Seabourn ship's tour to the Alhambra.

 

We see that tsavorite has beaten us to a reply, and has covered things very well and in more detail.

[spinnaker2]

Agree Malaga very lovely and definitely walkable!

[Stumblefoot]

5 hours ago, Lois R said:

Hi again...have any of you been to Malaga? (I am sure there are a few of you)………..is this a "DIY", walkable port/city?

 

Málaga is the jumping off point for a visit to what is arguably one of the richest cities of medieval Europe; Granada.  Lois, if you like a good thriller with a complicated plot full of conspiracies, hedonism, and tricky love-affairs, then you've got to visit Granada because its entire history is like the thriller I described.

[Lois R]

Thanks for the replies

[Daveywavey70]

Any updates on whether the upcoming cruises around China and HK are still going ahead now that the first suspected cases of Coronavirus are being reported on a cruise ship? I Wonder where the cruise lines stand legally on not cancelling/re-routing when F.C.O. is advising UK citizens against all but essential travel in the region. I Certainly wouldn't like to be cooped up with the other 5999 other passengers on the Costa Smeralda right now! All it takes now is one Chinese passenger with flu like symptoms and the ship's impounded.

[mysty]

Greetings Coolers!

 

Today's funny.....

 

 

Have a great day all!

[rosepark]

Lois - Malaga - Cage Aranda- churros and hot chocolate, yum scrum even if the sun is belting down. Well, maybe not if it is boiling hot. You should also try to get to Ronda which is not too far away, probably even travelling time with Granada but go early as it is a small town and we tourists/visitors/travellers can completely over-run it.

When are you going to be there? There is useful info from a Malaga resident in the Spanish ports of call section here

Rp

[Lois R]

Hi RP, I will be there in April and I went over to the Spain forum but thought I would ask over here.

I even posted over there asking about any "Food Tours" that could be recommended but have not

received a response.   I remember the first time I visited Amsterdam and I had booked a Culinary Tour

with a company called "Hungry Birds".....it was a lot of fun!

[TLCOhio]

On 1/29/2020 at 9:00 AM, Fletcher said:

Terry - will you post a link to your Oceania blog when it's up and running.  Have a good trip.  

 

YES to our well-traveled friend in the UK, I will post that link to the NZ-South Pacific live/blog here at the Cooler.  Be careful what you wish for??!!  Before starting the live/blog, I might post a few food or other pictures from exploring around on New Zealand's North Island.  

 

Sorry, Lois, have not been to Malaga.  But, it sounds wonderful and interesting.

 

Regarding China and its public health challenges, Oceania sent out a notice yesterday that said anybody who had visited mainland China during the past 30 days would be denied being able to board for our Feb. 17-March 5 sailing from Auckland to Papeete.  No problem if you had visited Hong Kong or Taiwan.   Just those who have visited mainland China during the past 30 days.  These guests will receive a refund from Oceania for their cruise that they will be forced miss.   They also noted: "This new policy is in addition to non-touch temperature screenings for all guests. Any guest who registers a body temperature of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or 38 degrees Celsius or higher, will not be allowed to board. These guests will not receive a refund and will be advised to open a travel insurance claim with their insurance provider."  It seems that Oceania is being "aggressive" to guard to its ship passengers and staff from these potential dangers coming from China.  But, some might be shocked to be blocked from this cruise because of their prior travels. Any other cruise lines taking this significant step?  During our late 2018 Middle East cruise with Oceania, there were a sizable number of passengers from mainland China.  Clearly if you live anywhere in that large country, you would be denied traveling on this South Pacific cruise. Lots of challenges and issues to consider??!!

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Recently completed Calgary, Jasper/Banff National Parks, Western Canada Rocky Mountaineer rail adventure, Vancouver, sailing up to Alaska, post-cruise excursion to Denali, etc.  Lots of visuals and details from our first visits to these scenic areas!!  That live/blog is at: 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2682584-live-terryohio-silver-muse-alaska-canadarockies-pix’s/

Edited January 30, 2020 by TLCOhio

[jpalbny]

Yes, by all means see Ronda if time and logistics allow. We spend a week in Marbella maybe 8-9 years ago and did a few longer car trips from there: Cordoba, Granada, and Ronda were the highlights. Ronda is stunningly beautiful. I would love to return and spend a day or two there.

 

Funny enough we never really made it to Malaga! We tried one day and drove around for a long time looking for parking, couldn't find anything, and bailed to do something else.

 

Will try to post a picture of Ronda later, maybe, to pique your interest. They are on my networked hard drive at home and not accessible now. 

[jpalbny]

41 minutes ago, TLCOhio said:

 

Regarding China and its public health challenges, Oceania sent out a notice yesterday that said anybody who had visited mainland China during the past 30 days would be denied being able to board for our Feb. 17-March 5 sailing from Auckland to Papeete.

 

Wow! Aggressive is right, but I can certainly understand why they'd do this from a public health (and financial) point of view. They obviously figure that it's less expensive to refund a few fares than to risk quarantining an entire ship and losing an entire sailing or two.

 

We actually have a China trip planned in June for our 25th anniversary. Unclear what the situation will be by then, so other than keeping in touch with the operator, we're not making any changes or alternative plans at this time. Too early to tell what's going to happen.

[TLCOhio]

38 minutes ago, jpalbny said:

Wow! Aggressive is right, but I can certainly understand why they'd do this from a public health (and financial) point of view. They obviously figure that it's less expensive to refund a few fares than to risk quarantining an entire ship and losing an entire sailing or two.  We actually have a China trip planned in June for our 25th anniversary. Unclear what the situation will be by then, so other than keeping in touch with the operator, we're not making any changes or alternative plans at this time. Too early to tell what's going to happen.

 

Just got the word that NCL is adopting the same NO-NO policy as done by Oceania.  Good luck for JP in deciding what you do (or not) as to China in June for your important 25th Anniversary.  Other than Hong Kong in early 2018, we have not been to China.  YET!!  That location is high on our priority to-do list.  Lots of history, culture, nature, architecture, food, etc., there to be experienced.  But, there are issues and questions??!!

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Barcelona/Med: June 2011, with stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Great visuals with key highlights, tips, etc. Live/blog now at 250,409 views.

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

[FlyingScotSailors]

JP, you and Chris appear to have been significantly changed by your penguin encounters!!🤣

[jpalbny]

Thanks, FSS! We just couldn't get those red parkas to fit over the thick layer of feathers! 

 

I vaguely recall you asking if we were interested in a whiskey tasting dinner at some point. Not sure if I replied. Didn't mean to be rude... We are more into wine dinners. In fact we are going to one in Saratoga tomorrow at Salt & Char. Since I worked last weekend, we are really looking forward to a nice relaxing weekend. 

Edited January 30, 2020 by jpalbny

[rosepark]

3 hours ago, Lois R said:

Hi RP, I will be there in April and I went over to the Spain forum but thought I would ask over here.

I even posted over there asking about any "Food Tours" that could be recommended but have not

received a response.   I remember the first time I visited Amsterdam and I had booked a Culinary Tour

with a company called "Hungry Birds".....it was a lot of fun!

 Lois, it is of course CAFE Aranda, not cage. April is a lovely time to go. Have fun.We will be there in May

Rp

[Lois R]

Thanks so much I found something and booked it......it is a Food Tour and looks really good

Spanish Food Tours...….3.5 hours--65 Euros.   Don't need to pay them yet so I put a confirming booking

down.

It is called "TASTE OF MALAGA TAPAS TOURS"

[Daveywavey70]

Well it’s been 3 1/2 long years. I’ve lost friendships, lost sleep and wasted countless hours arguing with keyboard warriors.  The political system did everything it possibly could to stop it but somehow we have finally done it. 

[jpalbny]

Good luck to all of our British coolers today! It seems like there wasn't much fanfare about it - here in the US, we heard much more about the deadlines that came and went without Brexit happening.