FIRST CROSSING

[zqtchas]

2 minutes ago, Lois R said:

You and I were on the same cruise? Jan 16tjh? I heard the cruise before ours was way worse and the passengers

quite rude to the staff about it..  how in the world is it their fault????

yes. We were the only 2 on the failed M & M list.

[Lois R]

Did we meet? If we did, sorry I don't recall......

 

Did you have a good cruise?

[Camillus112]

Lois, I am sure you will have a very enjoyable cruise.  In terms of activities in recurring sea days, you may want to look at Crystal in the future.  I was amazed and delighted with the many and different offerings...from cooking classes, yoga and cardio classes, ballroom dance classes, wine tastings, three/four enrichment lectures per day...and of course trivia, knitting, bridge games, and so much more.  For unaccompanied dance lovers, Crystal provides "ambassador hosts" who will twirl you like the good old days.  I love the uncrowded, relaxed feeling of Silversea and Seabourn, but Crystal is a lot of fun.

[Lois R]

Hi Cam, good to see you again and thanks for the tip!

[EagerTravelerBC]

We’ve done many crossings. There is always something to do or, not do. We have had: ship building contests, full contact trivia, many lecturers, many cooking demos, ships tours of various kinds, crew skills tests. It goes on and on.

 

SS cruise directors have been, by and large, excellent. They are even willing to organize events you suggest.

 

enjoy! 

[skleeb]

On 2/3/2020 at 3:52 PM, Lois R said:

Hi, thanks for the reply.  I appreciate it.  Since I just retired, the timing is of no real issue to me now. And I got

an awesome deal from SS on the flight back home......Business class for only 550.00

Curious about the business class air fare. I will be on a T/A next Marc. I already have free air fare and good single supplement price. My representative offered business class on the way back for about $500. I'm thinking it would be worth it, since I'm already getting a good deal from SS. Barcelona back to Ft. L. Have you done it? Is it worth it?

[Stumblefoot]

36 minutes ago, skleeb said:

Barcelona back to Ft. L. Have you done it? Is it worth it?

It depends on which airline you’re flying.  $500 on Iberia via MAD would be worth it.  $500 on the AA non-stop to MIA would be a remarkable deal.  $500 on TAP via LIS would not.

[Lois R]

43 minutes ago, skleeb said:

Curious about the business class air fare. I will be on a T/A next Marc. I already have free air fare and good single supplement price. My representative offered business class on the way back for about $500. I'm thinking it would be worth it, since I'm already getting a good deal from SS. Barcelona back to Ft. L. Have you done it? Is it worth it?

Hi, I have taken the deal with SS on my 2 previous cruises  and I am now spoiled when flying overseas.

There is no way I could find a deal that cheap on my own.  Yes, definitely worth it.....AA from Madrid

via Charlotte then home. The times are excellent actually and knowing you can have that full bed is awesome

[skleeb]

1 hour ago, Stumblefoot said:

It depends on which airline you’re flying.  $500 on Iberia via MAD would be worth it.  $500 on the AA non-stop to MIA would be a remarkable deal.  $500 on TAP via LIS would not.

 

1 hour ago, Lois R said:

Hi, I have taken the deal with SS on my 2 previous cruises  and I am now spoiled when flying overseas.

There is no way I could find a deal that cheap on my own.  Yes, definitely worth it.....AA from Madrid

via Charlotte then home. The times are excellent actually and knowing you can have that full bed is awesome

Well, you both talked me into it. Thanks!

[christraveller]

A week at sea is a gift of time!  
 

Silversea has always had plenty of activities, very similar to what the cruisecritic member above encountered on Crystal. Sometimes various activities overlap, which is then a challenge. FOMO, Fear Of Missing Out, applies, and is best tackled by prioritizing, or seeing what your many new acquaintances are up to. Think of it as a summer camp for grownups who might like some champagne!

 

There is no pressure to join in, though. Sometimes a good book, one of the very many movies among the choices on the interactive TV, or even a nap  are very appealing. 

[Lois R]

2 hours ago, christraveller said:

A week at sea is a gift of time!  
 

Silversea has always had plenty of activities, very similar to what the cruisecritic member above encountered on Crystal. Sometimes various activities overlap, which is then a challenge. FOMO, Fear Of Missing Out, applies, and is best tackled by prioritizing, or seeing what your many new acquaintances are up to. Think of it as a summer camp for grownups who might like some champagne!

 

There is no pressure to join in, though. Sometimes a good book, one of the very many movies among the choices on the interactive TV, or even a nap  are very appealing. 

Good morning, thanks for the reply I am sure I will be just fine--I will keep my eyes open for the varied activities

and that book and movie sound good too

[CanadianKate]

My first crossing was on the Shadow, eastbound. I suffered from FOMO and disliked the 23 hour days what with enjoying the entertainment in the evening and anxious to get to the morning lecture. 

Westbound is better but with FOMO, I still find it stressful. Crystal, crossing the Indian Ocean, was even worse since it is a bigger ship and way more things to do. I joined the book club, my husband joined the guest choir....

I'm currently on an 11 sea days in a row, crossing of the Atlantic (eastbound - ugh) on Windstar. It is the least stressful cruise I've ever been on because, compared to Silversea or Crystal, there's no entertainment. I do trivia each day. That's it. I had been stressed before leaving but brought 4 books (I've finished 2) and a ton of movies downloaded from Netflix (one left) and DVDs I've had for years and have been meaning to watch (still only partly through those.) Turns out, that was the vacation I've been looking for. 

I simply can't turn down something I've paid for (and comparing WS to the other two, I'm certainly paying for all those excellent lectures and  entertainment.) Either of those were less stressful than a river cruise with free tours as well as entertainment. On the plus side, with each of the cruises, I learned a bit more about myself. 

Edited February 11, 2020 by CanadianKate

[Lois R]

Hi Kate, what is FOMO? Sorry, I don't know what that means. And I am not understanding why the cruise would

be stressful?

[jpalbny]

58 minutes ago, Lois R said:

what is FOMO?

 

An acronym, meaning Fear Of Missing Out.

 

Very common cause of stress among cruisers, when they must rush from activity to activity, for fear of missing out on something they've paid for...

 

We often get this, so not passing any judgement! 🤣

 

On our Antarctica cruise, we managed to avoid some of this. We skipped a lot of the lectures, but we never missed a glass of wine... 🍷

[spinnaker2]

36 minutes ago, jpalbny said:

 

An acronym, meaning Fear Of Missing Out.

 

Very common cause of stress among cruisers, when they must rush from activity to activity, for fear of missing out on something they've paid for...

 

We often get this, so not passing any judgement! 🤣

 

On our Antarctica cruise, we managed to avoid some of this. We skipped a lot of the lectures, but we never missed a glass of wine... 🍷

Had FOMO on every expedition cruise. Had trouble sleeping! 

Edited February 11, 2020 by spinnaker2

[Lois R]

Oh....I had no clue.  Guess it is not something I am concerned about.  To be honest, I thought it was initials for a

real sickness....something like when getting sea sick or something. Glad I was wrong about that!

[spinnaker2]

Lois

As best I can describe the FOMO thing it just means you feel a pressure to see and do everything.

The pressure is a feeling from inside yourself.

For me it was pretty extreme and I couldn't sleep in expedition cruises.

I was in an amazing place in the world and I did not want to miss anything.

It had nothing to do with anything other than the extreme place or location I was in. Nothing to do with money or what I spent. It had to do with the adventure!!

My husband slept and I roamed the ship and saw many things in the dead of night. And just before dawn.

On a transatlantic it meant seeing the mountains of the Azores as far away and then closer as the sun rises. Or racing up on deck to see the skyline of NYC in the dark as in becomes bathed in the pink of dawn. 

Met a lot of crew members and  had some great discussions.

While I don't have quite  the same feeling of FOMO on transatlantic cruises, I still wake up frequently to spend time on my balcony or anticipate our next port to get a picture from my camera or in my mind.

 

 I am not so intrigued with spending time at the bar or other venues.

 

There is so much to enjoy. 

I want to experience and savor it all.

 

 

Edited February 12, 2020 by spinnaker2

[Lois R]

Hi Spins, thanks for the detailed explanation at least now I know what it is referring to...….as for doing this

TA crossing---it is my first one. I didn't have any clue about that part. I figured you are sailing across the ocean

for the first 8 nights......we don't hit the first port (Funchel, Portugal) until day 9.

 

And expedition cruise is probably way different than any other cruise.

[spinnaker2]

Yes Lois.

Expedition very different.

 

I have done many transatlantic cruises.

They are my favorite because of the sea days.

You are in a vast sea with a horizon that is spectacular.

 

The ship will offer lots of things to do.

 

Enjoy

[christraveller]

FOMO can extend to watching the horizon, the stunning tropical clouds, and, yes, the wildlife. Albatrosses, petrels, in the air, and very playful dolphins near the ship’s bow are worth watching for. There is also the occasional whale. Roughly once per TA on Silversea, we passed a ship, too. The friendly Observation Lounge staff are part of the overall Watching the World Go By picture, too.  

[jollyjones]

No FOMO for me - if I get even a hint in myself, or see it happening around me, I go and lie down till I'm back to my lazy WWGB self.

 

Talking about first crossings, I must say I'm a bit worried about the Moon first crossing this November; there's so many energizer bunnies on board I'm going to be exhausted just avoiding all the activity and finding time to be lazy.