Silver Wind re-fit (conversion)

[Randyk47]

2 hours ago, Gourmet Gal said:

Looking at an interesting itin. London to Lisbon 9/2021 on The Wind.  In reading this thread the re-fit seems unlikely at this point.  But in case it actually happens does anyone know if the Project Invictus re-fit includes stabilizers?  It’s my understanding that barring actual storms, this part of the Atlantic can still be very rough in Sept..  As we get older my husband and I are increasingly motion sensitive even after years of sailing on SF Bay.

The Wind already has stabilizers.   

[Gourmet Gal]

On 7/8/2020 at 6:17 PM, carefreecruise said:

We Were told from Silversea top management that it is going into expedition sailing because that is where the money is. So no holding off, it will be scheduled but may not have stabilizers installed to save money when retofiting. Not sure on anything's being deleted at this time, only hear rumors. 

So does this suggest the stabilizers would be removed?

[les37b]

16 hours ago, Randyk47 said:

The Wind already has stabilizers.   

 

Indeed it does...... and very noisy when used and they are below your vista suite. (429 I was in from memory.)

[Randyk47]

16 hours ago, Gourmet Gal said:

So does this suggest the stabilizers would be removed?

I can’t imagine they would.   While I could potentially understand not deploying them in an ice field I’d also think they wouldn’t be making speed in an ice field.   Maybe they modify or strengthen them but removing them makes no sense.  Expedition cruising is not just about cruising to the poles but to other small and harder to get to locations.   Passenger comfort still involves getting from point A to point B.     

[Gourmet Gal]

Okay, good to know, but now I’m thinking Sept. 2021 will be too soon to cruise because of Covid, not to mention the proposed retro-fit could be delayed and the cruise cancelled anyway.  Thinking I’ll just stick with Hawaii next year.

[Randyk47]

1 hour ago, Gourmet Gal said:

Okay, good to know, but now I’m thinking Sept. 2021 will be too soon to cruise because of Covid, not to mention the proposed retro-fit could be delayed and the cruise cancelled anyway.  Thinking I’ll just stick with Hawaii next year.

Hawaii right now is interesting.  My son moved to Kauai from California just yesterday.  He had planned on moving later but effective today at 12:01 AM Kauai went to mandatory 14-day quarantine with or without the test.  Hawaii as a whole had been requiring either an approved negative  Covid-19 PRC test or a 14-day quarantine and that hasn’t changed that I know of for the other islands.   I suppose my son can fill me in but I don’t know why Kauai went to a more strict status.   

Edited December 2, 2020 by Randyk47

[Gourmet Gal]

Nice to have your son living there...great place to visit!  I think Kauai had a surge in cases and very limited hospital beds so they’re being pro-active.  Each island seems to be doing a variation of the governor’s guidelines.  I’ve been following closely on Flyertalk.  I think the next iteration will be a pre-travel negative test within 96 hrs. of departure to HI plus a 2-3 day quarantine on arrival then another negative test to release from quarantine. But right now Big Island is doing a rapid test of every passenger upon arrival even though the pre-travel test is negative.  Traveling to HI right now is not for the faint of heart as there have been horror stories of getting the pre-travel test results in time.  You must have the results prior to flying.

[Randyk47]

32 minutes ago, Gourmet Gal said:

Nice to have your son living there...great place to visit!  I think Kauai had a surge in cases and very limited hospital beds so they’re being pro-active.  Each island seems to be doing a variation of the governor’s guidelines.  I’ve been following closely on Flyertalk.  I think the next iteration will be a pre-travel negative test within 96 hrs. of departure to HI plus a 2-3 day quarantine on arrival then another negative test to release from quarantine. But right now Big Island is doing a rapid test of every passenger upon arrival even though the pre-travel test is negative.  Traveling to HI right now is not for the faint of heart as there have been horror stories of getting the pre-travel test results in time.  You must have the results prior to flying.

I just noticed your two locations are SF Bay Area and Hawaii.  Son was the same until yesterday.   He owns a condo penthouse on Sutter Street in San Francisco and a condo on Maui.  He decided Maui was too crowded for his taste and he didn’t want to live in a condo anymore so he bought a single home in Kauai.   And yes getting the Covid-19 PRC test was a real pain.  You’d figure in San Francisco not so hard but to get it from an approved lab within the specified timeframe turned out to be a challenge.  He got it done but it wasn’t easy.   Those of us who want to cruise and may require a very current test even with a vaccine should be aware it’s not exactly going to your local drug store.

[Gourmet Gal]

Hopefully next year will bring more and faster testing because even w vaccines we’ll need to mask, socially distance and test frequently as we slowly return to normal.

[philipb]

Well, now we have it. The re-fit is deferred yet again (I imagine because of the cost considerations) and the Wind schedules do not appear to begin until November.

[DCCruiser57]

I would also suspect that the shipyard that was scheduled/will be performing the Wind refit is backlogged and that contributed to the delay.

[Randyk47]

21 hours ago, DCCruiser57 said:

I would also suspect that the shipyard that was scheduled/will be performing the Wind refit is backlogged and that contributed to the delay.

Looks like the only viable shipyard is the Palumbo Malta shipyard that has maybe three or four dry docks large enough to do the work.   Whether or not they moved on to or took on alternate work is hard to say.   Cruise ships are actually a relatively small part of the total marine industry and that hasn’t been impacted significantly if at all by the pandemic.   Point is there is plenty of work to do and the shipyard certainly isn’t going to waiting for Silversea and RCCL to make up their minds.    That said I still think RCCL is figuratively “kicking the can down the road” to control spending with an eye toward what looks to be restricted capability until well into 2022.   

[crusinbanjo]

On 1/16/2021 at 12:45 PM, Randyk47 said:

Looks like the only viable shipyard is the Palumbo Malta shipyard that has maybe three or four dry docks large enough to do the work.   Whether or not they moved on to or took on alternate work is hard to say.   Cruise ships are actually a relatively small part of the total marine industry and that hasn’t been impacted significantly if at all by the pandemic.   Point is there is plenty of work to do and the shipyard certainly isn’t going to waiting for Silversea and RCCL to make up their minds.    That said I still think RCCL is figuratively “kicking the can down the road” to control spending with an eye toward what looks to be restricted capability until well into 2022.   

I have to agree with this, but I wished it were different

 

 

[mspjerry]

In an email about Grand Voyages, toward the bottom was "Grand Amazon". This is what I copied:

 

"What are the advantages of offering this itinerary on the soon-to-be refurbished Silver Wind?

It’s going to be a wonderful opportunity to showcase the expedition capabilities of the ship. She’s an incredible vessel: she was the second ship that was built for Silversea, and, like her sister Silver Cloud, she’s perfect for expedition cruising. Silver Wind can accommodate a large expedition team of 28 staff members, as well as a large fleet of Zodiacs."

"

It is wonderful that Silversea continues to move toward the 'moving target' of resuming cruising post Covid. It also appears the refurbishment of the Wind will happen. 

This itinerary will be after the 2021-22 Antarctica season, departing April 4, 2022. 

 

FYI: I was fortunate to have received my 1st dose of Moderna last week. March 11 is my appointment for the 2nd dose. I plan to go to my place in Mexico, south of Mazatlan, the 3rd week of March. My dream of travel seems to be a reasonable hope 12 1/2 months after canceling my last trip. I hope others have also been fortunate enough to able to get theirs.

 

I also emailed my SS Consultant to let him know advances are being made. Their lives must have been so difficult through all of this too. I hope it cheered him a little, and brightened that light at the end of the tunnel.

 

Keep smiling behind the masks.

[cruiseej]

On 2/17/2021 at 9:40 AM, mspjerry said:

It also appears the refurbishment of the Wind will happen. 

 

I haven't seen anything that tells me this is true, just as I haven't seen anything saying it's not. Just the fact that Silversea is promoting sales of 2022 voyages is no indication the refurbishment will actually happen; it's only an indication Silversea -- like all cruise companies -- wants to keep taking in money for future trips for short-term cash and the long-term potential for the resumption of cruising. But shiny, happy marketing doesn't tell you whether it will happen or not -- just ask all the people who booked voyages on the Wind scheduled for this summer around the UK and North Atlantic, who got dumped when Silversea pushed back the refurbishment a second time.

 

Will the dry dock happen late this summer as currently planned, so the Wind can start sailing for the Antartica season in November? Any of us who are booked on those trips, and the ones beyond, sincerely hope so -- but there's simply no new evidence yet for or against it happening.

[Randyk47]

At this point until the Wind actually sails to Malta I won’t think, believe, or speculate on her conversion.  Will say “soon” is not something I expect.   My crystal ball has suffered a terminal blackout.   🥴😬

[mspjerry]

Someone inside Silversea told me it sounds like the Wind is still on for conversion to 'ice class', and sooner rather than later is the 'inside' talk. Only time will tell us what is really going on.

 

She did go out to sea for a 8 hour cruise on 9 March, just like on 18 February; maybe to keep things lubricated and have an active log book. 

 

July looks to be a time I can hope to see some US cruise activity again -- yes, I mean 2021. lol  I sure hope it happens.

 

I have had both my vaccinations, tested negative for Covid over the weekend, and in 2 days will be landing in Mazatlan, Mexico. I will manage to get back my place there, in Teacapan, Sinaloa, to pay taxes and other bills, and play around in the sun. Minnesota is blessing me with a few inches of snow today just so I will not forget what winter is here. 

 

Have a happy Paddy's Day. 🍀 

[cruiseej]

We're booked on the Wind in December. Today, I was surprised to find that Silversea has booked our air flights. We did not pay for a custom air/deviation, so I didn't expect them to be locking in our air this far in advance. I guess that's a good sign!

[etual324]

7 hours ago, cruiseej said:

We're booked on the Wind in December. Today, I was surprised to find that Silversea has booked our air flights. We did not pay for a custom air/deviation, so I didn't expect them to be locking in our air this far in advance. I guess that's a good sign!

They usually book space around 280 days prior  but they do not pay for tickets till approx 60 days prior and then you receive your PNR or flight booking number

[cruiseej]

On 3/17/2021 at 7:09 AM, etual324 said:

They usually book space around 280 days prior  but they do not pay for tickets till approx 60 days prior and then you receive your PNR or flight booking number

 

Thanks. I thought that around 280 days out was only for those paying extra for custom air arrangements, while everyone else was booked closer to 120 days out. I was researching available flights and we were discussing whether it was worth the extra $300 to lock something desirable in now, and suddenly I noticed that our seats were booked. We were able to get our record locator numbers and change our seat assignments through the airlines even though Silversea hasn't yet paid for the flights. 

 

I'm guessing Silversea grabbed a large bunch of seats in business class for our flight to Santiago, because the first day I was looking at flights, the business class cabin had only two seats blocked out, and the next day after our seats were assigned, all but two seats in business class were gone. Since there are only a few flights from the US to Santiago each day, it makes sense that Silversea would put a lot of people on the same flight or two. Simplifies transfers upon arrival, too.

 

The other thing that surprised me a little was that although they booked our flights via Delta, they chose American flights going down and Delta flights coming back; I would have thought their contracts with the airlines would have made it advantageous to book one airline roundtrip.

 

Oh well, these are all just curiosities for me, since we have generally booked our own air on most of our past cruises. The main thing is that Silversea is still saying the dry dock will happen this summer and that these winter Antartica cruises are, for the moment, proceeding full steam ahead. We all know that the state of the world six months from now is very much uncertain… but it's fun doing some travel planning and thinking there's at least a plausible chance we might actually go!

[rosewood jo]

Dec 22 WIND CRUISE TO ANTARCTICA -----------ANYONE KNOW WHAT HAPPENS ONCE YOU GET TO Santiago?    I REALIZE WE GET TRANSFERRED TO SIMPLY HOTEL THEN HEAD OUT THE NEXT DAY FOR CHARTER TO USHUAIA.  I HAVE read in past reviews that they get you  up at 3 am  in SANTIAGO then transfer and go to charter, then fly, then get to the ship.  Anyone know the details?   

Edited March 22, 2021 by rosewood jo
LEFT SHIP OFF

[WesW]

We were up at 4am to have breakfast box's at 5 am in the Mandarin Oriental in Santiago last February.  We were bussed to the airport for our Charter at 5:30 am or so then landed in Ushuaia about 12:30pm.  Silversea then takes you to a BBQ lunch at a Ushuaia restaurant, and your bussed to the port about 3pm.  I decided to grab my luggage and head to the ship (via taxi) and forgo the Silversea included lunch (I ate on board).  This worked for me, as I had unpacked when the the majority of guests arrived on board.

[rosewood jo]

Great idea! 

[Stumblefoot]

4 hours ago, rosewood jo said:

Anyone know the details?   

Our experience was different than Wes’s just a month earlier than his trip.  But, his recommendation to avoid the SS transfer is spot on as we shared with him upon our return.  So glad he was able to avoid that time waster.

 

Our wake up time was at a normal morning hour and we were served a full buffet breakfast with all of the accoutrements.  It was perfect.  I think our bus left the hotel around 10:00a.

[mspjerry]

The Silver Wind is underway today, with a reported destination of Gdansk, Poland. Cheers to the Wind. Arrival is expected June 1, 2021.

 

The link at Marine Traffic:

https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/details/ships/shipid:369215/mmsi:308814000/imo:8903935/vessel:SILVER_WIND