Silversea Cruising Withdrawal Symptoms

[sail1658]

It's beginning to look like there will be limited cruising opportunities until the Autumn, and withdrawal symptoms have already kicked in. After all you can only watch so many box sets and have so many walks around the park.

 

So I've been into the loft and dug out my boxes of old 8mm video tapes and started the mammoth task of digitising them.

 

We got our first video camera in 1989 and ever since then we've recorded our cruise experiences from 8mm to 4K. During this time period without cruises we love to have a glass of wine and revive our past cruise memories. I realised that my videos were too long and had random music, so I've re-edited them to focus on the ship and destinations and make them more watchable – hopefully!

 

I've posted a few videos on YouTube of our most recent cruise on Silver Spirit - Barcelona to London (Tilbury) 2019. I can't believe it's over 18 months since I've had to manage without a butler since our last Silversea cruise, as well as thinking about all those treats I turned down.  “Would you like another glass of wine?”  “Do you want your breakfast on the balcony?!!!!” “ No I'm fine, thank you”. Why would you do that !!

 

I've also included two of our first cruises' - in 1989 on Sovereign of the Seas to the Caribbean, and in 1990 on Cunard Princess to the Black Sea, as well as our most recent cruises on Queen Victoria to Spain and Portugal, and Queen Mary 2 to Norway 2019. 

 

Our Sovereign of the Seas cabin was inside with bunk beds. The cabin was almost the size of the walk-in wardrobe on Silver Spirit. Sovereign of the Seas in 1989 was the largest cruise ship in the world!  Everyone dressed up and even danced under the stars in tuxedos and long dresses in the Caribbean!!  How things have changed.

 

So I hope you enjoy or at least like some of them until we can get back on board again to make new memories.

 

 

Silver Spirit

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_awO06j_j-U&t=312s

 

Sovereign of the Seas

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJsfUVLSCJ4&t=666s

 

Cunard Princess

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4k_2QYJV8bg&t=18s

 

Queen Victoria

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbKb6bS3XBU&t=8s

 

Queen Mary 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpjSOgO5jkE&t=532s

[Lois R]

Thanks so much for sharing😀

[rucrazy]

That is a wonderful present to share! Thank You!!

 

Joseph

[sail1658]

Thanks for your kind words, Lois and Joseph.

 

It's still a work in progress, but I've found it really enjoyable to relive forgotten experiences and compare our early cruises with recent ones. They've all been enjoyable in their different ways. It's also a good way of preserving our memories on YouTube on my channel Cruise Video Memories

 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbYW-Y1IjRSD9MECilTBG5A/videos

 

I have lots more in the pipeline, including Silver Muse, so it'll keep me occupied until we can actually cruise again, which could be some time yet. But armchair cruising is all we can do at present.

 

My aim is to post weekly updates every Wednesday.  Hopefully this week will be Cunard Princess Odessa 1990, Song of America Mexican Riviera 1992, Queen Mary 2 Flam and Sognefjord 2019, and Seabourn Encore from Barcelona 2019.   

[brimary]

Thank you for bringing back so many happy memories of our Silversea cruises over the last 22 years.You have filled a gap which has been far too long with no end in sight for resumption of normality  for Silversea.The videos are brilliant  and very much appreciated.

[silkismom]

Sail--We were also on the Song of America Mex Riv. '92, Oct 3 (?) wonder if we were on the same cruise? Looking forward to your video.

[sail1658]

Thanks, Brimary, for your kind words. I too have really enjoyed this exercise of reliving old experiences as it's all we can do at present until things resume safely. Also I just did a comparison of Silver Spirit with Seabourn Encore 2019, as we sailed on both in that year. There are videos of both cruises.

 

Silkismom, we were on Song of America in May/June '92 and I've just posted the first two videos this afternoon on my channel Cruise Video Memories - Long Beach Sail-away and Cabo San Lucas

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbYW-Y1IjRSD9MECilTBG5A/videos

[silkismom]

As they say "we've come a long way, baby". Dug out my old photos, gee, I still have some of the same tops, pants gone long time ago. 

[sail1658]

 

3 minutes ago, silkismom said:

I still have some of the same tops, pants gone long time ago. 

 

So does my wife!!!

 

4 minutes ago, silkismom said:

As they say "we've come a long way, baby".

 

As you say - compared to Silversea and Seabourn, it's a long way from an inside cabin with bunk beds to Silversea Suites.  We enjoyed Song of America and it's amazing to think that she's still sailing on short cruises in the Mediterranean as MS Celestyal Olympia. Still working on the rest of the Mexican Riviera cruise videos.

[QueSeraSera]

Tom Petty: "The waiting is the hardest part"

[V8Babe]

Slightly off-topic, sorry, but I sailed on the Celestyal Olympia in 2019 out of Athens.  My daughter was working in Greece and was escorting a tour group onboard so we decided to give it a go.  Nothing like Silversea but absolutely nothing wrong with the trip.  Food was fine, alcohol included, cabins were a clean place to sleep and shower which was all we needed on the port intensive 'cruise'.  Would definitely recommend for a quick, cheap trip around some Greek Islands.

 

Karin

[sail1658]

Hi Karin

 

I totally agree with your comments. Some of the main pleasures of cruising are just being on the ship, seeing different parts of the world, and only unpacking once. So as long as it's clean and safe, what's not to like!

 

And after this last year we're just pleased that we did so many and made so many memories.

[spinnaker2]

Sail

I have been watching the videos and feeling elation and then close to tears.

It helps to narrate them out loud to myself.

So many memories of wonderful times aboard Silversea.

 

Thanks for posting them!

[Lois R]

Good morning........I totally forgot I sailed Sovereign of the Seas too.........(not that far back)

but in 1989 there was still that "BIG HAIR" on the women LOL😉

[sail1658]

45 minutes ago, spinnaker2 said:

I have been watching the videos and feeling elation and then close to tears.

 

Thanks for these kind words. I'm really surprised but pleased by all these reactions. I wasn't sure if anyone else would be interested. I only started the project and posted the videos online so that I could watch them myself on TV and laptop without having to dig out the DVDs. It's the only way to experience cruising at present. But it keeps me occupied and I'm trying to post regularly on YouTube each Wednesday.  

[sail1658]

14 minutes ago, Lois R said:

in 1989 there was still that "BIG HAIR" on the women

 

Yes, Lois. My wife said it was the days of the perms and big hair which went out of control in the Caribbean humidity. All the women in formal dress looked like they'd escaped from the set of Dynasty! 

[Lois R]

Your wife is correct😃