Jim_Iain – Silhouette Live Post April 8, 21, 30 - B3B - TransAtlantic, Portugal Spain, France and the Norwegian Fjords

[LouChamp]

Enjoy your holiday.  We love celebrity and many of the ports you are visiting. The transatlantic on the QM2 was the most serene relaxing vacation and Im sure Celebrity will not disappoint. I look forward to your food pictures! All the best.

[JeanieC,Aston]

Hi Jim

Just a taster of the sail away from Olden,Norway.

A huge speaker outside the local hostelry blasting out Bocelli singing .Time to say goodbye’…it makes the hairs on your back stand up.

A take a umbrella to Bergen,,the wettest city in Europe.

 

[mchell810]

Wow!  The thread is already at 4 pages and you haven't sailed yet.  Then again I understand bc I started my  happy dance 💃 💃 as soon as I saw you have a new thread.  I know I will have lots of good reading for QUITE a while!  Looking forward to it!  (Now I can start catching up. 😀)

 

Enjoy your adventure.

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

3 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

Thanks -- the Badge must be contagious.   Maybe they will have a vaccine for it soon.

 

I just checked on my iPhone and everyone has a Rocket icon but on PC Chemmo and I have a Ship and the word Rare over us.  

 

 

Yes, I've been wondering what the Rare thing means.  It certainly can't mean that it's rare that you post.

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

2 hours ago, goldsmip115 said:

So looking forward to following along, Jim.  Karen and I will miss seeing you both in San Francisco.  We board the Millenium on May 3rd, San Diego to Vancouver.  We’ve made some new friends on the Boards, Randy and Connie.  They are on the Silhoutte right now in a PS. They will be our neighbors in 6148 for the May 3rd cruise.  First time sailing in a PS where we know our adjoining neighbors.  This is the first time in all my cruises where I don’t have everything planned.  Gratefully the hotels and first class air are booked on both ends.  I did book two massages and an interesting “open air” excursion to see the bison in Catalina island. I think the rest will be Private Journey.  Safe travels my friend.  We’ll be following you.

 

Randy and Connie are great neighbors!  Will be cruising with them in October.  Please tell them hello.

 

[chemmo]

3 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

I agree,   I started my live reviews as a payback.   I have learned so much from everyone here and still learn new stuff daily.  

 

We have never been to Norway before so are really looking forward to it.   This cruise is a little more difficult to pack for with everything to Tropical to Glacier weather.  

Hi Jim…
 

Firstly, like you indicated in a previous post,  I am not sure what our ‘badge’ means. Great to be in such good company though!

 

A couple of hints for Norway…ask for lots of blankets in your cabin. With it being a cruise from the UK you will have a kettle in your room so take a good old fashioned hot water bottle with you for those early mornings on the balcony (do they still exist in the USA or are they a British phenomenon?). Lots of early mornings heading  into the Fjords. Great to just wrap up warm, get room service and you feel like you have enjoyed an excursion before you have even exited the ship. 
 

We also booked Tuscan several evenings to coincide with leaving ports…you then get that fantastic 180’ view as you exit the Fjord…I think you generally eat later but on this cruise it may be worth altering your usual plans and dining earlier for the views then maybe grabbing a filler later…just a thought.

 

Again sincere best wishes for a fantastic cruise!

[Cruzinram]

18 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

It's really crazy on Celebrity side that they have really missed the mark on letting us know about Bermuda.   Someone on Silhouette that is doing a B2B received instructions on Silhouette Letterhead  with what is required (for the 4/8 sailing). 

 

It's really crazy they send an e-mail out yesterday with all the vaccination and testing requirements but didn't even mention Bermuda.    I have a felling many are going to show up at the port without having obtained a Bermuda TA.

 

 

 

[Cruzinram]

Is this form only necessary if you go on shore in Bermuda? We have received no notice at all about this document. Really doesn't matter that much since we have been to Bermuda numerous times.

[Beachlover1989]

Thank you so much for taking time to do this Jim!  Always love following along with you as you travel.  I may have missed it, but were you lucky enough to have the same stateroom for all three cruises?

[Jim_Iain]

4 hours ago, Bill Miller said:

What audio books or authors will make the cut for this trip?

Yikes..    I  have 115 audio books loaded -

 

The Top of the list I'm currently listening to are -   I have a tenancy to switch between authors.  

 

Karen Slaughter  - Grant County  Series  - I just started #1 Blindsighted

Chris Carter  - Robert Hunter Series  -  #2 The Executioner

Jefferson Bass -  Body Farm Series  - #5 The Bone Thief

Joe R Lansdale -  Hap & Leonard  Series - #2 Mucho Mojo

John Sandford  -  Prey Series - #13 Mortal Prey

Josh Lanyon - Secrets of Scrabble Series - #2 Secrets of Skull House

Patricia Cornwell - Kay Scarpetta Series -  just downloaded Autopsy and Livid (newest)

                               - Andy Brazil Series - 3 Isle of Dogs

                                - Win Garano  - #1 At Risk

Sara Paretsky -  V.I. Warskawski Series - #2 Deadlock

Stephen Cannell - Shane Scully Series - #2 The Viking Funeral

 

[DaKahuna]

Really wish we were joining you physically on your adventures but alas once again we will be following virtually. 
 

The Silhouette is in wonderful condition, with the exception of a few minor issues here and there - e.g. beside USB ports not working. 
 

The staff and crew are amazing and I am sure the two of you will be treated well. 
 

[Jim_Iain]

4 hours ago, MamaFej said:

In 2019, we cruised Ireland/Iceland in early June, then five days in Austria, visiting our daughter who was studying abroad, then the Med and land in Italy in mid-late June, during a tremendous heat wave.

 

We had packed all the cool weather gear, boots, etc. we needed for the cooler cruise as compactly as we could into our backpacks and carryons (no checked bag). We had also brought an empty duffel. Leaving Dublin for Austria, the cool weather stuff flew in the duffel. Then, from Vienna, we mailed the cool weather stuff and some souvenirs and shipped them home. 

 

Perhaps Jim and Iain could do the opposite, and bring their warm weather stuff, and use one of the luggage shipping services to have their cool weather gear shipped to Southampton?

We have really gotten to be good about packing.    Like many others 20 years ago we started cruising with 2 suitcases each.    We have now gotten it down to 1 Suite case, 1 Garment Bag and a Duffel  and a backpack regardless of length of cruise. 

 

We pack for 7 days and then rotate our cloths but also an advantage we have to many of you, we are about the same size and can swap our clothing for variety.  One of the best perks of Zenith is unlimited laundry so we use it about every other day.  

 

 

[Jim_Iain]

4 hours ago, cangelmd said:

Jim, bon voyage, safe travels and have a wonderful trip to you and to Iain. We will be following closely. I’m hoping to hear they still put a chart up outside Oceanview with updated positions during the crossing. It’s a small thing, but really enjoyed checking on daily progress.

 

While you are packing and listing and picking up dry cleaning and watching for Bermuda info - all that pre-cruise stuff - would you comment on your positives and negatives of EB vs WB transatlantics and transpacifics if you have done more than one of those. The longer vs shorter days is an obvious one, but what else? Thanks in advance, your insight is always appreciated. Following with interest.

 I'll keep an eye out for it.    I don't recall seeing them on our October cruises.   I usually keep an eye on our position using the CruiseMapper app.  

 

This will be our 2nd East Bound and somewhere over 12 Westbounds.   We've also only done 3 Westbound TP - Japan and Australia.   I will make sure to give a good comparison.   I know when I booked the first East Bound, Iain wasn't happy --- but really wasn't tough at all.

 

The one thing that I have to work on is finding the correct Timezones.    For some reason my Fitbit won't sync the time unless I choose a City TimeZone vs just manually changing the time.      

[Jim_Iain]

4 hours ago, cruising sister said:

Are you bringing your own prescription for the antiviral? I plan on traveling with one. I don’t trust I can find the medication if I get sick away from home.  I got second booster this week and fully plan I will need another one in the fall along with the flu shot. As a physician I don’t like to second guess others advice but at a minimum I would bring the antiviral drugs with you on the trip. 

Unfortunately I don't have any antivirals or prescriptions.   My doctor said he would rather I seek medical attention if required instead. 

 

I'm really not sure where I would rank on the Vax and Boosters.   They messed up on me and gave me a Moderna after my first Pfizer and at the time mixing wasn't approved so they Scheduled me for both a second Pfizer and a Second Moderna 3 months apart.     When it came to the booster the gave me the Pfizer.  

 

The funny thing is the only reaction I had was to the Pfizer Booster and just had 1 day of lethargy. 

[Jim_Iain]

4 hours ago, az4ship said:

I will be joining you in the transatlantic portion of the trip.  I will be following as I love your reports.  Hope to meet you on board

Please do come over and introduce yourself.   I should be easy to find.   I walk laps for about 3 hours a day.    If the weather turns bad or if too windy I'll be walking laps on the hallways. 

[Jim_Iain]

3 hours ago, JeanieC,Aston said:

Hi Jim

Just a taster of the sail away from Olden,Norway.

A huge speaker outside the local hostelry blasting out Bocelli singing .Time to say goodbye’…it makes the hairs on your back stand up.

A take a umbrella to Bergen,,the wettest city in Europe.

 

Wow... that's really getting me excited.   Looks beautiful.  What time of the year was that.  I noticed many were not even wearing sweaters.

[Jim_Iain]

3 hours ago, mchell810 said:

Wow!  The thread is already at 4 pages and you haven't sailed yet.  Then again I understand bc I started my  happy dance 💃 💃 as soon as I saw you have a new thread.  I know I will have lots of good reading for QUITE a while!  Looking forward to it!  (Now I can start catching up. 😀)

 

Enjoy your adventure.

I have to say it is fun to do but I was also excited to see all the folks already in our coffee circle.  

[Jim_Iain]

1 hour ago, Beachlover1989 said:

Thank you so much for taking time to do this Jim!  Always love following along with you as you travel.  I may have missed it, but were you lucky enough to have the same stateroom for all three cruises?

We have the same CS for the first 2 cruises and a RS next door for the Norwegian cruise.   The RS was just such a good deal when I booked it I couldn't resist.

[Jim_Iain]

35 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

Really wish we were joining you physically on your adventures but alas once again we will be following virtually. 
 

The Silhouette is in wonderful condition, with the exception of a few minor issues here and there - e.g. beside USB ports not working. 
 

The staff and crew are amazing and I am sure the two of you will be treated well. 
 

John -  With you currently on Silhouette we almost were able to meet.   I'm sure at some point we will cross paths.  

 

Keep the ship in tip top shape and enjoy the 2nd half of your cruise.  

[DaKahuna]

6 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

John -  With you currently on Silhouette we almost were able to meet.   I'm sure at some point we will cross paths.  

 

Keep the ship in tip top shape and enjoy the 2nd half of your cruise.  

Doing our best.  I have left all of the non-alcoholic wines for you as I know how fond of them you are.

 

Tell Iian we have not put a dent in the supply of whites either, except for the Moscoto. 

[GeorgiaPeach51]

51 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

Yikes..    I  have 115 audio books loaded -

 

The Top of the list I'm currently listening to are -   I have a tenancy to switch between authors.  

 

Karen Slaughter  - Grant County  Series  - I just started #1 Blindsighted

Chris Carter  - Robert Hunter Series  -  #2 The Executioner

Jefferson Bass -  Body Farm Series  - #5 The Bone Thief

Joe R Lansdale -  Hap & Leonard  Series - #2 Mucho Mojo

John Sandford  -  Prey Series - #13 Mortal Prey

Josh Lanyon - Secrets of Scrabble Series - #2 Secrets of Skull House

Patricia Cornwell - Kay Scarpetta Series -  just downloaded Autopsy and Livid (newest)

                               - Andy Brazil Series - 3 Isle of Dogs

                                - Win Garano  - #1 At Risk

Sara Paretsky -  V.I. Warskawski Series - #2 Deadlock

Stephen Cannell - Shane Scully Series - #2 The Viking Funeral

 

I’m late to the party but happy to be here!  Love reading your blogs.  Thank you for doing it!  I’ll look forward to reading tin for the next few weeks.

 

You seem fully loaded in reading material but I will keep a log again if anyone needs new reading suggestions. 
 

For those who are wondering, on a previous blog Jim was looking for new reading inspirations, and I kept track and posted suggestions periodically.  It was great...I started reading Harlan Coben as a result, and am reading one of his many books right now.

 

Joanie

[Jim_Iain]

 

 

Planning our flights is of course a very important part.   This cruise will require lots of arrangements.  

 

We need the following flights for this Trip -

 

1.  San Jose (or SFO) to Fort Lauderdale

2.  Round Trip London Heathrow to Glasgow 

3.  London to San Francisco 

 

My first go to site is www.google.com/flights.  They are not a travel agent but track prices and you can also setup alerts.  Contrary to what many thinks flight prices vary on an hour by hour and day by day basis.   By the way, we always travel 1st Class or Business for long haul flights.

 

Let’s take a look at San Jose to Fort Lauderdale as an example -

 

 

To help you know when to purchase there is a little widget at the bottom of the flight detail to help.     I booked at  $527 so feel I got a good deal.

 

 

They also have a button to compare prices on different dates.

 

 

 

For this trip I played a game.   I booked it with Flights By Celebrity about 11 months prior to cruise and don't have to pay until final payment.   It also allows me to get any price reduction if they come along.     At final payment time the prices were the same so I cancelled with Flights by Celebrity and booked direct with the airline so I wouldn't be stuck with the $200 pp fee if we change or cancel.  

 

Edited April 3, 2022 by Jim_Iain

[Lastdance]

If you have not been to Bilbao, you will really enjoy it.  Six of us did a private tour(Silkroad planned it)and had such a wonderful time seeing many of the sights and enjoying the local food and drinks.  Also, the Azores were a delight, even though our weather was a bit misty.  So many beautiful places to enjoy throughout the world, yet so little time.  You are the envy of so many of us, so many thanks for taking us with you!

[Bo1953]

23 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

Our Next Adventure at Sea

Three Consecutive Cruises

 

 

First Cruise - April 8 - April  21, 2022 - Transatlantic 13 Night Cruise Fort Lauderdale to Southampton

Second Cruise - April 21 to April 30, 2022 - Southampton 9 Night France, Portugal and Spain

Third Cruise - April 30 - May 7, 2022 - Southampton 7 Night Norwegian Fjords

Side Trip -  May 7 to May 17 - Visit with Alex and Evelyn in Scotland

 

LET THE PLANNING BEGIN

Jim & Iain - I know you will have great sailings and I will be following along, with your other fans here...

 

bon voyage

[Jim_Iain]

1 hour ago, GeorgiaPeach51 said:

I’m late to the party but happy to be here!  Love reading your blogs.  Thank you for doing it!  I’ll look forward to reading tin for the next few weeks.

 

You seem fully loaded in reading material but I will keep a log again if anyone needs new reading suggestions. 
 

For those who are wondering, on a previous blog Jim was looking for new reading inspirations, and I kept track and posted suggestions periodically.  It was great...I started reading Harlan Coben as a result, and am reading one of his many books right now.

 

Joanie

Thanks Joanie -    I kept your list from our last cruise and picked a lot of my listening from the list.   I really found some good books I would not have discovered otherwise. 

 

Recently John Sandford  Prey series has me hooked.    I've been spacing his out because I don't want to run out of them.