Whispering Along -Barcelona to Southhamptom

We boarded yesterday in Barcelona, after enduring some travel hiccups, but very happy having enjoyed at least a day in one of our favorite cities. It is our first time in the Whisper and we plan to have as good a time as in the other ships (except the Shadow, which we've not done, and the Muse, which we may or may not do).

Our suite on deck 6 is not as modern as in the Spirit, but it is well kept and very clean. After the Spirit, the ship feels a bit small, and the hallways sort of claustrophobic. However, the service is wonderful, as expected.

Last night we dined at La Terraza and we asked for the signature dish, no name need to be given, and another home made pasta with pesto sauce, delicious!! The sail away was as usual, but not as well attended...of course, it's been unusually cold. There are 330 passengers, close to 100 percent capacity, but feels almost half full. Tonight is formal night and welcome reception; I expect people will venture out from hiding :)

We just came back from a most cordial M&M where we met a group of very pleasant, interesting people which we hope to mingle with while Whispering along. Now, off to enjoy Cartagena.

Looks like you're off to a great start. Have a fantastic trip! Looking forward to reading about it.

............. have a great trip .... looking forward to your daily blogs.

Have an awesome adventure Cam! We really enjoyed Cartagena! Hope you do too! :)

All sounds fabulous Cam....have a wonderful time ☺️

Enjoy it all!

All dolled up an hour before the reception to give space to DH to battle the tux and its ornaments. He may rather not, but he is very kind and humors me, dressed in a 1950's "short evening ". I'm looking forward to the special dinner and will definitely ask for the lobster, Tomorrow will be Málaga!

Sounds Lovely C ..... and of course if it is appropriate .... would love to see some piccies of dinner! We are fairly close to your seafood with Cod and chips being delivered at 6:15! Salt and vinegar with some tartare ...

Hope you and Roberto have a lovely evening and he doesn't feel too stiff in his tux!

Yes, it is true, there are more than 300 passengers in this cruise and almost all dutifully lined up in their finest to greet Captain De Stefano and his crew. After the reception we all filled the MDR for dinner. At a point, a small band played and we enjoyed a few operatic areas from the Voices of Silversea.

Our highlights from the five course dinner were the artichokes three-way, the porcini mushroom soup, the sea bream and the lobster. I wanted to finish with a cheese plate and it took 45 minutes to arrive. Definitely too few serving staff in the room; they did the best they could under the circumstances.

Cartagena and Málaga are little jewels in the Iberian Peninsula. We left this morning under umbrellas and only a few passengers braved the weather with us in the shuttle bus to the town center. The weather cleared during our walk and we will return this afternoon.

I'm sorry I don't post pictures. DH takes a few but he posts them on FB. Tomorrow is Gibraltar; here's hoping for better weather.

I would like to make a few comments on the entertainment on this cruise. The cruise director is Vickie Van Tassel (sp?), and so far she's been the best director we've had in the relatively few cruises we've taken to date (8), all in SS and SB. She is very personable, approachable and funny. She is managing a pretty competent set of singers/dancers as the Voices of Silversea. Previously, we had seen more or less the same shows produced for the Voices, but this time the content is more diverse and refined. As an example, last night we were treated to songs from Italy and South America, which included a Paraguayan dance of great skill, as it was performed with more than one bottle perched on the dancer's head. We are looking forward to the next shows, including Vicki's.

Today is a sea day for us, as we have no desire to revisit Gibraltar. The weather is a bit crisp, but sunny, and I'm waiting to see if it'll warm enough for a swim in the pool.

Breakfast and lunch in La Terraza does not vary very much. The salad offerings are not imaginative nor varied, in my opinion this is their weakest spot. Up to now we've been pleased with the food in the MDR, but prefer the fish to the meat. I have to say that we had the most wonderful hot dog at the pool grill for lunch. Not only was the quality of the dog prime, but the fixings were imaginative and savory. We met a fun, interesting couple with whom we'll dine tonight at La Terraza, and will post comments on the menu.

Hi Camels ..... lovely to see your continued enjoyment.

Gib doesn't change much and a few hours on an empty Whisper is much better than a few hours on a crowded Gib. You won't be missing much.

Looking forward to your visit to London.

:)

I remember once having to land at Gib in a Nimrod and, for reasons that now escape me, had about 3 hours on the ground to explore Gibraltar. I'd say that was about 2hrs 50mins too long!

Definitely better to spend the time on the Whisper. :D

Who needs to be cacked on by a barbary macaque?

It must have been rather nervy landing on that short strip in a Nimrod.

Who needs to be cacked on by a barbary macaque?

 

It must have been rather nervy landing on that short strip in a Nimrod.

Without wishing to totally hijack the thread, yes. Were not allowed to enter Spanish airspace and we had to abort the first aproach due to wind shear - when I say ''we'' I mean the aircrew; I was down the back rediscovering religion. Second worst landing ever. (In case you're interested the worst was Lukla in the Himalayas.)

Now - back to the much more rewarding subject of Cam's trip in the whisper...

What is traveling without adventure? I have a very clear image of Tothesunset cringing with trepidation and praying his heart out in the back of the plane.

Yesterday the weather did warm a bit but the wind remained strong. I decided I would not wait for better conditions, donned my bathing suite, and plunged into the rough sea... pool with waves. There were loungers looking with disbelief, and I felt that, as an intrepid Esther Williams, I should give a show. Trouble is that although the Caribbean Sea has been an integral part of my life, I don't swim very well. Not the best show to offer the expecting audience.

Last night at La Terraza was very good. I had a veal Milanese and DH had the fish (both the tuna, and the mahi mahi - fresh from Hawaii).

Today we are in Lisbon and the weather is much better. We have previously toured the city, so today we will take the shuttle bus to town and enjoy the architecture and feeling of the Alfama.

Sounds like you are having fun Cam! :) Go Esther Go!

So lovely to follow you along Cam.......totally understand you missing out on Gib...hate the place with a passion apart from cheap duty free!

Had a wee smile about your Esther show....wonder how many would remember her these days....but you were very brave!

Keep on having fun 😄

Thanks my Cooler followers; sorry that I'm not following our thread as much as I would want to. I forgot to mention that yesterday in the pool, in order not to have the loungers wanting, I performed some ballet moves, but I think that was an overkill on mediocrity and people returned to their kindles.

Lisboa Antigua! The title of a favorite ballad from the early 60's that totally captures the charm of this city. We decided to just aimlessly walk around and enjoy a pleasant Sunday when many shops were closed. The chimes of church bells on the hour made our day.

I would like to extend a Mothers Day greeting to all CC mothers. I hope you all are having a grand time.

Camels,

Lovely to hear of your pool doings .... keep them entertained!

I'm a bit dissapointed that Roberto hasn't offered a bit of piano or organ work in exchange for a free passage. If I were married to Roberto I'd get him negotiating straight away. Failing that perhaps a bit of busking.

Ahhhhh

The conjured memories of the movies and visual of Esther Williams in a sequined bathing suit surrounded by other lovely swimmers!

How captivating!

None of those movies had any plots, but then it was pure escapism.

Sort of like a cruise.

Enjoy it Camillus.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

Yes, Spins, the glamour of old movies...

Jeff, Roberto is very shy and does not even share his profession with other cruisers who also have interesting careers (one worked in the TV business with Big Bird).

Yesterday was Oporto and, since we docked in Lexioes, we decided to take the ship excursion. Charming city, but exterior of buildings and houses not well maintained. The Stock Exchange Palace is very much worth seeing, especially its Arabic room with beautiful mosaics. Another highlight of the tour was a wine tasting at the Ramos Pinto cellar. The port industry has been historically dominated by British interests, but this Portuguese owner of vineyards was a visionaire in marketing and publicity opportunities in the early 20th century, and the company remains a force in the Industry. Terry, if you read this, and since I know you will be visiting Oporto in June, you will chuckle at the publicity posters he commissioned, some of them quite erotic.

Today is A Coruña and the weather is lovely. This is a very handsome and very clean city. We walked part of the old quarter and close to two miles of the Paseo Marítimo, which is so pleasant. We will be returning to the OQ this afternoon not to miss anything.

Last night was another formal night and we splurged in a Guigal which was very good. We have found the food in this cruise to be better than we remember. The show was the regular Masquerade one, but we enjoyed it since the group of Voices is quite good.

Camels, lovely to read.

:)

What is traveling without adventure? Today we are in Lisbon and the weather is much better. We have previously toured the city, so today we will take the shuttle bus to town and enjoy the architecture and feeling of the Alfama.

Appreciate your nice postings and travel details. Any special tips, updates, etc., for Lisbon??? Will be there June 10-14 in doing our first visit to Portugal. Am really looking forward to exploring Lisbon and seeing first-hand all of the character, history and architecture for that nation that was at one time at the "TOP" for being a very important world explorer and power.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Panama Canal? Just completed Feb. 28-Mar. 15, 2017, Fort Lauderdale to San Francisco adventure through the Panama Canal with our first stops in Colombia, Central America and Mexico, plus added time in the great Golden Gate City. Lots of fun pictures!! Those pictures start on the second page, post #26. See more at:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2465580

Thanks for the great colour commentary Cam! Enjoy!