barbpretz

You are a fabulous source of information - thanks again! How comfortable were you in the water? Some people report that they wore rash guards, neck gaiters, swim pants, gloves, and booties in addition to the provided shortie wetsuit. So far, we have long-sleeved rash guards and neck gaiters. Would you also recommend swim pants, gloves and booties?

Do you recall if they offered any guided stargazing sessions? Did you do any stargazing (with or without guides)?

@twangsterAgain, thanks so much for your detailed, helpful reply. My neck gaiters from Amazon already came today, so I'm feeling more and more prepared. I'll just ask my random questions as I think of them. I did a lot of research before I had decided on Silversea Origin over Celebrity Flora, so I apologize if I have some of my information confused between the two cruise lines. 1) On the first sheet you posted from Silversea, under Recommendations for the Galapagos, they list only 3 items: Appropriate footwear, rain gear, and insect repellent. I don't recall anyone mentioning that they needed raingear. Did you bring/use any? Did they supply ponchos in the cabins? How were the insects? 2) My notes mention that someone said they recommended gloves for a long, difficult hike through a dry river bed. They also mentioned a muddy tree-planting experience. Am I correct in thinking that neither of these were on your itinerary? Thanks!

@twangsterThank you for your reply - it was very helpful. I realize that these things are subjective, but I would value your opinion: How cold did the water feel when snorkeling? Did you wear the shortie wet suit provided? Did you wear anything else for warmth when snorkeling? In your lovely photo (Post 69), what were you wearing on your face? Thanks again!

@twangsterI can't even begin to tell you how much I appreciate your wonderful trip report and the gorgeous photos! We are going on this same itinerary in November and I had been frustrated that I wasn't finding any detailed day-to-day posts about this cruise. I came back from a trip out of town and was delighted to see your wonderful Live report. Thank you! I'm sure that I will have a ton of questions, so I hope that you will bear with me. I'll just start by asking about your first excursion day. I'm trying to gauge what will be feasible for me. I see that you did both the "adventurous" hike and the "easy" hike on that day. Was it primarily the steep steps that made the first hike "adventurous"? Or were there other aspects that made it challenging? Looking back, did you find that they were both fairly equally worthwhile? I notice that you chose not to do kayaking - did you happen to talk to anyone who did the kayaking that first excursion day? If so, how did they think it compared to the hikes? Thanks again - your detailed info, photos, and the Chronicles are helping me to get more and more excited about our upcoming trip!

@Octavias There's no need to get out of bed to get your Diet Coke fix. If you have the beverage package, you could just stop at a bar and get a couple of Diet Cokes to take to your room before you go to bed. I'm never without a Diet Coke (or 2) in my cabin.

Thank you, Charla - I have very much enjoyed this detailed and entertaining review. I'm still very much looking forward to your report on Cozumel and the "Salsa and Salsa" excursion. Having that to look forward to makes me glad that (at least for us readers) this trip isn't quite over yet. After that, I'll just have to go back read any of your previous reviews that I may have missed! Thanks again!

@AliceJDo you remember what time the Silversea Friday evening tour started? I want to make sure to arrange a daytime tour that gets back in time. I'm loving all your details!

@AliceJWe are trying to decide whether to go with Silversea for our flights or book our own. Besides having to get them to change airports, what specifically did you not like about flying through Silversea? I'm hoping to learn from your experience, so details would be appreciated.

@AliceJSome specific questions: 1) Did you have Silversea handle your flights? I've been reading some horror stories about this. Where did you fly from? Did you have any problems? 2) What cabin were you in? Any issues with turbulence/seasickness or noise? 3) Anything that you wished you had brought? Or anything you brought that you didn't need? Thanks again!

@AliceJThanks so much for posting this! What itinerary did you do? What were some of your highlights? What was not so great? The more details the better!

We were also on the Oct. 15th cruise and the ship didn't seem crowded to us at all. We chose to eat in the Amalfi Dining Room because it was reputed to be less crowded and we found that to be the case. We ate early and didn't have any lines at all. For those who miss Traditional Dining, we asked for (and got) the same table and excellent wait staff every night - far away from other people as we requested. We mostly used the stairs, but when we wanted an elevator, the aft elevators were almost always empty. The early show in the theater did fill up, so we just got there early and got the seats we wanted. We were even able to always get seats in the Piazza and found that there was plenty of room for dancing! We enjoyed the Medallion and found it handy for ordering drinks and snacks - although there usually were also plenty of bar staff circulating and taking orders. Some of the popular game shows in Princess Live did get overly crowded and probably should have been held in the theater, but that was just a minor inconvenience for us. For those people who are concerned about the wine selections, we looked at the menus at the various bars where they did list the vineyards and details. We had the Plus package and always found wines we liked - but i admit that we are not all that sophisticated about wine. All in all, we had a wonderful cruise and found the food, entertainment and staff to be excellent. I wouldn't hesitate to do this same cruise again on the Enchanted.

I want to make sure that I understand this correctly: My husband and I each have $125 of non-refundable OBCs from Referral Rewards. We are in the same cabin and using the same credit card. If I get a massage for $250, the full $250 will be taken off our account by the end of the cruise? So we will not have to pay anything for the massage? Am I also correct in understanding that this will not actually show up on our account until the accounts are merged on the final day? Thanks for your help!

@MJSailorsThat explains it! Thanks for clarifying. My daughter suspected that the embarkation lunch was probably just for the "fancy people". We definitely do not fit the category of "fancy people".

Just one more quick thought about breakfast: I love a relaxed, sit-down, served breakfast. On the Summit, there was the exact same menu every morning. The food was excellent, but it got boring. On Princess, they have the same basics every day, but they have 3 unique items to choose from each morning. That gives something different to look forward to each day (especially their corn-flake-encrusted french toast!)