FauxNom

Couldn't agree more! It was clear that the Apex group of 50 raised the activity and engagement level a lot. It seemed like a younger crowd, too, but I don't want to generalize. They could have been old as dirt but were uniformly very energetic!

Do tell!

for @BBGrace273 This is from the Setting Sail Guide Embarkation times are included in your final voyage documents. Kindly ensure you have updated all your passport information in your MySilversea account. For customs and immigration purposes, you are required to be onboard at least 90 minutes before the ship’s departure to meet governmental clearance requirements. Guests arriving too close to the ship’s departure could be denied boarding. Once you arrive at the terminal, you will need to show your Silversea voyage documents and your passport. We strongly recommend you keep all necessary documents at hand in your carry-on bag.

Thanks, PP. I eventually found a note in the Setting Sail guide that said you need to be onboard 90 minutes before departure for this paperwork. Departure is 6 so I'm feeling okay about my shuttle arriving at 3. On the guest questionnaire they did offer a 5 p.m. boarding time, I think, so that's even more reassuring. When you fill out the guest info, you get a choice of times beginning at 2 p.m., I think. I had to dig through a bunch of info before finding the thing about being on board 90 minutes early.

Great to hear! Do you recall when the last all-aboard time was when you boarded in Vancouver? Our shuttle arrives at 3 p.m., which I hope won't be a problem even though I believe the last boarding time advertised was 2 p.m.

This sounds like a great cruise! I was sorely tempted because Apex Expeditions is sending a group of their clients and several really great naturalists on this trip: https://www.apex-expeditions.com/expeditions/west-africa-cruise/#wca-apr-25 They are sold out but I sent the link because it will give you more info about what Apex emphasizes; their brochure describes the trip far better than Silversea does! The nice thing about having an Apex group onboard is that you can benefit from all their guides as well as the normal expedition staff. It was a real enhancement on our recent Cape to Cape trip (though you must have a high tolerance for birders with large cameras).

I did that segment in 2023 and had no problems with excursions. You won't be invited to special world cruise events, like dinner in a huge cave in Viet Nam, but everything else included all passengers. It was great!

That seems impossible, especially if the cruise prices are still the same! When I added the second segment to one that had been booked way earlier, Silversea gave me the 5% on each segment, honoring the price at which I had booked the old segment and using current rates for the second. The only exception I can think of is if the pair of cruises is on the list of combination cruises. If so, you can't book the 2 segments separately in order to get the b2b discount: https://www.silversea.com/destinations/combination-cruises.html

Yes, on certain cruises. The cruise description has a little clover sign to indicate this. @toolworker You can use the TV or app to book restaurants and maybe things like spa services, but I don't recall being able to confirm excursions that way. Maybe you can request them and get a response; I don't recall and haven't tried it. I think the internet is fine. The lecture videos are set up so it's like playing a movie, or you can watch it on livestream.

One caveat - some ports aren't conducive to a free shuttle because of local regulations (or the taxi union) so I don't think you can completely rely on that. But there's always a way to get to town, and it's rarely far away.

On my recent b2b cruise things went pretty seamlessly. I did check with reception a couple times to make sure some onboard spending credit carried over to the second leg. At turnaround day in Namibia, it was clear that they wanted us off the ship because there was a wonderful excursion offered (cost-free because we were on an expedition ship), but I don't recall anyone insisting we needed to leave.

Awesome! And note there are 4 ABs in that video, ready to haul us to safety 😉

@Catlover54 You got some excellent answers to your questions. I want to add that you might want to consider sailing on the Endeavour, which has the latest technology and a really well-designed platform for boarding Zodiacs. I kind of like the thrill of boarding a bouncing Zodiac, but I did notice a lot less stumbling and fear among other passengers boarding from the Endeavour in the Arctic versus the same procedure on the Cloud or Explorer. I'll also add that the staffing changes with the conditions. On my recent trip from Cape to Cape there would always be at least two seamen but often more, plus the Zodiac driver standing in the boat to help you get on the pontoon and then the step (the box was always there). Our expedition leader would be stationed on the stairway in case extra help was needed. Nobody got hurt in 21 days of dynamic sea conditions (well, except for the woman who broke her leg on our first hike!). There was some excitement, of course, but the Cloud crew handled it all beautifully. On that recent trip there was about 98% participation on the Zodiac excursions, which is far more than typical. It was a self-selecting group, I guess. The expedition crew were somewhat amazed at the level of interest in Zodiac rides!

Your descriptions and photos are wonderful, JP! Now I'm longing to go back and it's been only a year since my Cairns to Broome trip. We also had loads of Australian passengers, but not so many Kiwis (though one standout Kiwi was Harry on the exped staff; I wonder if he was your driver at the falls?).

I'm sorry this happened and I think Silversea ought to refund the deposit just as a goodwill gesture. However, if I book a standard P2P or D2D fare, I would NOT want the insurance payment due at the time of booking--much preferring a refundable deposit on the cruise, since there's no way you would be able to get a refund on the insurance if you've already paid for it and then cancel. It seems that this problem arose because it was an "essential fare" booking and the Silversea consultant didn't understand that the nonrefundable aspect would have implications for insurance. For that very reason, I booked and paid for my last purchase on my Chase Sapphire card, which will cover trip cancellation.

In other words, if you have hit the 100-day milestone you receive 5% discount on any cruise that you don't book with "essential fare". You would additionally receive 5% discount if the cruise is designated as a "venetian society sailing." More days=more milestone discounts

I'm glad to hear you had a great first cruise! Were you on the Nova? What were your favorite activities on shore?

Do you have to reserve the sauna? It looks gorgeous and i can imagine demand is high. Also, is there a steam room? I'm boarding the Nova in September so I'm avidly following your thread!

Yep, on the Cloud. This cruise was a Conrad Conbrink brain-child, with the most incredible event being a camp set up in the bush for an "overnight tenting experience." Hated to miss that one!

Welcome home! I'm sorry it hit you at all, but I guess home is the best place for it. Indeed, I and all my circle of friends were hit hard. It's not shocking, but so disappointing when you have to miss so many of the incredible events they produced for this cruise.

Getting old? It was in the letter we received and I believe it stands for acute gastroenteritis

I hate to tell tales, but there was a massive outbreak of gastroenteritis on the Cloud in late March, Walvis Bay to Port Elizabeth. We were not told of a precise diagnosis, though it did take you out for 1-3 days, and usually responded to antibiotics. Rumor was that AGE is rampant in Cape Town, where many about-to-embark passengers had spent time before coming on board in Walvis Bay.

What a great travel log! Thanks for doing all the work while I sit on my veranda getting sunburned. What an amazing turnaround in the weather!

PXL_20240304_173056082.TS.mp4 I very much enjoyed the hike to devils nose; felt like I was roaming the desolate moors in some British novel. It was an easy walk for about 95% of the way and those who couldn't manage it jumped on the land Rover to return. Peter Harrison (the Pied Piper of birding) encouraged people to head out to the cliff to see the albatrosses at eye level as they returned from their fishing expeditions. It was amazing--though not as amazing as the morning visit to the huge colony where I benefited from Peter's narrative on albatross behavior. He's a true asset. At devils nose, I think the birds got stressed by a lack of crowd control. The Apex birders group seems a bit more aggressive than typical expedition guests; many plant themselves in their preferred spot to take photos and the rest of the group has to clambor around. That makes for some chaos. The trail to get closer to the colony unfortunately was closed when I was halfway there; I can see the wisdom in that if some birds were stressed. One passenger broke her tibia on the morning walk, sadly. She's staying onboard and plans to have PXL_20240304_173056082.TS.mp4 surgery when she gets home to South Africa. I've seen several other falls on the muddy, uneven and steep trails we encountered that day. It's definitely an expedition! I'm a novice but will try to add a few images of that day. My video of parent feeding chick seems to be located weirdly. Sorry! PXL_20240304_173056082.TS.mp4

Amazing pics, as always. And those are some really crazy numbers - so many staying on for the crossing and so many newbies! I hope your good karma maintains its strength for the c2c; I'm getting pretty excited about joining you! Is Michael the EL? It will be good to see Matt again.