dbbsteve

I am on the Dawn now.  The new dress code is in effect.  There are only "Elegant Casual" and "Formal Optional" evenings.

On Elegant Casual nights a jacket is definitely not required.  About 50% men wore a jacket in the Atlantide nevertheless.

Just finished dinner on a Formal Optional night at the Atlantide.  About 10-15% men wore tuxedoes.  Almost all men had a jacket, I guess 50% with ties.  

You will be fine.

Hi StollyBolly, I managed to find all the daily programs of the above mentioned cruise but haven't heard from you.  Please let me know if this is what you are looking for. 

The itinerary was:
(17 July 2018): Tower Bridge - At Sea - Haugesund - Flam - Alesund - Bronnoysund - Leknes - Narvik - Honningsvag/Nordkapp - Hammerfst - Tromso - At Sea - Andalsnes - Molde - Bergen - At Sea - Tower Bridge (1 Aug 2018).

Are you referring to the July 17-August 1 sailing on the Silver Wind round trip from the Tower Bridge to the North Cape?  I was on that cruise.  Are you looking for the itinerary only or actual copies of the daily program?  I should be able to find them.

Dear Silke,

As of today, there is no Covid restrictions entering Hong Kong.  No vaccination or testing requirements and no quarantine.  

You are free to roam the city.  No vaccine pass required.  

Covid-related boarding requirement is up to individual cruise lines I believe, not by the government.

(P.S. As an incentive to visitors, the HK is giving away 500,000 free air tickets to visitors via the airlines.  If you are interested: https://www.hongkongairport.com/iwov-resources/html/wow/tickets/en/)

I was in the same situation a few months earlier and had a July 2020 Wind cruise cancelled by Silversea.  I made enquiries to Silversea through my TA.  I was, like you, keen to make another booking as soon as possible with their FCC offer.

While Silversea did not directly address the question, they drew my attention to the following terms and conditions (for 2021 sailings)-which is still on their website:

“The FCC can be moved voyage to voyage towards any other 2020 voyage”

“Once applied toward future cruise(s), the Cruise Credit will be rendered null and void”
Quote:
“If you cancel the new booking say in Jan 2021 with reference from your example, it will be as per our standard Terms and Conditions as of now. You may refer Here for the latest update on our “Cruise with Confidence” policy.

My interpretation and that of my TA was that if you cancel the 2021 booking (or try to change to another sailing), the FCC is no longer valid because it is "null and void" and you would likely lose all your money, meaning the cruise you booked becomes binding and non-refundable.  There is not even mention of getting another FCC back because it is not movable voyage to voyage.

The alternative is if you are absolutely certain that you will sail on Silversea in the next two years you can get the 125% (or 110%) credit and use $1,000 of the FCC to pay the deposit.  I have confirmed with Silversea that part of the FCC can be used as a deposit, and you also get all future cruise / early booking bonus.  

Quote:

"For Future Cruise Credits received as a result of recent cruise cancellations, it will be accepted as the deposit (minimum US1,000) for the Double Bonus promotion" 

You can keep the rest of the FCC to see if the situation will improve, and only make final payments with the FCC at the last possible moment.  If you cancel the booked cruise you will lose $1,000 pp instead of the entire FCC.

I am sure if Silversea cancels the cruise some kind of arrangement will be made.

I decided (reluctantly) to take the cash refund.

Please let me know if this is incorrect or there are new developments.

I was also just informed by my agent that my July 9 Reykjavik to London cruise on the Wind was cancelled, and that I will receive details via email later.  Nothing on the website so far.

It depends on the route you take and whether you intend to visit other points of interest on the Antrim Coast.  We did this in 2017 with a private driver.  On the way we took the scenic coastal route, leaving the pier at 9am, had a quick photo stop at the Carrickfergus Castle, and a second restroom stop at the Carrick A Rede Rope Bridge (11am, did not get on the bridge).  We arrived at the Giants Causeway at 11:45 am, about 3 hours.  

On the return trip we took the highway A26 to M2, leaving at 2:15 pm and was back in Belfast by 3:30 pm.  So if your only wish was to get to the Causeway as quickly as possible the M2 route will get you there in a little over an hour.
 

There are a series of gangway type walkways that you will have to negotiate before you reach the tender.   First you disembark the Silver Wind on the usual ship's gangway (quite level) onto the deck of the HMS Belfast, then walk a bit on the starboard deck aft.  Then you descend a second walkbridge (inclined, no stairs) to a lower deck, move further aft and finally descend another gangway type exit stairs (well made, under cover) to reach the local tender (Catamaran).  It is not difficult, but can be slow in single-file.  

I attach some random photos that show the process (2017, 2018) and also one of inside of the tender.  The last exit steps were taken on boarding but they were the same stairs.  Hope this helps.

Leaving the Silver Wind

Descend walkway aft

Moving aft towards tender

Last steps onto tender (Taken on embarkation)

Inside of tender

It was a free shuttle scheduled for 10am and there was no line up, but we were not on a Princess ship.

Yes we took a taxi back to the ship, having wandered off into the Guiness Storehouse area.  We did not have to wait too long.  The fare was €18.5.

I can add our own experience.  We docked at Dublin on a Friday in August 2017 and took the ship’s 10 am shuttle to Merrion Square, arriving 10:15 am.  It was a short walk to Trinity College.  We had booked online tickets for the Book of Kells/Old Library for 11:30 am.  We ended up arriving by 10:35 am.  There was no one in line and they let us in with barely a glance at the ticket.  So I suppose it is safer to book a later time of entrance.

We stayed several times at the Radisson Royal Copenhagen (previously the Radisson Blu Royal, or Radisson SAS). It has a modern 'Scandinavian' feel, in a high building with great views. Very cool real air con. Located next to Tivoli, and a short walk to the City Hall and Stroget, and subway and bus stations. Across the street is the Tourist Information Center. Meets all our requirements and is our favorite pre-cruise hotel.

Last August we sailed from the Tower Bridge at 7:30 am. Lifeboat drill was at 6:00 pm on the day of boarding.

We visited these ports last summer.

Eidfjord is a rather remote place and there weren’t that many options for DIY that I could find. In the end we went for a ship’s tour to the Sysen dam and Voringfoss waterfall which were just OK.

There are tons of information regarding Alesund on this board (Thanks Lars) and the town is very easily explored on your own, except, like others pointed out, getting up to Mount Aksla. We decided to take the City Sightseeing train which was right outside the terminal (departs on the hour) up to Mount Aksla (30mins). Then we just left the train and continued on our own. We descended the steps into town and enjoyed the Alesund and Fisheries Museum. I believe there should be a HOHO bus but we did not see it.

We rented a car in Geiranger. This was our second visit to Geiranger and I must say this was very easy and beats any tour that the ship can offer. We were able to explore so many sights at our own pace and I would highly recommend doing it. We drove to Flydalsjuvet, strolled to the Fjordsetet (which most tourist from the bus will miss), then onto Mount Dalsnibba making frequent stops for photos. Drove back down to Geiranger for lunch at the Union Hotel. A short drive along the fjord led to the Ørnesvingen road for more views. Then we drove on E36 to the Eidsvatnet lake and had the beautiful spot to ourselves. We returned the car a little early and even had time to explore the fjord center and waterfall on foot before returning to the ship.

We stopped at Molde last July. It is a small town and the ship did not offer any excursions. I also researched options 1-4 but did not find any of them appealing. We decided to rent a car and drove to Trollstigen. The route was very scenic and easy, and this turned out to be one of the best days in our entire cruise.

We took a ship's excursion to Schwerin back in 2014, including a Lake Cruise. It was on one of the "White Fleet" boats, and the lake cruise lasted only 30 minutes, essentially a circle on the lake. The boat has an air-conditioned enclosed cabin on the lower deck with restaurant style seating, and an open-air sun deck. Snacks and drinks were available from a small menu. The main attraction of the lake cruise was the opportunity to take better photos of the castle from the water, and it was certainly an enjoyable experience. There may be longer cruises offered by the same company, but I have no experience.

From their website, wheelchair access is allowed inside the Castle:

http://www.museum-schwerin.com/visitor-information/

The tour path inside was clearly marked and carpeted.

The Schwerin town has cobblestones in some areas, but also has better pavements. Moving around in a wheelchair should be fine.

He was the Executive Chef on the Silver Whisper in May and July 2014.

You don't have to walk up to Sorrento if you don't need the exercise. There is a public lift that will take you up to the Villa Comunale Park for one Euro. With your back to the sea after you tender into Marina Piccola walk towards the right along the cliff. You will find signs to the "Ascensor".

We were on the Wind last summer with an overnight at Sorrento. I can confirm that the last tender from Sorrento was 11:59 pm.

There is no need to get any prepaid Airport Express tickets in HKG. I am not sure if this is a Plaza Premium Lounge promotion but it is only worthwhile if they are providing a good deal.

A single journey ticket from the airport to Kowloon station costs HK$90. If you are travelling as a group buy a group ticket at a reduced price. A group ticket for two costs HK$140 ($70 each). These special fare tickets can only be purchased at a customer service point (you talk to a person) and not at ticket machines.

At HKG there are multiple points where you can purchase Airport Express tickets. The first is after you leave customs (but before you exit the arrival hall, on the left). It is usually more crowded as tourists generally go there. There is another ticket sales point in the middle of the Arrivals Hall under the “Train to City” sign. The third, and easiest, is the customer service desk on the platform itself (it is in the middle of the platform, just in front of the train). Most of the time the wait (if any) is short. Credit cards are accepted.

Know that you actually do NOT need a ticket to board the train. The ticket (contact type) is required only once, as you exit your destination station. No on board checks are done.

So I would suggest the “Walk through” at HKG:

1. Arrive at Terminal 1, Collect bags, go through immigration and customs.

2. Walk directly to the train on the same level. (Turn left at Arrivals Hall, look for big “Train to City” sign in the middle, you will arrive on the platform in less than 2 minutes. There is only one train.

3. Go to the middle of the platform and purchase the ticket at the Customer Service Desk.

4. If there is a queue and the train is already waiting, just board the train without tickets. It is perfectly legal. Purchase the same tickets at the Kowloon Station customer service desk at the platform when you arrive and then exit the station.

5. You have a choice of taking a taxi to the Salisbury hotel, or use the free Airport Express Shuttle Bus (Route K2 to Peninsula Hotel) – show the boarding pass.

There may be other “tricks” to get a slightly better deal depending on whether you are flying home from HKG, how many people in your group, and your intended length of stay in HKG, but the difference is not big.

If you have to go there, the Plaza Premium (Arrivals) Lounge is actually one level right below the customer service desk at the middle of the Airport Express Platform. The signage is not very clear. Follow the same Train to City sign to the middle of the platform. Take an escalator / elevator down with your bags. The lounge is on the left, in the passageway between Terminal 1 and 2.

We were in Ajaccio a few days ago. You will find both at the bottom of Place Foch.

The Le Petit train has two circuits. A lady in a booth sells tickets which are just big blue or pink stickers to “identify” you to the driver. It is the usual tourist "train" with three cars.

The 45 minute “Imperial City Tour” is 7 Euros and includes 11 sights in the heart of the city. You can actually do most of them on your own on foot. (And most of them are within a few minutes of Place Foch so there is no real need for HOHO). In my opinion the only reason to be on this train is to go to the Cave Napoleon on the hill for photos. The train makes a 15 minute stop (the only stop) on the Cave, and returns to the city. There is a recorded narration in three languages. The route includes the following:

Town Hall, Diamond Square, Anglican Church, Cave Napoleon (15 min stop), Statue of Modesty, St Francis Beach, Cathedral, Citadel, Napoleon’s House, and Paoli statue.

The same train also does a 90 minutes Sanguine Islands Circuit for 10 Euro and adds 4 sights to the above list: Greek’s Chapel, Beaches, Mediterranean Statue, and Sanguine Islands (Stop 10 minutes).

The train seems to be more popular and has more frequent departures.

The open top Bus Touristique is a yellow double-decker that departs at the same place that does pretty much the same thing.

90 minutes circuit for 10 Euros

55 minute circuit for 8 Euros

Departure is every 45 minutes. The problem I find with this bus is they may not operate if there is not enough people on the bus. (The refused to operate the 1:30 pm advertised tour because there were only 4 people, and asked us to return 2:15 pm). So beware.

The Executive Chef on board the Quest now is Martin Katzing, from Germany.

I am on board the Quest now and the cruise director is Heather Clancy.

The ship is in great shape and we are having a good time. And yes, Oliver Rayburn is on board.

Dear Master Echo

I am currently on board the Whisper:

Captain: Angelo Corsaro

Hotel Director: Norman Rafelson

Cruise Director: Fernando de Oliveira

Restaurant Manager: Jorge Caeiro

Hope that answers your question.

Steve

I took these photos on the Silver Wind last month in a Verandah cabin.

On the main desk you have a horizontal arrangement of four power outlets, two American, and two European.

On the smaller vanity desk there are two additional outlets (One American, one European) arranged vertically. However they are occupied by the power adapter of a small desk clock, which you may unplug.

We find these were adequate for our needs. A small adapter would help.