nowornever

I'm so happy you are all sort of re-united with your luggage & I hope it's all sorted out soon. At last you will be able to have formal night !😁

Another one to read before visiting is "Nicholas & Alexandra" which explains a lot about the sites you will see in St. Petersburg. Also, remember to check on a Russian visa if you use anything other than a ship tour. It's (or at least it was several years ago) a bit complicated.

A "bummer" for me will be bridge. I just can't see playing anytime soon because of the close quarters. Wearing a mask for 2-3 hours at a time isn't appealing. Giving "suspicious" looks to your table mates & worse than suspicious (terror, horror?) looks when someone coughs or sneezes? So anxious to go again but then reality dawns. We have about 2 more days to decide on the 30 Oct. Moon cruise & I'm rapidly talking myself out of it. I wish we knew more about any boarding requirements Silversea will impose.

I'm so happy to hear this ! Let us know when it's safely home.

You might want to check on an "Enhanced Driver's License" for entry into Canada.

This information was announced yesterday. I wonder how Silversea will re-configure the schedule to get the Muse to Asia? I assume they can't go from Vancouver? The logistics folks at headquarters certainly are going crazy right now. https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/cruises/2020/06/19/us-cruise-ban-cruises-suspended-until-sept-15-industry-group-clia/3222379001/

Oh no Faux, I'm so sorry to hear that. You did indeed express my thought that if the crew has been sitting on the ship for weeks on end without being exposed & the luggage has been in the bowels of the ship, untouched, then transferring the luggage to an onshore agent would pose little to no risk to anyone other than you when you received it. We let ours sit in the garage for a few days & then doused the exteriors with Lysol spray! I think "your" ship is headed to France (?) so you will undoubtedly receive it soon after they arrive & can off-load. Please let us know - fingers are still crossed for you.

To MBP's point posted above: If, during our confinement on the Shadow in Brazil, we had not had a verandah, I may have gone stir crazy. The odds of this happening again are very small (hopefully) but in this environment, it's not inconceivable. You are the only one who can figure out your tolerance for such a scenario. I wouldn't wish that on anyone ! But no matter what the cabin you occupy, you will be treated royally so don't let that concern you. Awww.... I wish I could be there right now, verandah or not. Happy planning.

I'm seriously concerned for ours on 30 Oct. & not sure I even want to go...still contemplating. Are you sure you really want to go since you've been treated for health conditions?

FauxNom, I'm so sorry about this further delay. Yes, it absolutely strikes me as thoughtless & borderline cruel. I assume Silversea is paying them a lot of money for re-supplying, berthing, port taxes, etc. Have you contacted your Member of Congress. When we were "imprisoned" in Recife, our local Congresswoman's office was very actively working angles on our behalf. Maybe they could contact the Embassy/Consulate in Panama City. I hope you are feeling well now. Keep us posted.

Regarding buffets in La Terrazza. This Japanese experiment on the spread of "bugs" on a buffet was kind of scary, although we all realize the hazard even during the good old days (when was that, 3 months ago?) Pretty sure buffets will be a thing of the past for the foreseeable future which will be more of a problem for the larger ships. I know that I wouldn't dream of it. https://www.9news.com.au/world/japan-experiment-shows-how-virus-spread-in-buffet-through-contact-coronavirus/907de8a5-b03e-4437-9f91-25c2646cfd2b

Hi Turtle. We have done 3 Grand Voyages, sadly the last one was abruptly ended by the plague. Every effort is made to connect the Grand Voyage passengers & create a sense of "togetherness" with a pre-cruise welcome dinner, special lunches/brunches/dinners & shore events. It's a great atmosphere for cruising & I'd be happy to do another. We've looked at the Med. ones & wondered the same thing about "a few 7 day cruises strung together." I'd love to hear from someone who has done one of these Med. Grand Voyages. When we got to the Caribbean towards the end of the South America GV 3 years ago, it seemed like people were embarking & disembarking at every port - even in San Juan the last stop before Ft. Lauderdale.

On the crew issue, very interesting article in today's NYT about a Seabourn singer stuck on board the Odyssey: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/03/us/coronavirus-cruise-ship-singer-barbados.html?action=click&module=Top Stories&pgtype=Homepage NPR Sunday Morning had a feature today on the thousands of crew stuck with no pay & many sick. No particular cruise line was mentioned. I'm sure we will hear stories from the fabulous Silversea crew when the next cruise is finally in sight. They are in my thoughts so often.

FauxNom. I hope that each day has brought improvement in your health. Did you have really bad dreams when you returned? I did & woke up several times a night thinking I was still there. It took a week to get over them...mostly. To answer your question about the time we had on board prior to the quarantine, we boarded in FLL on 24 Jan so had 3 full segments of the 4 segment Grand Voyage. The folks who boarded in Rio only had 3 or 4 days. According to Fed Ex, our luggage is due to arrive on Wed. It went to Tilbury, even though the Cloud went to Southampton. Apparently the luggage was taken from the Shadow to the Cloud in the Canary Isl., to Southampton to Tilbury....are you following? Of course we have pretty much everything in our suticases that is forbidden by FedEx (liquids & electronics) so who knows what will arrive? Fortunately "formal nights" have all been canceled at home ! Please keep us posted on your situation ... health & luggage.

Faux Nom. I am so very sorry to hear that you two were infected (and affected) but I'm happy to hear that you are recovering & wish you continued healing. That was certainly an experience you won't forget. We were on the Silver Shadow at the time of quarantine & I can pretty much attest to the fact that an embarking passenger in Rio (this was a 4 segment Grand Voyage) became ill soon after boarding & was removed in Recife where we were then quarantined for 10 days. He tested positive and my understanding is that his wife came down with it also. He has sadly passed away but she is recovering from what I've read/heard. There was another passenger with suspected COVID but it was determined that she was suffering from pneumonia & has returned home. There is a thread on here under "Silver Shadow" where this is discussed fully. In my correspondence with other passengers, I have thankfully not heard of further cases. As an aside, the Americans who were "repatriated" - that was the word of the day - were not permitted to travel home with luggage so we are still waiting. Other nationalities were able to take theirs along. We had communication from Silversea today that it will be shipped from Southampton around the 28th. I'll believe it when I see it. FauxNom, please continue to let us know how you two are progressing. Best wishes for complete recoveries.