JohnGinPBG

37 minutes ago, TLCOhio said:

Here are a range of the views and sights from the Silver Muse this morning as we approached and rotated around both sides of the ship to see the Hubbard Glacier.  

I noticed there was no one in the pool! The day we visited Hubbard Glacier, the temp was in the 40's and the wind chill in the 20's. You had much better luck, it appears.

Patiently waiting for your Sitka wildlife/whale pics and commentary. Hope you had a great day!

37 minutes ago, TLCOhio said:

Here are a range of the views and sights from the Silver Muse this morning as we approached and rotated around both sides of the ship to see the Hubbard Glacier.  

I noticed there was no one in the pool! The day we visited Hubbard Glacier, the temp was in the 40's and the wind chill in the 20's. You had much better luck, it appears.

Patiently waiting for your Sitka wildlife/whale pics and commentary. Hope you had a great day!

1 hour ago, Silver Spectre said:

I didn’t mention prices. What I found frustrating on the Muse is that apart from the art in the Arts Cafe and the ‘stunning’ print of ‘The Boss’ in Dolce Vita, no one on the ship knows who produced the art that is liberally scattered around the ship, there is no explanation whatever.

I agree 100%. On the Shadow last year and the Spirit this year, I suggested to the reception desk that they provide a guide to the art on board. I was met by vacant stares. All I was told was "They are from the Chaiman's private collection." I would think the Chairman would want cruisers to know a little about his artworks.

18 minutes ago, scubacruiserx2 said:

 

You're welcome . We bought some acreage in 1980 when we lived in Ft. Lauderdale to move away from all the congestion and traffic there . We don't care for it now any more then we did then .

Small world. I lived in Lauderdale in 1980 as well. Then 8 years in CT before coming here in 1991. Broward is an absolute zoo now.

Just started your Zuiderdam blog. Great stuff!  Funny, we're flying BA on the 747 upper deck from London to MIA at the end of our next cruise in October.

7 minutes ago, scubacruiserx2 said:

We're out West at the end of Northlake .

How do you feel about all the new developments?

Thanks for the Iceland intel!

9 minutes ago, scubacruiserx2 said:

Thanks John , is PBG  Palm Beach Gardens ? We missed Sitka because of 20' waves and high wind when we were in Alaska .

Yes, it is.

Where did you see the puffins in Iceland? We're going there next year.

6 minutes ago, scubacruiserx2 said:

So where is the best place to see them in Alaska ?

We saw tufted puffins last year on a boat trip from Sitka.  I think they are the only variety  you will see in Alaska.

1 minute ago, QueSeraSera said:

Whoa, no pix from Terry this evening.  Like the expression goes - you never know what you've got till it's gone.

Be patient. It's only 3:30 pm in Alaska. Terry will deliver, as always.

Super enjoying your descriptions and photos of your epic trip! The Muse sounds wonderful and the photos of your Canadian/Alaskan adventure have been awesome. Especially like your close-up of the eagle, which I was unable to capture on our trip last year. It inspired me to buy a 70-300mm lens.

Thought you might like to see my pics of New Eddystone Rock from the air. Keep posting!

3 hours ago, TLCOhio said:

Agree with above that Tor's is somewhat under-appreciated.  BUT, keeping it semi-secret can be good as that makes it nicer as an escape point.  Less people its location and view then that makes it better for us.  Right? 

Good point. I'll revise my comment and instead quote Yogi Berra. "Nobody goes there anymore...It's too crowded."

1 hour ago, TLCOhio said:

All going well as I sit in the Tor's Observation Library.  Wonderful views from here and so quiet and comfortable for such writing early in the am.  

 

Sounds delightful, Terry! I think Tor's is a very under-appreciated space, especially on sea days. We visited there several times on our last cruise and were alone each time. You can't get a better view. 

On 7/23/2019 at 10:30 AM, TLCOhio said:

Yes, hope you cancapture a picture on Thursday as our Silver Muse departs at 5 pm, sails under your famed bridge and heads north to Alaska. 

 

Looking forward to all your great posts from the Muse, Terry! Have a wonderful cruise and Denali trip.

4 hours ago, Lois R said:

not sure if I pulled a muscle or if it something else but I have been in back pain since the middle of last week

Sorry about your pain, Lois. I get back pain about once a year for a month or so and it's always just a strained muscle. I used to use a heating pad but have since learned that an ice pack is much more effective for my pain. You might give it a try. Good luck and feel better.

Thank you, misty! I will never sail around the world, but your wonderful photos and commentary let me experience it second-hand, and for that I'm thankful.

We bought this DEET spray for last year. Didn't use it much, but it's a good deal.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IK5CFCI/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

On the Spirit in March, we enjoyed Spaten poolside with our lunch.

3 hours ago, jpalbny said:

Magellan iris-infused gin, with the newly-acquired elderflower tonic. It's a wonderful combination.

 

Wow, JP, I've been drinking mundane G+Ts for years, it appears. I will try your concoction! I heard from family that it was a little sticky up there. Sounds like our FLa. summer, but maybe not as intense.

Belated Happy Birthday to Madame!

Excited to hear about the next portion of your cruise, as Mrs. and I are on the Spirit from Venice to Athens on October 18. Our ports in common are Dubrovnik, Rhodes and Santorini. We're looking forward to all, but worried that Santorini will be a bust with over 11.000 cruise ship passengers there for the day. There is much concern that the cruise industry is overwhelming many ports and I fear we will experience this first-hand.

The Shadow, however, looks like it will be the only ship visiting when you're there, so enjoy the uncrowded visit.

Smooth sailing!

4 hours ago, les37b said:

 

We seem to have a large selection of those in our bathroom! Not quite sure how they got there! 😂

Our goal in March leaving the Spirit was to be 100% Bvlgari until our October return. Looks like we'll make it!

I second JP's praise. Your writing transported me to Tuscany for the day, even without photos. In October, we have arranged for five nights at an agriturismo/villa/winery in Chianti, and I felt as if I was already there. Looking forward to reading more of your wonderful descriptions of your journey.

6 hours ago, scubacruiserx2 said:

Another puffin with a different meal .

Great!. Thanks for the info. I'm looking at a 70-300 for our trip next year.

Enjoy the rest of your trip!

3 hours ago, RachelG said:

We are getting ready for our August cruise on Cloud, circumnavigation of Iceland.  I went on the Silversea website to order our parkas, and while there, I read the NEW policy regarding boots.  You can rent for $90 and they are onboard when you get there, and you leave them on the ship.  Or you can bring your own, but you cannot leave those on the ship.  So it is going to be different than the old days on Explorer where they had a big supply of boots from ones that people had left onboard.  They will not have loaners.

 

So I went ahead and rented.  We have boots at home, but it is worth $90 pp to me to not have to wash cow manure off them and carry in an extra suitcase as I definitely would not put our ranch muck boots in any suitcase with my nice clothes, even if thoroughly cleaned.  Not to mention having to clean again at the end of the cruise and lug home.

This is good advice, Rachel. We'll follow your lead and rent for our 2020 Cloud cruise from Dublin to Reykjavik. Thanks.

2 hours ago, Daveywavey70 said:

being $625 dollars up, I decided to call it a night.

Looks like you'll be buying the drinks! Oh, wait a minute. You're off the hook.

I agree with you on the Silver Note Beehive. Interesting presentation, lackluster flavor.

39 minutes ago, scubacruiserx2 said:

Puffins

Outstanding!

May I ask what camera/lens/settings you used? And where was the taken?

We're sailing the Scottish Islands and Iceland next year. Hope I can do as well as you with the birds!

10 minutes ago, Daveywavey70 said:

Well it’s now 2.30 a.m., just finished work

Vivid description of last minuteness, Davey! Soon, you'll have a little nip and be dozing on the plane on the way to a wonderful Alaskan adventure. Cheers!