MBP&O2/O

The Scotch range, if memory serves me correctly is pretty much bog standard, sub £30 from a supermarket. The prices they were charging for the 'premium' brands were expensive. My two favourites .. at home ... retail around £65 a bottle ... there are SS equivalents of a similar price range, but no way would I pay $15 per 30ml .That works out at a phenomenal price.

You are out of the official TRS season, and yes they get plenty of warning of any 'Oh Nasty weather, and yes the information will be passed on to the passengers, As for 'weather' ... multiple variables ... look out of the window is the best bet

Different strokes etc. All things that I would go out of my way to avoid 🙂

Agree ... disappointing. I was surprised that given the marketing description, the tables were so uncomfortably close to each other. This especially so when the number of customers is purposley imited, so really, IMHO, the number of tables (furniture wise) could be reduced leaving a less 'cramped atmosphere. Last time I ate there I thought the food was average ... certainly not worth the upcharge.

I contacted SS about removing my data from their system, as the 'auto requesti' form on the website didn't work. I explained reason for the request. They replied saying .... "The issue is being investigated internally and I am informed that the issue has been contained." Doesn't sound like a system glitch to me 🤔

I was trying to see if there was a hidden TA hint in there somewhere ... but failed😏 I was Reading too much into it.

I have just emailed SS expressing my concerns, and I asked how I can remove all my details from their system?

The current scenario looks like fun to me 🙂 Wave heights.

I can understand why people who have had a working life in suits now want a change. I too want a change for exactly the opposite reasons. When at sea, we kept 4 hrs on, 8 hrs off watches. There was plenty of 'admin' to do in your 'off' time. Meals were NEVER a relaxed affair. You had no choice about what to wear, and no choice about when to eat, or where to sit. Taking as long as twenty minutes for a meal was frowned upon. When in port, 6 hrs on, 6 hrs off. Same principle but no dining saloon as you were in working gear. Meals were frequently sat on a bollard eating off the plate on your knee, which was handy with Indian crews as you got a proper curry made by an Indian who was cooking what Indians wanted, as opposed to the Goanese cook who was cooking what he thought the Europeans wanted. Meals were frequently missed altogether. To be at sea, on a ship with a smart dress code and being allowed to have a relaxed meal at a time of my choosing and in pleasant surroundings is spot on. If the dining room has the courtesy to have decent tables ( cutlery, glasses, table cloth etc), with smart livered staff, then to me it is common courtesy to dress to those standards. Many will disagree but those people can do what they want, and I will do what I want🙂 I'm on holiday too. All hypothetical now as I have given up with SS, which is a shame as the onboard experience was usually quite good. Corporate management and policy's have turned me off.

Just used the link. Somewhat out of date results and some very dodgy companies mentioned .... least wise 'dodgy' by the number of negative issues raised on the Tripadvisor Cruise forum.

Could you define "Seriously Choppy"? Are we talking rolling through an arc of 60+ degrees or pitching that gets big green ones over the bow? I have been in F8 / F9 in the BoB, and have encountered some really really nasty weather in the Med. Different movement / motion but thoroughly unpleasant. Asia and the typhoon season? Could be rough and TRS's do not read the manuals and are not limited by the official season as defined in the those books. We once caught the back end of a typhoon of Japan, and we were rolling 40 degrees each way for two days ... and that on a laden oil tanker that was not prone to excessive movement. Challenging😵‍💫

"Took BA once in business and won't do that again. Old and tired would be the description for the cabin and just tired for the attendants. Service was marginal and food was dismal (well, it is British 😉)." So BA is getting better then. I agree it is a dire product. When I was at sea we used to fly here there and everywhere to join a ship. They used to give us a minimum of one night in a hotel for mid range flights...6/7 hrs, and two nights for long haul to Aus or NZ. The boffins said that was enough time to recover. They had never flown MEA via Beirut! Or gone onto 4 on 8 off watchkeeping! Also bear in mind that London is horrendously expensive as far as touristy thind are concerned.

QT, Derretts was mandatory reading for all deck officers studying for Certificates of Competency ........ and that was 50 years ago! Most people bought their own. I still have mine .... along with various other memory joggers 😏 such as Principles for Second Mates Elements of Navigation, Cargo work for Deck Officers and Meteorology for Mariners ... Derretts is still referred to as the Stabiility Bible as far as UK Certificates are concerned.

Apart from "Maritime Websites" ...... have you ever read Derretts " Ship Stability for Masters and Mates" ? That explains various aspects of ship Stability including GM, GZ, and Curves of Statical Stability in more depth 😵‍💫

Motion sickness in a car is a totally different thing to motion sickness at sea. Being bounced about in a car and a gentle 5 degree roll on a ship? Too many people get psyched up about the potential for sea sickness. Don't worry about it. Ships masters generally try to avoid the real 'ooh nasty' weather, but sometimes excretea occurs and it might get choppy. IMHO do not take OTC medication without checking the side effects. Many people recommend many drugs but none of them know your allergies and / or intolerances.

Our clock changes were always at 0100 to advance one hour or 0200 to retard one hour. The object was to keep nautical noon as near as possible to 1200. Crew welfare never entered in to it, it was a purely operational decision. Those who were keeping watches ie 4 on 8 off, had to adapt accordingly, 20 minutes each on the three night watches.

Sometime ago there was a documentary on TV and a Philipino cabin attendant was interviewed. She said she could not believe how 'well off' she was on the salary paid. She had free food,uniform, accommodations etc. The only money she spent was of her own choosing. This was AFTER she sent 60% of her wages home! From a professional pov, I have sailed with many many crews from the Indian sub continent. Same attitude.. they felt 'rich'. I never ever heard a 'sob story' from any of them. As an aside, the senior rates earned the same as the British officer cadets.

Tend to agree with that. Bean counters rule! Or should I say bean counters with no knowledge of the product they are dealing with. We had the same when I was at sea ... uni graduates came on board and told senior officers they were doing it wrong and to change to save money. Seabourn, although I have never sailed with them .... one due in August... seems to be discreetly downgrading according to some reviews. Various comments on corporate customer service being poor Silversea has adopted a whole new marketing policy ... generally speaking it seems to be frowned upon by the veterans, although the very rich veterans accept it. Customer service going down hill. etc, I too can see some major casualties coming soon.

Once closed the IDL on Xmas day, the Old Man wouldn't let me advance the clocks and miss out the 25th ... had to do it on the 26th instead. As it was the European ratings missed out on statutory overtime payments on the 26th so the books had to be cooked.

A star rising in the east

I never go to the theatres on board and hate any loud and / or intrusive music in bars etc. Music is subjective and it can be so easy to irritate someone with overly loud music that is not to their taste. That, to me, is not entertainment.

I use a Sony HX400/HX400V .. Great results ... as a test I took a pic of a bee on a flower some 50 feet away. It succeeded so it should be OK for Whales in Alaska in August ... I hope😏

Am I correct in thinking that this question has been posted on at least three different boards?

Booked ours a year out?

In all my years at sea we always 'flogged the clocks' to keep to local time. It was a bit of a pain when trading between the UK and the European near continent, and even more of a pain when travelling between two ports that were 12 hrs apart!