wineasmusic

We had great service. I did a daily posting to this board of our adventure. D2

Turns out the Silversea cruise included Latam flight from the Galapagos to Guayaquil continued on to Quito. It would have been better for us to continue to Quito and catch our Delta flight there, but we did not know. Can't guarantee that Latam schedule would not change though. The default Silversea flight was to Guayaquil, so we just planned accordingly. We did our own flights to Ecuador.

I would not call Ecuador a cesspool. We were just there in May for our Galapagos cruise. We did a day trip in Quito to the old town area and it was great. Unfortunately, fuel and food costs are going to cause uprisings in many developing countries this summer, a bit like back in the Arab Spring. Some of these will bring down governments and be very violent. With any luck they can get you in and out avoiding the problem areas. We did a Greek cruise from Athens during one of the times Athens exploded with violence. We stayed in a part of the city away from the riots (they trashed the hotel we stayed at the time we visited before). We did not tour the city pre cruise, but we did a day trip to Corinth and it was great. Sometimes the violence is too great to do that and sometimes it is not. I have a group of 6 friends on that cruise. Good luck… D2

Just got back from the Galapagos on Silver Origin. Our cruise docs suggested we get a PCR on Wed so the test would still be current for boarding the ship on Sat. We paid $300 for our PCR tests. We flew to Ecuador Thursday and SS included 2 nights in a hotel before flying us to the Galapagos to board the ship on Sat. When we got to Quito, ALL passengers had to do an antigen test SS paid for. So our PCR tests they told us to get were wasted. Can’t be sure all SS ships require a test administered by SS before boarding like Silver Origin did. D2

When we booked last year, SS included a flight to the ship from Quito and flew you to Guayaquil after the cruise where they gave you a day room. We flew Delta into Quito before the cruise and our return Delta flight had a leg on Latam from Guayaquil back to Quito to pick up the Delta flight to Atlanta. D2

We had to show vaccination plus one booster cards to the airline, Ecuador and to SS before boarding the ship. We had to test Friday morning at the hotel between 8 and 9am (cost included) before boarding the ship. SS docs said to get a PCR test Wed and it would be good for Ecuador entry and boarding the ship. Ecuador did not ask for test result and SS made us do the Friday test anyway, so $300 for PCR tests wasted. SS tests you again after the cruise at the day room hotel (cost included) so you can get back in the U.S. D2

Disembarkation went well. Blue group left first on the zodiacs and then green group. When your zodiac gets to the dock, you board the bus for a short trip to the airport. You pick out your check luggage (they brought it to the airport) and check in for the flight to guayaquil. When you arrive you claim your luggage and get on a bus to the Oro Verde hotel where you get a meal and a day room. Then at your appointed time you get on a shuttle to the airport. Most flights to the US leave between 10pm and 1:45am. This all went quite well except for the half of the cruise that was connecting through Miami. The storm cancelled their flight. That was no fun for those folks. We really enjoyed this cruise. D2

This morning we did the Darwin center. Boatloads of giant turtles. Some of them were really massive. Can't believe something like this actually exists. The last supper was really good. I had prawns with an artichoke sauce. The Galapagos prawns are excellent!. Lunch was an excellent suckling pig. Seems pigs had overrun one of the islands and were only eradicated about a decade ago. Maybe the locals have a taste for pig since there was probably free pig for everyone due to the eradication effort? We leave by Zodiac in the morning. Seems this ship never docks. All provisions are brought out by boat, including fuel. The luggage is transferred by boat and we will get it at the airport to check in for our flight. We've really enjoyed this cruise! D2

Yes, she was excellent. We told her what we wanted to see and it worked out great! D2

I don't think we are allowed to post recommendations. She was killer! Is there a way to send me a DM on this site? D2

The trail is all big rocks about a foot or so big. They are jumbled in all directions. You are having to pick your way between our on top if they are flat enough. Takes some balance and leg strength. 2 hours of that at a slow pace. If you can do it it's worth it. A number of folks were in poor shape but still pulled it off. D2

We did Machu Picchu several years ago on an orient express tour. Staying in the hotel at the site was a big win. All the tourists leave about 3pm to catch the trains so it is all yours. Don't do much first day in Cusco. You are at 10k feet! Your body needs time to settle. We took the Hiram Bingham train round trip. It was really cool. D2

The food was again great today. Wifey did have a problem with the lunch menu, first time, and had to rely on the basics menu. I don't know what all is on that menu, but there are standards you can order anytime, anywhere. She did a margarita pizza. The crust was a little different than she is used to, but she was ok with it. Cheeseburgers, pizza and things like that are on that menu. Today had the most challenging hike we have done. They warned us in advance. It was very worthwhile, but it was a lot of work. Tomorrow the Darwin center and more giant turtles. I think some of these are double the age of the oldest cruiser on the ship. We have not sailed Silversea since 2005, but we have done Seaborn and Regent a bunch. This cruise, being an adventure cruise, has a younger crowd than those. D2

The night I did hot Rocks it was either octopus or tofu. All the beef has to be pre-cooked before coming to the islands. The one piece of beef I had appeared to have been cooked sous vide, so it still has a pink color. No medium rare steaks in the Galapagos... The wines are from everywhere, mostly Argentina and Chile, but even a number from Italy. D2

We are now halfway through the cruise. So far the food has been very, very good! I'm a foodie, so wine and food are very important to me, so I'm happy the food part is so good. This is a seafood focused cruise (although wifey is still finding plenty to eat). I've been lobbying the Hotel Director to have more Pinot noir wines on board. There is only one on the wine bottle menu. Today we got our picture taken with a wild giant tortoise. Huge... We will see them again another day. D2

We did the Grill last night for dinner (reservations only). They seated 22 (there are 71 on board). It was a nice night for dinner topside. The main Grill seating area has movable glass walls so they can block the wind as needed. It has an opaque cover to protect from the sun for lunch. I did the "Hot Rocks", which I am told is available fleet wide. Choices last night were octopus or tofu. I love octopus and it was great! Wifey got pork ribs (very good). You cook your food on this hot lava rock, flipping it over after a certain time. It was a fun thing to do on vacation, glad I did it, but for me it was one of those "one and done" kind of things... D2

Today's excursions are zodiac drive bys. These islands are all too rugged lava to walk on. This morning we went out early and went along the shore, backing into some lagoons for a better view. Some of the sea lions got jealous when we were looking at birds so they came right up to the zodiac to get our attention. They are very photogenic. Today is one of the best spots for snorkeling and those folks are excited. Chance to swim with penguins, turtles and marine iguanas. Colder water here so they will all be wearing their wet suits. You are given a wet suit, short sleeves with shorts (one piece). Also get a mask, snorkel and fins. Find out about how to sign up for kayaking as soon as you get on the ship. Have overheard someone complaining the list was already full for that day, so understand how that works as soon as you get on. We did the standard Silversea plan with 2 nights in Quito. We hired a guide to see Quito most of the day. Well worth seeing. Stayed in the old town area and did not try to do to much as it is 9200ft, so some huffing and puffing. We booked a year ago, so they may have a different plan now. Included was a Quito by night tour which left at 5 and returned about 7:30. D2

The rooms are nice, some cool innovations like drawers that finish shutting themselves so they don't slam. Yes, I've seen that before on nice cruise ships, but these seem to really work. Our room has the new "horizon balcony". Those at home can follow along by checking the Silversea website looking at the Silver Origin. Essentially, they are giant motorized windows that you can open. The idea is you get the balcony space added to your room. This is going to be a personal preference item as everyone uses their room different. We are balcony folks (weather permitting) so I think we will stick with a real balcony. Most folks underutilize their balconies, so this is a way to get more room and still open the massive window occasionally for the sea air experience, big win for them! The first day, anchored close to shore in the warm afternoon, we tried it out. Fail. It made the room hot, and introduced a fly and a moth. Tonight, we figured it out. There is a separate curtain you can draw that is between the room and the indoor "balcony" area. It keeps any warm air out of the main room. We also waited until we were away from shore and avoided bugs. That worked! Again, it comes down to what you value in a room. I'll be interested to see if this shows up on other new ships. Off to the daily briefing... D2

The ship is new and looks great. 2 restaurants, the main, more formal one and the grill on the top deck. Breakfast is a buffet in the main restaurant so you can eat quickly to make your early excursion. Most folks eat lunch on the top deck. For dinner, the grill on the top deck is reservation only, doing the "Hot Rocks" thing, which we will see for the first time tonight. Big birthday dinner for my Wife tonight! We have done the main dining room for dinner the last two nights. It is a nice space. The food has been very good. Last night I had surf and turf. Beef (and I'm sure other meats) have to be pre-cooked before being brought to the islands. So if you are interested in a med rare piece of steak, well, it's not gonna happen... This really is a seafood menu being around islands and all. My Wife does not eat seafood (by preference), but she is still being well fed. D2

Here is how the adventure excursions work. There is a main morning and late afternoon adventure walking excursion. The morning starts between 7am and 7:30, depending on your group. You always ride a zodiac to the shore. You walk on the islands to see lots of animals and birds. The animals are not scared of you so you get great pictures up close. You don't really need a huge lens. Everyone comes back and then, mid morning, the snorkelers and sometimes kayakers go out. At noon everyone eats lunch. At 2 there are lectures and then the mid afternoon adventure leaves. This afternoon is a very challenging trek over raw lava fields. They are offering an easier option for those that don't want this much of a challenge. They are very good at showing pictures of what to expect during the briefings so you can decide what is right for you. This is all very well organized! They use the audio system you put on your ear and you can hear your guide without any yelling so the animals are not bothered. More later. D2

Great cruise so far, really enjoying it!. A couple of rough spots, but all resolved, or all within the window of reasonableness. This is an adventure cruise. They have multiple outings a day on the zodiacs. If you did them all for the whole week, well I think you deserve a medal. We are being lazy and skipping kayaking and snorkeling, so we do one excursion in the early morning and one in the late afternoon. These islands are amazing for the unique animals and plants. The ship is beautiful, and the staff is very friendly. The food has been very good so far. I'll be posting observations daily, but this is a start. Got to run to the daily briefing now... D2