Live from Oceania Sirena (December 16th to January 20th)

We are just leaving Salvador, Bahia. This is our last port before Rio de Janeiro. Sitting in the Horizons listening to fantastic Jazz while sailing away. We will for sure miss the Sirena...

Ivi

Thanks for watching Terry in Ohio. I have followed many of your cruises and enjoyed your posts. I am glad that you have also enjoyed the itinerary in the Amazon. Actually, we took this cruise because of the Amazon. We have learned a lot and are continuing to learn. Ivi

Appreciate, travelberlin, your above very nice and kind follow-up. Glad to hear that you have enjoyed my posts. Keep up the excellent sharing of these details and such wonderful reporting. Still would love to hear more from the original poster who raised concerns.

To support the wisdom of travelberlin and others for taking such a sailing up and down the Amazon River, below are just a few of my favorite images. Many, many more on the full live/blog. Happy, along with travelberlin, to answer any added questions.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

From our Jan. 25-Feb. 20, 2015, Amazon River-Caribbean adventure that started in Barbados, here is the link for that live/blog. Many visuals from this amazing river and Caribbean Islands (Dutch ABC's, St. Barts, Dominica, Grenada, San Juan, etc.):

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2157696

Now at 54,868 views for these postings.

From our very interesting visit to the small and totally-isolated river village of Boca da Valeria along the Amazon River, it was a very moving experience that reminded us how very, very fortunate so many of us, especially those on this ship, are to have great many life options and experiences. There was a single electric line running down the middle of the dirt path in this village and the two homes with satellite dishes, but things were overall fairly primitive. There were lots of children begging for "one dollar", plus a local dressed up in costume ready to pose for pictures. Some of the children had small animals to add to the appeal and local color. Below is one example of Chris from Philadelphia with one of the local girls there. From advance reading/research on these CC boards, I knew to bring extra dollars, plus pens, pencils, gifts for the school, items for the the kids, etc.:

(Open your screen/viewer wider to see these pictures larger!)

While stopped at Santarem along the amazing Amazon River, we had our charter/private boat arranged in advance. We headed into the back-water Amazon regions in search of nature, wildlife, unique scenery, etc. Our boat was fairly small, but with a powerful engine and covered to shade us from the harsh sun. Our skilled Amazon guide, Gil Serique, was on the look-out for birds, unique views and nature action. Our driver got us through very shallow and challenging areas. We saw lots of special birds, unique animals, flowers, giant water lilies, etc., during this adventure exploration.:

Here is just one view that offers only a small sampling for what we experienced and enjoyed at this Parintins “Boi Bumba” program. Lots of the story involves the white bull and the relationships with the young lady. Are not the costume wonderful??? Large cast, lots of upbeat music, large "action figures" coming out, etc. Parintins is situated in the largest river archipelago of the mid-Amazon. This area is rich in centuries-old Indian culture and celebrates an annual “Boi Bumba” festival. The yearly folkloric festival, considered second only to Carnival in Rio, is held in June. For cruise ship visitors, the townspeople re-enact this festival for visitors throughout the year. From Cory Sandler, our destination consultant, what we saw is not exactly the full, real deal as done in their larger stadium with the shouting crowds. BUT, we loved the music, dancing, costumes, excitement, etc. It was not cheap at $149 per person, but my wife and others really enjoyed this sampling for a little bit of the Brazil carnival spirit and style. Of our 179 passengers on the Silver Cloud, there were 80 attending this program. :

Don't miss the famed Opera House in Manaus, especially its interior. Here is just one of my visuals as an example. It is said that based on what it cost to build it in the late 1890's, the expenses from importing all of the various materials, etc., that it would total up to a total price tag of ONE BILLION DOLLARS in today's money. Very lavish!! They did a nice restoration of its exterior and interiors during recent years. Looks great. BUT, for all of these costs, it only seats 701.:

With all of our time in Manaus, do not miss seeing a range of the interesting activities at their various markets. This includes for those dealing with wholesale fish, produce, etc. Shown is an example from the fish market that was so much fun to experience, sample the human interactions, etc. Lots of "real people" at these markets.:

This one visual says it all for the "Indiana Jones" experience we were enjoying as if we were in search of some South American hidden treasure during our hiking in this remote wilderness area about 60 miles north of Manus. Lots of varied nature views and scenic angles, etc., during this walk in the actual Amazon jungle.:

Photos from Recife

Photos from Recife

Appreciate these nice visuals from Bodogbodog, our travel "neighbor" in Sydney, Australia. Great sharing of a special and scenic area.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Enjoyed a 14-day, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure, getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for more info and many pictures of these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 194,152 views for this posting.

Appreciate these nice visuals from Bodogbodog, our travel "neighbor" in Sydney, Australia. Great sharing of a special and scenic area.

My pleasure - I wish I was along as official photographer - alas I am merely remote technical support

Although I’m not complaining as I’m at Sydney Airport waiting to fly to LA to catch Crystal Serenity on a trans Pacific voyage next week - so now it’s my turn for a photo :-)

Have a wonderful voyage Bodogbodog!

Travelberlin, I appreciate your positive and adventurous take on Brazil. I am an American who has lived in Brazil since 1989. It is a "gritty" country, that lives with violence and poverty and a corrupt government. But it also has amazing people, food, music, culture and gorgeous landscapes.

Here are some of my phots from my adopted country...I hope people don't write it off just because you need to dig a bit deeper to find the good.

parati, one of my favorite towns

ubatuba, coastal beach area in the state of Sao Paulo

Beach in Natal colonial farm in Lavrinhas, near my homerio de janeiro

I think DrHugs didn't do his due diligence..Brazil is deserving of another look.

Appreciate, travelberlin, your above very nice and kind follow-up. Glad to hear that you have enjoyed my posts. Keep up the excellent sharing of these details and such wonderful reporting. Still would love to hear more from the original poster who raised concerns.

 

To support the wisdom of travelberlin and others for taking such a sailing up and down the Amazon River, below are just a few of my favorite images. Many, many more on the full live/blog. Happy, along with travelberlin, to answer any added questions.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

From our Jan. 25-Feb. 20, 2015, Amazon River-Caribbean adventure that started in Barbados, here is the link for that live/blog. Many visuals from this amazing river and Caribbean Islands (Dutch ABC's, St. Barts, Dominica, Grenada, San Juan, etc.):

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2157696

Now at 54,868 views for these postings.

 

From our very interesting visit to the small and totally-isolated river village of Boca da Valeria along the Amazon River, it was a very moving experience that reminded us how very, very fortunate so many of us, especially those on this ship, are to have great many life options and experiences. There was a single electric line running down the middle of the dirt path in this village and the two homes with satellite dishes, but things were overall fairly primitive. There were lots of children begging for "one dollar", plus a local dressed up in costume ready to pose for pictures. Some of the children had small animals to add to the appeal and local color. Below is one example of Chris from Philadelphia with one of the local girls there. From advance reading/research on these CC boards, I knew to bring extra dollars, plus pens, pencils, gifts for the school, items for the the kids, etc.:

(Open your screen/viewer wider to see these pictures larger!)

 

While stopped at Santarem along the amazing Amazon River, we had our charter/private boat arranged in advance. We headed into the back-water Amazon regions in search of nature, wildlife, unique scenery, etc. Our boat was fairly small, but with a powerful engine and covered to shade us from the harsh sun. Our skilled Amazon guide, Gil Serique, was on the look-out for birds, unique views and nature action. Our driver got us through very shallow and challenging areas. We saw lots of special birds, unique animals, flowers, giant water lilies, etc., during this adventure exploration.:

 

Here is just one view that offers only a small sampling for what we experienced and enjoyed at this Parintins “Boi Bumba” program. Lots of the story involves the white bull and the relationships with the young lady. Are not the costume wonderful??? Large cast, lots of upbeat music, large "action figures" coming out, etc. Parintins is situated in the largest river archipelago of the mid-Amazon. This area is rich in centuries-old Indian culture and celebrates an annual “Boi Bumba” festival. The yearly folkloric festival, considered second only to Carnival in Rio, is held in June. For cruise ship visitors, the townspeople re-enact this festival for visitors throughout the year. From Cory Sandler, our destination consultant, what we saw is not exactly the full, real deal as done in their larger stadium with the shouting crowds. BUT, we loved the music, dancing, costumes, excitement, etc. It was not cheap at $149 per person, but my wife and others really enjoyed this sampling for a little bit of the Brazil carnival spirit and style. Of our 179 passengers on the Silver Cloud, there were 80 attending this program. :

 

Don't miss the famed Opera House in Manaus, especially its interior. Here is just one of my visuals as an example. It is said that based on what it cost to build it in the late 1890's, the expenses from importing all of the various materials, etc., that it would total up to a total price tag of ONE BILLION DOLLARS in today's money. Very lavish!! They did a nice restoration of its exterior and interiors during recent years. Looks great. BUT, for all of these costs, it only seats 701.:

 

With all of our time in Manaus, do not miss seeing a range of the interesting activities at their various markets. This includes for those dealing with wholesale fish, produce, etc. Shown is an example from the fish market that was so much fun to experience, sample the human interactions, etc. Lots of "real people" at these markets.:

 

This one visual says it all for the "Indiana Jones" experience we were enjoying as if we were in search of some South American hidden treasure during our hiking in this remote wilderness area about 60 miles north of Manus. Lots of varied nature views and scenic angles, etc., during this walk in the actual Amazon jungle.:

Good summary of the Amazon experience.

We also toured with Gil Serique and experienced Boi Bumba.

All the ports were interesting to us but this is definitely an impoverished region of the world. We felt most humble in these hard scrabble ports. Seeing it via cruise ship was a privilege.

Brazilgirl lovely pictures! Thanks! Having cruised for many years now, we have been almost in every port. In some of them more than once. We have almost always found something that we can remember from those ports.

We like some ports more than others, but this happens in many countries. For example in France we do not like Marseille very much or Le Havre, but we love St. Tropez or Cannes.

The same happens in Brazil. We like very much Buzios, Ilha Belha, Paraty, Salvador da Bahia... We like less Fortaleza and Santos...

We certainly would come back to Brazil any time, not just because we find a place particularly pretty (although they are many of those), but because of the friendliness of the Brazilians. We have only encountered friendly, easy going people every where. Even when you reject something they are trying to sell on the streets just saying "no thank you" in Portuguese, they will answer "you are welcome". This does not happen every where in the world.

Ivi

Brazilgirl lovely pictures! Thanks! Having cruised for many years now, we have been almost in every port. In some of them more than once. We have almost always found something that we can remember from those ports.

We like some ports more than others, but this happens in many countries. For example in France we do not like Marseille very much or Le Havre, but we love St. Tropez or Cannes.

The same happens in Brazil. We like very much Buzios, Ilha Belha, Paraty, Salvador da Bahia... We like less Fortaleza and Santos...

We certainly would come back to Brazil any time, not just because we find a place particularly pretty (although they are many of those), but because of the friendliness of the Brazilians. We have only encountered friendly, easy going people every where. Even when you reject something they are trying to sell on the streets just saying "no thank you" in Portuguese, they will answer "you are welcome". This does not happen every where in the world.

Ivi

I very much agree with your assessment of ports. I probably would not get off the ship in Santos! Fortaleza has some very good beaches but you must leave the city limits and go a bit off the beaten path.

We have also been fortunate to cruise to many amazing places ... so far I would probably go back to all of them ( I think I am on country 45 now). We have not visited Asia yet and will be visiting Africa on a land trip in July ( Kenya and tanzania/Zanzibar). But there are surely places I like more than others!

Have a lovely end of your trip!

Good summary of the Amazon experience. We also toured with Gil Serique and experienced Boi Bumba. All the ports were interesting to us but this is definitely an impoverished region of the world. We felt most humble in these hard scrabble ports. Seeing it via cruise ship was a privilege.

Appreciate this kind and excellent summary above. Good added points made on the different and varied ports around the world. All locations are not equal!! Much, also, is about what you "make of it". If you do not do much advance research, it is hard to maximize your experience there. If you just walk off of the ship, see a little of the basic, nearby areas, etc., you might not be giving yourself and this location its best opportunities. Great sharing on this thread.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

AFRICA?!!?: Lots of interesting, dramatic pictures can be seen from this live/blog at:

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2310337

Now at 36,533 views for this visual sharing including Cape Town, along South Africa’s coast, Mozambique, Victoria Falls/Zambia and Botswana's famed Okavango Delta area.

Terry in Ohio, I really like your photos and the good explanations attached to them. I wish that more people have the possibility to see them when planning a cruise to this region.

Thanks again Bodogbodog for posting my photos!

Ivi

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

What did you send, Linda?:)

Joan:cool:

Yesterday was our last sea day on board the Sirena. The day was full with activities. There was for example the last lecture from Dr. Klein providing lots of information about Rio. A fun activity was a country fair organized on deck 9 in which passengers had the opportunity to play games and win some raffles. We participated and played almost all games, made some points but we won nothing on the raffle. There were many people there and we have enjoyed.

In the afternoon we did our usual program. Siesta after lunch, Horizons for music and tea, walk around the deck, change clothes and back to Horizons for music from the Band. The band played unexpectedly yesterday one of my favorite songs from Duke Ellington: "It dont mean a thing". Do you know that song?

Today we will arrive in Rio de Janeiro at around 13.00. I have the difficult task to prepare my luggage... how I hate that task...

I still have to send you our impressions from Salvador da Bahia. Just not enough time...and I am feeling nostalgic already because this cruise is coming to an end.

Have a good day, bye, bye.

Ivi

Terry in Ohio, I really like your photos and the good explanations attached to them. I wish that more people have the possibility to see them when planning a cruise to this region.

Thanks again Bodogbodog for posting my photos! Ivi

Appreciate your very kind comments and this nice follow-up. Sorry your "adventure" is now wrapping up. That "packing up" is always tough and challenging. Good luck!! Have enjoyed your wonderful sharing.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Enjoyed a 14-day, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure, getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for more info and many pictures of these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 194,250 views for this posting.

ivi,

Thank you so much for this lovely trip. I enjoyed travelling with you!

Our recent cruise on Riviera we found the lunch menu very different from past cruises

one page with a section of Bistro dishes & a few of the regular dishes

we went one day & DH was going to order a burger but none on the new menu

Not sure if they are trying something new or we just hit a day when the menu was special ???

JME

On our Transatlantic Crossing last November, we were told the lunch menu in the MDR is new. The left side is the bistro side which remains the same. The right side changes daily and then there is the tasting menu at the bottom of the right side. The tasting menu changes daily and recognizes the food of a different country each day. I really enjoyed the variety of the lunch menu, especially since we had 8 days total at sea.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Thanks for taking us with you on your voyage.

I've enjoyed reading about your travels :)

ivi,

 

Thank you so much for this lovely trip. I enjoyed travelling with you!

Thanks to you Floridiana! I have realized that you are also some one curious, who likes to travel to exotic destinations.

By coincidence my first time in the Amazon region was in Ecuador at an Eco lodge. I have also driven on a canoe on the Napo river...

You are absolutely right that it is a different experience and at first I thought that a cruise with a big ship like the Oceania Sirena, might not be such a good idea. Fortunately I was wrong. It is just another face of the multifacetic Amazon.

Ivi

Thanks for taking us with you on your voyage.

I've enjoyed reading about your travels :)

You are welcome! I am glad you have enjoyed it.

I still have to write about Salvador da Bahia but not much time for it yet.

I have sent a photo to Bodogbodog, which I made in Salvador for him to post it for me. I like that photo...

More photos will come after I write about that fascinating city.

Ivi

Brazilian beauties in Salvador da Bahia, and I mean the 4 of them

You encountered a fashion shoot? Great capture of the ladies in the back.

My daily fix on CC is going to be quite boring now your journey is over Ivi, I "only' have CBBs Australia adventure to live vicariously by! Thanks so much for taking the time to post.

My daily fix on CC is going to be quite boring now your journey is over Ivi, I "only' have CBBs Australia adventure to live vicariously by! Thanks so much for taking the time to post.

It’s not Oceania but you’re welcome to join me for 24 days crossing the Pacific on Crystal Serenity - lots of photos of course @ https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2582871

We might convert you to give Crystal a try :D

You encountered a fashion shoot? Great capture of the ladies in the back.

I think it was a fashion shooting Floridiana. The two girls in front were the models. I actually wanted to make a photo of the Bahianas (the ladies in the back), but when I saw that those young girls were in front, I have thought it would make a good picture.

I was lucky...

Ivi