Live from Silver Cloud

[Goldens4]

duct tape, so glad you had a wonderful day. I'd rather be rocking & rolling than be cold in GA. Enjoy! Have a glass of bubbly for me.

[duct tape]

Will do! The weather has cleared and the scenery is lovely, although still a little foggy with occasional showers. It is chilly in Chile, as expected, but the pool is 86 and I have it all to myself! Fr Chef, Jerome, very good food. Some of the best chefs on the line are here. Don't know how we got so lucky...Amor, Ryan and Jerome. Good singer last night, new to me, his name is Williams. Punta Arenas tomorrow. Will keep you posted. FYI, there are new towels and they are soft!

[dwelsh]

In Punta Arenas harbor is a 75 year old Japanese sailor aboard his steel hulled "Nicole BMW" in which he is attempting his 7th, I believe, solo circumnavigation. This voyage he is attempting in a westerly direction, the most difficult way to sail around the world. He has been stuck in Punta Arenas several months after being shipwrecked in the Pacific after navigating the Horn.

He speaks good English and I am sure would love a visit from passengers who would find a most interesting character.

Another youngster, the 15 year old sister of Zac Sunderland, who recently was the youngest sailor to solo circumnavigate, Abby Sunderland set sail yesterday from Los Angeles for a solo circumnavigation.

Hope you are able to contact Saito.

[TheFerret]

FYI, there are new towels and they are soft!

 

Yippee! Hope they replaced the towels on all the ships.

[duct tape]

We will definitely look for him tomorrow. Today we go on an excursion and we do not arrive until after 12ish. The skies have cleared, the sun is shining and it is crystal clear cold, but beautiful. All is well, don't really have much news.

[WesW]

Thanks for your onboard reports Duct Tape.

[duct tape]

Another beautiful day but WINDY! 30k with big gusts. Went into the town to get some postcards and stamps and didn't have towalk hard to get back to the ship, we flew with the wind at our backs. Just had a great lunch (beef tartar) with Capt Mino and his family. Such quiet children! The port has been closed due to the winds but we can leave. Will be sailing about 6 PM, I think. We are doing the inside passage so we don't have rockin' & rollin' in the open sea tonight. Good thing.

[duct tape]

Glorious day in the Beagle Channel. It is crystal clear, sunny and the wind has died down. Up the fjord to the Garibaldi Glacier and 2 more glaciers. What a sight! Some thoughts on the butlers: I was one of the skeptics, thinking it was a marketing thing...OK, I stand corrected. It appears to run smoothly. Our butler and cabin attendant work as a team and appear to share the load. I can be retrained! It is like having your own cruise director! Venetian Soc. tonight.

[TLCOhio]

Glorious day in the Beagle Channel. It is crystal clear, sunny and the wind has died down. Up the fjord to the Garibaldi Glacier and 2 more glaciers. What a sight! Some thoughts on the butlers: I was one of the skeptics, thinking it was a marketing thing...OK, I stand corrected. It appears to run smoothly. Our butler and cabin attendant work as a team and appear to share the load. I can be retrained! It is like having your own cruise director! Venetian Soc. tonight.

 

Glad to hear these positive updates on both the weather and the Butlers.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

[Goldens4]

Ditto!:)

[chicagogal]

Good morning, everyone. We boarded yesterday in Valpraiso. We are rockin' & rollin'. All is well. I was afraid that all the crew was on the Spirit but so far I have been thrilled to see so many "old" faces. There are only 124 Venetians and lots of "new kids". There are 230something aboard. I haven't finished snooping yet, but I like the new soft goods in our suite, carpet, upholstery and drapes. Our Butler had all our requests covered by this morning. Great dinner in La Terrazza, carpaccio and pasta. Ryan, one of my favorite chefs is in that kitchen. Haven't been to the DR yet. Will be in touch later. Wish us well in getting around the Horn!

 

We DO wish you well duct tape! You are on a great itinerary. We did it last year and we were pretty lucky with the seas. Only one rough day going to the Falklands. Enjoy your cruise and we will all enjoy reading your posts!

[chicagogal]

Will do! The weather has cleared and the scenery is lovely, although still a little foggy with occasional showers. It is chilly in Chile, as expected, but the pool is 86 and I have it all to myself! Fr Chef, Jerome, very good food. Some of the best chefs on the line are here. Don't know how we got so lucky...Amor, Ryan and Jerome. Good singer last night, new to me, his name is Williams. Punta Arenas tomorrow. Will keep you posted. FYI, there are new towels and they are soft!

 

You should be seeing those beautiful Chilean fjords ... and then the glaciers. Wow!

[avalon1025]

Did all the cabins get new flat screen TV's? if yes, whats in the space formerly occupied by the TV?

 

Looking forward to boarding on March 1st!

[duct tape]

Yes, all the suites got flat screen TVs. I will check a veranda to see where the TV is, but I imagine they are in the same place. See you when you get here! Nice day, despite the weather...rain, clouds, fog, wind. Had a wonderful lunch of local crab and black hake. Off to THE ROCK tomorrow, missed it last time we were here. Garibaldi Glacier was spectacular yesterday.

[avalon1025]

Thank you!

[duct tape]

avalon, I have a much better answer for you. The TVs have been placed on a new shelf that was installed above the desk. It can be viewed from both the sofa and/or the bed. It swivels nicely. The shelf has lighting underneath so as to illuminate the desk top. The cabinet the TV was in is now empty and will make very nice space to stow "stuff", like carry on luggage. We have had a very pleasant and fun 24 hrs...spent the day yesterday in Tierra del Fuego National Park, rode the small gauge train that transported the criminals to clear the forest; had a great meal at a local hotel - crab and black hake; circled the PA II on her trip into Ushuaia and we tooted horns, waved and made lots of noise and pictures; rounded Cape Horn this AM in clear, calm weather. Very impressive, actually. On our way to Puerto Madryn and it is suppoed to be 72 degrees! YEA!

[WesW]

Duct Tape, thanks for your frequent onboard reports.

[duct tape]

Thanx. As you know, somebody's got to do it!!

[avalon1025]

Thank you!!!

[duct tape]

Day 2 of 3 @sea on our way to Puerto Madryn. Beautiful sunshine but 42 degrees with winds @ 42K! Excellent lecturers, the theatre is full every time. We all anxiously await the opening of the Pool Grill one of these days!

[TLCOhio]

Day 2 of 3 @sea on our way to Puerto Madryn. Beautiful sunshine but 42 degrees with winds @ 42K! Excellent lecturers, the theatre is full every time. We all anxiously await the opening of the Pool Grill one of these days!

 

THANKS, Duct Tape, for the continued great reports! It is a tough, tough job being on the front lines researching.

 

Here's a quick question from a couple traveling with us on the July 1-16 Silver Cloud journey along the Norway Coast. FRESH SEAFOOD? How much of it on this or other Silversea cruises has come fresh from that area of the world versus being frozen and/or shipped and loaded earlier from the USA or Europe? Are any dining items offered that really reflect that much of the local food and style??? One of our fellow travelers wants to get a good "FLAVOR" for Norway, its local food delights, etc. How does Silversea approach it? Appreciate your insights and feed-back.

 

Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

[gdlamberth]

Terry,

Will be with you on that cruise. I would also ask about local beverages. One of the things we liked on our Med cruise were local beer and wine. Not that we were particular fans of the products but it was a lot of fun trying them on for taste.

For your friends traveling with you who want to get a good FLAVOR for Norway, I might suggest eating lunch in a local tavern/pub/cafe in the smaller towns we'll visit. We've done that in the past and it's been great fun.

Greg

[TLCOhio]

Terry, Will be with you on that cruise. I would also ask about local beverages. One of the things we liked on our Med cruise were local beer and wine. Not that we were particular fans of the products but it was a lot of fun trying them on for taste. For your friends traveling with you who want to get a good FLAVOR for Norway, I might suggest eating lunch in a local tavern/pub/cafe in the smaller towns we'll visit. We've done that in the past and it's been great fun. Greg

 

YES, Greg, looking forward to meeting you, Duck Tape and others on this cruise. I am sure we will get some sampling of local dining on shore for lunch and snacking. Just also hoping to enjoy some of that on the ship, too. On local beers, YES, we've done that lots. It's fun! Here's a sampling of some beers enjoyed while cruising. Had any of these?

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

 

At lunch, enjoying Tallinn’s local beer:

 

 

 

Pouring an Efes beer in Istanbul:

 

 

 

At lunch in Istanbul, it was a Troy Beer, a local favorite:

 

 

 

Mythos is the beer to enjoy while dining outdoors in Athens' historic Plaka:

 

 

 

Copenhagen's best?

 

[gdlamberth]

All but the Troy.:p

[TLCOhio]

All but the Troy.:p

 

Great research!!! Not getting Troy gives you a good reason to return to Istanbul and/or the Turkish Coast. What's the big beer down in Chile and Argentina? Of course, wine is big in both of those countries. Both are in the top ten world for their production. Look forward to getting more reports as they approach Buenos Aires. Also look forward to some added details on the fjords of Chile compared to what is in Norway. Pictures, too!

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio