Silversea Water Cooler: Welcome! Part Two

[mysty]

Well J, your suggested app to keep track of changes in our flight bookings is working. Good news right? They made a change in the plane being used from a A320 to an E90 for the first leg of the outward bound flights. Seat assignments remained the same. Bad news is that the E90 does not have a seat 2C. And one of us was assigned seat 2C. Is this a problem? Do you think they just neglected to record new seat assignments?

[jpalbny]

Hi JP! Your trip sounds amazing! Looking forward to reading the play by play. Have a safe journey home!

 

Made it! Traffic out of Kennedy was the usual miserable mess but a shade over 3h door to door. We landed a few minutes early, breezed through Global Entry and since we didn't check any bags, we were in our car driving at 5:00 - pretty good, considering our scheduled arrival was 4:35!

 

Had to go grocery shopping, but now relaxing and off to bed soon. Work tomorrow...

 

Appreciate this great update from JP. Look forward to hearing and seeing more. BUT, watch out for the New York State Police!! Don't think you can do 215 kph or 134 mph back here.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio.

 

No doubt! It was all I could do to keep Chris' S7 under 85 on the way home. After the Autobahns, that feels so ridiculously slow! Luckily I was going about 77 when I saw a patrol car hanging out in the median, and got it under 75 quickly enough.

 

I think I need to find a track to satisfy my craving to drive fast...

 

Here is a shot of the car on the North Shore of Lac-Leman, in the French part of Switzerland. This was taken on a gorgeous day (last Friday), on the Chemin du Mont between Chexbres and St-Saphorin:

 

 

All for now - good night as it's almost 4AM Europe time.

[mysty]

Welcome back JP! What an awesome shot! Car looks nice too! :)

[TLCOhio]

Welcome back JP! What an awesome shot! Car looks nice too! :)

 

YES!! YES!! Agree 100%. Glad you are back safe, sound and somewhat tired. Good luck on recovering your "body clock" in a workable, reasonable manner. Keep the excellent pictures rolling along.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Dozens of nice visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc. We are now at 203,997 views for this live/blog re-cap, including much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

[UKCruiseJeff]

Well J, your suggested app to keep track of changes in our flight bookings is working. Good news right? They made a change in the plane being used from a A320 to an E90 for the first leg of the outward bound flights. Seat assignments remained the same. Bad news is that the E90 does not have a seat 2C. And one of us was assigned seat 2C. Is this a problem? Do you think they just neglected to record new seat assignments?

 

Hi M, glad the app is working and doing it's job. I think you mean E-190. So if I am correct you are going from a machine with 14 seats to 9 up front.

 

I cannot tell you I'm afraid. All the information both before and after changes will be listed in the app.

 

If you have been assigned a new seat number the app will show your old seat number crossed out and (from recall) in red and your new seat number inserted in green. If you have no seat number replacing the old it may be that one hasn't been allocated and you need to call. It's pointless having an app that tells you about changes, see a change, and then do nothing about it. ;) Another useful resource on One World bookings is to go into Finnair site and use their system to look at your booking and see if it is showing seat numbers assigned. You can use Finnair for a number of things that the home websites don't allow.

 

But call now as you will probably be the only one who knows that there has been a machine change and you should have prime seat choice. Waiting and hoping is dumb. They are 3 rows of 3 if I am correct. You need to snaffle 2D and 2E as 2A is by itself and row 1 is resticted and row 3 normally doesn't recline and is bolt upright. Row 2 is best and 2D and 2E the two best.

 

Good luck

 

Jeff

Edited September 15, 2015 by UKCruiseJeff

[UKCruiseJeff]

JP,

 

Glad you're back safe ..... the speed thing is so easy to get wrong. As you may recall I drive down to Devon in the SL and back between 1 and 3 am and sadly the speed is a source of constant reminder from wifey.

 

Looking forward to hearing and seeing more.

 

Jeff

[UKCruiseJeff]

M, ignore my comments about Finnair .... it is Star Alliance.

 

But get struck into your changes because if the 320 was busy there will be contention for the seats up front ie 14 going into 9.

 

Jeff

[mysty]

Thanks Jeff! I went to Star Alliance website but could not find any access point to search for a file locator number. The seat assignment has not been changed. I plan to call Air Canada and make sure we have 2D and 2E. I'll keep you posted. :)

[specialcruisegirl]

Hello Coolers,

 

Trying to keep up with all the goings on! Great camera talk of which l have very little knowledge....I'm still using the boxed brownie ;)

 

JP, what a lovely looking car and such a beautiful pic with that backdrop. I'm hopeless with sticking to the speed limit while in control but am a great back seat driver, used to really annoy late DH and still now irritate DD with my incessant 'watch it' comments...:D

My thoughts have always been to 'Challenge The Road' maybe not such a good idea these days!

 

Hope you get your flight seats sorted Mysty....mine are hopefully all done for the Istanbul hop three weeks today...I believe we have the old type club seats as opposed to the new Club Europe offerings...and for pure convenience l am actually flying back from Athens with Squeezy Jet...aka as EasyJet....how will l ever live that one down....:eek:

 

It's been a very long night with pup not up to par due to the steroids he's taking...the need to toilet every half hour has been a challenge and napping on the sofa hasn't been ideal so I've earned my wee tot of Merlot today while the chilli cooks....

 

Happy Days

 

Sophia :)

[mysty]

J....I called Air Canada and I was able to get them to assign us seats 2D and 2F. :) Then the agent asked if we wanted seat assignments for the next flight. I said that we had seats assigned for that one and she said there were no seats assigned. So she assigned us seats for that one too. Not sure why that didn't show up on the app. Air Canada may not be tied into Amadeus. The seat changes she made show up on the Air Canada site (we can now access that one) but not on Amadeus or the app. Fingers crossed that the changes were actually made. Thanks for all your help! :)

[mysty]

Hello Coolers,

 

Trying to keep up with all the goings on! Great camera talk of which l have very little knowledge....I'm still using the boxed brownie ;)

 

JP, what a lovely looking car and such a beautiful pic with that backdrop. I'm hopeless with sticking to the speed limit while in control but am a great back seat driver, used to really annoy late DH and still now irritate DD with my incessant 'watch it' comments...:D

My thoughts have always been to 'Challenge The Road' maybe not such a good idea these days!

 

Hope you get your flight seats sorted Mysty....mine are hopefully all done for the Istanbul hop three weeks today...I believe we have the old type club seats as opposed to the new Club Europe offerings...and for pure convenience l am actually flying back from Athens with Squeezy Jet...aka as EasyJet....how will l ever live that one down....:eek:

 

It's been a very long night with pup not up to par due to the steroids he's taking...the need to toilet every half hour has been a challenge and napping on the sofa hasn't been ideal so I've earned my wee tot of Merlot today while the chilli cooks....

 

Happy Days

 

Sophia :)

Thanks for your good wishes on flights Sophia! I think things have shaken out but I am a worry wart so I will keep my eyes open. I am sending my own best wishes on flights back to you! I hope you have a wonderful trip!

 

An ailing animal is no fun at all! I hope that situation resolves itself as well!

 

Enjoy your tot of Merlot! And have a great day!

[spinnaker2]

Sophia

I can totally empathize with the dog scenario.

I am still dealing with bromley and her slow decline.

She has me up every few hours and the couch was my new bed.

I did some research and started Brom(she's an australian cattle dog and 15) on melatonin to help with sleep and lignans to help with frequency and other digestive issues.

These two remedies have helped.

I also bought a "cool bed" for her, an ingenious device one fills with water and it is very soothing for the dog.

I am telling you all this because the vet never suggested any of it and remarkably it has all helped the symptoms decrease and helped increase Bromleys level of comfort.

I am not deluding myself, as she is still frail and elderly, but for the moment she is still enjoying her food, greeting DH and an occasional bark!

I then bought another cool bed and placed it by my side of the bed, and eureka, she sleeps calmly for more hours at a stretch than before.

Hope you get some rest...and your loyal chien gets some too.

[lincslady]

I apologise for not being 'with it' at present - know nothing about cameras, it is DH's province and we just have a tiny modern one which does take good pics; have not got a pooch, so can sympathise with the troubles of those who are taking care of problem doggies at present but do not really understand; am pretty ignorant about seating on planes, we just about manage to book our seats and do boarding cards the day before flying; and - probably I have missed reading something a while ago - have the impression that jp has just acquired a fantastic car, but in Germany, and he lives in NY? Is it being shipped over, jp, or have I missed a trick here?

 

Yours in ignorance

 

Lola

[UKCruiseJeff]

Ahhh ... dogies. That is why I cannot have any anymore. You love them, they love you but for far too short a time. I'm still getting over Bob and Ben. And that was so long ago.

 

All the talk of gorumet burgers (something that seems a bit of a fib imho ....) has made our inaugeral meal during Official Birthday Week a sort of Gourmet Burger. The star was the slopwly braised red onions in red wine consomme and I ended up with a delightful amuse bouche in esspresso cups of some. Can you taste it?

 

Anyway ... simple fare ... done my way and I don't care WHAT othes think about this being drivel .....;)

 

Jeff

 

 

[UKCruiseJeff]

J....I called Air Canada and I was able to get them to assign us seats 2D and 2F. :) Then the agent asked if we wanted seat assignments for the next flight. I said that we had seats assigned for that one and she said there were no seats assigned. So she assigned us seats for that one too. Not sure why that didn't show up on the app. Air Canada may not be tied into Amadeus. The seat changes she made show up on the Air Canada site (we can now access that one) but not on Amadeus or the app. Fingers crossed that the changes were actually made. Thanks for all your help! :)

 

 

That's great. The app did it's job. It alerted you to a change before anyone else and you drilled down, found the problem and cured it pronto. To get 2d and 2F on that machine is a welcome result. Much better than a collection of unexpected suprises when you turn up at the airport and possibly even finding yourself in a different cabin due to the machine change and the reduced number of premium seats ...... in your case for what seems like a lack of seat reservations both outward and return.

 

:)

 

Jeff

Edited September 15, 2015 by UKCruiseJeff

[mysty]

That's great. The app did it's job. It alerted you to a change before anyone else and you drilled down, found the problem and cured it pronto. To get 2d and 2F on that machine is a welcome result. Much better than a collection of unexpected suprises when you turn up at the airport and possibly even finding yourself in a different cabin due to the machine change and the reduced number of premium seats ...... in your case for what seems like a lack of seat reservations both outward and return.

 

:)

 

Jeff

And I owe that welcome result to your excellent advice Jeff! I am indebted! Your meal looks wonderful and I can taste the amuse bouche! :) Heavenly! Enjoy your birthday week!

[UKCruiseJeff]

Steady on.......

 

:)

[jpalbny]

I apologise for not being 'with it' at present - know nothing about cameras, it is DH's province and we just have a tiny modern one which does take good pics; have not got a pooch, so can sympathise with the troubles of those who are taking care of problem doggies at present but do not really understand; am pretty ignorant about seating on planes, we just about manage to book our seats and do boarding cards the day before flying; and - probably I have missed reading something a while ago - have the impression that jp has just acquired a fantastic car, but in Germany, and he lives in NY? Is it being shipped over, jp, or have I missed a trick here?

 

Yours in ignorance

 

Lola

 

All is good; there is a lot to keep up with here at the cooler! Since we've been away for a week I feel very behind. No worries!

 

I did a purchase through Audi's European Delivery program. I think I put a detailed explanation on the old cooler, but the short version is that I bought the car through my home dealer, and flew to Germany to pick it up at the factory in Ingolstadt. We drove around for a week, and left it with a shipping agent in Frankfurt yesterday. It should be here in a month or two (hoping for the shorter timeframe; when we did this last year with Chris' car, it only took 4 weeks).

 

I think we would have both liked it better had we picked up the car and just stayed there for good.

 

Hello Coolers,

 

Trying to keep up with all the goings on! Great camera talk of which l have very little knowledge....I'm still using the boxed brownie ;)

 

JP, what a lovely looking car and such a beautiful pic with that backdrop. I'm hopeless with sticking to the speed limit while in control but am a great back seat driver, used to really annoy late DH and still now irritate DD with my incessant 'watch it' comments...:D

My thoughts have always been to 'Challenge The Road' maybe not such a good idea these days!

 

Sophia :)

 

Sophia, good luck with the pup.

 

Thanks - the car is pretty, and that background was amazing. We drove some narrow roads through the vineyards on that north slope of Lake Geneva. It was wonderful!

 

Yes, the speed limits here will be a challenge after seeing what the car can do on the Autobahn. We'll be OK though. Just have to remember to set a speed alarm for 85 MPH, like we have done with Chris' S7. It keeps us from going too crazy!

Edited September 15, 2015 by jpalbny

[Tothesunset]

I remember, when we lived in Germany, driving past a streifenwagen (police car) on a derestricted section of autobahn. Nothing too strange there except that the speedo on the Porsche 911 I was driving was showing 275kph (about 170mph in old money).

 

Even though this was perfectly legal and the road quite empty, I really couldn't overcome a terrible feeling of guilt. Needless to say, the Polizei were not in the least interested.

[specialcruisegirl]

Spin, thanks for that advice I'll look into it. He looked so sad early doors but has since cheered up so hopefully the low weaning dose of steroids are making him feel better already...fingers crossed. Do hope Bromley cheers up also...it's quite heartbreaking to see out furry babies out of sorts.

 

JP....l can feel your excitement and indeed anticipation for the arrival of the new car....what fun for you both.

 

Lola....don't worry about keeping 'with it' l have the same problem with all that goes on here so just jump in anytime and we'll all jump in with you...:p

 

M....thanks for your good wishes too....I can also be a worry wart but am much more relaxed these days and go with the flow once I've done all l can!!

 

Jeffers....your burgers look delish....and the mind boggles as to what exactly are 'Gourmet' burgers.....just because burgers are on a main dinner menu doesn't mean to say they are lowering standards IMHO....when in London l sometimes dine at The Ivy and the burgers there are very popular. Steak tartare l have no interest in so not really worried about what goes into the dish...drivel or not :rolleyes:

 

Each to their own l guess and a little bit of fancy does one good so I'm told ;)

 

S:)

[mysty]

Lola....don't worry about keeping 'with it' l have the same problem with all that goes on here so just jump in anytime and we'll all jump in with you...:p

 

M....thanks for your good wishes too....I can also be a worry wart but am much more relaxed these days and go with the flow once I've done all l can!!

 

S:)

 

I second that Lola and S! Jump in and we'll all jump in with you! :)

 

S.... I really wish I could get to the laid back stage and I think Myster would like that too. I am rather a control freak (just ask my daughter) and I worry if I don't have tabs on everything then everything will go to the devil. Rather arrogant of me I guess. I keep hoping that age will temper me. :)

 

I got the goodies I ordered for my new camera yesterday. I installed the grip and it does make the camera easier to hold. Another good suggestion Professor. Also got the spare battery and wall charger along with a small soft case for the camera.

 

Looks like Myster will be in Luton, UK for a week on business at the beginning of October. I can't go and I'm not happy. :( Hopefully this will be his last business trip. I'm not a fan of being alone. Oh well - taking the good with the not-so-good.

[UKCruiseJeff]

M,

 

you shouldn't be envious at NOT visiting Luton, I promise!

 

Glad you are getting your bits together. The camera continues to give. Today I downloaded the Playmemories mobile app to my ipad and it acts as a remote controller for the camera, if you add the free app to the camera. Basically you can for example, put the camera on the mini tripod, set it in whatever mode you want ie video or fully advanced auto plus, set it to stay on for say 30 mintes, and the fire up the ipad app, and you have full control. The app is both iphone and ipad so both can fully control the camera.

 

I put the camera on the window ledge towards the bird table, zoomed in fired up the in camera app, which is a wifi enabled app, and went and watched the TV in the lounge, fired up the ipad app, which immediately found the camera, and then with an eye on the ipad on my lap, and have fully functional control ie you can change all settings from the ipad, and every time a bird landed I clicked. You basically see the full HD image that is in the camera viewfinder in another room on your ipad, and when it takes the piccy it also uploads the piccy it has taken to the ipad. No piccies particularly good, as it was very grey, overcast and rainy, but I'll keep trying.

 

It is a lovely function to have for stuff like garden wildlife without sitting there for hours. A lazy man's app!

 

The camera continues to surprise.

 

Jeff

Edited September 15, 2015 by UKCruiseJeff

[mysty]

J...That sounds awesome! The camera is really an amazing piece of wizardery! Does the Playmemories mobile app work on say a Surface Pro? Or does it need to be an ipad? And it needs to be installed on the camera as well?

 

Still haven't ventured out with it. If tomorrow is sunny as predicted I want to go play in the park. Some interested shaded passages through there.

[jpalbny]

Chris has a pocket-sized Sony and the Play Memories app works on our Samsung phones. Don't know if it they make a Windows app.

[mysty]

Thanks JP! You must be very tired after your fun packed trip and having to work today. I hope you get some down time soon!