Silversea Water Cooler: Part 3, Welcome!

[Camillus112]

Welcome back, Mysty! Our very first cruise was on the Wind; sad that she is being let down in maintenance. However, the cruise was fun, and that will be your most important memory.

 

Great pictures of both your excellent food renditions, Jeff & JP! The citrus marinade on pork sounds lovely. My mother used to do one with canned prunes and port wine.

 

Today I will attack my closet to begin preparations for suitcase stuffing, since we leave for Barcelona on May 8. I carry one big "Lucas", I think 28 inches, and a carryon. DH leaves preparations until a few days before. His luggage (a medium size one) is like Forrest Gump's box of chocolates for me... full of surprises.

 

Happy Friday, Coolers!

[UKCruiseJeff]

Good Afternoon Coolers ...

 

M. lovely to see you back and great to hear that you were extra stoic and had fun but really sorry to hear that SS still fails to honour the promise of being an ultra luxury 6* line ....... Wind was our second SS cruise and although we felt that the Whisper and Shadow size was perfect for us there is something special about the two originals. Looking forward to hearing all your news and seeing some piccies.

 

JP your plates continue to put mine to shame and it was good to see that a plate can look lovely and be carb free! And I liked that piece of pork! I'm not a cat person but that does look delightful.

 

Happy packing Camels!

 

Today wifey had her normal wandering around town so I could get on to batch prep for the weekend. 5% fat mince was on offer so I couldn't resist making a few cottage pies for the freezer - so much better than bought but a bind to make individually - and for Sunday when our daughter is visiting. The topping was made with charlottes and carrot and lots of butter and cheese. Our freezers are so full however it always means something in and something binned. Also breadcrumbed some chicken thighs for tommorow.

 

Today I'm making her some sea bream with some fresh new season British asparagus and some Jersey Royals and I'm planning to make a dill hollondaise lemony type sauce. Summer is officially started in Brit land!

 

Have a great Friday all..........

[TLCOhio]

Sorry I wasn't able to report on the sailing. The internet was abysmal (sometimes taking up to 10 minutes to access a website). Frustration killed the urge to post. The poor Grand Dame Silver Wind had some issues. I may have mentioned them already. I'm sorry if I am repeating myself. I have a little brain fog at the moment. :( On embarkation night the lever of the bathroom sink came apart in my hand. The next day there was no water pressure in the bathroom sink. Our balcony door would not latch or lock and the first night of rough seas after Bermuda caused it to bang open and closed all night. It was fixed the next day after 2 attempts at repair. The rough seas resulted in sediment being disturbed in the water tanks and the ship had brown water and water pressure troubles for a few days following that (a future cruise credit was offered - good for 2 years). The cruise was fun in spite of the inconveniences! I will post a few pics once I get over the jet lag.

 

Glad you are back safely, but sorry to hear on the challenges with the Silver Wind. Glad they provided some "compensation" to make up for these challenges. Did you feel that it was a "fair" amount? Look forward to hear more on the crew, food, port stops, etc. Rest up and catch up.

 

Nice food pictures and details from J.P., Jeff, etc. Looking forward to the upcoming details from Camillus112 with your adventures. You are on the Silver Spirit, right? What dates and ports?

 

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 177,359 views for this posting.

[Kate-AHF]

Hi Terry - You mentioned you are looking for ideas for Lisbon. We spent a few days there with a driver a few years ago. One area i encourage you to explore is Sintra/Cascais. Just Sintra alone is a full day's worth of things to see. Pena palace of course, but we also thoroughly enjoyed Quinta da Regaleira. The gardens alone are worth 2 hours before you get to the palace. The cost of a driver was much, much less than other places in Europe. We used toptentours, and customized the days we spent. We had the best driver, and the kindest person we have ever come across.

 

Hope this helps.

[UKCruiseJeff]

Big welcome to Kate .... good advice. Lisbon is one of the cities where you must make sure you know exactly what you're going to be charged when using taxis, so pre booked is great advice. Hope you drop in regularly here Kate. Beer and wine is cheap and there are always a bowl of nuts available ..... :)

 

Isn't it wonderful when one's hollandaise doesn't separate .... yet ...

 

 

 

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[TLCOhio]

Hi Terry - You mentioned you are looking for ideas for Lisbon. We spent a few days there with a driver a few years ago. One area i encourage you to explore is Sintra/Cascais. Just Sintra alone is a full day's worth of things to see. Pena palace of course, but we also thoroughly enjoyed Quinta da Regaleira. The gardens alone are worth 2 hours before you get to the palace. The cost of a driver was much, much less than other places in Europe. We used toptentours, and customized the days we spent. We had the best driver, and the kindest person we have ever come across. Hope this helps.

 

Appreciate these great tips, ideas and comments from Kate for Lisbon and nearby. Yes!! Very helpful from our Virginia neighbor. We have plans to visit Sintra. Sounds very good. Will check out that tour company and have made a copy for my computer file of your suggestions. Keep it coming!! Always great to hear and learn more.

 

Yes, welcome to this "Cooler"!! Don't be shy with any comments, questions, suggestions, etc.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 212,360 views.

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

[Camillus112]

Hi Terry, I will be sailing on the Whisper and the itinerary is much like yours, except we end in Southhampton. Barcelona, Cartagena, Málaga, Gibraltar, Lisbon, Lexioes/Oporto, La Coruña, Bilbao, Bordeaux (overnight), St. Malo and Southhampton. I have been to all Spain port cities and to Gibraltar and Lisbon. We will be spending four days in London post cruise. My least favorite port was Gibraltar, but many people enjoy the monkeys and the caves. The rock is impressive, though. I'll surely share comments.

[UKCruiseJeff]

 

 

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[ShotsnCruises]

All the food pictures are wonderful! We have some pretty great cooks on this board.

I'm not sure what we will be doing for meals yet this weekend. Easter is going to be different this year with smoked BBQ, so I will be sure to post pictures of that.

Thinking about Mussels with a white wine mustard cream sauce and lots of grilled bread for soaking up the sauce for dinner....

 

 

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[Camillus112]

Yum! Yes, all the food pictures, and my imagining Shots' mussels and sauce and the garlic bread!

 

Today is Good Friday, and in honor of my late mother who was very religious, I will attend church. I have an imprint of many Good Fridays dressed in frilly white, while the adults dressed in black, standing in the town plaza after service to watch the procession... all silent except for the loud, dark, ominous sound of the drum. Half scared, half in awe, I was and pretty much still am.

[UKCruiseJeff]

Well, I'm just doing supper. I know it's unusual but I managed to snaffle some free fresh blueberries on todays delivery. So ever the opportunist it's a blueberyy muffin and some monkey nuts and some strawberries for my supper!

 

Wifey tells me that there was a Good Friday performance in town today witha group of thesbians pretending to crucify Jesus in the market square in front of the old Guildhall, whilst shouting out at random members of the audience "Are you the King of Jews". I guess I must be the few people that finds that type of celebration of one of the most famous Jews in history odd. Wifey says that the upside was that all the shops were empty whilst the audience watched the crucifixion. Wife says it was entirely appropriate that I made her fish today.

[Camillus112]

Just back from church. It was The Passion-Lite. Had there been kids (there were none and I saw no adult under 50), they would not have been mystified and awed by the incense... there was none. I'm waiting for DH to cook salmon and heat up some ratatouille leftovers like from a year ago. Oh, well, I'll "virtually" feast on your succulent fish and whatever delicacies Shots and JP come up with.

[UKCruiseJeff]

Hi Camels,

 

Wifey insists that this is true. On the way back to the car park today, a man was dragging his son along the road imploring him with "hurry up or we'll miss Jesus being crucified".

 

Anyway you sound like you are desperate for a nice fresh blueberry muffin. Sadly the blueberries are shy and hiding at the bottom!

 

 

 

 

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[Camillus112]

As my grandkids would say...AWSOME. You enlivened my day. And your wife heard a sadly funny remark, made me smile!

[ShotsnCruises]

Jeff, if you very lightly dust your blueberries in flour before adding to your batter, they will not sink to the bottom of your muffins!

We get beautiful blueberries here in Michigan. My freezer is always full of bags. We pick them by the pound here and they are usable all year round right out of the freezer.

 

 

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[UKCruiseJeff]

Glad I made you smile Camels.

 

Thanks Shots ... yes they were dusted but this one was the most photogenic of the muffins and it had the last of the bowl scrapings on top!

 

This is an earlier muffin which I think was worth a special mention as wifey awarded me a Medal in Muffinary.

 

 

 

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[ShotsnCruises]

Dinner consists of:

Prosciutto wrapped fresh mozzarella with heirloom tomatoes, fresh basil and balsamic vinegar.

Toasted bread with garlic and browned butter with garlic, white wine, and mustard cream Mussels.

Heaven!

 

 

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[Camillus112]

Heaven indeed! Virtually partaking, thanks!

[UKCruiseJeff]

Lovely eatings Shots!

 

 

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[mysty]

Greetings Coolers! It's 4:23 am and I am up and about. Jet lag seems to be affecting me more as I age. Go figure!

 

Thanks to all for the warm welcome back to the bar! And wonderful food pics all!

 

I will be working on selecting some photos to post here. I sort of feel like I let the side down during the cruise. I'll try to even that score with the pics.

 

Have a great day all!

[UKCruiseJeff]

Greetings Coolers! It's 4:23 am and I am up and about. Jet lag seems to be affecting me more as I age. Go figure!

 

Thanks to all for the warm welcome back to the bar! And wonderful food pics all!

 

I will be working on selecting some photos to post here. I sort of feel like I let the side down during the cruise. I'll try to even that score with the pics.

 

Have a great day all!

 

Hi M,

 

You absolutely have not let anyone down. Rule 16e Subsection 9 implicitly states "You are obligated to enjoy yourself elsewhere and report back later".

 

Good to have you back M.:)

[MissSophia]

Hi All......

 

Welcome to our new bar mates and also welcome back to Mysty.

The Muse continues to please us peasants.....😉 the weather being beautifully hot is helping!

Venetian party was well attended last night with just the six top cruisers acknowledged.....600 odd days being the clear winner.

We dined with Paulo in La T after and enjoyed the ever popular duck ragu......La T is also proving to be a favourite for luncheon with many options both hot and cold.

Pool deck menu is also quite extensive and food is good here also.

Tried a pizza the other evening and was disappointed....wasn't keen on the ambience up there at all....just my personal opinion.

 

Totally support Master Echos comments on the dress code.....jacket and tie most acceptable in Atlantide.

The company l am with all agree we miss the main dining room...as in one can walk in ad hoc.....whilst the general opinion is that one must pre book before boarding l am told that one can book on board but may not get their choice of restaurant........again as a personal preference l also miss the always available menu as whichever dining venue one is in you have to adhere to that particular menu.

 

Ok....back to my espresso martini.........☺️

[UKCruiseJeff]

Hi Soapy,

 

wifey and I were thinking if you this morning ... she sends her best ... and appreciate the news. Great to hear you are having a fabulous time.

 

Can I check my understanding of the eating arrangements with you because there does appear to be some consequences implied. Interested because in the planning Muse might have been our venture back.

 

The consequence of having the range of eating places with current restrictions means that there is more of an imperative to decide before your cruise where you wish to eat on each night and attempt before to make advanced bookings. These are not necessarily considered firm in all cases until one embarks. Advanced bookings are also not first come first served. When you embark you may not have got the bookings you had planned and therefore become a sort of wait listed or join a first reserve group and compete with others who roll up without a booking. So you can find yourself without a table in your choice of cuisine and if you want to eat you will have a cuisine imposed on you, having also had the flexibility within the on demand menu having been withdrawn. It also seems that another consequence of the new system is that you can find yourself not only without your choice of cuisine, but with the ships choice imposed on you, you might even have a dress code imposed on you if the only space left is in a formal restaurant. Is there also an added dimension in that the MD of each restaurant has the final decision on who eats or not, and he has become even more "powerful" which as you know from previous discussions adds a further unwanted "advanced tipping dimension" worse. ;)

 

So with Muse you have to try and map out six months ahead what you will want to eat each night because failing to do so means entering into a lottery each night, and there is no reward for being prompt with your decisions because even if you do plan ahead, the bookings aren't guaranteed and you could easily find yourself not only not being able to choose what you want to eat, and not even the cuisine type you want to eat, but also you may have what you wear imposed on you - or be forced to eat in your suite?

 

Have I understood this correctly?

 

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Edited April 15, 2017 by UKCruiseJeff

[MissSophia]

Hi Jeff.....

 

Yes you have understood......for example.....the company I'm with split for dining the other night which left two of us without a reservation......now l never worry about this as l am quite happy to dine in suite if all else fails....but on this occasion the only venue we could get into was the Pizza restaurant......ok we were fed but l wasn't keen as I previously stated.

I've overheard many moans and groans and in all fairness the crew are doing their best to accommodate....it's just going to take time to adjust.

 

Btw.....the one hour time slot that you book before boarding means that you have that time to go in.......what I've also noticed is that when booking on board you are likely to get the later time slots....

 

S😊

[UKCruiseJeff]

Thanks,

 

So your experience has added a further two dimensions I hadn't thought of. Firstly if you are in a larger group then the chances of spontaneously choosing where you want to eat has virtually dissapeared. And when I mean spontaneously you may be wanting to eat with people you have met on board and met for drinks and who you obviously haven't reserved anything for. So meeting and eating without the MD looks improbable. Also the time you eat has also been restricted and might be imposed on you. So what you eat, where you eat, when you eat and with whom you eat and in what you wear is less certain to be of your own choosing. This clearly is not going to be a problem every night, but that lottery element of not knowing every day that you can make these choices is not going to work with some. Let them eat cake has been replaced by let them eat pizza.

 

I think what has happened here is that when this was being planned, philosphically it all seemed to work. Allow people the spontaneity to eat what they want where they want and when they want. What messed it up were two things. Dress codes added a dimension and capacity restrictions for money saving purposes added another and removing the all day menu added a further and conspired to make a great sounding concept into a potential nightmare.