Silversea Water Cooler: Part 3, Welcome!

[mjnvoyager]

Thank you for taking the time to reply. I thought I was invisible. Jane

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[TLCOhio]

It may sound odd but I think we're all bored with it all and many don't really mind who governs as long as they leave us alone. It is an odd time. Even though many now use postal votes, it may be a low turnout particularly amongst the older age bands including pensioners who might have previously been relied on to vote conservative, but might not be able to face doing so this time but won't vote for anyone else. In summary, there are more variables at play than at any time I can remember.

 

Appreciate these thoughts, comments and insights from Jeff about tomorrow's UK elections. Many of the London newspapers there are fairly loud and clear about the fears of Jeremy Corbyn being in control, plus the questions as to whether the pollster will get it wrong, again.

 

Getting ready to fly to Lisbon Friday afternoon. Got euros at the bank yesterday, had a board meeting this morning, had orders to sign, need to do more packing, hassling with American Airlines for the added charges on that second suitcase, etc.

 

We will be celebrating our 45th wedding anniversary during this Lisbon to Rouen trip. My wife has had to be patient in putting up me, etc. More later.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

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

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

Now at 32,107 views for this visual sharing including Cape Town, along South Africa’s coast, Mozambique, Victoria Falls/Zambia and Botswana's famed Okavango Delta area.

[jpalbny]

 

Getting ready to fly to Lisbon Friday afternoon. Got euros at the bank yesterday, had a board meeting this morning, had orders to sign, need to do more packing, hassling with American Airlines for the added charges on that second suitcase, etc.

 

We will be celebrating our 45th wedding anniversary during this Lisbon to Rouen trip. My wife has had to be patient in putting up me, etc. More later.

 

 

Tsk, tsk.

 

A special anniversary cruise, and you're flying economy? [emoji6]

 

Upgrade to the front of the plane and you can check two bags...

 

Hope your cruise is winderful, and looking forward to hearing all about it!

 

Sent from my SM-G930T using Forums mobile app

[MLeh]

Hello all. Another lurker here. Speaking of extra luggage, wondering if any of the 'Cool(er)' folk here have ever used the Valet service offered by SilverSea? We are flying over to the UK a few weeks early for our transatlantic on the Whisper, and will have an extra suitcase of 'cruise only' stuff that we don't want to have to hump around with us. Getting it to the UK won't be a problem as we are up in the pointy end of the plane. Any suggestions for storage or using the Valet service once we get to LHR? (In keeping with the thread, we will be celebrating our 35 anniversary on the trip, but not while on the cruise). Thanks.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[Camillus112]

Jane, you are certainly not invisible; in my case, I know very little to be able to converse intelligently. Sorry about that.

[Lois R]

Thank you for taking the time to reply. I thought I was invisible. Jane

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

Hi Jane:)...nope not invisible:D

[Lois R]

I know tomorrow is Election day in the UK.....not sure who is running against who........but (and I know politics are usually

frowned upon on here) but I want to give my own kudos to the Mayor of London and so sorry AND embarrassed by

the slam he took from this side of the pond:mad:.........

[TLCOhio]

Tsk, tsk. A special anniversary cruise, and you're flying economy? [emoji6] Upgrade to the front of the plane and you can check two bags... Hope your cruise is winderful, and looking forward to hearing all about it!

 

YES, guilty as charged by JP!! Could have spent $2000 more on the Silversea airfare deal and gotten to Business Class with two bags each at no extra charge included. But, it's only a seven-hour flight from Philadelphia to Lisbon. Did spend a little for upgrades to get more leg room for these trans-Atlantic flights in coach. On the Silver Spirit, we could have spent about $1200 more to have a balcony. BUT, it is a very port-intensive cruise and we did not view the balcony to be quite as "worth it" to spend this much more for this cruise. Wanted to also focus the funds on doing more and better shore excursions during this cruise.

 

Know you were having a little fun with me, but this cruise is kind of an "extra" for this year. Needed, most important, to save up our nickels and dimes to pay in late October for our early 2018 Southeast Asia "adventure". Those of us who are not rich like Jeff have to watch our pennies carefully.

 

Am planning on sharing lots of pictures and details on this cruise with so many wonderful ports. As we travel, don't be shy in sharing tips, suggestions, etc. Spins/Candy has been super helpful in great ideas for maximizing the experience in doing the Silver Spirit for the first time.

 

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 181,289 views for this posting.

[TLCOhio]

I know tomorrow is Election day in the UK.....not sure who is running against who........but (and I know politics are usually frowned upon on here).

 

Appreciate Lois' mention on the UK election tomorrow. We can do a little mild, respectful elections sharing here at the Cooler. As I mentioned, have been interested in following over the past couple of months as to how Jeff's views on Theresa May and others have evolved and/or shifted. Looking forward to seeing the Thursday election results, how the UK newspapers covers these political outcomes, etc. Great variety of views by the many media outlets there in London, etc.

 

Have enjoyed Lois' sharing her approach to life and living "things" to fullest. Great, inspiring and smart!! Life is to be "lived" and glad that Lois has been so active in seeing and enjoying the world, etc.

 

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 225,222 views for this live/blog re-cap, including much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

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

[UKCruiseJeff]

Lois, nothing at all is frowned on in the Cooler including politics and religion and cakes. As long as we keep the silly riff raff out we can talk about anything as long as people are sensible. Only unpleasantness is off limits. So far as the Twit of Tweets is concerned I think no one over here is in the slightest suprised at anything he says or does, we just hope that some sensible person of the White House staff has replaced the red button on this desk which says "Do not Press" with a dummy one that just makes a big bang noise and makes him happy.

 

Terry that is extremely cheeky of you and I can assure you that what I lack in cash I make up for with good old fashioned travel "cannyness". Happy anniversary and have a great trip. Whatever you do, remember when you open the balcony door in your morning pride that you mustn't shock the neighbours.

[jpalbny]

YES, guilty as charged by JP!! Could have spent $2000 more on the Silversea airfare deal and gotten to Business Class with two bags each at no extra charge included. But, it's only a seven-hour flight from Philadelphia to Lisbon. Did spend a little for upgrades to get more leg room for these trans-Atlantic flights in coach. On the Silver Spirit, we could have spent about $1200 more to have a balcony. BUT, it is a very port-intensive cruise and we did not view the balcony to be quite as "worth it" to spend this much more for this cruise. Wanted to also focus the funds on doing more and better shore excursions during this cruise.

 

Know you were having a little fun with me, but this cruise is kind of an "extra" for this year. Needed, most important, to save up our nickels and dimes to pay in late October for our early 2018 Southeast Asia "adventure". Those of us who are not rich like Jeff have to watch our pennies carefully.

 

Am planning on sharing lots of pictures and details on this cruise with so many wonderful ports. As we travel, don't be shy in sharing tips, suggestions, etc. Spins/Candy has been super helpful in great ideas for maximizing the experience in doing the Silver Spirit for the first time.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

All good, Terry, and I'm glad that you took my post in the humo(u)rous spirit that it was intended! If a seat in the back of the plane is what it takes to get you on the Spirit this month, then it's a fair trade in my book. We are spoiled by our good fortune, in that we have the opportunity to travel so much. But, we need more vacation time!

 

It will be a slow couple of months for us on the vacation front, while we save our days for the big October trip. We're cruising with four of our travel buddies, and we're all pretty excited about this trip.

 

We first fly to Quito, and overnight before hopping a quick flight to Guayaquil to board Silver Explorer. We have 15 days / 14 nights on board from Guayaquil to Valparaiso. It's a food and wine cruise, where they plan to bring on local chefs from each country to explore local cuisine. But there are also a lot of cool stops along the way, to explore archaeology and natural landscapes, as well as the wildlife. Included in the cruise is a flight over the Nasca Lines!

 

After we disembark in Valparaiso, we have a day to kill before four of us fly to Easter Island for three nights. We've arranged a private tour guide for the four of us, a senior archaeologist who's lived on Easter Island all his life. Looking forward to hearing what he has to say about that part of the world. Then we fly back to Santiago, spend a day, and come home.

 

All in all we'll be gone a little over three weeks. So we're working extra hard now to make up for that time away. We love Silver Explorer and are so excited about this trip.

[mdpa]

Lois, nothing at all is frowned on in the Cooler including politics and religion and cakes. As long as we keep the silly riff raff out we can talk about anything as long as people are sensible. Only unpleasantness is off limits. So far as the Twit of Tweets is concerned I think no one over here is in the slightest suprised at anything he says or does, we just hope that some sensible person of the White House staff has replaced the red button on this desk which says "Do not Press" with a dummy one that just makes a big bang noise and makes him happy.

 

Jeff,

 

Don't forget that more American's are glad that Trump has access to the red button vs. Hillary. Although Trump was never my first pick, I'm still happier now compared to the last 8 years. Looking forward to a another May win in the UK.

Edited June 8, 2017 by mdpa

[UKCruiseJeff]

Hello all. Another lurker here. Speaking of extra luggage, wondering if any of the 'Cool(er)' folk here have ever used the Valet service offered by SilverSea? We are flying over to the UK a few weeks early for our transatlantic on the Whisper, and will have an extra suitcase of 'cruise only' stuff that we don't want to have to hump around with us. Getting it to the UK won't be a problem as we are up in the pointy end of the plane. Any suggestions for storage or using the Valet service once we get to LHR? (In keeping with the thread, we will be celebrating our 35 anniversary on the trip, but not while on the cruise). Thanks.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

Hi, welcome to the bar!

 

I've read your post a few times but I'm unclear about your problem. If you are staying somewhere for a couple of weeks why not just store it with you? Failing that there is left luggage at Heathrow for up to 90 days. If your TA is from Southampton and you plan to have a car take you then you could go to Southampton via Heathrow, as it is a relatively small detour and pick it up.

 

http://www.heathrow.com/airport-guide/terminal-facilities-and-services/left-baggage.

 

 

Or if you stay in a London hotel for a few nights ask them and they will possibly store it for you.

[Lois R]

Jeff,

 

Don't forget that more American's are glad that Trump has access to the red button vs. Hillary. Although Trump was never my first pick, I'm still happier now compared to the last 8 years. Looking forward to a another May win in the UK.

 

We will have to agree to disagree on that one........he scares the hell out of me......:eek:.......he still thinks he is on his

reality tv show with nobody to answer to but himself:eek:....but I will not say anything else about the subject.

[UKCruiseJeff]

We will have to agree to disagree on that one........he scares the hell out of me......:eek:.......he still thinks he is on his

reality tv show with nobody to answer to but himself:eek:....but I will not say anything else about the subject.

 

Lois, you remind me of Mysty (where is she ........ :( ) who was a bit shy here to start ... now she is feisty!

 

You can say what you what .... we tend to discuss and not fight.

 

I fear more for America's hard fought for place in the world for behaviour that doesn't really seem intended to be either productive or for the benefit of the US. I get that he is basically doing what he said he would do for most of the time and I get his mantra of "putting America first". I understand and predicted on the cooler that he would win and I understand how he won.

 

But whatever Trump supporters think of him I cannot see how you can avoid agreeing that he is harming America's prestige and reputation in the wider world and is predominently seen as an object of both derision and fear. In an unsettled world I think we'd prefer to have seen someone else. As I said during the first couple of days, I think it will be an extraordinary achievement if he get's through his first term without some sort of challenge.

[Tothesunset]

Jeff,

 

Don't forget that more American's are glad that Trump has access to the red button vs. Hillary..

Is that true? Did Madame Clinton not receive a greater number of votes from the American electorate?

[TLCOhio]

All good, Terry, and I'm glad that you took my post in the humo(u)rous spirit that it was intended! If a seat in the back of the plane is what it takes to get you on the Spirit this month, then it's a fair trade in my book. We need more vacation time! It will be a slow couple of months for us on the vacation front, while we save our days for the big October trip. We first fly to Quito, and overnight before hopping a quick flight to Guayaquil to board Silver Explorer. We have 15 days / 14 nights on board from Guayaquil to Valparaiso. It's a food and wine cruise, where they plan to bring on local chefs from each country to explore local cuisine. But there are also a lot of cool stops along the way, to explore archaeology and natural landscapes, as well as the wildlife. After we disembark in Valparaiso, we have a day to kill before four of us fly to Easter Island for three nights. We've arranged a private tour guide for the four of us, a senior archaeologist who's lived on Easter Island all his life. Looking forward to hearing what he has to say about that part of the world. Then we fly back to Santiago, spend a day, and come home.

 

Appreciate so much J.P.'s wonderful follow-up. Yes, whatever it takes to get on the cruise and be doing such fun exploring in areas that we have not previously visited. Glad that I took your fun comments in the right manner. For us, seven hours in coach with extended leg room is not suffering too bad and worth that economics trade-off.

 

WOW!! Your upcoming South America trip sounds very exciting. Look forward to following along for that adventure.

 

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, etc.):

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

Now at 51,320 views for these postings.

[TLCOhio]

Terry that is extremely cheeky of you and I can assure you that what I lack in cash I make up for with good old fashioned travel "cannyness". Happy anniversary and have a great trip. Whatever you do, remember when you open the balcony door in your morning pride that you mustn't shock the neighbours.

 

Enjoyed Jeff's great follow-up about his "good old fashioned travel 'cannyness' ". Not totally sure what that means for me as midwestern American to understand fully, BUT, I believe that fact to be totally true about Jeff. Never in doubt on Jeff for his skills and accomplishments.

 

Don't worry about me opening the balcony door and shocking the neighbors. Since we have a Vista Suite, I can't open the balcony door and do such a dumb, dumb thing. BUT, I will smile and show my other "morning pride" in a better, more positive manner.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Panama Canal? Just completed Feb. 28-Mar. 15, 2017, Fort Lauderdale to San Francisco adventure through the Panama Canal with our first stops in Colombia, Central America and Mexico, plus added time in the great Golden Gate City. Lots of fun pictures!! Those pictures start on the second page, post #26. See more at:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2465580

[jpalbny]

Hello all. Another lurker here. Speaking of extra luggage, wondering if any of the 'Cool(er)' folk here have ever used the Valet service offered by SilverSea? We are flying over to the UK a few weeks early for our transatlantic on the Whisper, and will have an extra suitcase of 'cruise only' stuff that we don't want to have to hump around with us. Getting it to the UK won't be a problem as we are up in the pointy end of the plane. Any suggestions for storage or using the Valet service once we get to LHR? (In keeping with the thread, we will be celebrating our 35 anniversary on the trip, but not while on the cruise). Thanks.

 

Hi MLeh, and another welcome.

 

I'm also not sure of the specifics of what you're asking but if I make a few assumptions I think I can figure it out... The only TA I see on Silver Whisper is 22 August from Southampton, so I'll assume you're on that voyage. It seems like you want to know how and where to stash a suitcase of cruise-only stuff, while you're off doing some independent pre-cruise travel? And, if that stored suitcase were to appear on Silver Whisper at the start of your cruise, even better!

 

Is that your question? I certainly agree that an extra suitcase of stuff that you don't need would be a pain to lug around for the pre-cruise portion of your trip.

 

I have no experience with the valet service, as we usually travel light and don't have extra stuff to lug along. But I do wonder if the valet service would pick up from you in London - perhaps from your hotel - and then ship to Silver Whisper in time for your cruise. Worth asking. It should certainly be cheaper to deliver from London to Southampton, than to deliver from somewhere in North America all the way to Southampton.

 

Failing that, I'd look into a left luggage service at LHR, or a train station, or a London Hotel, as Jeff suggests. I'd pick the most convenient spot in terms of dropoff and pickup, depending on where you will be on embarkation day. You don't want to have a huge detour to pick up a bag, when you should be relaxing and having a smooth embarkation.

 

Are you using any touring services, or drivers, while you're in the UK? Or, do you have a driver hired for embarkation day at Southampton? They may also have suggestions. Perhaps your driver could even fetch the bag for you, on his way to pick you up to get to the ship?

 

If you want to share a few more details about your pre-cruise plans, maybe we can come up with some more specific suggestions for you. Enjoy and happy anniversary!

Edited June 8, 2017 by jpalbny

[UKCruiseJeff]

Enjoyed Jeff's great follow-up about his "good old fashioned travel 'cannyness' ". Not totally sure what that means for me as midwestern American to understand fully, BUT, I believe that fact to be totally true about Jeff. Never in doubt on Jeff for his skills and accomplishments.

 

Don't worry about me opening the balcony door and shocking the neighbors. Since we have a Vista Suite, I can't open the balcony door and do such a dumb, dumb thing. BUT, I will smile and show my other "morning pride" in a better, more positive manner.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Panama Canal? Just completed Feb. 28-Mar. 15, 2017, Fort Lauderdale to San Francisco adventure through the Panama Canal with our first stops in Colombia, Central America and Mexico, plus added time in the great Golden Gate City. Lots of fun pictures!! Those pictures start on the second page, post #26. See more at:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2465580

 

Terry,

 

In danger of repeating myself. But I feel very, very strongly that when you approach retirement age then if travel is important to you in style ie not economy travel you really need to get to grips with one or two airline and hotel programmes. I have absolutely no doubt that many of our First class flights are less than most pay for economy. And we enjoy suites in first class hotels with other benefits for the price most pay for entry level. There are lots of bloggs and sites that help you do this.

 

Understanding airline ticketing is merely a component of understanding the mechanics.

 

Anyway ........ the less people that pile high from the buffet the more there is left for me .....:D

[UKCruiseJeff]

MLeh,

 

Following on from JP's excellent post ... I was trying to think through what I might do and what I had in mind was that if you had a stay of a night or two in a London hotel and contrived a private moment with the concierge then I think you could sort this. I would ask the concierge to visit you in your room/suite and very diplomoatically produce your cruise travel documents which shows that you are not a terrorism risk and with a diplomatic tip explain the problem, point at the case which you should have open for inspection, and ask whether they could look after the case for the period after you leave. Let him take it with him once you have agreed.

 

Weaving that narrow seam of gold with good grace and discretion, a decent concierge/porter will get you the very best solution at the lowest price. Ensure they give you a baggage ticket.

 

Anyway, don't be a stranger. Cooler membership is open. :)

[UKCruiseJeff]

James Comey. WOW.

 

(yn)

[mysty]

Greetings from Calgary Coolers! We are visiting our son and his family. Been very busy with the 11 month old. :) Welcome all the new Cooler bar folks! A lively bar is always fun!

 

And I quite like being called feisty!

 

Happy Anniversary to all celebrating! Have a great trip Terry!

 

And have a great day all!

[MissSophia]

Hi Coolers........and a very warm welcome to our new table mates 😊

 

Sorry to Jane for making you feel invisible.......l hope this election result isn't going to be too close...l cast my vote this morning and proud to do so and l shall have the news on overnight to follow the results.

 

Terry....I think Jeffers needs to educate you about how to achieve travelling in style...😉 to be honest l really couldn't cope these days in coach/economy if the flight is over two hours...😳 I'm lucky to be able to sleep on a plane if l have a flat bed.

 

JP.....your adventure trip sounds wonderful....so much to look forward to.

 

MLeh......I have used the SS valet/luggage service and found it excellent. I forwarded two cases to NYC but sadly wasn't able to follow them due to illness....SS were very helpful with organising their return on my chosen dates so it may be worth looking as an option for you.

Frank Sansone in the Miami office is probably your best contact.....FrankS@silversea.com

 

Mysty....hope all is well in Calgary and baby isn't tiring you out too much!

 

It's been another wet and windy day here in Wales....time to cuddle down on the sofa with four paws....

 

S 😊

[TLCOhio]

I feel very, very strongly that when you approach retirement age then if travel is important to you in style ie not economy travel you really need to get to grips with one or two airline and hotel programmes. I have absolutely no doubt that many of our First class flights are less than most pay for economy. And we enjoy suites in first class hotels with other benefits for the price most pay for entry level. There are lots of bloggs and sites that help you do this. Understanding airline ticketing is merely a component of understanding the mechanics.

 

YES, YES, agree 100% with Jeff on working and using the airline/hotel programs. We actively use the American Airlines miles program with our flying and through our credit card use. That helped us get wonderful business class seats to South Africa on their partner of Qatar Air last year. Our business class tickets for Southeast Asia early next year are already booked through this AA FF program. For free!! Have done many trips to Europe in business class previously, to Australia in business class in early 2014, etc. It's been wonderful!! Also use points and upgrades with Marriott, etc.

 

Just didn't want to burn too many miles for this June Portugal trip that would limit what was needed for the higher priority of our longer flying journeys in January 2018 to Hong Kong, etc. Agree on the wisdom to know and work these programs for maximum benefit and travel comfort. And when the pricing cost is reasonable, we have paid the added for business class such as we did in early 2015 with Delta in going to Barbados and coming from San Juan when doing our Amazon River/Caribbean cruising on the Silver Cloud. For next week's Lisbon to Rouen/France sailing on the Silver Spirit, Silversea provided without added cost the coach airfare as part of the cruise "deal". Then we "managed" the booking with American Airlines so as to get 16,000 miles total going to our Frequent Flyer accounts even with Silversea paying for the airfare. Jeff is correct on the needs for being creative and persistent to roll us these "benefits" and perks.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

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

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

Now at 32,116 views for this visual sharing including Cape Town, along South Africa’s coast, Mozambique, Victoria Falls/Zambia and Botswana's famed Okavango Delta area.