GOOD MORNING VIETNAM.... Live Silver Shadow 25 March 2018

[les37b]

That’s strange. I could have sworn I replied to Meow already.

 

The Shadow is certainly still the familiar style. It’s not been musified yet and it’s still much like the Wind. The Whisper was identical on what I saw when I went on for lunch yesterday. I believe the changes coming first to Whisper is the colour scheme and updates. The restaurants remain with a MDR.

 

I’m glad. I like them both and think it’s good to have a choice.

 

Triv was a resounding victory today and we ended winning by a clear 5 points. Woop woop! We only got 3 wrong. One was a bit of a trick Republic of Ireland on Eire. One was so close blue berry not not black current and a crazy spelling which no one got.

 

ME I mentioned you’d sent your regards. He didn’t know your name on here but when I mentioned the cover you did, he blurted out both of your names correctly. He mentioned you were a quiz king and said if you wanted to send over any questions, he’d be happy to do them.... just send in an email and I’ll make sure he gets them! lol

 

Informal night tonight.... and it’s about to begin... toodle pip...

 

 

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[meow!]

That’s strange. I could have sworn I replied to Meow already.

 

The Shadow is certainly still the familiar style. It’s not been musified yet and it’s still much like the Wind. The Whisper was identical on what I saw when I went on for lunch yesterday. I believe the changes coming first to Whisper is the colour scheme and updates. The restaurants remain with a MDR.

 

Thank you kindly for your reply. We have talked on this board before, but could be some months ago or on a different topic. It is nice to hear from you anyway.

.

[Tothesunset]

I thoroughly recommend a visit to the Garden Wing of the hotel. It looks awesome.

It is. Stayed there for 3 nights a few years ago and it really is rather special.

[TLCOhio]

Hi Terry, we were in the same spot on the Whisper World Cruise last year, with photos posted.

 

Great to know that Silversea ships have been regulars in going all the way up and UP the Saigon River to dock at Ho Chi Minh City. Sorry, my rusty brain either forget or missed seeing those pictures you had posted. I assume most ocean cruise ship do not travel that far up this river.

 

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 199,178 views for this posting.

[Silver Spectre]

Great to know that Silversea ships have been regulars in going all the way up and UP the Saigon River to dock at Ho Chi Minh City. Sorry, my rusty brain either forget or missed seeing those pictures you had posted. I assume most ocean cruise ship do not travel that far up this river.

 

 

 

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 199,178 views for this posting.

 

 

 

Absolutely correct Terry, the larger ships have to dock at a commercial port and bus guests into the city. By the way, loved your Mekong river adventure.

 

 

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[TLCOhio]

Absolutely correct Terry, the larger ships have to dock at a commercial port and bus guests into the city. By the way, loved your Mekong river adventure.

 

Appreciate Silver Spectre's kind viewpoint on my report and pictures. Glad to know this UK travel expert is a person of such high class, great taste and wonderful judgment to make these generous comments.

 

Quick question? How far away does most other cruise ships have to dock at the commercial ports and about how long it take for making that bus trip?

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 223,650 views.

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

[les37b]

Sunday 25th March continued.......

 

Forgot to mention.... when checking out the Shangri La hotel, we were presented with a nice box of choccies from the hotel as a birthday gift for my wife. A nice touch. And we we got to our room, it was decorated with balloons.... plus of course a nice cake in La Terrazza on the balcony where 6 waiters sang happy birthday. She didn’t enjoy that too much but I thought it was hilarious!

 

Anyway, we decided to have lunch on boarding in the MDR which was very good. It’s a shame I’m not able to upload some photos and the pdf menu but it continues to be a problem to do so.

 

Right on schedule... 2 O’clock came and we all got access to our rooms. Had we not got to the ship under our own steam, we would only just have arrived, so definitely a good move and recommended.

 

Our cases were already in the room and alarmingly, one on the cases had been opened and was open where it stood.its a hard case and I think the zip split open. They are good cases so I can only surmise it was dropped. I did report it, but luckily no harn done and contents seemed to all be there. A bit naughty it just left like it was with contents on show.

 

Being new to the shadow we explored. As previously mentioned, its strange. The shadow is similar to the wind, with an extra deck, but seemed to have many quirky differences.

 

For instance, the pool area. The Bar and food are on opposite sides. The area looks the same, but appears to me to be slightly smaller than the wind. Getting to the pool, No side passage by the restaurant and the main entrance is not a straight path in the centre, but to the left or right and through the side sliding doors.

 

The stair wells are similar, but quite different. Annoying for me getting from one end of the ship to the other requires traversing stairs. There is no “all the way round” walking on one level.

 

The ship is so similar... but takes a little getting used to until “wind mode” disappears.

 

We departed Singapore at about 6.30, a little later than scheduled, following the Azamara Journey which was docked next to us. I videoed the departure, but it wasn’t anything too special. I expect had the Shadow been in Marina Bay, the views would have been more spectacular and by the time we reached that point it was already to distant and as well as getting dark, visibility had diminished.

 

We had our first evening meal on the balcony in La Terrazza. We were actually the first to arrive, asked for the terrace and he seemed a little reluctant to give us a table outside. Good job. Plenty of choice on the menu and again, will post photos when we get back. This was the evening we had 4 Italians seemingly given a reserved large table for 6. One of the chairs was padded, so I am certain given their arrival time, that was the case. Later after finishing their meal, one of them lit a cigar. Now I know that there are tables to one side away from the doors, that smoking is permitted. They were right in the centre. Someone complained and they were told it was ok. Different rules for different people I think maybe!

 

After dinner we went to the bar where the acoustic guitar guy Ryan was playing. We don’t tend to go to the shows, so having live music was a bonus. He is very good and takes requests. I had several and he played the lot. Jet lag was playing up.... It was now 11pm and still wide awake but knew tommorrow would be different, so retired with not too good a sleep which until about 3am, Jet lag won..... And then sleep cycle kicked in.

 

 

Monday 26 March

 

And boy did it kick in. We awoke at Midday, missing breakfast for the second day in a row. Today was our first sea day as we traversed the South China Sea on our way to Ho Chi Minh City. The weather was a little overcast but very pleasant, with the sea breeze making it enjoyable to be on the pool deck. Poolside menu was expanded with a stand and Thai food served .... plus a couple of Pina Coladas. This is the life.

 

Today was our first Triv day. Our team, 5 Brits, 2 Americans and 1 Aussie. (I saw one as although one of the guys was an Aussie, he had a strong Northern access, so still a Brit to me!

 

CD Kirk was our host and a reasonable performance by our team, the scrambled eggheads, saw us finishing second.

 

As it was formal night tonight we had our customary Pre dinner drink at the bar and proceed to the MDR The food seemed to not be as hot as I would have expected, but was nice nonetheless. Again, will post photos when I can.

 

The bar and guitarist was next on the agenda, but knowing we had an early start, we only had one or two drinks and retired.

 

 

Tuesday 27th March

 

OK, so remembering how easy it was to oversleep, I got an early morning call set. One at 5.15 so I could get up and GoPro our arrival into Saigon and another at 7 ready to get up and ready for the tour.

 

It was such a pleasant morning as we sailed upstream on the Saigon River, that I stayed and watched sunrise, along with a few others doing the same. Up ahead in the distance, I could make out another cruise ship also on its way to Saigon. As time passed, I realised what ship it was. Silver shadow would be sharing the port with her sister, Silver Whisper. What a pleasant surprise.

 

We decided on breakfast in La Terrazza, so headed there. I was a little disappointed with the selection. It didn’t seem as good as on the Wind, but it was fine and not an issue.

 

A new friend arrived in Port with us, with the Sojourn passing us and docking between us.

 

Customs took their time and we got our completed ID card (free of charge) and ready to leave the ship for our “highlights of Saigon” tour. We were soon familiar with the crazy HCMC traffic, where traffic lights and crossings are not observed really and motor cyclists just travel would you when you cross the road. It sounds a little scary, but I got used to it quite quickly.

 

It was quite a short tour visiting a few sites like the Post Office, Norte Dame, CIA building, War Museum and Ben Than market. Tip..... “Fixed prices” doesn’t mean what it says. Our guide was a pleasant and quite funny individual and all the tours seem to be from the same company.

 

We got back to the ship and decided we’d have lunch on the Whisper. Annoyingly we went back to the room and as my Phone was about to die, I left it there on charge. When we arrived at the Whisper which was docked a good 1/2 a mile or more away, I realised we’d left our Visa cards in the room. So back we went..... sneaking past the Vietnamese port guy, I got to the room and we were soon heading back to the Whisper.

 

We arrived and as expected, the card wasn’t checked. We were now too late for La Terrazza buffet, so had a light snack by the pool. The ship was nigh empty (Unsurprisingly). We didn’t really have a look around. The ship looked identical.

 

I decided I’d get the courtesy shuttle bus back into town and try to market again. We only had 25 minutes before and as per usual, wanted to buy this he kids some T-Shirts and nik naks. Finding my way around wasn’t as easy as expected and where you get dropped, the main road that cuts through is closed for construction. There is a very small passage about 2 metres wide that takes you towards the market. If you go to Ben Than, you will find I expect that every exit looks the same and its not obvious. I bought all the T-Shirts I wanted and some and realised I had little time to get back for the half hourly bus. My traffic navigation skills had been honed by now and I crossed the roads knowing if I just crossed.... they WILL stop.... Luckily I was right! Lol

 

I got back to the main road and I could see the bus ahead. Phew. Made it just in time..... to see it pull away. Luckily, the bus did as I hoped and after going round the square came back on itself. I stepped out with my hand raised to “Stop” and luckily he did and allowed me to board.

 

Funnily as I chatted on the bus, I soon learned I was on a Sojourn Bus! Oops!

 

Too late for triv this this afternoon, but that was the same for most of the teams and they had a more “friendly” game instead which didn’t count for the main competition.

 

Dinner was casual again and in La Terrazza. Photos to follow..... and we ended the evening as per usual in the Bar and guitarist.

 

More to follow.... and please excuse the huge wall of text without photos. I will try again to insert.

[les37b]

Les, the hamburgers were/are definitely on the MDR menu. I remember seeing them on my cruise in January as I was also surprised to see them there. Something about "designer" hamburgers? There were a lot of other choices so we never tried the hamburgers.

 

Julie

 

 

Funnily enough, last night in the MDR, they had two lots of “designer” burgers on the menu.

Edited March 29, 2018 by les37b

[les37b]

Wednesday 28 March

 

My wife had decided to order for breakfast in the room, but I always prefer to pick my own so had a table to myself on the balcony in La Terrazza. The tour this morning was “Artists of Saigon.” The tour itself was poor and I really thought it a waste of time, however, it actually turned out to be enlightening.

 

Our guide was very good. Not at the subject matter (though I’m not saying it wasn’t the case) but he was very open in his dialogue about life under communism, being a “southerner” and being discriminated against and how money laundering is alive and kicking within the government of the party cronies.

 

If anyone is interested, I will go into a little bit of detail and needless to say, it was great to hear such openness and a little surprising at the same time.

 

We were scheduled to leave at 1 but that was changed to 2pm and we were aware that the Whisper would be leaving fiirst. Having a little time, I decided to type up some stuff to post and I could kick myself, as I always setup a GoPro at both ends to time lapse record our departure and journey. This time, it would also catch the Whisper departing..... only I messed up. The Whisper left at 1.45 and I hadn’t set anything up. I was sitting typing stuff for here at the pool bar as I helplessly watch here pass on our port side. I was too late for the stern, but decided to go to the bow. Buy the time I started recording, I was too late and she had already passed. I took some photos, but didn’t get the time lapse I was hoping to get. Gutted!

 

I did however capture in full our own journey down the Saigon River and it will include footage where you can see the Whisper up ahead. Not quite the same. Both cameras were left rolling until we reached the sea and links to all the captures wil;l be posted if they are worthy to do so.

 

Triv was back in business and I’m please to boast we won by 5 points and now in a comfortable position overall in first place. The format that Kirk used was 20 quests and a bonus. You could bet on your answer and score that amount. You had a pair of numbers and could only use once. So certain answers would be given a higher priority and bigger score. The bonus you selected blind. Annoyingly we played this one safe (as getting wrong you scored a negative of what you bet)

 

Makes it all interesting..... and three points even more so! ;-)

 

Dinner was in the MDR and informal. As mentioned above, burgers really were on the menu. I had a very nice prawn curry instead! After dinner, the bar and guitarist beckon and we left for bed at midnight when Ryan finished playing. On our way, were spotted by Kirk and invited into the snug bar next to the casino. So many shared stories later, from cruises, to places to go, ship events to Donald Trump...... We eventually left at 2am... For us, not too sad as it was a sea day next up, but Kirk was up bright and early a few hours later. For us...... another late one (10.30) and breakfast missed again!..... But more about Thursday (today) later. I must say, it was a great way to end the evening with the Kirk and Vicki along with the invite to join for dinner.

[les37b]

A few sample photos.... Strange the way this is working. Sometimes (like now) they do upload. Unfortunately I've not too many on this phone... And I'd transferred from my camera onto my other phone... Will try from there later

 

Triv beckons...

 

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[frantic36]

Les, I'm with you. Prawn curry is much more my style then designer burgers. Though I'm sure the burgers were lovely:cool:.

 

Julie

[TLCOhio]

Les, I'm with you. Prawn curry is much more my style then designer burgers. Though I'm sure the burgers were lovely:cool:. Julie

 

Agree with Julie and Les for preferring the prawn curry versus a burger. We can get and eat burgers all of the time at home. When cruising and traveling internationally, we enjoy sampling various tastes and foods different than our normal, daily options in Central Ohio.

 

Appreciate the continued excellent posts, pictures and follow-ups from Les. Keep up the great sharing.

 

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 230,829 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

[Master Echo]

Hi Terry

 

In answer to your question, larger ships tend to dock at Phu My, close to the mouth of the Saigon River, opposite Vung Tau. This is approximately an hour's drive from the centre of Saigon, traffic dependent.

 

It is definitely a far better experience to sail up the river, than bus or taxi it - the latter we did once from Phu My in 2000 - and I am sure the traffic is a great deal worse than it was then!!

 

Oh, the joys of small ship cruising!!:D

 

Kindest regards

 

Master Echo

[Mr Luxury]

Funnily enough, last night in the MDR, they had two lots of “designer” burgers on the menu.

Les,are you sure you're not eating in the burger bar

 

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[Silver Spectre]

That Lampadina bar is easy to get into but sometimes way difficult to leave

 

 

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[Silver Spectre]

Hi Terry

 

 

 

In answer to your question, larger ships tend to dock at Phu My, close to the mouth of the Saigon River, opposite Vung Tau. This is approximately an hour's drive from the centre of Saigon, traffic dependent.

 

 

 

It is definitely a far better experience to sail up the river, than bus or taxi it - the latter we did once from Phu My in 2000 - and I am sure the traffic is a great deal worse than it was then!!

 

 

 

Oh, the joys of small ship cruising!!:D

 

 

 

Kindest regards

 

 

 

Master Echo

 

 

 

Thanks for answering Terry's question ME, that's about how I remember it. We saw one of the Cunard ships parked down there as we sailed out.

 

 

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[TLCOhio]

Hi Terry. In answer to your question, larger ships tend to dock at Phu My, close to the mouth of the Saigon River, opposite Vung Tau. This is approximately an hour's drive from the centre of Saigon, traffic dependent. It is definitely a far better experience to sail up the river, than bus or taxi it - the latter we did once from Phu My in 2000 - and I am sure the traffic is a great deal worse than it was then!! Oh, the joys of small ship cruising!!:D

Kindest regards. Master Echo

 

Appreciate above from Master Echo with these details and this helpful follow-up. Plus, the added confirmation from Silver Spectre. Yes, the sprawl and traffic in and around Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City makes things more challenging and time-consuming these days compared to in 2000 for such bus journeys. For our Mekong River cruise, we were able to depart from right near the heart of this large town on the Saigon River. Most other Mekong River sailings must "bus it" about two hours to get on their river ship. Sailing down that Saigon River is very interesting, plus the fun and sights on the canal that connect you to the Mekong River. Much better than a boring bus ride.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

SE Asia/Mekong River, Etc.! Just completed a Jan. 21-Feb. 20, 2018, first adventure through Southeast Asia with stops in Hong Kong and Bangkok, before traveling all over Vietnam and Cambodia. This includes seven days sailing on the Mekong River. Lots of fun, interesting pictures!! See more at:

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2591474

[CruisinPashmina]

I’m confused about why Vicky is on board while Kirk ( such a nice guy ) is CD. I board next week, and since both are terrific, I am purely curious.

Loving the live commentary!

[Silver Spectre]

I’m confused about why Vicky is on board while Kirk ( such a nice guy ) is CD. I board next week, and since both are terrific, I am purely curious.

Loving the live commentary!

 

 

 

Vicki is on holiday, visiting a friend on the ship.

 

 

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[les37b]

That Lampadina bar is easy to get into but sometimes way difficult to get out.

 

 

 

Last night they had a quiz in the Panarama and bad boy Kirk kept us there until 2am again.... unfortunately we carried on until 2.20

 

ME Kirk mentioned you’d sent an email regarding questions... we came second yesterday afternoon and maintain a 6 point lead.

 

And yes, Vicki is on a busmans holiday!

 

A couple on our team have completed 1650 days with SS! Wow!! I think they have at least another 2 B2B so definitely on the next cruise....

[les37b]

Yes, Shadow, Whisper and Sojourn were docked in the City and the Queen Mary was at Phu My.

 

It was very busy in Saigon a couple of days ago!

 

A few photos... Whisper in Saigon, a few from gardens by bay... and our suite along with birthday balloons.

 

[UpstateJan]

Les, thank you so much for all your postings. We so appreciate all the information and tips you have provided. My hubby got home from his business trip at 1am this morning .... we fly out tomorrow morning at 11am. It's finally here (and no snowstorms on the horizon), we're ready for our first time on SilverSeas. Glad to hear that the acoustic guitarist is excellent, that is my favorite type of entertainment on board. Safe travels, my friend, and hopefully we will be on a ship together in the future.

 

Jan

[Master Echo]

Well said Silver Spectre!

 

Les, I understand that a certain couple is responsible for the lateness to bed by the CD!! Not once but twice!! My information from the ship is that it is you and your wife who are keeping senior officers from their beds too frequently!

 

As Silver Spectre has said, possibly Lampadina being so small, it makes it very difficult to find the exit!!

 

Keep all the information coming Les - don't worry about the lack of photos, words can often speak louder!!

 

Kindest regards

 

Master Echo

[les37b]

Well said Silver Spectre!

 

Les, I understand that a certain couple is responsible for the lateness to bed by the CD!! Not once but twice!! My information from the ship is that it is you and your wife who are keeping senior officers from their beds too frequently!

 

As Silver Spectre has said, possibly Lampadina being so small, it makes it very difficult to find the exit!!

 

Keep all the information coming Les - don't worry about the lack of photos, words can often speak louder!!

 

Kindest regards

 

Master Echo

 

 

Haha. He told me you’d emailed.... and that he’d said I was a bad influence. I feel confident you know who the real bad boy is! Hes on disco duty tonight and I’m a light weight who’s having an early night!

 

We won triv again tonight but it doesn’t count as trip caused a poorer turnout.

 

The couple I mentioned got a special mention at the Venetian cocktail party. It’s 1632 days they’ve completed, The next highest was 350 I’m sure you will have sailed with them.

[les37b]

While I remember, I got the info from Kirk for the Shadow passenger count.

 

Unsurprisingly the U.K. came out top. Quite surprised at the number of Germans of the 341

 

We were joined by another 10 guests in HCMC - no idea on nationalities of those. We also had the captain replaced from Saigon with Captain Charlie Georgiev (AKA Chadley) I believe this is just to Hong Kong.

 

 

One of the gopros set up on the Saigon River for timelapse.

 

Edited March 31, 2018 by les37b