Silversea Water Cooler: Welcome! Part Five

[mysty]

Greetings Coolers!

 

Today's funny.....

 

 

Have a great safe fun day all!

[zqtchas]

[jpalbny]

Fox in the back yard!

 

Might be the same one I saw a few weeks ago while I was running on the treadmill. This time he posed for a bunch of shots before trotting off. I think he was hunting something near the bird feeder.

 

 

 

 

 

Beautiful coat and long fluffy tail. A good way to start the morning.

[Lois R]

Good morning coolers,  JP, great photos🙂

 

Well, I am thinking about taking a land tour later this spring/early summer. I have not made a 

final decision but I am just going a bit nuts here at home (as we all are, I realize that).  I am

looking at a Tauck Tour. Not sure if any of you have traveled with them but they get very high

marks and I met a gal one of my cruises who took a land tour with them to Italy and she LOVED it.🙂

  This is not going overseas but going on what is called "The Gold Coast"....10 nights in 

California from LA/Beverly Hills to Santa Barbara, Monterey and San Francisco. The hotels

they pick are all 5 stars.....and the tours are SMALL....no more than 26 people.  Just something

I am thinking about. Looks like it would be really fun!

[zqtchas]

[Capri73]

1 hour ago, Lois R said:

Good morning coolers,  JP, great photos🙂

 

Well, I am thinking about taking a land tour later this spring/early summer. I have not made a 

final decision but I am just going a bit nuts here at home (as we all are, I realize that).  I am

looking at a Tauck Tour. Not sure if any of you have traveled with them but they get very high

marks and I met a gal one of my cruises who took a land tour with them to Italy and she LOVED it.🙂

  This is not going overseas but going on what is called "The Gold Coast"....10 nights in 

California from LA/Beverly Hills to Santa Barbara, Monterey and San Francisco. The hotels

they pick are all 5 stars.....and the tours are SMALL....no more than 26 people.  Just something

I am thinking about. Looks like it would be really fun!

We took a Taulk tour in 2019 to New Zealand. It was a wonderful trip.We enjoyed it so much that we booked another for 2020.This trip was cancelled.They contacted us 2 weeks prior to them cancelling stating that if we cancelled they would hold half our money in what they call Dreamsavers.We decided to go with their suggestion. because they said they were not cancelling our trip.BA had already cancelled our flights. They now have $7500 of our money. We were about to try and book something for 2022 but were told if we booked and cancelled for any reason at any time our $7500 would be lost plus the $1800 deposit they wanted.I am only telling you this so you will check seriously about the cancellation policy.I cannot fault them on their trips but I find this part of the company unacceptable.

[Lois R]

11 minutes ago, Capri73 said:

We took a Taulk tour in 2019 to New Zealand. It was a wonderful trip.We enjoyed it so much that we booked another for 2020.This trip was cancelled.They contacted us 2 weeks prior to them cancelling stating that if we cancelled they would hold half our money in what they call Dreamsavers.We decided to go with their suggestion. because they said they were not cancelling our trip.BA had already cancelled our flights. They now have $7500 of our money. We were about to try and book something for 2022 but were told if we booked and cancelled for any reason at any time our $7500 would be lost plus the $1800 deposit they wanted.I am only telling you this so you will check seriously about the cancellation policy.I cannot fault them on their trips but I find this part of the company unacceptable.

WOW....I will make sure to ask about this when I call them this week. You would lose all that

money?☹️.........yikes!

[brimary]

Lois .....We did a Tauck tour many years ago.First class.Your planned itinerary is also a fantastic way of visiting the highlights of California.Hope it works out for you.

[Lois R]

Thanks, I have been to CA multiple times over the years and love it...especially San 

Francisco😀

[TLCOhio]

1 hour ago, Capri73 said:

I am only telling you this so you will check seriously about the cancellation policy.I cannot fault them on their trips but I find this part of the company unacceptable.

 

Appreciate the wonderful, smart above suggestion regarding the "DETAILS" related to a travel company's cancellation policy.  Even with a "first-class" company such as Tauck, checking and double-checking those exact specifics are vital.  And, these policies probably have changed and/or been adjusted during the past twelve months.  Don't assume they are the same as when you last checked two years ago.  

 

Loved the fox visual from J.P.  Fun and interesting to see wildlife.  Nice and super sunny today in Central Ohio.  Getting closer to Spring.  

 

It was exactly one year ago today when when we returned from French Polynesia via LAX.  Much has happened in the past twelve months!!!  We got home from New Zealand and the South Pacific just in time before the "BIG SHUT-DOWN" started.  And, currently, we still do not know when things get back to a closer form of "normal".  Many lives lost and disrupted . . . all over the world!!

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Like this tee-shirt and does it fit your mind-set/situation?:

[Capri73]

1 hour ago, Lois R said:

WOW....I will make sure to ask about this when I call them this week. You would lose all that

money?☹️.........yikes!

Yes. Makes me sick.Afraid to book anything.

 

[Host Jazzbeau]

I looked into various land tour companies when planning for the Italian Lakes.  Tauck is 'small' compared to the really big tours, but there are other companies that keep the groups much smaller than that.  We ended up cancelling for medical reasons, but the two companies that ended up at the top of my list are Classic Journeys and Odysseys-Unlimited.  [For the more active, Country Walkers and Backroads.]  Just waiting for them to release the 2023 schedules to book Classic Journeys in the Italian Lakes and Country Walkers for Tuscany and Umbria [if their dates coordinate as they have in the past]  Can't really recommend them because we have only actually done one trip, with Backroads – but on paper all four of these are top notch.

[TLCOhio]

1 hour ago, Lois R said:

Thanks, I have been to CA multiple times over the years and love it ... especially San Francisco😀

 

YES!!  The City on the Bay is wonderful, charming, historic, etc., with excellent scenic sights, great food, etc.  From our last visit there in March 2017, here below are three quick visuals from this eye-popping travel destination to bring back memories.  First visited S.F. in January 1970.  I was young back then.  

 

As a part of your potential West Coast adventure, will you be stopping and spending time at W. R. Hearst's San Simeon?  Been there previously?

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

 

 

[mysty]

[Lois R]

Terry, loving those photos😀 I have never been to Hearst's Castle......it is part this tour.

 

Jazz, thanks for those recommendations.  I will look them up as well.  I just know Tauck from

a couple of people and have heard of them over the years. 

[Will Work for Tiramisu]

15 hours ago, lincslady said:

I may be going covid mad, but my surreal favourite limerick keeps going through my head.  I know it is silly, and maybe not funny, but does anyone else have a favourite  (fairly clean) one?

 

There was a young man from Nepal

Who went to a fancy dress ball

He said 'I will risk it, and go as a biscuit'

And the dog ate him up in the hall.

 

Lola

I've survived a dreadful year of pandemic,

But just got jabbed with vaccine systemic!

When my antibodies sufficiently increase, 

I shall seek some overdue release, 

With a blotto chandelier-swinging frolic!  

[mysty]

3 hours ago, Lois R said:

Terry, loving those photos😀 I have never been to Hearst's Castle......it is part this tour.

 

 

Myster and I took our kids for a California vacation when daughter was 15 and son 13.  We drove from San Francisco down to Los Angeles and stopped in San Simeon to visit Hearst Castle.  It was very interesting.  Down side was that daughter had just watched Newsies.  Newsies (released as The News Boys in the United Kingdom) is a 1992 American musical comedy-drama film produced by Walt Disney Pictures.  It is a musical based on the New York City newsboy strike of 1899. When young newspaper sellers were exploited beyond reason by their bosses they set out to enact change and are met by the ruthlessness of big business.  William Randolph Hearst was mentioned in the film as one of the ruthless big business factors exploiting the newsboys.  As we toured the estate daughter expressed her discontent with viewing the wealth of someone who had exploited young people.  She had a point.  It was not well received by others on the tour.  

[QueSeraSera]

Silversea sent an email advising I had not completed passenger info for our scheduled late June 2021 cruise out of Barcelona.  So I did, and then started scheduling excursions etc.  It was fun, bringing back happy memories.  I mean, for a little while I was so happy!  Portofino sounds beautiful.

Cooler not for posting about cruises, I know...

But how good it felt thinking about flights, arranging pet care, excursions to places we've never been, whether to make dinner reservations, etc.  Don't know where else to share these emotions.

Eventually, this will pass, and now will be the retirement we worked for and dreamed of all these years.

 

[mysty]

10 minutes ago, QueSeraSera said:

Silversea sent an email advising I had not completed passenger info for our scheduled late June 2021 cruise out of Barcelona.  So I did, and then started scheduling excursions etc.  It was fun, bringing back happy memories.  I mean, for a little while I was so happy!  Portofino sounds beautiful.

Cooler not for posting about cruises, I know...

But how good it felt thinking about flights, arranging pet care, excursions to places we've never been, whether to make dinner reservations, etc.  Don't know where else to share these emotions.

Eventually, this will pass, and now will be the retirement we worked for and dreamed of all these years.

 

 

Que please celebrate the joy!  We will celebrate with you.   We've all traveled through a long dark tunnel for the past year!  We are all weary of it!  Be excited!  Have fun planning!  Experience joy for the first time in what probably feels like forever!  We'll all get there at some point!  You are just leading the charge! 😁

[nowornever]

Lois, we have done 12-14 Tauck trips from Viet Nam to Antarctica to Maritimes of Canada.  Loved them all & they do a fabulous job - they don't skimp on anything!  We haven't done one in about 4 years because it gets tiring packing up & moving on every 2-3 days.   These days are challenging for even the best of companies so totally make sure that you understand the current terms & conditions of the tour company & the airline you will use.  Are you sure you want to travel in the Spring?  Right now the Hearst Castle (a highlight) isn't even open, & there are lots of the variants in CA right now also.  Tour busses can be a bit problematic - someone always has a dreadful cough -  & on our last Tauck trip, the Canadian Maritimes, there were way too many people packed on to the bus.  Be sure & find out how many people they will book on yours since you will have some long rides between cities.  Lots to think about.

[nowornever]

Hi again, Lois, I just looked at the itinerary.  Please ask them what the new plans are for traveling from Hearst Castle (if it's open) to Monterey since PCH is now closed because it collapsed into the Pacific south of Carmel.  That's a long detour along 101. 

[zqtchas]

[Lois R]

1 hour ago, nowornever said:

Hi again, Lois, I just looked at the itinerary.  Please ask them what the new plans are for traveling from Hearst Castle (if it's open) to Monterey since PCH is now closed because it collapsed into the Pacific south of Carmel.  That's a long detour along 101. 

Hi, thanks for all your input. When I call I will definitely ask.  Your post has given me quite a bit

to think about.

[TakingFlight]

1 hour ago, nowornever said:

Hi again, Lois, I just looked at the itinerary.  Please ask them what the new plans are for traveling from Hearst Castle (if it's open) to Monterey since PCH is now closed because it collapsed into the Pacific south of Carmel.  That's a long detour along 101. 

I have to agree with you, nowornever. As much as I love the Central Coast of California, now is not the time to visit. We are still basically locked down and life in no way resembles normal. All event venues are closed. Restaurants just opened up for indoor dining a few weeks ago at very limited capacity. It is quite depressing. In fact, we are getting ready to go to Florida next week to celebrate our 45th anniversary and try to feel somewhat normal again. 

[mysty]

Greetings Coolers!

 

Today's funny.....

 

 

Have a great safe fun day all!