Late, not Live - Silver Cloud Expedition - Reykjavik to Dublin Aug 15-27

[BigNance]

We were so busy on this cruise (and so tired at night) that I couldn't do Live or even Semi-Live!  (Busy includes sitting on the Panorama deck and having espresso or margaritas ;-))

I want to thank everyone who posted info and answered questions posed about dress, landings, booze, wine, food, etc.  It was all helpful in our (my) planning.

 

DH and I were part of a group of 10 travelers who departed out of the US for KEF on August 13.  There was much angsting over the proctored exams and mistakes that were made, but we all eventually tested negative and trekked over to the airport for our 4:15 flight.  HA

There were several delays, which made me appreciative of the 3 1/2 hour layover that we were supposed to have in Chicago. (It also stopped the complaining of those who didn't like the long layover).  We ended up with a 2 hour delay and we left Chicago on time.  Hallelujah!!

 

Upon arrival in Keflavik, I had arranged for NiceTours to pick us up at the airport, take us on the Golden Circle Tour, and drop us off at the Grand Hotel Reykjavik at the end of the day.  One hitch here, I had informed Silversea (through our TA) that we were being picked up at the airport by a tour guide and wouldn't need the transfers.  I saw some Silversea workers there and stopped to make sure we were not on the list to be picked up.  We WERE on the list.  Corporate missed there.

They did have others to pick up, so it wasn't a total loss, but really, pass the news on down the line!

Being in the 66-78 yo range, I tried to cut back on the length of the tour so that I didn't put any of us in the hospital before we even made it to the ship.  I was moderately successful...  

 

The highlights on the Golden Circle tour are awesome sights/sites!!  The Kerid Crater lake, the Geysir site, and the Thingfeller National park (where the tectonic plates meet-well, they are separating slowly, but you get the picture) are truly magnificent.  We greatly enjoyed traveling around and our guide, Magnus, was excellent.  He was also extremely helpful when one of our group needed a quick trip to the ER. (see moderately successful re: hospitals)

 

We were dropped off at the hotel around 6 PM and were able to check in with a minimum of commotion (with us, there is always SOME commotion).  We decided to have dinner at the hotel and they were able to accommodate all of us (or so they said).

We were seated about 10 minutes after our reservation, but it took almost 45 minutes to get someone to take our order and then about an hour to finally get served.  And this was after tracking down our waitress, looking for the maitre'd, saying something to the chef walking around, etc.  The food was decent, but the experience was negative, since we got some attitude from the manager when we complained.  Ah well, things happen.  We all ate, drank some wine, and retired early.

 

Next day was a cab ride to downtown Reykjavik ( since this hotel is several miles from the downtown scenic area) to check out the sites before our coaches arrived to  transport us to the Cloud.  The church is pretty magnificent and we strolled around the shops and to the port before we had to head back so we wouldn't miss our ride!

 

 

[highplanesdrifters]

3 hours ago, BigNance said:

We were so busy on this cruise (and so tired at night) that I couldn't do Live or even Semi-Live!  (Busy includes sitting on the Panorama deck and having espresso or margaritas ;-))

My kinda busy!

[BigNance]

There was a lunch buffet at the Grand Hotel Reykjavik, which was very nice.  The bus was due to pick us up at 2:15.  They were a few minutes late, but We did NOT miss our ride to the Cloud, we had all of our Covid paperwork ready, and boarded pretty quickly.  I marshalled the forces to head to the Panorama lounge after we went through the check in.  I had to fix dinner reservations, so I headed to the reservation desk to take care of that..  They were very helpful and everything was accomplished pretty quickly.  We enjoyed a few adult beverages while waiting for our rooms.  We weren't in any rush 😉

We had dinner in the main dining room that night.  The meals were very good, but the service was somewhat slow.  The waiters/waitresses were very attentive, but they were also bussing tables, clearing, bringing water, etc.  They seemed somewhat short staffed. That was the pattern in all of the food venues for the cruise.   We heard that they were affected by Covid and short staffed.  

Don't mistake me,  the serving staff was very attentive, in all venues.

 

Our friends talked us into this cruise on Silversea after their excellent cruise the previous year.  It was all about the pampering and the amazing attention to detail.  We did enjoy this cruise greatly, but it wasn't about the pampering.  I think since it was an expedition cruise, it was about the outings, which were amazing!  Our butler and room steward did excellent jobs, and whatever we asked for, was certainly suppled!

[BigNance]

For those that may be scheduled to take or are considering this trip, I want to let y'all know that there are NO wet landings.  I did bring wellies/rainboots in case that did happen, and when I asked the expedition leader, Louis (an absolutely amazing guy, organized, friendly, very knowledgeable and super capable), about wet landings, he told me if that would happen, they would "make arrangements" 😉

I would advise water resistant or water proof hiking shoes or boots, since we did some walking in some very wet grass twice and my shoes got soaked!  I brought 2 pairs of some sturdier Skechers, which did VERY WELL for me, aside from the wet feet.  BUT, that is why I brought 2 pairs, so one could dry and the other one could be worn!  They did dry overnight.  

 

On board dress?  Casual every day/night, as per the schedule.  The men in our group did bring jackets for the dinner(s) in La Dame.  The women either wore a nice dress or black slacks and dressier tops. And, none of us wore jeans to dinner.  On that note, I really didn't notice what other people wore, except several women that had really spiffy evening dress (cocktail length).

 

The service on this ship was very good.  The bartenders and bar waiters were outstanding!  They did a nice job with requested mixed drinks and they were all very pleasant and friendly. As were the waiters/waitresses in the restaurants.  The restaurant service in almost all cases was somewhat slow, I think due to a shortage of staff.  But, it isn't a hardship to be sitting down, enjoying adult beverages, and chatting with friends!

 

We were disappointed in some of the bar offerings, which we did mention in our survey that they asked us to complete.  They ran out of the Glenfiddich 12 not even half way into the trip (couldn't have been our group...).  We are sailing the UK - Scotland and Ireland in particular, they should have been able to resupply on ONE of the stops with either Scotch whisky or Irish whisky.  Corporate needs to look at resupplying with local vendors (doesn't SALT do that??) on an occasional basis when the ships are running low on things.  And, their only tequila was a Jose Cuervo...  And, yes, we did "buy up" nicer bottles of wine for our dinners in La Dame and our anniversary.  Also bought up with some nicer whiskies when the mood struck.

 

Another GREAT group of staff were the gentlemen that help you into and out of the zodiacs.  Those guys are excellent!  Very safety conscious, friendly, always upbeat, and very good at their job.  Even in some bumpy seas!   My foot slipped on one entry and they did not let me go down! It was barely a bump.

 

In case I didn't mention it, this was a truly terrific trip!

 

 

[ronrick1943]

Nice reading your report, I agree about supplies- doesn’t make sense they don’t know how to order, they have been doing this for years.  I realize supply is a problem, but if you can purchase it at retial you can it it wholesale.  Nice report, thank you for posting.

[BigNance]

We really enjoyed our meal in LaDame - the food and service are truly outstanding!  We booked a second night there on the evening of our first visit.  The second meal was just as good as the first!  They serve you with a flair in there!

 

The Hot Rocks evening dining at The Grill was excellent.  I think we ate there 4 times.  If you are there and they have the salmon GET IT.  Throw a little butter on the rock and slap the salmon on there.  It cooks pretty quickly and is awesome!   My other favorite was the prawns, loved them!!  The strip steak was also excellent and the filet was very good.  We like to cook at home, so this was fun!

 

We also ate at The Grill for lunch pretty frequently - trying to avoid the indoors for Covid reasons and also, we liked the food there. (The bar isn't too shabby either!!)

 

Buffet breakfast in La Terrazza was great,  It is nice to have a combo of 'pick your own' and 'special order' your eggs and cappuccinos.'-)  Breakfast in the main dining room was always very good, but it is also a slow process (especially with a table of 8 or 10).  We started breaking into smaller groups to try to get served faster, not sure that worked.....

 

We also had breakfast in our room several times, when we had early excursions (not my favorite).  Our butler did a terrific job of setting up and getting hot breakfast dishes there on time!  Also, they would bring a pot of decaf, instead of one cup at a time in the dining rooms.

There is something for corporate to address...The barista made the decaf along with the lattes, etc.  They need to dedicate a pot for making decaf, along with the regular coffee making pots, when there are a lot of Americans aboard.  

 

We enjoyed our meals and packed on a few pounds!

 

 

[BigNance]

The excursions on this trip were very cool!  Small islands with gorgeous scenery, ancient settlements, nesting bird colonies, waterfalls, castles, major hikes, easy walks, you name it!

 

We very much enjoyed the ATV ride to the lava caves.  The ATV's were fun (and we did get to drive our own) and the lava caves were very cool.  There is a loonng hike from where the ATV's are parked to where the caves are, we got some steps in that day.

 

The 4-Wheel drive excursion in Djupivogur (sp) was also great!  Not many steps, but lots of stunning scenery.  

 

The hike to Old Man of Storr on Orkney was very strenuous and pretty spectacular.  My DH and I kept stopping for photo stops (ie rest breaks). 😉

 

The walks around Canna and St. Kilda were beautiful and educational.  St Kilda is an exceptional UNESCO World Heritage Site and really awesome.  The expedition team is terrific!  

 

I greatly enjoyed Dunvegan Castle ( a quick walk around after our long hike at Storr) and Duart Castle.  Such history!

 

The Vestmanna Sea Cliffs  boat ride (with about a 45 minute coach ride through the very scenic Faroe Island) was amazing!  The day started out rainy and cleared up while we were still on the water so we ended up with some spectacular blue sky/big cliff/blue water shots.  And many birds.  And some sheep.  

 

The archeological tour around Orkney was great!  We visited Scotland 3 years ago and had seen much of this before, but, because I didn't book a Highland Park tour in advance, we couldn't go there..

Some of the whisky drinkers were sad, but enjoyed the sites/sights anyway.  Make sure you visit St. Magnus' Cathedral while in Kirkwall.  It is pretty spectacular itself!

 

WE consoled ourselves with a flight of Scotch whiskies in the Kirkwall Inn/Hotel before returning to the ship.

 

The expedition team guides are all very knowledgeable and friendly.  They impart a great deal of info on history, geology, the wildlife of the area, etc.  They will also cut you loose to do your own touring.

 

I especially enjoyed all of the zodiac rides.  They were part of the fun! 

[Stumblefoot]

1 hour ago, BigNance said:

WE consoled ourselves with a flight of Scotch whiskies in the Kirkwall Inn/Hotel before returning to the ship.

I like how you console yourself!

 

Highland Park 18 is my favorite sipper.

[BigNance]

On 9/8/2022 at 3:13 PM, Stumblefoot said:

I like how you console yourself!

 

Highland Park 18 is my favorite sipper.

And a very good sipper it is!!

 

 

[chrism23]

I  was on this cruise..  I suggested to Martin the Cruise Director (strongly) that they include a scotch tasting  as a scheduled activity.  I had read up on Scotches before the cruise to prepare my self to taste a number of wee drams and I was disappointed that they didn't do one.  Perhaps if more people suggest this they might do it on future cruises.  

[BigNance]

That would be a great choice!  I did suggest on the mid cruise evaluation that they organize and offer a whisky tasting at Highland Park in Orkney, or one of the others in Scotland for future cruises.  When we were at Duart Castle, we were right across the bay/fjord/whatever it was from Oban.  That is a superior tasting!!

 

I did not schedule Highland Park ahead of time, because you never know what the weather gods are going to deliver.  If Silversea did excursions there, they could probably arrange for "no show, no pay".
THAT would have been very nice!  When we stopped at Craobh Haven and there were busses to the Gardens (which we DID not get on, since it looked like an hour drive each way), they could have scheduled a drive up the coast to Oban, or several others up that way.  Oban looked like a 45 minute drive. 

AND, we thought their whisky (Scotch and Irish) offerings at the bar could have been better. 

Silversea has the SALT bar and menu on a couple of their ships, they could do a modified/light version with local libations and snacks!

 

Bar offerings aside, this was a tremendous trip and we really enjoyed it!