Concerned Captain

Captain Ivo is very concerned that TSH and Diva are happy and comfortable. In Atlantide one night he asked why they were not watching the football match. Diva assured him that they were saving themselves for the victory parade but alas that was not to be. When they went ashore in Akureyri, he said that Diva would be cold. She should be wearing a jacket, despite bright sunshine and relatively warm weather. She assured him that her wool cardigan would be adequate and this turned out to be the case.

Captain Ivo occasionally announces the presence of whales around the Silver Spirit but so far TSH and Diva have failed to spot them.

The excursion was excellent – the Godfoss waterfall followed by the Botanic Gardens. All in warm weather.

Diva and the Director

On the first night of the final leg of their cruise, TSH and Diva had dinner in Atlantide. Captain Ivo and the Hotel Director were at the next table. The wine service was below standard – TSH was served with alcohol-free red when he had asked for white. The refill he requested did not appear and Diva’s glass was empty. They did not complain (except to each other) but the Portuguese Hotel Director is an observant man. Suddenly two glasses of port appeared with his compliments. Diva waved a ‘Salute’ at him before drinking hers.

When TSH goes to the La Terrazza buffet, he leaves his small blue glasses case in a prominent place on the table to act as a marker for his return. The crew have observed and remarked on this and one waiter requested a demo of the folding glasses fitting into it.

There was disappointment at finally leaving the Reykjavik area without any sight of volcanic activity.

Perfect Peaches

On the third Venetian night of the cruise, TSH and Diva again came second. On this occasion, their name was, for the first time, pronounced correctly and reference was made to their diligent use of hand sanitisers throughout the ship. They are shocked that this precaution appears to be noteworthy.

Statistics: 478 guests on board. 209 Venetians – a much lower proportion than TSH and Diva are used to.

Whilst waiting for the announcements to begin, Diva received a tap on the shoulder from Captain Ivo. He was checking that all was well with her and assuring her that the seas would be calm overnight. They were also approached by the Food and Beverage manager, who told them that grilled peaches would be available for them at any time they went to Atlantide for breakfast. And this turned out to be true. Perfectly grilled and presented as in the past. Full marks to him and the restaurant staff.

Lerwick Lost

When the captain’s voice is heard on the public address system before 8am, it is never good news. Especially when he says ‘This is s very important announcement’. The Silver Spirit will not make the planned call at Lerwick, Shetland because of a threatened storm. If the ship were to dock, the chances are that it would have to remain there for several days. So TSH and Diva are heading straight to Iceland, with the estimated arrival time unchanged. With an extra day at sea, the journey is obviously expected to be slow. The crew are securing the large plant pots and safely storing the cushions from the outside chairs. TSH and Diva have taken medication and are wearing their wrist bands.

The last time TSH and Diva crossed from the UK to Iceland in 2013, the sea was sufficiently angry that they said they would never do that crossing again!

The Silver Spirit is now so far north that there is very little darkness in the night. Perhaps that is why the telephone rang at 1:30 am. Diva was asked if she had ordered ginger tea. She was reasonably polite to the caller but very annoyed. The next morning, an oblivious TSH asked if there had been a telephone call in the night and, if so, what it had been about. There was a verbal apology from the Head Butler, who blamed the disturbance on ‘a technical problem’.

The dinner reservation in La Terrrazza (Deck7) has been cancelled. TSH and Diva will eat in Atlantide on Deck 5. Lower down and more stable.

Mersey modification

Diva’s first tantrum of Day 1 was during the disorganised embarkation. The second was during dinner when an enthusiastic wine waiter at the next table continued loudly to explain options during the Captain’s announcement.  She missed most of it but eventually discovered that due to an impending storm, Plymouth and Fishguard were cancelled and the next port would be Liverpool. So if they had forgotten anything (which they haven’t) they could go home to collect it.

The Atlantide menu has changed completely (jury still out on that) but the filet mignon and lemon meringue pie are excellent as ever. Wine (Diva)and sparkling water (TSH) very palatable. At breakfast, TSH enjoyed his first Danish pastry of the voyage.

River cruise

Whilst sailing along the north coast of France, Diva and TSH saw a spectacular night thunderstorm which continually lit up the sky with sheet lightning.

TSH knew from previous holidays that reaching Rouen involved sailing up the Seine for a number of hours, although this was a surprise to Diva and many other Silver Moon guests.  It was a very scenic voyage, just like a river cruise, as they passed many attractive towns and villages, greeted with a wave by many local people.

TSH was disappointed that he failed to identify the camp site on the banks of the river where,  in 1974, he spent his first night outside the UK. He thinks it passed whilst he had lunch and that that he will miss it on the way back because it will be dinner time. Getting the priorities right. He has also had one of his few day-time beers of this cruise – a sign that the weather is getting warmer.

Rouen is an industrial city with an historic centre which Diva and TSH could see by taking a short walk along the river. Naturally, TSH had to climb the steps to the bridge, walking across the river to get a better view for his camera.

In the Alantide restaurant, they made their choices from the menu and the waiter immediately rushed over to take the order. Apparently the sign that service is required is TSH removing and folding his glasses.

Diva has been busy with Wordle every morning whilst TSH shaves. It has always been a good sign if she has been able to complete it faster than TSH can shave. They know of one other guest who has also been doing Wordle, claims not to be very good and actually deduced the word in fewer tries than Diva on one occasion.

Diva had a discussion with another guest about the horror of the lack of face soap on the Silver Moon. Her husband said that the conversation fell into the category of ‘overheard in Waitrose’.

Diva and TSH are very aware that the end of the cruise is near. Luggage labels and instructions will shortly be appearing for the disembarkation and the journey home. Looking back on the cruise, they agree that they have visited many very interesting places and have enjoyed themselves. The problems were all at the start, with the bad experiences at Manchester Airport and the Athens pier and the twelve day delay in TSH receiving his clothes from FedEx.

 

 

Best ship entertainment ever

On formal night in Atlantide (restaurant), TSH and Diva were given a window table and the waiter obligingly opened the blind so that they could see the sea. Surprisingly, it was Diva who first spotted what was happening. First one dark shape and then another appeared fleetingly above the surface of the very calm sea. Soon it was apparent that there was a large number of dolphins accompanying the Silver Moon. Many jumped clear out of the water – sometimes more than one at one time. Brilliant show appreciated by all. There has long been a guest rumour that a tank of dolphins is kept in the bowels of the ship to be let out by the Captain at appropriate times. When better than formal night?

In Valencia, TSH and Dive took the almost empty shuttle bus into the city centre and walked around the main squares. They had been warned that it was Sunday of a Bank Holiday weekend and everything would be closed but in fact many cafes and some tourist shops were open and there were large numbers of people around. When they boarded the shuttle bus for the return journey, it was clear that many guests were using the shuttle as a drive-by excursion, were not getting off and were quite happy to return immediately to the Silver Moon.

TSH is taking many pics but is struggling with his camera steaming up whilst he is wearing a mask.

Only 1 guest is now testing positive for Covid.