'tis better to arrive than to travel hopefully

Diva and TSH decided to pre-ship most of the luggage for their 69 day cruise, using the FedEx service. This was despite the problems with sending luggage in advance in early 2022, when all of TSH's clothes were in a case that took twelve days to catch up with the ship.

It makes the journey much easier if you send as much as possible in advance but it does add some interesting issues. Firstly, if you send a lot of clothes two weeks before you leave, it reduces the clothes you have to wear at home. Then there is provision for the journey itself, with two nights in different hotels on the way to the Silver Moon. Including a gala dinner in Florida.

TSH and Diva had to deal with the very important issue of spreading clothes between all of the cases so that in the event that one (or two) were delayed there would still be clothes available for both of them. TSH took photographs of the contents of each case and the associated FedEx documentation. This might be considered more than a bit nerdy but was not as big a job as Diva thought (please don’t tell her). 

TSH had one or two issues of concern regarding the FedEx service, so he sent an email to Silversea for clarification. A very welcome and helpful phone response from the Vice President of Global Guest Relations followed.

TSH kept a close eye on the progress of the bags in case emergency action was required. Before leaving the UK at Stansted airport the bags did a tour of Britain to get the hang of travelling – Newcastle upon Tyne and Derby were amongst the places visited. The suitcases entered the USA at Memphis on Christmas Day, just after the monster winter storm hit.

After seeing how many items were still needed as hold luggage, Diva decided that a larger case was required. So on Christmas Eve, TSH and Diva bought themselves a new suitcase.

All of the cases arrived in Fort Lauderdale on the 27th December despite one of the bags deciding to stay on at Memphis for twelve hours after the others had be shipped onwards. All have been signed for by the ship's agent. 

TSH and Diva are much relieved. 

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.

 

 

Diva and the four doctors

 No excursion today, just an unescorted walk around Kotor, which is one of the best ports along this coast. Interesting old walled town, good walks along the water-front, colourful flower market and a magnificent sail-away through a fjord.

They were not all doctors but they were all wearing white coats, which was enough. Diva was having some problems with her ears and went to the Medical Centre for syringing. She does not really have a problem with that procedure, which she has had many times. But it all felt a bit panicky in a strange location. One doctor to syringe, one to hold the basin (which Diva can normally manage herself), one to stand in front and issue orders about not moving, shaking or flinching. And the last to watch in horror from across the room. Ears are much improved but might need a return visit. Good that basic medical care is included in the cruise package.

 TSH has tried ouzo (good) and retsina (bad). He has decided to stick with cognac or malt whisky.

Diva is wearing a pair of sparkly but very comfortable shoes during the day and is receiving many compliments.

Fedex Customer Services sent TSH a triumphant email to say that they had sorted his issues, fulfilled their contract and delivered his bag to Athens. Pity he has no immediate plans to go there. Silversea have (maybe) hired a truck to move the bags to Venice.

Albania

The scenery here is spectacular – mountains, deep fertile valleys, and views of the sea and the island of Corfu. The local people are welcoming – a folk performance at the pier when Silver Moon arrived and a gift of a shopping bag (Welcome to Albania) for everybody. The tour buses were delayed for a while because the port entrance gate was locked but the police eventually sorted that one out.

The drive to the castle viewpoint was a bit scary for Diva – steep roads, hairpin bends and only a narrow strip of tarmac. Fortunately the road was dry. The winery visit consisted of a buffet table with snacks and local wine, with no tasting guidance. The winery itself was so small that there was nothing to tour. The tour finished with a walk along the attractive new promenade area.

TSH and Diva ate at the SALT restaurant, which specialises in local food. Their lamb yiovetsi was so good that they are looking for the recipe.

 The Fedex tracking system says that TSH’s bag is now in Athens, where it should have been 2 weeks ago. Nobody on board ‘has any information’ about why it is not on the Silversea truck, which may or may not have left Germany for Venice.

 

The lamb:

From Istanbul

 Istanbul is one of the most interesting ports in the world. A skyline of buildings from many generations and cultures and many craft of all sizes and shapes on the water.

Overnight in Istanbul meant pizza on Deck 11 to take in the views. Which was very brave, considering the low temperature.

The new cruise terminal in Istanbul is enormous. Beneath it is a huge vehicle area for cars, buses and deliveries. The signs said it was 3 minutes walk to the Silver Moon but they did not change for several minutes and the walk was rather longer.

The excursion was to the Dolmabahce Palace, which was built in the nineteenth century in European style. It is extremely opulent, even by the standards of British royal palaces. It was a Sultan’s palace but its claim to fame is that it was the death place of Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey.

Not a great day for TSH, who was not allowed take pictures inside the buildings, because it rained quite hard for a while and he still does not have his long water-proof coat.

A conversation with Silversea London revealed that the 40+ bags involved have now been located and removed from their container in Koln. However, the normal next stop would be in Paris, where there is currently a strike, so that might not be such a good idea. But TSH was assured that the bags were on the move. 24 hours later, the tracking system shows his bag still in Koln, with no projected delivery date.

 

In which TSH falls foul of Diva and the Turkish Army

 After anchoring near the port of Dikili, the Captain announced that the swell was too great for safe tendering operations. Eventually he obtained permission to land guests in a protected fisherman’s harbour so tours could commence. Diva looked at the water and decided to stay on the Silver Moon. TSH set off alone on the carefully selected, easy, non-exciting tour. Except he managed to get on the wrong bus and instead did the ascent to the Acropolis – involving climbing and a cable car. During the tour, the group paused near an army installation and were told in no uncertain terms to move on.

The evening meal included 2 favourites – TSH’s deconstructed fruit crumble and Diva’s lemon meringue.

TSH and Diva made a rare appearance at the after-dinner show. Diva enjoyed the Queen tribute but TSH wondered what Freddie Mercury would have thought of the top hats and twirling umbrellas.

Still no news on luggage.

Lemon meringue - increased to 22 blobs 

Deconstructed fruit crumble

Lunch on pool deck in Istanbul

From the middle of the volcano

The Silver Moon moored in the middle of where the volcano used to be. Modern Santorini is the part of the island which did not get blown apart three and a half thousand years ago. The archaeological site is like Pompeii in being a site of a sudden natural disaster. It also had expensive sophisticated art but experienced disaster more than 1500 years before Pompeii. The excavation has been covered by a complex structure whose foundations went down far below current ground level.

During the afternoon, Diva asked reception if she could have some face soap, as, unusually, there is none in the suite. She stressed that this was not a complaint – just that the butler did not understand what she wanted. This resulted in total mayhem in the suite after dinner. The butler manager, the butler and the cleaner all visited and it became apparent that there is no face soap on the Silver Moon (!!). Instead, they brought masses of other toiletries, a whole stack of facecloths and many apologies. But they forgot to replace the bottle of water or bring the flask of hot water which TSH and Diva had requested. This is not an experienced ship.

TSH’s bag, along with many others, is still with Fedex.

Worst embarkation ever

 Over the last week or so, TSH and Diva received communications from Silversea stating that they required a certified PCR test 72, 48 or 24 hours before embarkation. Supposedly because of EU or Greek regulations. The fall-back was a pier-side lateral flow test. So many guests, including TSH and Diva, failed to meet this moving target that the pier-side facilities were totally overwhelmed. All 150 or so of the Grand Voyagers were brought to the pier within less than an hour, other guests arrived randomly and there was no organised queueing system. For a while, people sat down and waited when they were asked to. Until they realised that later arrivals were walking past them. At which point it became a free-for all. TSH, a well-trained Englishman who knows how to queue, was told by an American (!!) to ‘stand in line’.

After 2 extremely uncomfortable hours, they were finally allowed to board Silver Moon.

TSH’s bag still with Fedex.

Athens

 Once more, at the start of a Grand Voyage (See January 2017), TSH and Diva got lucky in the upgrade stakes. Their accommodation at The Astir Palace in Athens has  large sitting room and bedroom, a utility area with a sink and a bathroom with loo, basin and what turned out to be an excellent shower. Later they found the main bathroom with bath, twin washbasins, another loo and more towels than they were likely to need during their short stay. Turn-down service arrived before he had found the main bathroom, so TSH insisted they left more towels. Also a walk-in wardrobe and a huge balcony overlooking the sea. 

On arrival at the hotel at 18:15, they had decided that, after snacking all day, they would not bother with a meal. But they were informed that dinner was at 19:00. They exploded their suitcases across the sitting room, showered, and located clothes for the evening. The food was extremely plentiful - like a meze except that everyone was given a plate with huge portions of everything (perhaps a Covid thing?). Three generous courses. Wine from Santorini, where they will visit in a few days time. 

Fedex are now showing an interest in the whereabouts of TSH's luggage. The issue now appears to be properly escalated. Maybe results in a few days time?

TSH and Diva are very loyal to their local Manchester airport, which has served them both well for many years. They are reluctant to disparage it but have to say that their experience on Tuesday morning was appalling. The airport website suggested turning up at least three hours before a flight, but at that time, there were no open check-in desks. When they did open, there were not enough staff and everything seemed to take a long time. The long, closely packed, queues for security were a public health hazard. Whilst accepting that the small cannisters in inhalers must represent a potential risk on a flight, Diva has never before experienced them being taken out of their plastic bag and touched by security personnel wearing gloves which had also touched everybody else's luggage. A lot of remedial cleaning was required. By comparison, Heathrow was peaceful and by any standards Athens was efficient and welcoming.

One half-sleep to go

 Taxi pick-up at 3 am tomorrow. TSH still has no news of his luggage, which has been marked 'in transit' from Germany for a week by Fedex. So it is not the best possible start to a Grand Voyage. Diva's bag and the one with shoes and toiletries are already at the port of Piraeus. 

PCR tests done this morning but no results yet.