Ship Inspection December 4, 2010 – San Pedro, CA
Our ship inspection was scheduled for 11:30 a.m. for the Silversea Silver Cloud in San Pedro, CA. We left San Diego mid-morning under cloudy skies after stopping by Starbucks for a yummy and warm eggnog latte’. Yes, this is one of my favorite holiday indulgences!
Driving up I-5 was an easy commute this morning as the traffic was light with no traffic back-ups at all. After we merged onto the 405 Freeway in Orange County and proceeded north to the Long Beach Freeway, the heavy clouds above us began to drop large rain drops on our windshield. As we drove along the water’s edge, Jim commented that this was where his Dad was stationed and they lived in naval housing. What was once an active Naval Base is now redeveloped and none of the old buildings remain. Now, tall palm trees and landfills and huge cranes for loading cargo stand where the Naval Officers’ Club and other buildings used to be in the 1950’s.
We continued on over the Vincent Thomas Bridge and turned off to get to the port. The Sapphire Princess was in port and majestically took her position at the end of the inland waterway. Up a bit further, we could see the top of the Silver Cloud, but there were several tents in the parking lot that blocked our view of the entire ship. This was disappointing as I only could get a picture of the top insignia on the stack of the Silver Cloud.
It was still raining when we parked the car. We proceeded across the street and through the Port Authority security check-in to an area inside a building where folding chairs were set up in several rows. Our guide for the day, Iona, greeted us and introduced herself as the Cruise Consultant on the Silver Cloud. She guided us to the gangway where we climbed the steep, steel steps and were greeted at the top by several very well dressed crew members. They were dressed in business attire of Navy blue and off-white.
The central lobby of the Silver Cloud is a circular designed area with offices in the area housing Guest Relations, the Silver Shore Concierge available for booking your shore excursions; and the desk of the Cruise Consultant (our Ivonna). A table was set up in one area full of champagne glasses waiting to be filled from the bottles of champagne two young men had waiting on ice for the new guests when they arrived.
The décor is elegant with navy blue and gold carpeting and finished with subtle wallpaper and trimmed in brass. There is a wide variety of art work on board the Silver Cloud ranging from paintings to bronze statues and incredible, intricate tile mosaics.
The Silver Cloud carries approximately 296 guests with a crew of 222. This is a “luxury” liner with all staterooms being “suites” (not cabins or staterooms). This stop in San Pedro today was their only stop in Southern California for the rest of 2010 and 2011; so we were very lucky to have the chance to visit her while she was in port for such a short time.
Ivonna took is to a “Verandah Suite” first. It is 295 sq. ft. including the verandah. I would compare this to the size of a mini-suite on the Sapphire Princess. This suite was beautifully appointed with plush Egyptian linens on the bed and in the bath. There was a bottle of champagne on ice wrapped neatly in a white towel in an ice bucket on the coffee table along with two champagne flutes waiting to be filled. Each suite is also graced with stunning fresh orchid plants. Each bath has a tub and shower and a fabulous walk-in closet with tremendous storage space. The bath is large and had plenty of mirrors above the elegant marble counters and sinks. All suites have internet access and flat screen TV’s. You also have your own personal Butler at your service 24/7. The Butler can arrange your dining reservations as well as make your shore excursion reservations. They are also available to run any errand you may need them to such as picking up your laundry or purchasing a candy bar from the store.
Each suite has a teak verandah with nice patio furniture. The size varies depending on the type of suite you have and your location on the ship. As you can imagine, if you have booked one of the larger suites, you will also have a larger verandah.
Our next visit was to the Owner’s Suite which is mid-size with Bedroom #1 being approximately 829 sq. ft. and Bedroom #2 being approximately 587 sq. ft. With the two separate bedrooms, there is also a living area with a couch and chairs and coffee table with champagne waiting; a writing desk and mini bar with table. Again, the bath was quite large with a larger walk-in closet. This suite bath also had a toilet and bade.
The Grand Suite was the largest suite that we visited with Bedroom #1 is 1019 sq. ft. and Bedroom #2 is 1314 sq. ft. The bath in this suite had a whirlpool tub. There was a very large living room area with couch and chairs along with two other round tables, a mini-bar and an antique looking writing desk in the corner. There were two entrances out to the verandah. Every suite offers the luxurious, plus Egyptian linens in the bedrooms and baths.
We visited the handsome Library furnished with over-stuffed dark brown leather chairs and hard cover books behind the glass doors of the bookcases. There were audio listening stations. You could also find your favorite magazines or newspaper here.
The Card Room had several square tables suitable for playing card games or table games and could also be used for a conference room if necessary.
La Terraza (The Terrace Restaurant) was one of my favorite areas on the ship. It offers an ala carté menu with a buffet breakfast in the morning or al fresco dining on the outdoor patio. In the evenings, La Terraza becomes an ala carté Italian Restaurant. The outdoor patio is on the aft of the ship and would be a wonderful place to sit and enjoy the scenery as you sail along.
Another great gathering place would be The Panorama Lounge where you can enjoy the scenery as well as complimentary cocktails. There is a piano in here along with nice tables and comfortable chairs. At the Pool Bar¸¬ you can enjoy your favorite cocktail by the pool during the day; and in the evening it turns into Dining Under the Stars offering grilled steaks and fish and fresh pizza.
Le Champagne would be an intimate place where you could indulge in a six course meals including fine wines paired with every course.
We passed quickly through the Salon and Spa where you can make arrangements for facials, body wraps or massages and afterwards enjoy some quite time in the men’s or women’s steam and sauna rooms. The Casino is small, but has a roulette wheel, blackjack table and about 15 slot machines neatly placed in cubbies along the port side of the ship. We did not see the Fitness Center, but understand it is equipped with treadmills, elliptical machines and free weights. They also offer aerobics classes, as well as yoga and Pilates – which are all complimentary.
Our tour ended in The Restaurant (dining room) elegantly set with silver and crystal and candlelight. We had a fixed menu with an appetizer of a small crab cake topped with a guacamole and garnish. Our “salad” was a base of steamed spinach topped with sliced artichoke hearts and a nice piece of grilled swordfish. The main course was a serving of Polenta topped with two small slices of veal. Dessert was also served which consisted of a fluted pastry shell filled with fresh blueberries and crème freshe. Two different wines were also served during lunch – both Italian, one white and one red.
The Silver Cloud was the flagship of Silversea Cruise Lines and was launched in 1994. She was renovated in 2004 and again in 2006. This luxury liner offers personal service at every point and being “all inclusive”, a passenger feels they are receiving true value for their vacation experience. We thoroughly enjoyed our time on the Silver Cloud and thank Silversea Cruise Lines for giving us the opportunity to visit her.
Showing posts with label Cruising. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cruising. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Fathers Day - Making a Memory
Happy Father's Day to everyone - especially my Dad (Harvey) and my father-in-law (Mel)!
One thing I have learned from both of these men is that you should travel while you can. My Dad is now 88 and Mel is 90. The past couple of years have been hard on both of them and their health ailments have increased to the point they don't feel comfortable traveling anymore.
But - I'm so happy to say that they both traveled a considerable amount when they were able to. My parents traveled because of my Dad's work. I was an insurance company brat. Dad was President of several companies, and therefore had to arrange for their conventions and incentive promotions. They went on cruises, traveled to Europe, and stayed in some of the finest hotels. They were blessed to be able to do that. My parents have a small group of friends who also get together and all of them travel. They've done several cruises to Alaska and Mexico, and just enjoy being together and sharing the moment.
Mel is a retired Navy Captain - and he travelled the world but in a different sort of manner. After he retired, they became big fans of river cruising here in the States. They love the small boat feel and cruising down the inland waterways on the East coast. They golfed in every port they stopped at. They've also gone on three ocean cruises.
One of the best cruises that Jim and I ever took was a short cruise to Cabo San Lucas round trip out of San Diego with my parents. We took advantage of our time with them and sat down and asked them questions about how they met and each converation grew and grew into more and more things they remembered. It was a fascinating trip and one that I will always cherish. I took notes about everything they told us and I'm not putting it all together in a memory book for my daughters and grandsons and family.
I found out on that cruise that my great great grandmother was a widow with five boys. She lived in Sheboygan, Wisconsin and had a long-time friend who had recently become a widower in California. He wrote to her and offered to marry her and move her family out to Visalia. She and the boy boarded a train to California and when they arrived, he met them and they walked across the street to the Justice of the Peace and were married immediately. My grandfather was one of those five young boys! If we hadn't been on that cruise, and we hadn't asked all the questions, I may never have known that story!
Take the time with your parents and just sit and talk with them about some of their memories while they are still here. Before we know it, it will be too late.
One thing I have learned from both of these men is that you should travel while you can. My Dad is now 88 and Mel is 90. The past couple of years have been hard on both of them and their health ailments have increased to the point they don't feel comfortable traveling anymore.
But - I'm so happy to say that they both traveled a considerable amount when they were able to. My parents traveled because of my Dad's work. I was an insurance company brat. Dad was President of several companies, and therefore had to arrange for their conventions and incentive promotions. They went on cruises, traveled to Europe, and stayed in some of the finest hotels. They were blessed to be able to do that. My parents have a small group of friends who also get together and all of them travel. They've done several cruises to Alaska and Mexico, and just enjoy being together and sharing the moment.
Mel is a retired Navy Captain - and he travelled the world but in a different sort of manner. After he retired, they became big fans of river cruising here in the States. They love the small boat feel and cruising down the inland waterways on the East coast. They golfed in every port they stopped at. They've also gone on three ocean cruises.
One of the best cruises that Jim and I ever took was a short cruise to Cabo San Lucas round trip out of San Diego with my parents. We took advantage of our time with them and sat down and asked them questions about how they met and each converation grew and grew into more and more things they remembered. It was a fascinating trip and one that I will always cherish. I took notes about everything they told us and I'm not putting it all together in a memory book for my daughters and grandsons and family.
I found out on that cruise that my great great grandmother was a widow with five boys. She lived in Sheboygan, Wisconsin and had a long-time friend who had recently become a widower in California. He wrote to her and offered to marry her and move her family out to Visalia. She and the boy boarded a train to California and when they arrived, he met them and they walked across the street to the Justice of the Peace and were married immediately. My grandfather was one of those five young boys! If we hadn't been on that cruise, and we hadn't asked all the questions, I may never have known that story!
Take the time with your parents and just sit and talk with them about some of their memories while they are still here. Before we know it, it will be too late.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Travelogue No. 9 - Vancouver, whale watching
TRAVELOGUE NO. 9
PACIFIC COASTAL CRUISE LOS ANGELES TO VANCOUVER
SUNDAY, May 16, 2010
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA
Because our whale watching excursion was not until 12:00 noon, we were able to enjoy a leisurely morning and a nice cup of Starbucks and a blueberry muffin for breakfast before we caught a cab over to Granville Island where we would go to Wild Whales and depart on our adventure in search of those “black and whites”.
Granville Island has a fabulous Public Market, very similar in concept to Pikes Place Market in Seattle. There are fruit stands piled high with fresh vegetables. The red, orange, yellow and green bell peppers alongside the thin, fresh asparagus and huge (5”) artichokes and gigantic red and green grapes filled the counters of the vegetable and fruit stands. The fish counters were filled of king crab legs and fresh salmon along with other local varieties of fish that had been brought to the market in the morning. We found our favorite deli stand and purchased our sandwiches to take out on our excursion. We found our favorite deli counter where we bought our sandwiches for our afternoon excursion and then we set out to go explore the market a bit before we boarded the Quick Change II, whale watching vessel.
Our tour guide, Caley, along with our driver greeted us as we boarded the covered whale-watching boat. Caley was about 25 years old and though it appeared that she had a full head of hair in dread-locks, she had them tied up in a scarf around her head. She had a small nose, hazel eyes and a beautiful smile. She is had a small frame and seemed genuinely happy that we had all chosen to be with her on this exploration for go find the whales.
We took off out of the harbor at Granville Island and passed under the Granville Island Bridge and out into the Strait of Georgia, which is the main route of the Alaska Marine Highway. We passed many tankers and tug boats on our way heading south west to the Gulf Islands. As we reached Porlier Pass and Galiano Island, we passed the small white and red Grace Point Lighthouse. The base of the lighthouse is wider than the top. It had four sides that were trimmed in bright red paint and then the lighthouse lens was on top. On top of the lens proudly were two bald eagles proudly perched as if they were greeting us as we entered the Trincomali Pass heading south.
The skies above became more gray with thicker clouds, that eventually gave us a fine, misty rain as we passed through the narrow passageway of the Pender Islands. We had been in the boat about three hours at this point and still had no sightings of any whales. The scenery was breathtaking; and as is true after most rains, the smell of the freshened forest and trees was noticeable and refreshing.
Unfortunately, those black and white orcas remained silent and elusive; and we never found them. We did see a few dolphins as we headed back out into the Strait of Georgia heading back to Vancouver. As we reached the breakwater, we saw some California sea lions and stellar sea lions basking on the rocks of the breakwater. A couple of them were lifting their bodies and stretching high and barking loudly as we passed by. The staff at Wild Whales graciously issued all of us a “free” pass to come back another time (no expiration date) to see the whales – so we will tuck that away in a safe place and look forward to doing that sometime in the future.
Realization eventually set in that in only 12 hours we would be heading to the airport for our trek home – so we decided to have a nice, quiet dinner at the Sea Wall Restaurant in the lobby of the Westin Bayshore. We had a window table and were among only half a dozen or so, groups of people in the restaurant – so it was quiet and peaceful as the sun set on another beautiful Vancouver day.
And, so it ends my friends – our trip is over – I hope you’ve enjoyed coming along with us on our journey and hope you have enjoyed the trip with us. We’ll be heading out again on June 30th this year as we will go visit Alaska on a three day cruise from Vancouver to Skagway visiting Tracy Arm Fjord and the Twin Sawyer Glaciers and Juneau before we reach Skagway. From Skagway, we will leave the ship and go on a 10 day land tour up to the Yukon, Dawson, Tok, Fairbanks, Denali and Anchorage. Till then…safe travels to you all!
PACIFIC COASTAL CRUISE LOS ANGELES TO VANCOUVER
SUNDAY, May 16, 2010
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA
Because our whale watching excursion was not until 12:00 noon, we were able to enjoy a leisurely morning and a nice cup of Starbucks and a blueberry muffin for breakfast before we caught a cab over to Granville Island where we would go to Wild Whales and depart on our adventure in search of those “black and whites”.
Granville Island has a fabulous Public Market, very similar in concept to Pikes Place Market in Seattle. There are fruit stands piled high with fresh vegetables. The red, orange, yellow and green bell peppers alongside the thin, fresh asparagus and huge (5”) artichokes and gigantic red and green grapes filled the counters of the vegetable and fruit stands. The fish counters were filled of king crab legs and fresh salmon along with other local varieties of fish that had been brought to the market in the morning. We found our favorite deli stand and purchased our sandwiches to take out on our excursion. We found our favorite deli counter where we bought our sandwiches for our afternoon excursion and then we set out to go explore the market a bit before we boarded the Quick Change II, whale watching vessel.
Our tour guide, Caley, along with our driver greeted us as we boarded the covered whale-watching boat. Caley was about 25 years old and though it appeared that she had a full head of hair in dread-locks, she had them tied up in a scarf around her head. She had a small nose, hazel eyes and a beautiful smile. She is had a small frame and seemed genuinely happy that we had all chosen to be with her on this exploration for go find the whales.
We took off out of the harbor at Granville Island and passed under the Granville Island Bridge and out into the Strait of Georgia, which is the main route of the Alaska Marine Highway. We passed many tankers and tug boats on our way heading south west to the Gulf Islands. As we reached Porlier Pass and Galiano Island, we passed the small white and red Grace Point Lighthouse. The base of the lighthouse is wider than the top. It had four sides that were trimmed in bright red paint and then the lighthouse lens was on top. On top of the lens proudly were two bald eagles proudly perched as if they were greeting us as we entered the Trincomali Pass heading south.
The skies above became more gray with thicker clouds, that eventually gave us a fine, misty rain as we passed through the narrow passageway of the Pender Islands. We had been in the boat about three hours at this point and still had no sightings of any whales. The scenery was breathtaking; and as is true after most rains, the smell of the freshened forest and trees was noticeable and refreshing.
Unfortunately, those black and white orcas remained silent and elusive; and we never found them. We did see a few dolphins as we headed back out into the Strait of Georgia heading back to Vancouver. As we reached the breakwater, we saw some California sea lions and stellar sea lions basking on the rocks of the breakwater. A couple of them were lifting their bodies and stretching high and barking loudly as we passed by. The staff at Wild Whales graciously issued all of us a “free” pass to come back another time (no expiration date) to see the whales – so we will tuck that away in a safe place and look forward to doing that sometime in the future.
Realization eventually set in that in only 12 hours we would be heading to the airport for our trek home – so we decided to have a nice, quiet dinner at the Sea Wall Restaurant in the lobby of the Westin Bayshore. We had a window table and were among only half a dozen or so, groups of people in the restaurant – so it was quiet and peaceful as the sun set on another beautiful Vancouver day.
And, so it ends my friends – our trip is over – I hope you’ve enjoyed coming along with us on our journey and hope you have enjoyed the trip with us. We’ll be heading out again on June 30th this year as we will go visit Alaska on a three day cruise from Vancouver to Skagway visiting Tracy Arm Fjord and the Twin Sawyer Glaciers and Juneau before we reach Skagway. From Skagway, we will leave the ship and go on a 10 day land tour up to the Yukon, Dawson, Tok, Fairbanks, Denali and Anchorage. Till then…safe travels to you all!
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Sailing away again tomorrow!
We are once again heading off to another wonderful cruise. Except this time, it will actually be TWO cruises! We are flying to Seattle and will be on the Pacific Princess, one night to Vancouver, BC. We will stay in Vancouver for two nights, then board the Golden Princess for a repositioning cruise down the West Coast with ports of call at Nanaimo, Victoria, San Francisco, Catalina Island, San Diego and Los Angeles.
I will be posting my Travelogues along the way - so keep in touch with what we're doing and seeing here on my Blog.
And now - back to packing!
I will be posting my Travelogues along the way - so keep in touch with what we're doing and seeing here on my Blog.
And now - back to packing!
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