Hi Don

We are expecting our docs late this week. Wes did all the planning and made all the arrangements for our dives in Dominican Republic, Grand Cayman, Belize, and Cozumel.

Todd,

Have a great trip!

I just noticed looking at Todd's Shadow itinerary that he disembarks in San Juan on Nov. 5th. But the ship doesn't seem to go anywhere until we embark on Nov. 12th. I wonder if there is a charter the week in between or if they are expecting to have to do a lot of clean-up after Todd disembarks. ;)

Editing to add:
OMG, Todd, I just read back through this thread and found that you have our cabin! We will make a toast to you when we arrive!

In response to myself, rats! It IS a charter between Todd's cruise and ours! We cannot embark early. Double RATS! :mad:

Kim, just checked with Debbie Tate (who is working Susan's clients while she is in NZ) and early embark is a go, for our cruise..have asked her to contact you...r/wes

Wes and Kim, looks like some great diving. Hope you guys have an absolute blast! I will be anxious to hear all about it.

Any suggestions/must dos for these ports?

Date Day Port Arrive Depart
29 Oct 2006 Sun Bridgetown, Barbados 11:00 PM
30 Oct 2006 Mon St. George's, Grenada 11:00 AM 5:00 PM
31 Oct 2006 Tue Los Roques, Venezuela Noon 6:00 PM
01 Nov 2006 Wed Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles 8:00 AM 6:00 PM
02 Nov 2006 Thu Oranjestad, Aruba 8:00 AM Midnight
03 Nov 2006 Fri Day At Sea
04 Nov 2006 Sat La Romana, Dominican Republic 8:00 AM 6:00 PM
05 Nov 2006 Sun San Juan, Puerto Rico 7:00 AM

And I am still doing the Doc Dance
:banana: :banana: <img border="0" alt="[vhappy]" title="" src="graemlins/icon_vhappy.gif" />

Anyone?? :banana: :app:

Hi Todd

There's a cave tour in Barbados we enjoyed. Harrison's Cave, I think. Haven't been to the other ports.

Todd, we have been to Grenada twice and have taken an island tour by cab (this was just after the island was ravaged by a hurricane) - "Duke Ellington" was our driver. We went up to a waterfall - I believe it's called Angel Falls. Very pretty. We also have walked around the market - Grenada is the "spice island", so of course, LOTS of delicious spices to be had for VERY cheap. Also vanilla for baking - yum!

In Bonaire, we took a snorkel tour on a "Junk" (very unique wooden boat) - the water was very clear. This was arranged through Silversea. We also walked around town, had a drink at a little seaside bar and got to know some of the locals. We love to just explore by foot.

Los Roques is definitely unique. You'll anchor nearby and tender in to a white-powdery-sand beach on an island that has absolutely NOTHING. You just throw your towel on the sand and relax, mon. The water is absolutely crystal clear, turquoise in color. Silversea provides beverages there, of course.

We've been to Barbados and Aruba but didn't take any tours there. Both are lovely and we would return (we ARE returning to Barbados for a 2-night precruise stay in December). Aruba is a desert island - very dry and windy - not the foliage like you see on lush Caribbean islands!

Hope you have a wonderful time!!!

Todd, in Barbados there is a nice white sand beach called Sugar Bay about 1/2 hour from the ship. There is also Folkestown Marine Park in Holestown that has fabulous snorkeling. In downtown Bridgeton there is the Boatyard that has restaurants and clubs and is a nice place to hang out at a dockside table. I have heard about Harrison's Cave, but have not been.

In Grenada you can take a water taxi ride over to Grand Anse Beach and spend a relaxing day. Or grab a taxi and take a tour of the island. Grenada is known for it spices and in particular, nutmeg.

In Los Roques, we did the Archipelago National Park tour. It is a boat ride through the mangrove swamps looking at birds, flora, and fauna. Others liked it, but I wasn't all that impressed. Then they took us to a resort for lunch (can't remember the name) where we could enjoy the beach followed by shopping in the afternoon. I think I would skip the Hugo Chavez meet and greet! LOL

We have not been to the other locations, except for San Juan.

We hope you have a great trip. I will also look at our old Chronicles. If I see anything of interest I will post that as well.

Thanks Kristin and Don - this Helps!

A couple of years ago when we stayed in Grenada, we took a tour around the island with Mandoo. It was quite good. This was his Web site:


http://grenadatours.com/

----------

Eugene

Oh my we are leaving in 2 days! Have been having a stressful week - Mike and I bought a new house together (escrow closes after Thanksgiving - new home: New Home Pics ) and I just listed my home for sale ( Current Home for Sale .....so I haven't even begun to think about paking for the trip yet!

Wow Todd! What a beautiful new home!

Have a great cruise. It will be a great time to relax and unwind! Send some Seamail!

Todd -

I was born a few blocks from your new home! Congratulations. And packing for your cruise ought to be a breeze for you. A few pair of shorts and not much else needed!

Todd,
Congrats on the great looking new home!!!! Enjoy it, and enjoy your cruise!!!! SeaMail would be good, if you have time!

Congrats on the new place, Todd!! It looks gorgeous!

Masaki

Thanks for all the well wishes - we are very excited about the new house. It's 6:40 pm here, leaving in the morning and I am still not packed!!! Working on ironing and winding up last minute work issues. Can't wait to get on the plane!

ok I think I am packed now.....

Todd, have a wonderful cruise!!

Have a great time, Todd. Love your new home!

Leaving for the airport now!!!!!

Well, I am here now in Bridgetown! Interesting - on the flight from Charlotte NC to Bridgetown, the lady next to me and another in front of me are on the Shadow tomorrow! Funnier was when the lady ahead of me said "I could not help but over hear that you are boarding a ship tomorrow - would that be the Shadow? I said yes. She mentioned Cruise Critic and I asked "Are You TennisBunny?" to which she said WHY YES! I had poseted over there and she was going to be on this itin. SMALL WORLD!

Oh Todd, it sure IS a small world! I've seen her posts over on CC. Great that you got an early acquaintance with her!

BON VOYAGE!!!
:bv:

That is too funny that you ended up on the same flight with her. It really is a small world. Enjoy your cruise. Looking forward to some SeaMail.

My impressions of the Silver Shadow

Embarkation

Smooth check-in although a lot of people descended upon the ship at the same time – 3:00 pm in Barbados – which makes sense unless you opted for Early Boarding. We did drop off the baggage early at the port and it was no problem (around 10:30 am). They do not have a separate check-in for American Express Platinum Members – start to finish we were checked in and accompanied by our Room Steward Patricija (from Slovenia) by 3:30 pm.

Rooms

The rooms are quite similar to those on the Voyager – just a tad bit smaller – about 20 square feet. I love the two sinks! They work out perfectly for us. We had a shared balcony on this trip – same price as a Vista but with the added bonus of being able to step out onto the shared balcony for views, Pictures, etc. I also LOVE the Bulgari soap and bath products!

Ship

I love the size of this ship – Larger than the Paul Gauguin – and significantly smaller than the Voyager and the Mariner – I would say just my size. Easy to get around and intimate.

Restaurants

We ate at both Le Terrazza and The Restaurant for Dinners – I preferred The Restaurant. The food I thought was quite good and compares to the meals I have had on Radisson. We had lunch a few times at the Restaurant and once at the Terrace Café – I prefer wait service and ordering off a menu so The Restaurant works out fine for me.

Service

Service I would say is about the same as Radisson – one thing that did knock my socks off was when we were unpacking – our Room Stewardess Patricija stopped by and asked if there was anything we needed – I needed a shoe shine – she took the shoes and assured me they would be back in time for dinner – 10 minutes later – there she was with my shoes shined! What Service!

Room Service

I loved being able to order a bottle of Champagne with afternoon cheese and crackers and no charge! I know Regent is changing, but it certainly is a pleasure no to have to sign for drinks! We also did room service for dinner one night because we were so tired from the Shore Excursion in Aruba – this certainly is a treat to have dinner in your suite at least once!
The Bar

Why this certainly is the happening place before dinner! It’s so nice to see people getting together for drinks before dinner. I liked the atmosphere at The Bar – not too big – not too small and friendly people.

The Gym

For the size of the ship, the gym was quite impressive – lager than the Paul Gauguin and maybe the same size as Mariner and Voyager. Good amount of cardiovascular machines, dumbbells, and equipment. They also had an impressive sized separate Aerobic Class Room.

Cruise Critic

We met several people on the Ship who were on Cruise Critic. Had a wonderful time with them and have suggested they check out LuxuryCruiseTalk.com

Hi Todd

Welcome back! Thanks so much for the report of your impressions. Nice reassurance for those of us boarding next week. Glad you had a great trip!

Kim

Todd,
Thank you for your detailed and interesting review! Glad you had a good cruise!

Welcome home and thanks for the review!! Geez, it seems like you just left yesterday!

Thanks Todd, I'm on the Shadow in Jan. for 11 days and your report was encouraging.

Welcome home

Todd, thanks for the timely review..we enjoy SS (a tad more than regent) just for the reasons u cite..tho maybe this will change with Regent going all inclusive in 2007. Who was your CD? Was Stefano the M'D in La Terraza? Did u try Le Champagne? r/wes

Todd, that sure was a quick trip! Your impressions of the Shadow pretty much mirror mine. The Bar is a very special place before dinner!

Wes-

Sorry I did not pay attention to the M'D or the CD.

Also, I really liked the bed linens on Silversea over Regent. I also like the towlels and that they have the same kind for the Beach, Pool, Rooms etc.

Welcome back, Todd! Wow, that DOES seem like it went by fast!

Masaki

Todd, thanks for the review. I agree with Masaki. It did go by fast!

Todd, thanks for sharing - so glad you enjoyed! It sure is true that The Bar is a great place to spend some time before dinner - always a great "vibe" there, good guest mixer, good energy.

We'll be boarding the Shadow in a little over 5 weeks, can't wait!

Would love to hear more about your time in the various ports - did you enjoy Los Roques? I think they offered the complimentary Prickly Pear bbq on your cruise, if I'm not mistaken - did you attend?

Our Ports:

Grenada - We did the Island Tour - I really enjoyed the tour - great perspective of Grenada. We learned about the crops Nutmeg, Maze, Bananas, Cocoa, etc.

Los Roques -

Interesting - on ship on the video channel and in the periodical it indicated we would be able to go into town - well, we only tendered to a little island with beautiful beaches - across from a larger island with a town - not sure what happened here; but we did enjoy the little island for snorkeling. It was similar to the island in Bora Bora on the PG - they had a bar but no facilities.

Bonnaire-

We did a Sail and Snorkel to Little Bonnaire - an Ecologically preserved island just across from Bonniare. We really enjoyed the snorkeling and the sail ride to and fro on a Thai Junk Sail Boat built in the 1960's.

Aruba-

We did the 4x4 adventure of the island and had a great time seeing parts of the island that not many see. We shared a Jeep with a couple from England and had a blast.

Regarding the BBQ - We did not attend - I think this was the night we had dinner in our room. We did see the setup and it looked like it was going to be a lot of fun under the stars.

The trip did go by fast - we are still in San Juan - our flight leaves this afternoon - San Juan to Chicago to LA. We get in at 12:45 am!

We did that same snorkel tour in Bonaire with the Thai Junk boat - had such a blast! The tour operators who run that are so cool. Was the son (about 10 years old, long beautiful hair) still helping sail the ship? That kid was like a monkey and swung around on the boom, etc.

Los Roques does remind one a lot of Bora Bora, for sure! Such clear and beautiful water.

I am so glad you had a good time, and hope you have a good (uneventful) flight home!

Kristin-

The 10 year old must have been at school that day - he was not on board. They had a new deck hand helping out the other day.

Todd,
Thanks for recommending this site. I've taken a brief look at it and registered. Looking forward to "meeting" more people who enjoy cruising as much as we do!

Carol

Welcome, Tennisbunny! You have come to the right place if you want to correspond with people who enjoy cruising!

Would love to hear more about your experience on the Shadow!!!