Ken and I are leaving tomorrow to join the new Silver Discoverer. This is an older ship that has been completely refurbished. The ship will do a lot of cruises in the South Pacific to the smaller islands that big ships cannot go. Lot of zodiacs rides to land on shore. I love these expeditions ships so I wanted to see how this ship stacked up to the Silver Explorer that I love so much.

Our trip starts in Seward and heads over the Pacific towards the Aleutian Islands. We will be visiting remote Alaskan Islands and then heading over to remote Russian Islands. Lots of wildlife. The cruise ends in Nome Alaska. I have all my "gear" packed ready to go.

Not sure about internet on this trip we will be pretty remote so it just depends on whether we get service or not. I may go through withdrawal symptoms not being in touch with my office.

Never been to Nome so we will be there on July 31st and then again at the end of the Northwest Passage (Narwhal) cruise on September 1st. Becoming a regular visitor to Nome.

If it is possible I will post but do not expect this will be happening.

How exciting for you and Ken! Have a wonderful trip, we just returned from Alaska on a family cruise, it was fabulous but nothing like what you're going to experience. Hope you get internet.

I am GREEN with envy. Looked at the itinerary and it looks fantastic. I am sure you will have a wonderful time. Looking forward to your comments on the new ship.

See you soon in CPH as we start our NARWHAL adventure.

Let us know about the weather and Russian stops since we'll be there on the Explorer before SUMO.

Ralph see you soon on Narwhal. Also do not forget I am coming to see you and June on the way to Tahiti in February. Looking forward to that visit first. Then we are on safari together in April/May. All those visits will be great.

I will let you know all I can but no one can write up an experience like you Jim - you are the best!

Ngaire, when we did the Canada Greenland trip on the Explorer I met 2 other Helens which was pretty unusual especially on a ship with only 100 passengers Anyway we enjoyed that trip together and both of the other Helens are on your Discoverer trip. If you run into them they are Helen Morrison ("Helen 3.0") and Helen Million ("the other Helen"). Please Introduce yourself and tell them I said "Hi"!
----------------
Helen

I remember the 3 Helens on that trip. So funny.

Please let us know how Discoverer measures up. I heard they do not have a self serve laundry. On an expedition ship, laundry charges could add up fast, especially in muddy conditions or if it is really hot. Do they offer the Silversea free laundry for those over 100 days? We would have to do a few more cruises to get to that level though.

Also will be interested in hearing about the cabins and the food.

Well we are in Anchorage but it was "a trip". We arrived in Vancouver and had to go to Seattle and then Anchorage. (Frequent flyer miles were not readily available and we added this cruise recently)

We arrived in Vancouver that is when the fun started. We had a six hour layer over and the plane was supposed to leave at 8.15 pm and we were told it would be delayed by about 30 minutes but the agent suggested we back up to a later flight "in case of further delays" we agreed. She was a super nice person and definitely had our best interests at heart. She even gave us a $12 meal voucher each. There was a cracked runway so everything was backed up. No airline club for One World and we were coach anyway so probably would not be able to get in if there was one. We found the hotel in the airport and spent most of our time there in the lounge. Our tickets said BOARDING about 8.45 pm. So we left the hotel at 8.00 pm and looked at the information board and it said DEPARTING at 8.15 pm. We raced to the gate and it was a long way. I could not imagine after waiting that long that we could miss our plane. We thought that the plane was back to the original time.

When we got to the gate no one was at the Alaska air desk and the board behind the counter still said departing at 8.15 pm. We thought we missed it we made it about 8.15 pm. Then we discovered that we had not missed it the gate agents had just not turned up yet. They had just not changed the boards. Well about three hours later we departed.

When we arrived in Seattle it was 15 minutes before our flight. We had to take a train, again we raced as fast as we could and made the plane just two minutes before they shut the door. I bet some on our Vancouver to Seattle plane that may have been connecting to Anchorage missed this flight. It seemed they did not delay but we may have been the only passengers who knows!

Next fun on arrival! We thought our bags probably did not make it. Out came all the bags and one person who was on the Vancouver to Seattle plane with us got HER bags so if she got hers we figured we could get ours. Nothing came out. We went to the counter and they said more bags were coming they were "under cargo". About 45 minutes later (this is at 2.00 am) no bags. They kept saying "they are coming". Finally few boxes for some of the passengers that were waiting arrived. They said sorry I guess there are no more after all. So we filed a claim and at first they could not find them. But finally they found that the TSA pulled them in Seattle. Should be on the next flight landing in about an hour. The Anchorage airport was full of people at this time of the morning! Again the luggage agents were very nice, none of this is the front line peoples fault and they were doing all they could to assist us.

We got to the hotel and crashed. We called this morning they did not come in tonight BUT there is another flight this morning they think they will be on that flight.

Normally I am not worried about bags we lose them all the time and you can buy enough to survive until they arrive. BUT we are going to remote Alaskan and Russian islands. Not a lot of options on delivery probably just Dutch Harbor.

So we are going to call and be sure they arrived this morning otherwise it is a shopping trip in Anchorage. We do not carry any clothes as the computers and cameras fill up our carryons.

It is what it is, I was telling Ken today we are so calm about lost bags but this is the ONE time I hope we get them. We do have to make it from Anchorage to Seward and fortunately the ship is leaving later than most departures so we should be fine to make the ship bags or no bags.

So we have decided to eat a GREAT lunch of Halibut Cheeks (taste like yummy lobster only ever seen them in Anchorage) while we wait for an anticipated 2.00 pm delivery of our bags.

Wish us luck!!

June and i are sending you all the luck we can gather. What an adventure. You must be dog tired and very frustrated.

Omg, hoping the bags arrive ASAP. If not, you need to shop in anchorage because the other options aren't good.

Halibut cheeks are outstanding BTW.

I am a HAPPY person. After enjoying a wonderful lunch at the restaurant remember from our last trip Simon and Seaforts Saloon and Grill we returned to the hotel and were elated to see our bags!

So now off to Seward shortly and let the adventure begin

Happy for the luggage. How was your lunch?

FIRST PEOPLE NEWS: Helen we met Helen and Helen on the first zodiac ride. Helen from Minnesota asked where my accent was from and I told her New Zealand but that I live in Dallas now. She then asked me my name and her face lit up and said “I know who you are and you know Helen”. Amazing how quickly that happened. So we discussed the trip where you met, along with Rachel and George. Of course we talked about Jerry’s singing and George’s cowboy hat! She is a lovely person and I am looking forward to having dinner with them at some point during the trip.

THE SHIP: We boarded the Silver Discoverer just in time for the life boat drill. They have NEW life jackets that are being mandated by the powers that be on Maritime safety. Very difficult to work with. Double clips but the main clip takes a brain surgeon with lots of strength to open. Not sure if this mandate is just for expedition type ships or all ships. Everyone was struggling even the staff trying to help. If there really was an emergency these new “secure” clips will not be very secure if no one can get the life jacket on in an emergency. Fortunately we have small life vests to wear when we are in the zodiacs or going ashore, the same ones we have had in the past.

Dinner the first night was really good. I had a nice mussel soup and a piece of King Salmon with the “always available” fresh vegetables. Good choices on the menu of about three appetizers, two soups and four mains. Then we went straight to bed the 3.30am bedtime was catching up with us.

We got upgraded a nice suite that has a bedroom and a living room. That has not happened anywhere for a long time. Lots of drawer space and two closets. We will be very comfy here. All cabins are showers only, I like a bath so I will miss that. I have not seen a standard room yet but will do so soon. There are only 79 guests on board if the ship is full it holds 121 guests. So all the zodiacs get out very quickly. Groups 1 and 2 go out and 10 minutes later groups 3 and 4 and all are out at the same time. No waiting for the first two group to come back before the second two groups can go out.

Not really toured the ship yet. The décor is nice, light woods and lots of blue colors. We were delighted to see Martin Cliff as the Dining Room Manager. He was one of my favorites on Regent, he is British with a great sense of humor I am sure some of you will remember him. Our room stewardess was also with us on Regent. Nice to see familiar faces.

Our first zodiac expedition began this morning at 8.00 am with a visit to the Holgate Glacier. It was a little windy but not cold and the sun was shining. The glacier looked beautiful in the sunlight and did a lot of calving for us and put on quite a show. We were at about a 400 meter distance. That zodiac ride lasted an hour and we are now back on board. We tried to get on the internet it is priced at $20 per day with unlimited access. You can select the days you want to be on but we will just sign up for the entire voyage. In this fjord there is no reception but as soon as we sail I am sure we will be “on line”.

Just had lunch. The main restaurant serves the same food as the pool deck lunch. Burgers, fries, onion rings, hot dogs etc.Then the buffet dining room has more food selections. Salads and desserts of course. The main dishes were fried calamari, grilled corvina, beef roll, sliced to order roasted sirlion, mixed veges, bok choy and roasted potatoes. Good variety of food.

We are going out again at 1.00 pm. Too much swell for the planned landing site. Plan B is in a more protected bay. This is the PUFFIN stop with three different breeds of puffin.

Be back later

Ngaire, was Martin on B2B? If so, we may need to make a special trip on the Discoverer.

Sounds like meals are same set up as Explorer. Can you find out if Explorer has same internet plan as Discoverer? If you can select days, we could probably get by with every other day and only buy 12 days unlimited; a bit cheaper than the 1000 minutes for $250 package.

I plan on asking about the internet system so we will know ahead of time. The internet is pretty good actually I am surprised.

Also will ask the expedition staff about the Northwest Passage and the Japanese Islands to see if I can gain any insight for Narwal and Sumo.

I can never remember for sure which cruise the dining room managers are on but I do believe he was on B2B. He may move around the ships and not just stay on the Discoverer. It has been a zoo since we boarded but I will manage to visit with him at some point. They are always super busy getting all the guests familiar with all the procedures.

I think the weather gods did us in today. The wind was high and the planned landing had large colonies of puffins and that would have been better. But on our plan B we did see puffins, some great sea lions and also some purple striped an bright orange starfish that were neat. We were out two hours and did get a little wet at times. The scenery is lovely with huge outcrops of rocks and then bright green islands covered with trees.

Ken is looking at pictures but I know he wants more opportunities without so much swell it makes it much harder to take good shots.

I hope the " Discoverer" checks out ok. Some of the future itineraries look really interesting for " Adventure" type cruising. I am especially keen on the Russia Kamchatka area. Do not know why, guess it is because so remote and unusual for a cruise. Also the cruises off the southern coast of NZ are also of interest. No long distance air as will be in NZ more these days.

Not sure how June and I would fit it in given the current crammed schedule but where there is a will there is a way.

An update on who the expedition staff will be for NARWAL would also be helpful. Also when will the 2016 Antarctic schedule be released.

Continue to be very green with envy that you and Ken are on this cruise. By the way , you deserve the cabin upgrade.

Marc only a short time before we can meet for cocktails on the Explorer. Hope they get my Irish Mist on Board.

Tell Helen 2 hello from George and Rachel! Trip sounds great so far.

We had dinner tonight with two Russians, one writer and one photographer who are doing articles for the Russian version of Conde Nast. Amazing stories of bears from the Northern Russian area. Such smart men and so many adventures it was a great dinner. Of course the photographer and Ken started talking cameras - both CANNON guys!

I need to talk to Conrad the expedition leader about the upcoming trips but have yet to have that opportunity but it will come.

Will do that for you Rachel, we actually ended up in the same zodiac again this afternoon.

Even though the conditions were not the best Ken got some pictures he will post. The internet was down this afternoon as we were between mountains so he was not able to post them. Now it is back up but it is late and we are going to hit the sack. Bear day tomorrow so need to get a good nights sleep and be ready for some bear action. The weather forecast is good for tomorrow.

Photos From Alaska:


Holgate Glacier.








Horned Puffin.


Tufted Puffin.






Star Fish.


On the Silver Discoverer the platform is in the back of the ship.

Thanks for the pics and the update.

Can't wait for NARWAL. See you soon. Hope your bags get home in time for you to do laundry.

A sunny, calm PERFECT day. We loaded up and saw three bears very quickly. It appeared to be a mother, adolescent cub and then a runt looking cub. The mother and the larger cub kept fighting and growling. The mother would chase the cub and the runt followed way back in the rear. Hopefully Ken got some good pictures of the action.

The day was so stunning with mountains, green hills and water without a ripple. Only problem was gnats. At least the gnats do not bite but they were very annoying.

No more bears wanted to come out and play so we went back to the ship earlier than anticipated and on our way to another area that is supposed to be a great area for bears.

It appears Martin the dining room manager may be on SUMO at this time it is planned he will be on that cruise. He is supposed to board in Nome. Pat and Jim are joining the ship in Nome and may have him for their whole trip. Hopefully he will be on the Silver Explorer it is so nice to see a face from the past. The service has really been great. I know it is easier with a small ship but they are all really good.

Still cannot catch Conrad this is so busy with two zodiac cruises every day and the time between we are eating. I thought there may be a day where we miss a landing so I can talk to him then . If that does not happen I will make a list of questions so I do not forget anything. and make an appointment to visit with him.

I am planning on checking on the following:

Internet on the Silver Explorer, Expedition Staff names for Narwhal and Sumo. If Sumo will be wet landings, if so do we need water shoes or rubber boots. Also do we need heavier parkas, light weight coat etc. Bugs, mosquitoes, gnats etc.

I bought a mosquito net for my face (thanks to Leslie and Brad) and if the gnats or mosquitoes will be bad this may be a good idea for everyone.

Anything else you need to know just post here.

More Photos:


The mother brown bear is in the middle.


Mother chasing cub.




Back to the ship.

After you visit Russia, can you use US$ for a shot of vodka or a snack or do they want Rubles?

Love the bear pics. I think that momma is getting a little annoyed with the larger cub.

Thanks for the seamail and photos, Ngaire and Ken. I particularly love the bears and puffins, but they are all wonderful. Oh how I would love to be sailing on this cruise! Send more, more, more - when you can!

BEAR HEAVEN
Our zodiac cruise started slowly. We watched two bald eagles and a duck and had been buzzing around for about 45 minutes. This is supposed to be a great area for bears, where were they?
Then the call, a bear was spotted, off we raced.

SIGHTING ONE: HUMANS IN DANGER.|
We arrived at the sighting and saw two people on a grassy area walking straight towards the bear. Hard to tell if they saw the bear from our vantage point. The bear was on an edge of a small stream. The people kept getting closer and closer. The water was very shallow so we could not get in close. To everyone’s relief the bear finally moved away. The two people kept heading in the same direction. Hopefully this is the type of bear that will retreat and not attack. It is hard to know what these two were doing in an area so well known for a big brown bear population.

SIGHTING TWO: GOOD FRIENDS: We left this area to go to another bear sighting. This sighting was two bears and we were able to get in really close as the water was deeper about 50 feet from the shore. These two put on a great show. Moving around trying to break open mussels on the beach. Obviously interacting and playing with each other. Sitting down, standing up and appeared to be eating something from bushes, probably berries.

SIGHTING THREE: RUSH HOUR AT THE WHALE CARCASS.
Our zodiac left the playful friends to go to a third sighting. We were able to get very close as it was deep water and we were probably about 30ft from the shore. On the beach was a whale carcass with one bear having an afternoon meal. Interesting coloring on this bear with a dark stripe down its back. Then we spotted another bear at the top of the hill. This one looked BIG and a very dark color and he came down the hill. Lots of growling and posturing and the dark colored bear chased the original bear off the carcass who left going up the hill. Our new diner the big dark brown bear started to enjoy the afternoon feast.

Lo and behold a third bear came down the hill. This bear was lighter in color and looked like no match for our new diner in fact this bear looked the smallest of the three. Well do not let size fool you. It was no competition the dark brown bear did not even put up any resistance. Saw that light colored bear and left the carcass immediately. The dark brown bear stood on the side for a while. Then he slumped down with his paw under his head the bear looked so defeated. Finally he went back up the hill to leave the victor with the spoils. This new bear must be a fighter because the size difference was very evident.

Just when we thought the action was over a fourth bear was spotted on the side of the water making its way toward the carcass. We left to go see the fourth bear. Now there was no doubt this bear was no match for our current diner at the table. It was much smaller and thin. The bear got to a spot where the only option was to leave land and swim past a big cliff going straight into the sea. You could see it trying to decide whether to go for the swim or turn back. Finally I guess the smell of the carcass was too enticing. The bear took the plunge and did not look too comfortable in the water stopping a lot and looking at the sheer cliff to see if there was a way to go back to land. Finally the bear reached the rocks dragged itself out of the water, one big shake of the head the bear continued on its way and picked up its pace moving pretty quickly. When the smaller bear rounded the corner to beach where the carcass was situated the current diner took one look and completely dismissed any threat. Barely gave this smaller bear a glance. The smaller bear slumped down and I think the smaller bear was resigned to wait until the current diner left the table. We all felt a bit sorry for this small bear. It was such a struggle to get there and he has no idea that there are two other big bears in the area probably also watching and ready to take over at the first opportunity.

We are back on the ship now and I know Ken is looking forward to downloading his pictures. Hopefully he got some good shots. Not sure he will get them done tonight but by tomorrow he should have time to post.

Will check on the US dollars or rubles for you Jim and let you know.

George is reading and looking at the pictures. He is wanting to be there.

Wonderful pictures and descriptions, Ngaire!

Please take a look at the vista cabins when you get a chance and report back; particularly the back 4 which have a slightly different shape and configuration.

Did you have to get a Russian visa for this itinerary or does the ship cover that?

Will report back later on the answers to the questions.I am doing a tour of the cabins this afternoon but problem is I think those aft cabins are full so it will be a rush up and see them on debarkation day exercise. We have met some people in one those aft cabins so I may ask them to let me see their cabin. We are having dinner in a few nights.

Have lunch with Conrad to day so will get some questions answered.

Talking about lunch and dinners we are missing all of you! Got an emaill from Ralph and June and they said they were happy for us to be having a "vacation". There are advantages and disadvantages to doing a trip by ourselves. But just last night Ken and I agreed we missed our wonderful travelling buddies! Meeting new people can be interesting but dinner with good friends with whom you share so many memories is priceless. So we feel the advantage of travelling with a group far outweighs any of the disadvantages. I am looking forward to the next three cruises this year with groups!

Yes we had to get a Russian visa for this trip. There are two Russian girls onboard with us who are supposed to be able to speed up the whole immigration process.

The morning excursion was a zodiac ride and a landing. On our way to the cliffs there was a lot of whale spouting activity in the distance. Lots of radio chatter, how far were they, what direction were the whales headed. They said they thought they were Fin whales the second largest whale. It was windy and a bit rough and they decided against the whales and headed to the cliffs. We are in the Semidi Islands with high cliffs and thousands of nesting birds. The cliffs were spectacular with birds everywhere. As usual the puffins were the hardest to see as the nest high on the cliffs in the grassy areas.

After our cruise around the islands we went to a landing site. Very easy wet landing no surf on the beach. Then we walked up the hill to a wild garden. So many flowers and so many different types of flowers. Even including IRIS that surprised me. Ferns were present along with many types of grasses. It was really pretty and at the top was a great view of the bay and the interesting rock formations. Of course Ken took the long hike and princess took the shorter hike. The flowers are the same and I did not need to reach the top.

It was windy and overcast today, no rain but we did get wet in the zodiacs.

Answers on Narwhal and Sumo

INTERNET: Will be the same as here with a $20 unlimited usage daily rate. However Conrad warned me that it can be spotty as the ship gets more remote on the Northwest Passage and that Japan blocks internet as we all know from Regent cruises. He did not know if there were places on shore to connect to the internet he has not actually done this itinerary before. I guess we find out when we get there. Our expedition leader will probably know where the internet is located at the ports if it is available.

EXPEDITION STAFF: Now that there are three expedition ships there are over 100 expedition staff. When it was just the Silver Explorer we saw the same team a lot. Now many new faces. However, all the expedition staff here are great. Some real standouts.

On NARWHAL the expedition leader will be Christian Volker who has 30 years expedition experience and has transited the Northwest Passage many times. One of the most experienced expedition leaders available for the Northwest Passage.

On SUMO the expedition leader is Mark Brazil his wife is Japanese. He is the one who visited all the ports and set up the entire itinerary and Conrad said he is super. Two of the stops NO cruise ship has ever visited, the Silver Explorer will be the first and the locals are a little in awe of the entire situation. That should be a ton of fun!

NARWHAL specifics. It will be cold of course so they will provide the parkas. Wet landings so we need the boots. He suggested buying the face mosquito nets even if you do not use them as you never know. I bought mine at REI. He said there will not be as many bugs in the Northwest Passage as there are on this trip. At this point only one landing has had any bugs and they were gnats not mosquitoes. Polar bears areas are most likely in the beginning and the middle of the trip. There are good populations of bears and they are there just how many we see no one can predict. On my first Svalbard trip we saw one bear on the second trip we saw 24 bears. THE ICE – Conrad is monitoring constantly. It is still blocked now but it melts a lot very quickly and we are not leaving for a few weeks yet so he said it looks promising.

SUMO specifics. No wet landing in the Japanese Islands. Zodiacs to docks. One place the ship will dock. So no boots or even water shoes are necessary. Just need a light jacket as it will be warm and preferably water proof in case of rain or splashes in the zodiacs. It is sub-tropical so again bring the face mosquito nets, again as a precaution if it becomes necessary. As the ship heads south into the pacific from Guam there will be wet landings but it will be warm about 85 to 90 degrees. Water shoes may be enough and they have boots if needed. He said there is always a lot of rain in the South Pacific but it rains a little and then stops. So light rain gear is suggested.

The ruble or $ in the Russian ports he did not know. I am going to ask one of the two Russian immigration people on board they would know.

ROBIN AUELLO (not sure how to spell that)
She is free lancing and will be on Silversea on contracts from time to time but not working full time right now. She is still with Silversea on some trips (not on ours). Anything other questions just ask me and I will get the answers for you.

CABINS: I saw the view cabin and it is nice. Feels spacious and good drawer and closet space. Mirrors on the wall across from the bed gives it a more spacious feel. Pretty small bathroom but workable for one person at a time. Same layout as ours just less room in the middle. The aft vista cabins are all different configurations. I will see those on the day of debarkation. May not be in shape to be photographed but we will take pictures anyway.

Ngaire, regarding wet landings, ask if it makes sense to carry walking shoes ashore and just use Silversea boots for landings.

And ask about Narwhal sitings?

Can't wait!!!!

To take shoes to walk in rather than the boots is everyone's choice. You can change footwear at the landing sites. Today some did that but most wore their boots. They said that if anyone wanted to do that they could and that they would advise if boots were required on the walk before each landing. I stepped in a mud hole so I was glad I had on my boots.

I did ask about the Narwhal sightings. He said they are very shy creatures but it could happen. There are definitely areas that have a lot of Narwhals it is just whether we get to see them or not. I really think these expedition leaders answer these types of questions two ways. One with enough enthusiasm to get you to take a voyage and then sometimes the opposite not wanting to raise expectations.

Forgive me, I can be a bit dense at times: for Sumo, no wet landings until we leave Japanese islands? But no boots then because it will be hot? No waterproof pants either then?
-----------------------
Helen

Helen, I am going to take my hiking water shoes. I used them in the Galapagos and they were perfect because if they got wet it was not a big deal but you could hike in them.. Also taking my regular hiking shoes like I used in china.
Not planning on taking the waterproof pants but will take the jacket.

Hoping we will have at least some Internet!

More Photos:


Bald Eagle.




A social gathering with drinks and snacks.

Ngaire Here interrupting Kens pictures to answer Helen's question

Forgive me, I can be a bit dense at times: for Sumo, no wet landings until we leave Japanese islands? CORRECT

But no boots then because it will be hot? No waterproof pants either then? CORRECT unless you want to wear them to keep dry but light rain gear would work as well. You need shoes you can step out of the zodiac into the sea that are waterproof instead of the waterproof boots.

If for any reason you need boots (mud or some such thing) they have those onboard.

A Bear Story:


Bear #1 calmly eating his meal on the beach.


Bear #1 sees another bear coming that is bigger than he is.


Bear #2 comes running up and bear #1 flees before a confrontation takes place.


Then Bear #3 comes running up.


Bear #3 chases off Bear #2.


Bear #2 is feeling sorry for himself.




Bear #4 a youngster swims to get in on the action.


Bear #4 decides not to engage.

Wow the bear #4 picture is amazing! Poor guy looks pretty skinny. Looks like my kinda trip with all the bears, wish we were there.

Thanks for the info, Ngaire.
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Helen

Ngaire,

"Promising" is an interesting choice of words on the ice conditions. Any thoughts beyond that on options or do we just remain full steam ahead?