Silversea Cruises newest ship…Silver Moon

Chris Dikmen & Rickee Richardson 8/3/21 Chris Dikmen & Rickee Richardson 8/3/21

Day 7: Limassol, Cyprus

We do some souvenir shopping and enjoy an incredible S.A.L.T. tour in Cyprus.

This morning, Silver Moon is docked in the port of Limassol, Cyprus. Limassol is a major commercial port and cruise ship port-of-call. It is an important wine-making center as well. This is our first visit to the island of Cyprus. After my morning blogging duties are complete, Rickee and I chose to do some souvenir shopping in Limassol. Silversea provides a complimentary shuttle service to/from the port to the center of the city. A schedule is posted at the Shore Excursion desk.

After disembarking the ship, we were immediately struck by the heat and humidity here as we walked to the modern cruise terminal building.

After exiting the cruise terminal, we found the Silversea shuttle bus waiting with air conditioning running, thank goodness!

The shuttle ride takes about 15 minutes through some busy traffic in Limassol. We are dropped off within walking distance of the Old Town shopping district. However, it is about a 15-minute walk from the shuttle stop. We had no idea where we were going, we just started following some other guests who looked like they knew where they were headed. Soon, we began seeing signs along the way that direct pedestrians to the Old Town area.

The shopping district is a pedestrian street lined with shops, many of which are closed on our visit. There were, however, several souvenir shops open. We went into the first one we came across which was very large, air conditioned and had a nice variety of souvenirs. We also purchased postcards and stamps here. The very nice lady running the shop told us how to get to the post office, which is just a a couple of blocks from the shop. She even offered us candy while we shopped! I should also mention that the prices here were very reasonable. I purchased six coasters for only 5€, and a refrigerator magnet for 1.95€.

We went to another souvenir shop across the street and as soon as we entered, the clerk asked me for my “green pass”, to which I replied “huh?” She said “do you have your safe pass?” I had no idea what she was referring to. Then, I remembered that Silversea told us to always carry a copy of our vaccination certificates with us. I showed that to her and, apparently, that was what she wanted to see. So, if you are traveling to Europe, make sure to carry a photocopy of your vaccination certificate.

After our souvenir shopping, we returned to Silver Moon where it is now time for lunch. I was in the mood for a burger, but did not want to sit out on the pool deck at The Grill. So, I suggested we have lunch in Atlantide on Deck 4.

I was surprised that there was no burger on the menu at Atlantide, sort of like an “always available” option. But, when I told the waiter that I wanted a cheeseburger, he said “no problem, we will bring one down to you from The Grill”. You just can’t beat the service on Silversea. No matter what you ask for, they will get it if they can.

At 3:30pm, we joined a group of other media professionals for another S.A.L.T. excursion titled The History of Wine in Cyprus. We boarded the air conditioned coach for the 45-minute drive into the hillsides of Cyprus. Our destination, the Oenou Yi – Ktima Vassiliades winery.

Without question, this was the most beautiful winery we have ever visited. And, I should say that we have visited quite a lot of them all over the world.

We had the opportunity to meet the resident winemaker and she took us on a tour of the facility, including a visit to the barrel room where the wines are stored and aged.

After our tour of the production facilities, we had the most amazing wine tasting with the best charcuterie and cheese selection I think I have ever had. We tasted four different wines. Of the four, the first and the last were my favorites, but we are not wine connoisseurs, as were some in our group.

After our wine tasting, we boarded the coach again for a short ride to an area where we walked down cobblestone streets to visit an ancient wine press in a building from the 15th century.

Another short walk brings us to a shop where they make an interesting snack from almonds dipped in a caramel-like mixture. The caramel mixture is heated and stirred while the almonds, which have been threaded onto a long string, get dipped repeatedly into the mixture. This creates a thick coating of the “caramel” surrounding the almond in a slightly sweet, soft candy. I am using the term “caramel” loosely. This is not like the caramel we are used to. It was not really to my liking, but many in the group took a cup of the product back to the ship with them!

Tables were set up right in the street where the candy was being made so that everyone could sit and enjoy a tasting of the product.

Another short walk and we arrive at Taverna Ambelothea for our evening meal. The beautiful outdoor patio was the perfect spot for a Greek/Cypriot meal.

As soon as we were seated, our plates were being filled with a huge variety of Greek/Cypriot delicacies. There were meatballs, pork, a dish that was like Lasagna but with macaroni noodles. There were so many different items coming so fast I could not keep up with the photos. It was truly a feast! The delicious salad below was served with no dressing, just a bottle of olive oil was all that was needed. The tomatoes are incredible here.

We spent the evening eating, drinking Cypriot wine and enjoying incredible conversation, all while learning the customs and cuisine of another culture. Isn’t that what travel is all about? Without question, this S.A.L.T. excursion is well worth the $259/pp. price tag. Just book it!

We returned to Silver Moon around 9:30pm after a long, but enriching day in Cyprus.

Tomorrow is our second, and last, day at sea aboard Silver Moon as we are enroute to Haraklion, Greece.

Chris Dikmen & Rickee Richardson 8/1/21 Chris Dikmen & Rickee Richardson 8/1/21

Day 5: Rhodes, Greece

We explore medieval Rhodes, tie for First Place in team trivia, have dinner at S.A.L.T. Kitchen and enjoy a Queen concert!

This morning, Silver Moon is docked in Rhodes, Greece. Rhodes is the fourth-largest Greek Island and is considered one of the great islands of the Mediterranean. We chose to explore this island on the Medieval Rhodes excursion offered by Silversea. The excursion was scheduled for a 9:00am departure. As we disembarked Silver Moon, The World is docked nearby.

Motor coaches lined up for today’s tours

After boarding the coach, our driver takes us up some winding roads to the Acropolis of Rhodes, which is basically just a photo op stop. Unfortunately, some serious fires from nearby Turkey have caused a layer of smoke to obstruct the view. The smell of smoke was in the air as we took our photos.

Our next destination was the Palace of the Grand Master of the Knights of Rhodes. Rickee and I visited here a few years ago, but we did not tour the palace; we just admired it from the outside.

The tour inside the palace lasted about an hour, after which our tour guide offered us a choice. We could continue with her to the Archeological Museum, or, we could walk back to the ship on our own through the shopping district. We chose the latter. Whenever you are on an island, it is usually pretty easy to find your way back to the ship, as long as you know the general direction. You simply keep walking downhill! Sooner or later, you will reach sea level.

Narrow pedestrian streets are lined with shops

As we walked through the narrow streets of Rhodes, we could not help but think that you would never know there was a pandemic to look at the bustling activity here. All of the merchant shops are open, restaurant managers try to get you to come into their sidewalk cafes to have lunch. It is as if nothing has changed. We did find a couple of souvenirs to take home. The walk back to Silver Moon took about an hour, but much of that time was spent stopping and looking in the shops.

Soon, we were walking along the ocean front toward Silver Moon.

When entering the cruise port area, we are required to stop and have our temperature taken along with a quick look at our cruise key. Silversea also instructs us to always carry a photocopy of our vaccination certificates with us when off the ship, just in case they ask for them. They did ask to see our certificates before allowing us to enter the Palace of the Grand Master.

Before boarding Silver Moon, we could not resist stopping to get a photo with the ship.

Once back on board, it is time for lunch. We head to Deck 11 where we order pizza at Spaccanapoli, Silver Moon’s pizza restaurant. I ordered the sausage and mushroom pizza with extra sausage. Rickee ordered the Margherita. Honestly, the pizza was not as good as we remembered from Muse and Spirit. Maybe the dough did not rise correctly this morning, but it was lacking something. Also, both pizzas were supposed to have basil, and as you can clearly see, there is no basil on the pie.

At 4:45, it was time again for Team Trivia and Rickee and I, on our own, did very well today. We tied for First Place and racked up 10 Silversea Prize Points!

For dinner this evening we chose to try S.A.L.T. Kitchen, Silversea’s newest dining venue. S.A.L.T. Kitchen is located in the same space as Indochine on Silver Spirit and Silver Muse. S.A.L.T. (Sea And Land Taste) is a new dining concept on Silversea and is represented by the S.A.L.T. Lab and S.A.L.T. Kitchen. The “lab” is a space where guests can get hands-on cooking instruction and the Kitchen is a restaurant where guests can enjoy a menu that changes every day, with dishes that reflect the destination.

The S.A.L.T. Kitchen menu is divided into two sections. One section remains the same every day and the other section changes with the destination to reflect dishes from the region. Rickee and I both chose the Mezze platter from the “always available” menu.

The highlight of the Mezze platter was the “Hummus Three Ways”. The herb, beetroot, and pistachio hummus were all good, and served with pita bread. The tzatziki with fried keyfalotyri cheese was also excellent. More please.

For my main course, I ordered the Lamb Stifado, cumin-scented lamb chops which were quite good. I also asked the waiter if I could get a side order of creamed spinach, which is not on the menu. No problem on Silversea, I got a beautiful bowl of delicious creamed spinach!

Rickee ordered the Freshly Caught Fish of the Day which was grouper. Unfortunately, her grouper was just too fishy for her to eat and she sent it back.

After dinner, we went to the Venetian Lounge to enjoy another performance by the Voices of Silversea. Tonight, they performed Rock Rhapsody, a collection of songs by Queen. It was another excellent performance.

Tomorrow, Silver Moon will be At Sea so we will sleep a bit later and enjoy all that the ship has to offer!