NOTE: Our Silversea cruise was substantially changed (to a less interesting itinerary and different dates) due to new Brazilian COVID restrictions on cruise ships. Thus, we cancelled the cruise and abandoned the original vacation format. Most of our reservations were refundable; however, airlines mainly gave us credit for future flights which must be used by June 30 or by Dec. 31. This trip has been changed into three shorter trips: one driving to the East Coast to visit friends in Florida and the Virginia/DC area, one flying to Roatan for a week of snorkeling, and one flying to Bocas del Toro for a week of snorkeling. With COVID restrictions continuing to be removed, this new schedule may be advantageous and more relaxed. It certainly is simpler to plan a 7–10-day trip than a 5-6-week trip.
PREVIOUS PLAN:
What can we do next when the cold of winter envelops the northern hemisphere? Why, of course, head south, but where? I started thinking small ship cruise. Dawn & I wanted to include snorkeling. We haven't been to the Marquesas islands, and there is a small freight/cruise ship, Aranui, which goes there. However, when I inquired whether they could accommodate my lactose allergy, the French chef onboard said, "Non". Scanning through other alternatives, I came across Silversea cruises. Some cruise lines only stop at the bigger cities; we find the smaller destinations more interesting; especially when you share it with just a few hundred fellow passengers instead of the thousands found on larger ships.
Cruises are good for vacations where you want to visit a variety of destinations. Sort of a scouting trip. When we travel, we want to make a real trip of it: 3-5 weeks usually. With COVID, cruising is just getting re-started, but we are eager to get going soon. The solution was a Silversea cruise from Manaus, a city eight hundred miles up the Amazon, to Fort Lauderdale by following the chain of Caribbean islands (sampling the snorkeling as we go). But we had also been thinking of Roatan, an island off the north Honduran coast, with good snorkeling. It had been in the back of my mind since briefly visiting there in 1980. Why not combine them?
At first glance, it looked like a no-go. To get to Roatan in one day requires that we leave our home here at 3:30am. Roatan is isolated with very few flights. Manaus is also somewhat off the beaten track. Checking flights on the Kayak.com website, it looked unfavorable; flights from Roatan to Manaus by way of Miami according to their algorithms! Too time consuming and expensive. The solution was to break it down into steps. We take an afternoon flight to Houston and spend a night there before flying to Roatan. After six days there, we get off the island to the nearby Honduras mainland using CM Airline to San Pedro Sula, where we have a five-hour layover. Next get a flight to the nearest regional flight hub to the south; that would be Copa Airline to Panama City, Panama. Finally get a flight to Manaus: That would be Copa Airline again, but that single flight only departs three days per week and arrives at 2:50am!
Given the uncertainties of COVID, our ages, and the region we are passing through (San Pedro Sula has one of the highest crime rates in Central America), we need to put some redundancy into our schedule and slow it down. Dawn and I have both suffered from lost luggage on previous trips (in the Galapagos and Tahiti). We will stay three nights in Panama City before flying to Manaus, and we will arrive in Manaus 2 1/2 days before our cruise departs. One more concern: Manaus is a business center, not a traditional tourist destination, but it will be the transfer point for this new cruise Silversea is putting together. As a result, hundreds of people will be arriving and departing the ship in Manaus. There are only about twenty hotels in the city; thirteen are already fully booked- more than six months in advance. After a quick study of what is available, I made our hotel reservations in Houston, Roatan, Panama, and Manaus.
The cruise ends at Fort Lauderdale, and while in Florida we will visit friends there. Next, we fly to Washington, DC, to see our grandkids; then it will be time (after 40 days) to come home to Colorado.
Silversea stated that this cruise may be cancelled if the COVID protocols for all the countries/islands can't be satisfied. Which makes it more of an adventure. Free cancelations, refundable tickets and trip insurance are advisable. At each stop we will face COVID, customs, currency, and language concerns. Seldom have I worried about such things in the past, but now the situation is different.
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