From Land to Sea: Leaving Lima and heading North

FROM MACHU PICCHU TO THE PANAMA CANAL: SOLO CRUISING WITH SILVERSEA

This post covers the first part of my journey, from Peru to Panama aboard the Silver Ray, including why I chose Silversea, how solo travelers are treated, what the suites and service are really like, and what I learned along the way. If you're considering a luxury cruise as a solo traveler—or just want the real scoop on butlers, cooking classes, and bleach-soaked washcloths—this one's for you.

ARRIVAL IN LIMA AND PRE-CRUISE TRAVEL

While I had arrived in Lima, Peru with Drew and Abagail late on Dec. 28th and left on Jan. 4th, we didn't actually have much time in the city. We spent most of our week together in Cusco, the sacred valley, and Machu Picchu. Drew and Abagail were flying home late evening on Jan. 4th and opted to hang out on their own that day vs come on board my cruise ship, the Silver Ray, as my guests for the day. I was to board by 2pm on Jan. 4th and opted to see if I could get on early so I could relax and have a nice lunch at one of their several restaurants. While I enjoyed traveling with Drew and Abagail, I was ready to be on my own and be pampered; no more decisions, just relaxation.

Let me back up a moment. If you haven't read my earlier post, I had booked this particular cruise to satisfy two bucket list items - Machu Picchu and the Panama Canal transit. The timing worked for me to do Machu Picchu (booked outside of the cruise line's add-on package) before the cruise started. This was the only way Drew and Abagail could join me.

WHY I CHOSE SILVERSEA

Why did I choose Silversea? It is an ultra-luxury line that touts an all-inclusive, personal experience and has small ships with far fewer passengers than many lines as well as a high ratio of crew to passengers (almost 1:1). Our voyage had 662 passengers and 543 crew from 53 different countries. I was curious about this line and when I priced out a larger Holland America cruise with 3x the passengers but still one of the smaller mainstream lines, I would have paid about the same due to their high solo supplement plus add-on charges. You're charged per person based on double occupancy so if you're solo, many lines will charge you double, or a 100% solo supplement as you're taking up the entire cabin yourself that they could otherwise sell to 2 people.

Holland America typically has an 85%-100% solo supplement and my Silversea trip was a special at only 25%. Sometimes, tho rarely, they'll have no solo supplement. I also got everything included with Silversea vs with Holland America you'd have to pay for things like wine, booze, Wi-Fi, soft drinks, tips, and excursions as add-ons in addition to their base cruise fare - the fare they'd charge me double for. When I worked the numbers with what I'd want to "add on", it was almost a wash in terms of costs, but Silversea like I said had 3x less passengers and was a much smaller and more luxurious ship. It was also only 6 months old so still sparkling new!

Cruise Tip: If you're a solo cruiser, you can subscribe to each cruise line's marketing emails to get notified of promotions, like low or zero solo supplements. You can also ask your travel advisor to notify you when a particular line or itinerary has a special solo fare promotion.

EMBARKATION IN CALLAO, PERU

Now, to start the cruise! The meeting point for embarkation was well outside the port area of Callao, Peru. Callao is not a particularly safe area and as it's a very busy port, there is a high level of security that would make gathering 600+ people a nightmare. We therefore were asked to gather throughout the day at a small square in a town about 25 minutes outside the port area. There were large air conditioned coaches waiting and would leave every few minutes. I took an Uber from our Airbnb 30 mins. to this square and was able to get on board one of the coaches within minutes of arriving. Off I went to the ship. You can keep your baggage with you if you want, or let them take it and they'd have it in your suite waiting for you once it was ready.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF THE SHIP AND SUITE

Seeing as the cruise before ours ended in Lima the same day we were boarding, the crew needed to turn over the suites and public areas once all passengers disembarked at 9am that morning. I boarded early, around 12:30 and after I checked in and got my glass of champagne and room key, went and had lunch in an outside restaurant. I ordered a local to Peru cocktail, called a Pisco Sour. Pisco is a local liqueur (from Pisco, Peru) and usually combined with lime juice, which they call limon (they don't actually have lemons). It's topped with frothed egg whites. I didn’t care for it but to each his own.

While eating I heard the announcement that the suites were ready. Sure enough, my bag was waiting for me as was a welcome bottle of champagne (which I never drank) and a lovely (real) orchid which was a nice touch. All the "rooms" on this ship were suites (larger than your standard cruise cabin) and all had verandahs. Side note, on cruise ships they're either referred to as cabins, staterooms or suites. On Silversea, they're all referred to as suites. The larger more expensive ones had more space and more prime locations but I was very impressed with my base-level suite on deck 8 of 10. It had a large comfy bed, sitting area with an L-shaped couch, desk with a huge TV above it that swiveled, a vanity area, walk in closet, and huge bathroom with a large glass enclosed walk-in shower with a rain head shower head and bench to sit or put your leg up when shaving. Unlike past cruises I've been on, this bathroom was amazing. So much counter space, drawers, plush bath mats, and real marble throughout. Very impressive. The verandah was deep with nice wood plank decking and railings, and a large sliding glass door.

Cruise Tip: While Silversea and other ultra-luxury lines don't have inside suites (cabins) most lines do. They are a great value to consider, particularly as you generally only return to your cabin to sleep. My exception to this is if you're on an Alaskan cruise or have an itinerary with a lot of sea days (such as a transatlantic crossing or repositioning cruise). You may wish to relax more in your cabin and use your balcony more than you'd normally have time for on a port-intensive itinerary.

SAFETY VIDEO AND S.A.L.T. LAB SIGN-UP

I needed to watch a mandatory safety video then gather and scan my room key at my muster station (the place where you would gather, wearing your life vest, in the case of an emergency). Different suites on the different decks of the ship had different muster stations. It was all very efficient. I needed to make my way to deck 10 by 3pm to what they called the S.A.L.T. Lab to sign up for cooking classes. S.A.L.T. stands for Sea And Land Taste. It's their branded program of offering drinks and cuisine based on the areas you're sailing by and visiting on tours.

This S.A.L.T. Lab had 12 cooking stations where you could sign up to cook 2 dishes local to the area you were traveling in. Very popular classes so I needed to be there at 3pm to sign up. I therefore started my safety video but when I saw the time, I stopped it and dashed off to sign up. Once back in my suite, I tried to find the video again but it was gone. The system recorded me as watching the whole thing. I channeled my friend Lisa and called my butler to help me find it and queue it up again. What if there was an emergency? I needed to know what to do! More on butlers in a moment.

SOLO TRAVELER WELCOME AND COCKTAIL GATHERING

Another reason I chose this particular cruise line was I had heard that they go all out for solo travelers; to make them feel welcomed and included. There was a daily paper, called a Chronicle in the cabin that had info about that day and the schedule of events and activities. It also showed the location of the restaurants and bars as well as their opening/closing times. All this was also available on the TV in the suites and a tablet they provided during the cruise. 7pm was to be the first solo traveler gathering at one of the main bars.

I was happy to see that there was a sign denoting which area of the lounge the gathering was to be and seats reserved just for our group (as the cruise went on, this was a very popular pre-dinner cocktail gathering spot so the "reserved" area was very welcomed by us solos and looked upon with envy by everyone else). More on that solo cruiser envy in a future post.

Cruise Tip: If you are sailing as a solo, make sure to attend the first organized gathering. It should appear in your cruise line's daily newsletter. If you aren't sure where it will be held or at what time, be sure to ask at Guest Services aka Reception.

GENTLEMEN HOSTS AND SOLO DINING DYNAMICS

That first night there were maybe 8 of us, plus 2 "gentlemen hosts". These were older men (65+) that were well-versed in dances like the tango, salsa, rumba, waltz, etc. To get this gig, they also needed to have some social skills as they are to help organize the solos on board and ensure any solo ladies aren't lacking for a dance partner or dinner companion, if that's what they want. They aren't paid, rather they get their cruise for free plus all the amenities that normal paying guests get. They might have to stay in the crew quarters if the ship is full, but otherwise they are in the suites just like the guests. Not a bad deal.

These hosts pull double duty during the day when in port as they often accompany an excursion to help with logistics. They don't have "lady hosts" which is too bad as I'd love to try that as a post-retirement gig tho I'd have to learn to dance. If I spoke a couple more languages I could apply as an "international hostess" and ensure the non-English speaking guests felt welcomed and included. We had one of those on our sailing. She spoke English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and some German and French.

After us solos had a chance to meet one another and chat over cocktails, the hosts split our group into two and off we went to different restaurants for dinner. It was this same way each subsequent night as well. You can show up to the pre-dinner cocktail meetup and make a plan for dinner…or not. You are of course free to do dinner wherever and with whomever you want (with or without other solos). For the most part, we had the same group of about 8 of us - sometimes more, sometimes less.

There were other solos that didn't meet up nightly and would keep to themselves but one older lady in particular always wanted to eat with one of the gentlemen hosts…alone. He agreed once then let her know he needs to be available to the wider group. Poor guy. He's been a host on other sailings and this same lady always seeks him out. She would often be seen with one of the officers at dinner if she couldn't get Tom alone. She must have cruised a lot with them for them to take such special care of her.

EXPLORING LIMA BEFORE DEPARTURE

We were staying overnight in Lima and not leaving until the late evening of Jan. 5th, so that meant the morning of the 5th I got to go on an excursion to see parts of Lima I hadn't been able to with Drew and Abagail. That was fun, even though we ended up at a park along the cliffs right across from the Airbnb we used for 2 nights on the front and back end of the Machu Picchu part of the trip! Felt like I was a part of that neighborhood :)

SEA DAYS AND CATCHING UP ON REST

The following 2 days (6th and 7th) were sea days. I was so tired from the previous week's schedule - getting up really early for tours or to catch a plane or train and this with insomnia from the altitude - that I put my do not disturb sign out and slept til 10am that first sea day. Didn't get dressed and out of my suite until noon.

BUTLER SERVICE AND SUITE AMENITIES

So, about those butlers. This is in addition to the room steward that is responsible for cleaning the suite and changing the sheets and towels every 3 days (more often if there are stains or if asked to). The butlers are professionally trained (yes, there are schools and programs to become a butler both on land and at sea) and can do a variety of things, or nothing at all if that's what you choose, though as this is their job, that would be a shame and a waste of talent. They typically have about 10 suites they're responsible for.

Here are some of the things your Silversea butler can do for you:

• They bring you your room service meals.

• If you're celebrating an event like a birthday or anniversary, they'll decorate your suite and bring you a cake.

• If you want to have a gathering with other guests, they'll plan a party complete with hors d'oeuvres, cocktails, etc.

• They can make or cancel shore excursion, dinner, or spa reservations.

• Bring you canapes each evening or caviar if that's more to your taste.

• Stock fresh fruit in your suite or bring you a cut fruit plate at a set time each day.

• Supply you with a fresh bottle of champagne or wine.

• Stock your suite with your favorite bottle(s) of beer, spirits and mixers.

• If you have a bathtub, they can draw a bath for you each day after returning from a shore excursion, or just because.

• They can bring you a bath bomb/scented salts for your bath or shower each evening. You can even have a relaxing spa like experience with LED candles a macaron or truffle.

• They can take care of your laundry (you pay for it unless you have 100 or more cruising days with them). By the way, each of the floors that have guest suites have washers and dryers as well as free detergent, irons, laundry baskets, etc. so you can also do your own laundry.

DAILY ROUTINE AND ONBOARD ACTIVITIES

My butler Reshmi, from India, was very concerned for me when I didn't appear until after noon that first sea day. I assured her I was fine, just catching up on sleep. Not sure what I missed that first morning, but I ate some lunch at the buffet then explored the ship a bit. I knew I wanted to do Team Trivia and they held it each day at 4:45 in one of the lounges. The solo group from the night before formed a team that we kept throughout the voyage. After trivia it was time to head back to my suite to eat my fruit plate (usually a few slices of cantaloupe and watermelon with an occasional half a peach) and get changed for cocktails and dinner.

That became my routine each day, though I added on Bingo at 4pm in the same lounge as Trivia. I tried my hand at an art class the following day at 10am. It was a watercolor class. Did it all 4 times it was offered as we used different techniques each time. Missed out on the 2 jewelry classes they had which I'm still bummed about after seeing all the amazing pieces people made and got to keep. Not real jewels of course, but lovely sterling silver, (fake) gold, and colored beads. Had my first S.A.L.T. cooking class too. We made 2 different dishes using potatoes. Peru, I did not know before this trip, is the birthplace of the potato. They grow over 3000 or 4000 different varieties. Who knew?

EXCURSION IN GUAYAQUIL, ECUADOR

The morning of the 8th had us arriving in Guayaquil, Ecuador. I had an excursion to see some of the main sights as well as a walk through one of the neighborhoods and on the Malecon, or boardwalk, along the Guayas river. We also stopped at a small cocoa museum that was in a beautiful old, historic building in the center of town. Our last stop was to a small square where there were iguanas free roaming next to pigeons. They seemed to get along fine and people (tourists) feed the iguanas so they stay put. I personally snapped a quick pic or two then dashed off to find some face cream.

SKIN REACTION AND LAUNDRY LESSONS

Face cream. I had brought some on the trip of course but was going through it too quickly, finding that my face was all of a sudden very dry and had the beginnings of a rash. Strange, it wasn't like that my first week of the trip. Found some Ponds face cream and made it back to my coach to get back to the ship. Oh, we had an armed escort the entire time we were off the coach and even had one on a motorcycle escorting us around while we were on the coach driving around town. Despite this, the cruise line was offering passengers the option of exploring on their own and taking a shuttle back to the ship from that square. I opted to head back with my excursion. It's not that I felt unsafe, but the police presence was a bit daunting…plus it was very hot and humid. I just wanted a cold shower, my fruit plate, and a drink! In that order.

About my face. It took me 2 more days of suffering but I eventually, after trying several different soaps I was offered, figured out it was the ship's washcloths. They must use a lot of bleach (to keep them white) and probably didn't rinse them well. It was like I was giving myself a chemical peel every night and morning when I washed my face! It would be purple and blotchy for hours afterwards and then hot, itchy and dry. Same with my arms and legs - anywhere I used the washcloth to scrub myself.

Anyway, I bought a washcloth in the next port (Panama) a couple days later and went back to using the same soaps as before and all was right with the world again, skin wise. My butler and room attendant were horrified and offered to speak to the head of the laundry to see what he could do, but I just let them know to not touch my new washcloth and all would be good. They brought me little loofa pads for my body scrubbing which I was thrilled with. I knew I had sensitive skin, but wow, that was next level stuff.

Travel Tip: It's a good idea to travel with your own washcloth or at least a few disposable ones. Not all hotels around the world provide washcloths, which are ubiquitous in the U.S. On a cruise ship you'll always have one; but as I found out, if you have sensitive skin, you might still want to bring your own.

ADDED SEA DAYS AND FINAL REFLECTIONS

After leaving Guayaquil the evening of the 8th, we had another 2 sea days before arriving in Panama City on the 11th. Originally, when I booked the cruise, we were supposed to visit another port in Peru before going to Ecuador, then stay a bit longer in Ecuador, but it got changed with no explanation. So, more sea days were added. I didn't mind like I thought I would. It was relaxing and despite not having stuff to do in a port, I felt like the sea days just whisked by.

Here was my typical sea day routine:

• room service for breakfast,

• a walk around the jogging track,

• art class,

• lunch, a cocktail, nap,

• bingo, trivia with a cocktail,

• fruit plate eating,

• another cocktail at pre-dinner cocktail hour,

• dinner with more cocktails,

• a show on occasion sometimes with a cocktail,

• then bed.

It was all very tiring but in a good way. I'll write about the next segment of the cruise soon—Panama City and the canal transit.