Never cruised with SS before- will we feel out of place?

We have cruised many times with mid- range cruise companies, but I am seriously considering an Alaska cruise next year (2017) on Silver Shadow. I take little notice of poor reviews ( some people look for things to criticise) but I am a little concerned because friends have advised that everyone will be very 'posh' and may be unprepared to mix? We enjoy meeting other people and I had anticipated that the cruise I am considering might have cruisers from more parts of the world than we have been used to , which would be lovely.

I was looking forward to moving a little upmarket - we won't feel out of place will we?

In one word, NO!!!! Don't give it a second thought.

We meet very nice people on all of our cruises across all cruise lines. We also meet some people we might not care for. Same is true on land.

The nice thing about cruising is that you will be sailing with a few hundred people and the odds are that you will meet people that you will enjoy.

I also want to note that all cruises are different. For example, when you sail Alaska on Silver Shadow there will be more families then you might see on say a cruise in Europe or a cruise other then the summer.

If you are willing to keep an open mind which it sounds like you will, you will have no issues.

Don't read the reviews. Don't listen to others.

I am reminded that on our second Silversea Cruise (we have sailed Shadow) on board Spirit in January some people wrote some harsh reviews about the food. We consider ourselves foodies and we enjoyed the food. Was it all perfect? No. But with so many choices we found lots of things we enjoyed.

I would book the cruise because in the end you will never know until you take the cruise.

Keith

We just completed our first SS cruise, after many years of cruising more mainstream lines. It was one of the best cruises we've ever taken! The passengers were a mix of Europeans and North Americans. We really enjoyed meeting people from all over. And to a person, everyone we met was down to earth, friendly and a lot of fun!

Thank you so much for those positive replies. We will definitely go ahead! :):)

Great news.

And remember the saying.

If you want to have a good time, you will.

If you don't want to have a good time, you won't.

I am sure you will have a great time. I know we do.

Keith

We started with NCL 25 years ago and worked our way through X, Princess, and Oceania before trying SS. We have had fun on all of the lines, but have stayed with SS for the past 5+ years. If anyone has looked down on us, they've done so in such a subtle fashion that we've missed it... :)

You can meet disagreeable and/or unsociable people in every social stratum. They don't congregate on one particular cruise line - or if they do, they haven't invited us yet! :p

And remember the saying.

 

If you want to have a good time, you will.

 

If you don't want to have a good time, you won't.

Exactly.

Furthermore, to echo some of the foregoing, there is a such a mix of personalities on any one cruise that even the occasional boor is easily avoided. We have met some wonderful people on SS and cannot honestly say that there is any air of snobbishness - quite the reverse, really.

You'll have a great time.

Thank you again. I'm now really looking forward to it - even if it is over a year away. That will give me time to organise the other parts of the trip - Vancouver; Rocky Mountaineer; trip between Banff and Jasper etc.

Thank you again. I'm now really looking forward to it - even if it is over a year away. That will give me time to organise the other parts of the trip - Vancouver; Rocky Mountaineer; trip between Banff and Jasper etc.

You will have an awesome trip. And be the envy of all your friends!

Silversea was the most willing to enforce their dress codes when I was on. Further their dress code at the time applied to any public venue. The passengers were probably the least friendly of any line I've been on save on, which they were about equal with. They really didn't seem to take well to those of us under 40. YMMV.

Alaska is a whole different animal when it comes to a luxury cruise. Although food and service are going to be superior, the itinerary lends to a more casual atmosphere. Your clothing needs differ and lines recognize the luggage restrictions of airlines and have adapted nicely to their requirements for dress.

Fortunately for me, on SS Alaska, I have not experienced any children on board. Our previous Alaska trip on SS was fantastic. We are doing two segments later July/August 2016, spending time in the Kenai in between.

The last thing I would worry about is wardrobe. Men, bring a jacket. Women's clothing runs the gamut.

And remember the saying. If you want to have a good time, you will. If you don't want to have a good time, you won't. Keith

KaraokeQueen: Alaska is a whole different animal when it comes to a luxury cruise. Although food and service are going to be superior' date=' the itinerary lends to a more casual atmosphere. Your clothing needs differ and lines recognize the luggage restrictions of airlines and have adapted nicely to their requirements for dress. [b'] The last thing I would worry about is wardrobe[/b]. Men, bring a jacket. Women's clothing runs the gamut.

Glad you are rolling ahead with your first cruise with Silversea. We have done a couple of cruises on the large Celebrity Solstice-class ship, plus on smaller ships such as SS, Seabourn and Crystal. Keith summarizes things so super well as to how YOU make it what you want and need. Great points from KaraokeQueen, J.P., wripro, etc. During the past year plus, we have done three cruises for 36 total days on the Silver Cloud and found most all people to be very nice, approachable, interesting, informed, etc.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 195,873 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

When you come for dinner, the waitstaff will ask if you want to join a table or eat alone. If you want to meet friendlier, more open people, ask to join, especially early in the cruise. That will already pre-select people who are interested in meeting others, without knowing who they will be, and who are not already hooked up with a closed clique of their own at their own pre-selected big table of chums. Then if you meet someone simpatico, maybe you can have a drink or dinner with them later in the cruise -- or on future SS cruises! Those who are uninterested in socializing at all, or with people they do not already know, will stick with their own -- but that leaves everyone else for you to potentially meet! Ignore the guys who push ahead of you at the reception desk with complaints, or at the bar for service during crowded times.

DH and I did our first SS cruise on the Shadow to Alaska in 2011, and almost always joined tables of strangers. That cruise was 5/5, for the ship, the food, the service, and of course magnificent Alaska. We still repeatedly look at the pictures, and fondly remember the fun communal dinners.

And definitely respect the dress code that is published on SS, even in Alaska. Easy to do.

Thank you for all the very helpful, positive replies. I feel entirely reassured., and am already looking forward to it. :)

We had our first SS cruise from Vancouver to Alaska and it was great. We then flew back into Vancouver and caught the Rocky Mountaineer to Banff before hiring a car and driving to Vancouver Island. I regard the RM as the worst ever value for money spent on any holiday I have taken by a long, long way. And I am not a complainer.

Take care and make sure it is exactly what you want.

We had our first SS cruise from Vancouver to Alaska and it was great. We then flew back into Vancouver and caught the Rocky Mountaineer to Banff before hiring a car and driving to Vancouver Island. I regard the RM as the worst ever value for money spent on any holiday I have taken by a long, long way. And I am not a complainer.

Take care and make sure it is exactly what you want.

We went on the Rocky Mountaineer trip to Banff with SS. There was only one other couple who chose this option. We also did the Denali pre-cruise excursion with SS which was fantastic. If I had to pick one or the other, go for Denali. The train ride is spectacular, the park stunning, the program well organized. We enjoyed it so much, we are doing it again this year. Fortunately for us, it's been tweaked a little and that will change up the trip for us. The Banff / Lake Louise area is beautiful but, very touristy.

Hi

I'm interested in your comments! Could you elaborate about your thoughts/ concerns? It might help us decide what to do !!

Our first SS was Shadow, round trip Vancouver, 2008. Wonderful time! It was the last Alaska cruise of the season which is around Labor Day and we saw no children aboard. Also made it very close to the glacier in Tracy Arm.

Dress code was easily accomplished with a tea-length black dress for me paired with various jackets/sweaters and a navy suit for husband which could be worn as separates as needed. Day dress code is whatever excursion you are on: windbreaker, sweater, jeans, sneakers, umbrella, etc. I took gloves but didn't use them.

And I did find the balcony useful...saw my only whale from it.

Have a great trip!

Melissa

For what it's worth, I posted a "Live from Alaska" which I think you can find by putting in my screen name, and looking at a list of my previous posts. I was pretty specific about our experiences on this terrific cruise.

I am sure you will have a fine time. The Shadow is a wonderful ship...perfect size and excellent lay out. I suggest you sign up for the Mix and Mingle...it's a nice way to get started in socializing. There will be a lot of first time SS passengers, and many will want to meet other people. Don't waste a minute thinking that SS is snobbish....that is simply not true. Of course there are jerks everywhere, but they are instantly recognizable and, in my loooong experience, rare on SS.

Bon voyage!

Hi

I'm interested in your comments! Could you elaborate about your thoughts/ concerns? It might help us decide what to do !!

The train ride was long with an overnight in Kamloops. We opted for the Golf Leaf service and the meals are served in the dining car and were delicious. The overnight accommodations were lovely and you were on your own for dinner. There are many options in Kamloops to choose from. The hotel for the Silver Leaf guests was different and meals on the train are served at their seats.

Having experienced the Alaskan rail to Denali and also the train from Anchorage to Seward, we found the Canadian Rocky route not as beautiful or stunning as the others.

If there is anything more specific you want to know, ask.

The train ride was long with an overnight in Kamloops. We opted for the Golf Leaf service and the meals are served in the dining car and were delicious. The overnight accommodations were lovely and you were on your own for dinner. There are many options in Kamloops to choose from. The hotel for the Silver Leaf guests was different and meals on the train are served at their seats.

 

Having experienced the Alaskan rail to Denali and also the train from Anchorage to Seward, we found the Canadian Rocky route not as beautiful or stunning as the others.

 

If there is anything more specific you want to know, ask.

My wife and I had a far better experience with Rocky Mountaineer, although, I admit, it was a few years ago. At the time, there were two levels of service (Gold Leaf and Red Leaf as I recall); now, I believe, there are still two, but different (Gold, and Silver Leaf). We'd booked the top-level service, whatever it was called at the time, and also enjoyed taking our meals in the dining car. Many of our fellow passengers were from Australia (they do get around) and several were from the UK. Most, I suppose, were, like us, from the US. I wouldn't describe the journey from Vancouver, across British Columbia into Alberta as long (or tedious) if you enjoy riding on a train. The views are interesting if not spectacular. I would say, however, that the accommodations at Kamloops (when we traveled) were quite modest, if for no other reason that nothing better was available (perhaps that has since changed). What might not have been clear in the earlier post is that there is no overnighting on the train. All overnight accommodations are handled by previously arranged hotels. Our first stop after Kamloops was the Fairmont at Jasper, kind of a rustic lodge atmosphere. Quite nice, with elk everywhere, to the point of stopping traffic if/when the herd decided to cross a highway. Next was a motor coach trip to Fairmont Lake Louise. The room was nicely located on, I think, the 8th floor with a beautiful view of the lake. A nice area, and interesting hotel (think high tea, harpist, etc). We next travelled to Banff via motor coach where we stayed at a nice hotel (do not remember the name) and enjoyed the local sights. We then boarded the train again for our return trip to Vancouver (via Kamloops). The scenery, again, was nothing short of spectacular. My wife and thoroughly enjoyed this trip, although it should be noted that we both enjoy travelling on a train; others may feel differently. Also, the company does offer shorter trips as well. For the record, I'm not affiliated with Rocky Mountaineer and my wife and I have travelled with this company only once...as described.

Thank you USAFSS4ever . My other half loves travelling by train and I'm sure we will enjoy the trip. Thank you for your reply and the detailed information. It's really helpful . I am looking forward to a more cosmopolitan trip than we have been used to both on the cruise and the train. We have usually used cruise lines that have been overwhelmingly British. It will be lovely to meet others!

Jan