Back on board spirit 3/31

Arrived at Port Lauderdale at 11:45. My driver put all our baggage in front of the bins while the luggage handlers watched. Then someone finally looked at my bag tag and pushed my rollers the 2 feet in front of the bin for the 11th floor. I gave him a tip and he actually counted each bill in front of me. Thankfully I gave him more singles then the number of bags I had, assuring me that I would indeed see all my bags. I really wish there was another way for this procedure to be handled. Just in case, we took a minute to watch our bags get tossed into the bin. Once inside the terminal, processing took a whole 5 minutes. There were a number of people boarding and the gangway got backed up. The whole process took 20 minutes until we were cleared on board.

Having just been on board a short 6 1/2 weeks ago, we headed to our suite to drop off our personal belongings. Our Butler Ray and cabin attendant, Olivia, had our suite ready. Everything that we usually request was waiting for our arrival. Someone had mentioned on a previous thread that Kleenex tissue was not being used. We happen to have 6 boxes in our silver suite.

It's been a homecoming with lots of love from the crew who took such great care of us on our last voyage. People have moved around to different venues and we've gotten to meet some new staff. We also have new Officers and Captain Pontillo has joined Speaking of which, we were invited to join him for dinner this evening but, unfortunately, we had already made arrangement to share our meal with another friend who is on board. This happened to us on our last cruise. It would be nice if this invitation would be in your cabin when you arrive on board, versus when you turn in for the evening. It's the thought that counts and we sent our regrets.

Chose to have lunch at the grill as I had been craving one of the fabulous gourmet burgers. Not a french fry eater but, always enjoy the real onion rings. Well, to my disappointment, the onion rings were now those mass distributed circles of breaded minced onion mush. The burger itself was tender but it was not the succulent, juicy mix of jalapeno flavor present when I was last on board. I asked for rare and it was cooked through. :(

After lunch we returned to our cabin, luggage came right behind us. Had plenty of time to unpack and enjoy a siesta prior to the muster drill. Time to check out the other guests. There seems to be a good mix of age groups. A handful in their 30's, more in their 50's and then a scattering of 60 through 80's. Only one child on board, probably around 8 and two scooters. Attended the sail away party. We have 1 lecturer on island history, the art lecturer, the jewelry/shopping lecturer (Phillip, a personal favorite of mine), 2 Bridge Hosts (old friends from Crystal) and 2 Ambassador Hosts. While I got ready for the evening, my Husband checked out the ship. The Panorama Lounge was packed. Observation and the bar had a few. By the time I went out, the bar was 70% full. I was told there are only around 400 on board.

Dinner was in La Terrazza. Outdoor dining was quite popular but we opted to stay inside and were given a lovely table. Service was attentive and with a smile but, the kitchen service was very slow. We each ordered 3 different courses and concluded that the food was good, not great. The menu seemed to be reduced in selections for the 2nd and main courses but the starter section seemed to be increased. Could this have been my imagination?

Dress. Hard to make any judgement on this topic. The first evening, people linger later before they get ready for dinner. There was an interesting conversation going on next to us on the gangway. Travel Agents who were coming on as guests were discussing the dress code and although they hadn't sailed on SS before, their opinion was that SS was much more casual then other luxury lines, specifically mentioned was Crystal, which I happen to know quite a bit about. It's my opinion that the majority of passengers on both lines dress nicely but, on SS, you have many more informal (Jacket required) evenings, then casual. Perhaps it's good when TA's get the opportunity to test drive a product. At least they will become informed on what a line is actually like, instead of feeding their clients wrong information based on hearsay.

It's a beautiful day here in the Atlantic. Big fluffy cumulus clouds and smooth seas. Lovely in suite breakfast to start my day. Think I'm going to take up residency on one of the lounge chairs pool side if there are any left. Just took a peak and it's filling up! At least I always have the lounge on my balcony to enjoy.

Formal night tonight and "Maine" lobster is the main feature. I'm sure it will pair nicely with the Cristal I've ordered.

Oh, one more thing that's been batted around here on CC. Upgrades. It's my understanding that 2 cabins from deck 4 were upgraded to Silver Suites. I inquired if this was something common and was told that the upgraded passengers paid to move up. Whether they paid full fare is unknown.

Christie, great post.

Wishing you both a wonderful cruise.

Bon Voyage!

Keith

Thanks for your report!

KQ

Have a great time.

We follow you on the 11 of April.

Thanks for the heads up on the onion rings. DH will be so upset. He loves the real ones. Not the minced ones! This is sad news indeed.

Perhaps you can request the real deal.

All in all, nice to be back, isn't it?

Kristie -

Wish we could be there with you. We remember the most pleasant evenings we spent together in the Obs bar.

Hope you have a most enjoyable trip. Please say hello to Ray and Olivia for us.

Love this quick connectivity and free unlimited internet. It allows me to quickly comment before we head to the Captain's cocktail party.

Thanks Keith and Kirk. Spin....it's fabulous being back on board.

Victoria, I will send your regards to the two stars, Ray and Olivia. Yes, we did have lovely evenings in the Observation Lounge. I'm positive our paths will cross again :)

Today was a glorious sea day. The pool deck on 9 and 10 were full up. Attended the morning lecturer by Phillip on port shopping. The bar was packed for his presentation. Saw Yvonne Parker guiding a rather large group, checking out the art (which I find spectacular). There is a calling or as they say, "something for everyone".

Today at the grill, they had a BBQ. Grilled Beef and Pork were served along with FRESH Grilled Mahi (simply fabulous) and salad bar. Hot side of curry vegetables and a rice medley.

My afternoon was filled with sunshine, reading on my lanai. Life is VERY GOOD!

Off to the party :)

Christie, wish we were there with you again! Please also give Ray and Olivia our best regards. Has Donato returned to La Terrazza yet? Keep those posts coming and have a great time.

Dieter

Good job! Have a great trip and keep posting! Hug Mino for me [emoji4][emoji568][emoji256][emoji485]

Thanks for the insight on the happenings on the Spirit! All the glitches aside, you will have a lovely time and enjoy the crew as I know myself they are some of the loveliest I've encountered. Continue to enjoy your journey and I'll be lurking!

First formal night was well received. The passengers all dressed for the occasion . The bar was packed for the Captain's presentation. Its just odd not having a receiving line. The CD (Moss) and International Host's worked the room greeting guests.

The dining room was fairly empty. My lobster tail was large and delicious, seasoned to perfection. The two Gentlemen I dined with both had fish entrees and were pleased as well.

After dinner we stopped by Stars to see our favorite bar tender, Rex. There were only 2 tables of guests and they left as we arrived. Finished the evening in the Panorama Lounge, dancing with new friends :)

Winds have picked up over night and now we can tell we are at sea. I got out early (7:30) to get my run in. Surprised to find only 2 walkers, 1 guy in the hot tub and many lounge chairs claimed with no guests around.

Dieter, Donato is not back. Francesco is still here. It would be lovely to have you and Debbie on board. I must say this group of passengers are very friendly.

Susan, I will be sure to greet the Captain for you.

I missed the fact that we have an Astronomer giving lectures as well. We have a French Chef who will be doing a cooking demonstration today. So many options of things to do.

Tonight we will be enjoying La Champagne. So far I've managed not to eat bread, cheese or dessert. I will definitely be tested.......not sure I can pass on the souffle. :eek:

It's my understanding that 2 cabins from deck 4 were upgraded to Silver Suites. I inquired if this was something common and was told that the upgraded passengers paid to move up. Whether they paid full fare is unknown.

No wonder it's awfully quiet down here on deck 4! The ship feels filled but not full.

The demographics seem younger than usual, definitely a lot more youngish adults than I'm used to seeing; also a good half dozen teens, maybe more. Everyone very friendly and well behaved though.

There's a fairly large group of solos - definitely not young - there's one very sprightly lady of 86 - I think I'm the youngest and I'm no spring chicken!

Weather so far is perfect - clear sunny skies and brisk but not too strong breeze.

I am enjoying reading your posts and can't wait to join the Spirit in Barcelona at the end of the month for a quickie 6 day cruise.

I'm in the phase of making dinner, spa and excursions reservations and have a quick question. Has Hot Rocks been replaced by The Grill? If so, is The Grill still offering surf and turf? I have been absent from the Silverseas message board for quite some time and probably missed the topic.

Enjoy the rest of your cruise. :)

I am enjoying reading your posts and can't wait to join the Spirit in Barcelona at the end of the month for a quickie 6 day cruise.

 

I'm in the phase of making dinner, spa and excursions reservations and have a quick question. Has Hot Rocks been replaced by The Grill? If so, is The Grill still offering surf and turf? I have been absent from the Silverseas message board for quite some time and probably missed the topic.

 

Enjoy the rest of your cruise. :)

LesP

Not to high jack this thread. I too am on the six day. see you then!

Hi Spinnaker - is there a meet & greet for this short cruise?

Do you know what's up with Hot Rocks? Did they just change the name?

People call it different names...Hot Rocks...The Grill...the same. Enjoy!

Some call it the "greasy shirt"

Ohhhhhh, lux is back.

Always lurking....:-)

Did you take off your bib at the grill aka hot rocks?

Enjoyed a fabulous meal at La Champagne. It's so decadent, once is enough. I should say enough calories. After the excessive evening I had the night before, headed to bed early. I was up at 7:30 this morning, running on deck while we came into San Juan.

Beautiful day here. We opted to join a tour titled "Mofondo & Mojitos". It was extremely limited participation. There were 6 of us total. Took a beautiful, animated (thanks to a super guide) walking tour of old town and then went to a restaurant where we prepared our own Mofondo for lunch. It was tasty and interesting cuisine.

Only one other ship joined us today "The Grandeur of the Seas" by Royal Caribbean. Gosh, I remember when it came out, carrying 1800 passengers. Now it looks like a peanut to todays gigantic vessels.

Dining room for dinner tonight. Tomorrow St. Barts.

Christie, go to the Eden Roc for lunch in St. Bart's in walking distance. Lovely setting and great food.

Go to the shop across from the tender landing. It is close to the restaurant on the right. Lovely linen and cotton! Enjoy.

Christie, great start, looking forward to more.:)

Christie, go to the Eden Roc for lunch in St. Bart's in walking distance. Lovely setting and great food.

Actually Miles, it was a 20 Euro taxi ride (each way). We've been before and the lobster salad and black truffle pizza, creations of Jean Georges were fabulous and worth the price. Plus sitting on the waters edge, watching surfers catching a breaker was entertaining.

We are here overnight with tender service until 1:00 a.m. Would love to go ashore as we had intended to dine in another fine establishment but, didn't note that they weren't open for lunch. I love to dress for dinner and can't find myself sporting 4" heels, getting off and on tenders. If we were docked, I'd do it in a heartbeat.

The food in the dining room has been terrific. We have reservations for the Grill tonight. Perfect evening to sit out but, so pleased with the dining room, we may change our plans . Ronel is such a star waiter. I want to take him home. He along with Marwan took care of us for 3 weeks in Jan/Feb and he remembers our style and how we want to dine. Marwan is at home and we are happy to have Ronel still here to look after us. With Fredrick, Timo and Jorge at the helm, the dining room runs like a fine Swiss time piece.

Kudos to Tayfun in La Champagne too. He has a cute sense of humor and kept us giggling all evening. The bar staff, terrific all around.

Mr. Jolly mentioned a group of teens. I have yet to see anyone but the single young girl. Perhaps, those 30 somethings look like teens to him ?

One more comment. This cruise line has the most reasonably priced Connoisseur's wine list. I'm a champagne girl and a cruise would not be complete without some Cristal which was incredible. We've enjoyed moderately priced bottles of Louis Jadot Volnay, Ferrari-Carano Chardonnay, and an Allegrini Amarone which was so good, tonight is going to be a repeat. The house wine and champagne haven't disappointed either.

Off to the bar for a pre-dinner cocktail, The Diva's are performing tonight and then dinner, who knows :)

Must correct myself. My waiter last time was Darwan, versus Marwan as I posted earlier. Not to be confused with Darwin our wine sommelier. No wonder I'm confused. Heard our waiter will be on Shadow when we are in Alaska later in July. LOVELY :) :) :)

Fabulous Filet Mignon in the dining room tonight. It was quite busy but service did not suffer. Now told today that there are 460 passengers on board.

Went to Stars to see the fabulous Rex for an after dinner appertif and there were several tables listening to the singer/pianist.

Good job! Have a great trip and keep posting! Hug Mino for me [emoji4][emoji568][emoji256][emoji485]

Jorge approached us tonight about dining with the Captain. I'll be able to deliver your hug :) By the way, Jorge sends his love He lite up like a Christmas tree when I spoke of you :)

Christie, glad you area enjoying the cruise including the food.

When we dined at La Champagne in January, we too enjoyed the humor and professionalism of Tayfun. He is a gem and a real asset to Silversea.

Continue to enjoy.

Keith