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Silver Nova Things we like New Ship that still has that New Car smell Contemporary to modern styling. Very comfortable interior both in suites as well as throughout the ship There are many nooks and crannies to sit as well as an incredible number of lounge chairs scattered all over decks 10 and 11. Minimalist style of furnishing that would also appeal to a younger audience Very quiet ship both internally and externally. Possibly the smoothest and best running ship that we have ever experienced even in heavy seas. Staterooms are also very quiet, there is no noise from the Hallways or from the bossy Elevator Lady Food Generally has been of very good quality and very tasty and generally well cooked Staff are for the most part well trained, friendly and very helpful. Senior Officers including the Captain are everywhere on the ship, very accessible and willing to handle any concerns or immediate problems. The Cruise Director J.P. Almon is a wonderful addition to Silverseas so was The Hotel Director Stephen Crimes as well as the Food and Beverage Manager Jacob P. from South Africa who was very helpful when we became sick and confined to our suites. Wonderful Elevators, with a sea view, are extremely efficient Very fast and very quiet in operation although the spoken instructions are quite loud but not audible from the suites. Restaurant menu`s can be seen on the TV. reservations can also be booked on the TV in the suites . Wi-Fi is the best of any ship that we have been on It is believed to be Star-Link. Things that we noticed Ship more suited to a temperate climate, rain and cold temperatures shuts down the Open Decks, The Pool area as well as the Marque Restaurant and Grill. This unfortunately tends to overwhelm the other Restaurants on board some of which have very limited seating and with no reservation at the four Restaurants that require it, you are left with only Atlantide and Salt. Fitness Facilities/Spa area are poorly designed and cannot accommodate the number of passengers on a ship this size. Imagine two persons in the locker room is a crowd and there is only one shower for each sex. On Sea days the fitness center is severely crowded and is much too small for a ship this size. Otium Spa while independently operated is not very welcoming. Room Service is no longer available from the Restaurants during Restaurant hours but only from the TV Menu which is very restricted, and the quality is inconsistent. La Terrazza Food and service appears to have service and quality problems particularly at lunch. Possible shortage of servers but not many offers to bring the plates to the Table. Area is very large has an impersonal feel and simply does not have the Silversea experience that one used to get in the smaller ships. Restrooms are inexplicably not close to the Restaurants and in some cases requires a long walk. Doors open electronically and, in some cases, expose the users to the world. The Venetian Lounge strangely can only accommodate a limited number of passengers so can get overcrowded on popular nights. Suites: a. No longer provide clocks you have to turn on a TV to see the Time. b. No Binoculars are provided in any category. c. Suite doors are very heavy and do not stay open. Large wooden blocks have to be requested from the Butlers to be able to keep the Bathroom doors open. d. Air conditioners are difficult to control with the new electronic controls which do not give you a temperature reading only a center line and two bars on either side so one is either too hot or too cold! e. Electric drape switches are unmarked and difficult to figure out. f. Bathtubs are too narrow for the average Man to be able to lie in the tub. The Old printed Silverseas daily Chronicles of many pages with information on Staff and shore side information is not available instead a daily TV presentation provides some information, but we really missed our nightly read of the Chronicle's. In Conclusion we did enjoy our Cruise until we became sick, but we found that with 700+ guests the personal touch was missing. In 23 days, much of the staff particularly Maitre 'd's still did not know our names and we had to give our suite number at every Restaurant even though we were in one of the top suites on the ship. I would have to say that The Silver Nova with that many more passengers has a very IMPERSONAL feel to it compared to the smaller ships. This is our last posting on the cruise but if anyone has any questions, we would be happy to respond if we know the answers.

Well, its Friday 10th and we disembarked yesterday with most of the ship as well as a large group that got on in San Francisco for a three-day orientation. We could not help but observe that a large number of guests were suffering with heavy coughing and runny noses and unfortunately, we also succumbed which made our last few days on board very difficult as we could not go out on decks 10 and 11 due to the cold wind so we confined ourselves to our suite for the period. We had heavy winds 50+kts and rough seas from San Francisco for the first day then it calmed a bit for our final approach into Vancouver. We could not help but notice that despite the rough seas the ship was very stable no pitching and a very slight rolling motion during the night but again the Marque Restaurant, Pool and Dusk bar were unusable due to the cold wind --How this ship is going to handle Alaska is debatable since the best parts of the ship may be unusable. Here is a video from our Balcony which shows how well the ship was reacting to the rough conditions.In my next posting I will comment on what we liked and noticed for those who plan on cruising the Silver Nova. WhatsApp Video 2024-05-07 at 11.19.54_12c19a2d.mp4

On this Fort Lauderdale to Vancouver Cruise, I was surprised at how well everyone dressed virtually every night. I saw very few men not wearing Jackets but most importantly bring warm clothes.Alaska may be very cold and the ship is not prepared for cold weather. Read my reviews under the Live banner.

As we continue to make our way towards Vancouver the seas have gradually become rougher and the winds have reached as high as 50kts. There has been two medical emergencies one of which involved diverting the ship to just off the coast of Ensenada, Mexico while a Mexican Coast Guard Boat came alongside and took off a sick Lady .( see photo of the boat) Another situation developed when an elderly guest passed away ostensibly while having dinner. It has also become colder as we continue Northwards from the Port of Los Angeles yesterday towards San Francisco tomorrow then two more days to Vancouver. Notably at both LA and San Francisco many guests are disembarking and a few embarked in L.A.yesterday. The ship will empty out in Vancouver except for a few hardy souls. JP the Cruise Director and the Captain are also apparently disembarking. As expected, the cold windy weather has kept most everyone inside causing the restaurants and general facilities to be very full. If the Alaka weather this summer does not co-operate then those booked on the Alaska Cruises are going to be sorely disappointed as much of the ship particularly decks 10 and 11 will be unusable. WhatsApp Video 2024-05-05 at 17.27.08_de719f0e.mp4

10:00 am Thursday Morning it`s about 57 degrees F.and the Pool deck is deserted. We had dinner last night at the Marque Grill while anchored off Cabo San Lucas. It was a cold wind blowing and we sat under a heat lamp which are positioned along the sides and overhead the covered area. In addition, we were provided with grey blanket like Ponchos to hang around our shoulders but even with all that we were still cold, again, what Alaska bound Travellers will have to contend with. The Nova does not yet appear to have the moveable heat lamps that many of the other Silversea ships have around the pool eating area. Those would definitely help the situation and maybe will come later. As Jolly Jones has pointed out the wind through the open area is also a factor for which there is little available solution! Its perhaps not too late to make changes to the Ray so that theses issues can be dealt with or even eliminated.

WhatsApp Video 2024-05-01 at 11.42.14_98de41f0.mp4 Ok BBGrace273 found your Chartreuse. It seems to be available in only one Bar on the ship namely the Salt Bar forward on deck 10 which seems to have a wide assortment of different drinks. I even tried tasting it and my only comment is that it has to be an acquired taste. Reminds me of the very strong drink that the French like in Paris namely Absinthe which they mix with water. Today we are in Cabo San Lucas in gorgeous weather low humidity and temperatures right now in the 60`sF. Last night was our second dinner in Kaiseki and it did not disappoint although it was almost empty with only two tables occupied. Tonight, we are in Cabo until 11 pm so we will have our second dinner at the Marque/Grill to enjoy the favorable temperatures and try hot rocks for the second time, taking advantage of the stationery ship. There has been a young female saxophonist playing at the Dusk bar in the evenings and while she is very good, when the ship is moving the wind whipping around the Stern deck makes this venue pretty much unusable as a result there is seldom anyone there. Again, one has to question how the Nova will handle Alaska as she is definitely a ship designed for hot weather. I hope that those who are planning to be on board in that area will report on how Silversea`s will handle the short comings of the Nova in the coming months. We are booked on the Nova again next year April, for a B2B Tokyo to Tokyo,Tokyo to Vancouver and frankly are in two minds as to whether to keep or cancel this booking as a result of these 23 days on board. We are trying the 'New' Crystal Serinity in November from Barbados to Fort Lauderdale and maybe as a result of that will decide whether to retain the Nova booking.

Well its Tuesday and we have just departed from Puerto Vallarta. It was a beautiful clear day with temperatures in the 70`s, a big improvement from the hot humid conditions that we experienced from our earlier ports. Unfortunately, it was interrupted mid morning by the arrival of the Carnival Panorama with 4,000+ guests who simply took over the facilities and forced many of us to withdraw back to the Nova. Maybe Carnival should rename the ship 'the paranormal' after the way her passengers behaved. Makes one appreciate how lucky we all are to be on a 'normal' Silversea Ship!

As the days go by it all seems to blend into one. We are now at day 14 according to the Chronicles and last night was the Venetian Society Party with over 400 society members present in the Venetian Lounge with the usual recognition of those with many days including one couple with well over a thousand days and 31 years of sailing Silverseas. I guess some people just don`t have a life outside of cruising! We continue to avoid La Terrazza and find Salt and Atlantide are our normal choice with Silver Note thrown in twice for a change. The food in these restaurants have been consistently good and judging by how busy they have become most guests are recognizing this also. The everyday wines have also been very good and we have been able to specify a wide choice with the best being from France,Australia,South Africa,California and even a very nice soft white from Austria. The seas continue to be very calm and presently at 18,5 kts you hardly know that the ship is moving. Tomorrow is Puerto Vallarta and after two sea days a Port Day is a welcome change. Unfortunately, on sea days certain areas of the ship such as the Gym and Spa facilities become overcrowded .....which is strange that the designers of a new ship did not recognize that these are areas that are more and more used as people have become more health conscious. Frankly a rabbit would be very at home in the Nov`s claustrophobic Spa area.....It definitely reminds me of a rabbit burrow! 700+ persons on a ship and there is only one shower in each of the male and female changing rooms and sauna/steam facilities. It is overcrowded when there is more than one person in either?.....It is the smallest of any Silversea ships that I have been on. Another area that is going to be a major concern when the ship is in Alaska is deck 10 the Grill, the Pool area, the Pool Bar almost all open to the elements. Rain tends to shut everything down on this deck including the Marque/Grill area which is totally uncovered except for a small area on the stbd. side. I know that Silversea is aware of these short comings so no doubt there is a plan afoot to make some changes.

"could you check if they have Green Chartreuse on board anymore? All the best, and hope you are both really enjoying yourselves." Quote I will ask around for you I know that they have Green Creme de Menthe but don`t know about the Chartreuse!.

Hi Gourmet Gal, Here are the menus`s for Kaiseki.Unfortunately I have no information on the drinks available from Kaiseki however the Sake is very good whether hot or cold.

To carry on from where I left off. We finally were able to tryout Kaiseki and it did not disappoint. If you like Asian Fusion Cuisine you are going to love Kaiseki with hot Sake to enjoy. The $60 pp charge is the only downside to this restaurant but at least try it once. Have not tried the lunch at Kaiseki for which there is no charge but have been told that the Menu is not the same! Lunch and dinner at La Terrazza continues to disappoint so will stay away from that venue when ever possible. Wednesday night was dinner at Atlantide with new friends and again the food and selection was very good especially with the always available Lobster Tail and Chilean seabass. Thursday night was Birthday night for one of our party and we splashed out with dinner at La Dame for her. It was excellent, we started with Osetra Cavier (the real stuff) followed by a Seafood Salad with Dover Sole being our main dish and matching wines and Champaign were served with each course. Desert was a souffle followed by after dinner liquors. The interesting thing about this dinner is that we were the only table in the restaurant sad really when so much attention has been lavished on La Dame but I suspect that at $160.00 pp not many will come here. Hopefully Silversea will reconsider this excessive charge so that more guest can and will be able to enjoy such an outstanding meal and ambience with wonderful service to boot! The weather continues to be fair with no rain but very hot conditions well into the 90`s in Costa Rica and the humidity feels like 100%. Sea Conditions are generally calm with a slight swell which does give us the odd gently rolling motion. We have had one Formal Optional night on the 17th with one more to follow on the 28th. Everyone that we saw were either wearing a DJ or a suit and Tie and the women were all nicely dressed but few wore Formal Gowns. With regards to every day dress its generally Elegantly Casual and most men have been wearing a jacket in the evening with an open necked shirt or a long sleeved dress shirt .I have not seen anyone in Jeans or similar casual attire on this cruise possibly because with the cost of a 23-day cruise most of the guests who can afford it and are more elderly prefer to dress to match the occasion. WhatsApp Video 2024-04-26 at 12.43.43_8dc7e5aa.mp4

And if the Ships sparkling water is not sparkly enough the Royal Club canned soda water is always available.

Sunday night at sea between Cartagena and the Panama Canal we were in Salt and had a good meal. The Fish Ceviche was excellent and the Grilled shrimp was very tasty although a little over cooked. A very pleasant atmosphere in Salt reflective of the reviews from others. Monday early we lined up at the first lock, Gatun, I think it`s called, Then the Skies opened up with heavy rain and considerable Thunder as we made our way through the lakes and canals that comprise the Panama Canal. While it has been reported that the Canal and Panama has a rainfall deficit and thus a water shortage for the efficient operation of the Canal,there was no evidence of this that I could see. Monday evening, we had dinner at the Marque Grill with hot rocks being the proffered choice. The prawns and steaks were superb although because of the rain earlier we had to sit under the overhead cover and the resulting smoke from the Hot Rocks cooking made it hard to breathe. Today Tuesday we are slowly (9 kts) making our way up the Panamian Coast towards our Port of Golfito, Costa Rica tomorrow and tonight its Kaiseki our first sampling of the Asian Cuisine aboard. We are still amazed at how well this ship handles the seas....not only is she incredibly quiet but there is no evidence of any smoke from the stacks and no black soot which we still see so often on some of the older ships. Our movement through the water seems so effortless that its obvious that this style of long slim ship is designed for environmental cruising and efficiency. One of our friends in an 8 deck Medallion suite in the stern report that they have not experienced any noise or vibration. Is she perfect NO and later I will report on where I feel the designers have been delinquent and what could be improved at least in my estimation.

Well missed a couple of nights but in the interim we have been to Silver Note and had a very enjoyable meal amid the excellent music from the pianist and singer. I was not sure what to expect with the Tapas style courses but in fact each dish, while small was very good and the ambience was muted but comfortable. Next came the Marque for lunch while in Cartagena for an overnight and a day followed by dinner in Atlantide with two of the ships Officers whom we knew from previous cruises. The Prime Rib last night was excellent in fact the meat on board continues to excel and so far the overall quality of the food in Atlantide continues to be the best on the ship with the least good being La Terrazza especially in the evenings although lunch in L.T. has also not excelled! and since there are so many other areas to eat on board we now just give L.T. a miss. Yesterday in Cartagena there was a crew drill with the whole crew ending up on the dock outside the ship needless to say there was some confusion...... those of us on board and especially in the Gym and Spa were party to a very confused Spa attendants who insisted that we had to evacuate and leave the area including myself in the Sauna, in a somewhat state of undress!......I will leave it to your imagination as to how that got handled..... 😒 Today we are at sea enroute to the Panama Canal which tomorrow we will be going through starting at 6am and tonight will be our first dinner at Salt so will report on that tomorrow.