ClefsDor

Thank you for the very informative responses!

I'm not sure why you're implying I'm being disparaging about SS crew. I'm sure the crew on SS are as kind and hardworking as crew on most other lines. First of all, it's not a one-off decision. According to Facebook both Atlantide and Kaiseki have been closed at lunchtime over multiple consecutive cruises. If the reason was due to staff being infected with Covid it would affect only 1-2 cruises. Maybe it's a general shortage of staff? Maybe the passenger load on these sailing has been low so they made the decision not to open these venues at lunch? Maybe this is a permanent decision on the Muse going forward? The fact is we don't actually know, but I would be interested to find out. Will these venue closures at lunch ruin my cruise experience? Absolutely not. Will I starve? Hardly. Do I find it disappointing? Yes.

I believe on Cunard that unless one specifically asks not to be "upgraded" then all bookings are to some degree a guarantee booking in that you could be upgraded to another category - is this correct? Do normal guarantee bookings exist and if so what are the benefits as opposed to just not ticking the "no upgrade box". TIA

I had also heard from a someone on an Alaskan cruise on Muse that Kaiseki was not open at lunchtime and instead it was replaced with a sushi section at the buffet. However on Dawn and Moon it has always been open. These little discrepancies are irksome - a sushi section at the buffet is not the same as lunch at Kaiseki!

Wow, it's like finding Waldo! I better go back online and see that I didn't miss it.

Thanks, Terry!

It appears from the SS website that the first sailing for the Muse after all the cancelled Japan voyages will be Singapore to Sydney. Between September 8 and December 2nd it will be parked somewhere. We are on this first sailing. I am hoping the long layover won't have any passenger impacts. Full crew contingent onboard, all restaurants which are normally open at lunch and breakfast all operational etc. Have I any reason to be concerned?

Yes, that makes much more sense. Not to mention it would be impossible to schedule any last minute major works in dry dock especially given the logistical nightmare of current day supply chain issues.

Thanks, Alithecat - I will book restaurants accordingly and if the formal nights end up changing we can try and move things around if we have to.

I don't believe this has been cancelled? We are on Singapore to Sydney and there has been no mention of it being cancelled by SS. Why do you think it has been cancelled?

I think dry dock will be just a means of parking the ship somewhere rather than doing any major refits or renovations.

Thanks for the responses. I've seen the information on Facebook and it appears there will be 3 formal nights, 10 informal and 5 casual. But what I really would like to know is on what dates the formal nights will fall, primarily for restaurant bookings, and this I can't seem to find anywhere. The little bow tie isn't showing for any of the nights.

I've registered all our information on My Silversea and would like to know how many formal nights there are on our cruise. Is there any way of seeing this on My Silversea? I have gone on the daily calendar and there is no mention of formal, informal or casual nights. It's an 18 day cruise so I would be surprised if there are no formal nights?

I was just told by my TA that the Muse will not be doing any sailing to replace the cancelled voyages and will be going into dry dock instead.

Unfortunately on our cruise Britannia Club is fully booked and I am now rather worried about the quality of food we will encounter in the main Britannia restaurant! I have read several posts saying people were in an out of the restaurant in an hour or less after having 3 courses! This is not an experience we will enjoy and I hope we will be able to ask our waiter to space the meal out and not be rushed. I know there is the speciality restaurant for dinner (not interested in buffets in the evening) and out of the 8 nights we are on board we will eat at the specialty restaurant twice (if we can get a booking - I don't seem to be able to book until 2 weeks prior to the cruise) so I guess it's only 6 nights we have to contend with in the main restaurant.

I agree. To not be able to order room service from the dining room menu during the dining room opening hours is not what I equate with a luxury line. I think this is something that even premium and mainstream lines offer!

Thanks for all your responses. We have a US based agent and on some longer cruises it can make quite a difference in price if the drinks package and gratuities are included. Just wish it was available for Britannia Club as we may never splurge on PG or QG unless a really good deal is on.

I think I remember reading a post here that people who book Grills category staterooms through US based agents get gratuities and premium drinks package included in the price. Can anyone confirm if this is the case and if it also applies to Britannia Club bookings? TIA

I appears Silversea are going to replace the Japan itineraries with new offerings. Before I cancel the rare points ticket I managed to get from Sydney to Vancouver I'm very eager to know what those itineraries will be? Anyone willing to hazard a guess or two?

My TA has informed me that Silversea are planning on posting the new itineraries by the end of the week.

Have Silversea said if they will replace the itinerary with something else? Surely the ship isn’t going to be anchored somewhere for 2 months?

I am wondering what other differences there may be between Moon and Muse in this sort of regard. I think on Moon, Atlantide is also open for breakfast and lunch but not on Muse? I hope Muse, being the slightly older ship without some of the bells and whistles of Moon isn't subjected to lesser standards and amenities.

This is what I remember reading. I hope they switch back to opening Kaiseki at lunchtime.

Thanks, misseli for all the information you provided. Really pleased to hear Kaiseki is open for sushi and sashimi at lunch time. I'm sure we're going to really enjoy the Silver Muse. I wish Muse had SALT Kitchen, Bar and Lab but I guess we'll just have t book something on the Moon as well!

We've just booked the Seward to Osaka cruise on Silver Muse. This will be our first cruise with Silversea - we’ve previously sailed exclusively on Crystal. We know there are some doubts about being able to enter Japan and personally I’d love it if the ship just high tails it to Australia, saving us a return flight home 😀. I guess we’ll find out in due course - I just hope the cruise isn't altogether cancelled and that it will end up somewhere in Asia as it brings us closer to home and is one of the main attractions of the itinerary for us. So my questions are: Lunch - Is Kaiseki currently open for lunch? If not, does that mean the Grill, Spanacoppoli and La Terrazza are the only lunch time options? Dinner - Do you recommend booking for Atlantide, Indochine and Hot Rocks or can we just walk in? Sea Days - We have quite a few of them on this cruise. Are there guest lecturers and other activities other than just bingo and trivia? Is there any way of knowing who the lecturers and other entertainers are for our sailing? Evening Shows - Is there just one performance per evening and what time is it? Cruise Director - One of our favourite CD’s on Crystal was Russ. We’ve heard he has joined Silversea. Is there any way of finding our who the CD is for our cruise? Masks - is there a mandatory mask policy on board at the moment? Caviar - is it available on demand? Can’t remember if this was a Seabourn or Silversea perk. Lastly, are there any other tips, recommendations or advice you can think of that would further enhance our cruise? Thanks in advance from a very excited cruiser who can’t wait to get back on the high seas!