frequent traveler

We are on the Wind now, having been on the Shadow several years ago. The bathroom is smaller, but the ship is in spectacular condition. Most carpet and furnishings appear in great shape, staff are friendly and for the most part service has been very good.

It's been an interesting 2 days. Yesterday was formal night and rebels that we are, we dined at the Grill. Cooking my own filet and prawns is always fun. But service was mixed. There was no assigned seating even though we had reservations and we did not have a dedicated waiter. So no pacing - 3 requests for water but a never empty wine glass. Guess the staff had rhe priorities right. Breakfast at the Terraza buffet style and lunch at the Grill poolside has been good. Poolside service was very good.

Unfortunately we spent most of the day poolside yesterday because our first stop Les Anses d'Arlets is nothing as "advertised". There are no taxis waiting for the 45 minute drive to the populated centers where for example the Empress Josephine was born or the pictures on the handout the ship makes available were taken. The beach is rather dirty and any local establishments were closed. So shame on us for not planning better.

First night dinner on board we ate at the main Restaurant- stand out was the grilled octopus salad.

Love our little balcony and watching sunset last evening. Very smooth seas. Great water temp and looking forward to St Kitts today

Just stayed at the Hilton before leaving on a cruise. The executive lounge was very convenient and beach is great. It's about halfway between airport and cruise terminal and within walking distance of several local restaurants as others have noted. Tour desk was able to book us on on excursion we weren't able to get since it was sold out on line so that was a plus - and it was best value for our choices.

a wonderful start. Available to board the ship at 12;00 and suites were promptly available at 2:00 pm. In between had a lovely light lunch on the pool deck and a wonderful hour entertained by Alex in the Panorama Lounge. Stay tuned for more.

If only you and Philip were boarding as well.🎉🍸🍷😎

If only. . . But somehow a 3hr. conference call on Tuesday and another on Thursday just kinda ruins the whole SD experience . . . Limits the mimosas at breakfast 😉

Having posted pictures from Jost yesterday on FB, JA's better half (much better half) mentioned they were boarding SD today. Looking forward to hearing from him😎

Hi FT. Good to hear from you. Next time in the neighborhood, give us a call.

Maybe we can meet in Vegas or even better on SD (not during school holidays) but I don't think I will ever be in the neighborhood of Sun City (I drive way too fast !)

It's been 2 years since I've been on Sea Dream solely because we have to sail during school holidays. Our last voyage was 14 nights Venice to Athens in late July. The first week was one of the best holidays EVER. Unfortunately, the 2nd week we had multiple under 12 misbehaving children with parents who didn't give a da#*. I've been in a trial for most of the past year so I am a dead vegetable on my days away from the office. I've been on SD with wonderful families, including small children and Tweens. But in July everyone is on holiday and your risk is much higher. While nowhere near the nights of HH, I've spent at least 30 nights with more than 10 children under the age of 12 on board, all at either Easter break or July holidays (don't travel with a professor or Jim Avery, I've done both). If you think you will be bothered, buy cancel for any reason insurance, call and see how many children are on board and adjust accordingly. There is no service or food like SD-it is the best, we've sailed on both SD I and II since 2002, but in July you have an extremely high risk of children, unless fares are elevated or the ship is full. Beware last minute discounts. Nothing compares to SD when it's done right.

It's been 2 yrs since your last SD Voyage and you are reading CC to catch up on Enes, Zoltan, and the rest of the SD family

I guess those were large groups with all the kids?

 

Oh well, like a farmer praying for rain, I am not asking for a deluge but I guess I am taking my chances here.

Your daughter will be fine and welcomed by the other guests. Having been on the voyages with multiple younger and uncontrolled children those are the nightmares. But we've sailed several times with a family and watched their well behaved children go from under 10 to teenagers and they are a joy to have on board. On our cruises from he## with multiple uncontrolled children the parents watched or even encouraged the bad behavior. Hey, Jim, remember the death threat and thrown drink?

http://travelnews.no/2014/10/26/intervjuet/atle-brynestad-drommer-om-havet/

We would love to return to SD and will once we can travel in non school holiday times. But we would love a new ship with balconies and a larger bathroom. Forgive me if this link has been posted but I've never seen before.

Great to know that the debt overhanging SD is gone and that the owner was able to come back from the effect of the prior downturn

FT

We were first time SS on the Shadow recently and agree that service is excellent. If it's possible, staff will try with a little notice to do anything. Don't be hesitant in asking - it was such a pleasure to get smiles from all the SS employees.

We had some of my shipped home salmon for dinner last night. Definitely worth every penny. It came vacuumed sealed and was so moist and mild. I think only one person used the dill or other sauce. I just baked with a little olive oil and dill. Nothing like your own salmon from Alaska.

Can't wait to read more. Hope the internet gods are with you:) And hope the seas smooth soon. The Thai massage therapists have such a tough time with rough seas. You have the rock star crew. Our chef walk with Sudesh was one of our best vacation memories ever - ever. And Rutzie is so talented in addition to being a sweetheart.

Have fun and please don't break any bones, Vandrefalk :)

Believe Alaska trips on SS and Regent skew differently. Our SS co travelers were for the most part very active and ranging from honeymooners to multigenerational with most in 40s and 50s. Over 60% were 1st on SS and were not formal.

Glad you are doing better and kept up the PT

FT and zqvol--

 

Thanks for your very detailed and interesting report!

It was fun to post as we went along. Seems like JES has much the view on SS from his tour of the Norwegian fjords. Balcony, bathroom and in room dining were welcome aspects but we are the type that when SD delivers it's product, that would be our first choice when itineraries are the same. Still have to try SB though. But as between Regent and SS, thought the service on SS was much better but food and cabin better on Regent. Next up, River cruise.

JES, feel sorry for your back-problems - I hope everything is OK now ...

 

Your short comparison was very helpful for me - just one additional question: How about clothing on SS - did men wear blazers, ties or even tuxedos? I enjoyed "country-style" on Regent and hope to wear this style on SD II in September :) as well - SS looks a bit more formal to me?!

Jackets are required some nights. No tie. And our "formal" night was optional. Informal was required - that means jacket. Having also done a week on SS last month JES is spot on but we loved being able to eat full meals (no where near the quality of SD) in our room when exhausted from the days activity.

Not to worry, the two I have met were both rather pompous.

 

I was having breakfast with the more ameniable of the two on the morning after the gale and sick bags, and he was outraged that someone had put a sick bag over the top of the rabbit sculpture. I nearly choked into my coffee in suppressing my amusement.

Pompous was my opinion too. Thanks for confirming. While I love good shoes my Italian leather does not get worn on the pool deck and I do not respond well to an invite offering to educate me.

Were either of the 'Art Directors' onboard with you?

Yes, one of the "Art Directors" was on board and we declined an invitation to meet with him personally. I'm on a conference call at work now so I don't have access to materials with his name.

I will get tacky and talk about prices. Art is about different tastes, I get that and I definitely lean to the more traditional. The lowest price pieces that caught my eyes were prints or charcoals- all framed of course and behind glass, probably hermetically sealed, starting at the lowly price of $2400. I was surprised to see paintings priced at 80k and above and even more surprised to see sculptures and pottery priced in excess of 20k sitting unprotected in niches and open to human touch. I'm sure there were cameras everywhere so theft isn't an issue but just thinking of someone stumbling down the stairs gave me shivers.

We went the other way since we both had to get on the internet for work. We got 2 days (48 hrs) for $50. 7 days unlimited access is high-$130.00 but I work with large documents and have to respond to a number of emails so it worked out. Much cheaper them using the ships satellite for my phone when out of my carrier's roaming distance. Now that's expensive. If in Alaska my wireless carrier on iPad worked every day we were in a port and for periods close to populated areas so I was pretty lucky.

Well that's a little troublesome....I was hoping food was really, really good if not great. We cruise to relax and just enjoy the ship we happen to be on. This will be are first time on SilverSeas and your report isn't helping much for a lux ship.

But thanks for a great truthful report.

Rick

Food is very subjective, I have a couple of food allergies, scallops and tree nuts which meant that a number of dishes were off limits to me. You may have a different culinary experience. However as a different commentator noted, Regent incorporated more local food into its menu on the same Alaska voyage. And we really like fresh foods.

I can't say enough about the consistently friendliness and desire to please attitude of 95% of the staff. That outweighed the mediocrity of the food.

Our luggage has arrived so I pulled out the menus - one night, an appetizer called "fresh salmon tartare". That was the same night we had cold crab legs as an appetizer. Another night was "fillet of fresh halibut." As far as I am aware that was it. We are missing one night and I think there was a "wild salmon" special that night. Salmon is listed as available on the "steakhouse" menu every night and the night we had at Grill it had been frozen. Passengers are banned from bringing fresh foods on board but there is no prohibition on the ship buying locally from an approved fish market (or other foods, berries for example, the Alaskan blueberries are huge and were ripening). With King Crab and Dungeness in season, along with oysters, mussels, and clams, there was a lot of opportunity for variety.

Finally home, we made it, luggage didn't, after unexpected stop in Augusta Georgia when Atlanta was closed. Sat at E4 for 20 minutes waiting for the gate to open while our plane home, last of the night, was boarding at E5. 10 of us all dashed across the hall to a closed door and no gate agent. Plane had not pulled away and I was tweeting madly with Delta Assist begging for help. Thankfully, the pilot decided to open the door and let us on! Local delta office says luggage will be delivered later today.

Looking back there are a few things that we would have done differently. Some are purely personal. I didn't know about online fishing reports, if I had - I would have checked the Juneau report and changed our excursion within the time period.

We had packed thinking we were going to use the on the board washers/dryers but the ship's laundry was so great and reasonably priced I did nothing more than stick my head in the room a couple of times. Never seemed to be fully utilized.

We only tendered one time -in Sitka. 2 tenders operated but there was about a 15 minute wait. I was a bit surprised to see no tent, no water or soft drinks, fruit or pastries. I don't know if this was unusual or standard for SS but it was not what we are used to in a luxury line. On the other side, water and umbrellas were always available when departing the ship.

As I've commented earlier the dress code was a bit confusing. Since we brought hiking boots and multiple layers, a standard "casual" just for Alaska as Regent does would have been appreciated. I know others on this board really prefer SS's more formal nights, so again it's just our preference. I'm not sure why requiring a man to go back to his cabin to get a jacket but allowing a woman to wear casual leggings and a long sweater in the MDR on an "informal" night is consistent but it was permitted.

As first time SS guests, an Alaskan cruise is probably one of the most difficult to "get to know" a line. For me, a transatlantic is the best-you can settle into a routine and get to know the ship and the staff. On an Alaska port intensive voyage when even port and sea days vary establishing a schedule or routine is just not possible. Juneau was an all day port day. Skagway and Ketchikan were 6 hrs or less and Sitka was about 8 hrs. Some long excursions did not provide meals and ended after lunch on board ended so we usually ate one meal ashore. Because of the inconsistent hours and fatigue (miles in hiking boots seem longer than miles in sneakers) we didn't establish a rappor with staff other than our butler, not even at meals. Our most enjoyable breakfasts were from room service or the MDR. However, we missed the no "specials" of the day and the lack of variety between the 3 venues for breakfast that we've experienced on other lines. And it was weird in the MDR that only orange or strawberry jam was available the morning we were there. No other flavors.

We missed any use of the local fish. Yes, the cruise lines have to buy stock from the standard suppliers. However, in each port visited consistently there was a chance to buy, even if just for appetizers and advertise "fresh caught in. . . " While salmon always on the menu, no waiter could provide the source or the type (King, silver . . .). We would have loved a locally themed food night with Alaskan sourced clams, mussels, and oysters in addition to the standard fish.

I loved the public artwork. There were a couple of Chagall's on deck 8 that I enjoyed very much. The public areas were spacious and with wonderful ocean views. This was my favorite ship for public spaces when children are on board or outside calm waters. (SDYC has no competition for public spaces IF no children are on board and weather is good)

We were disappointed with the food, based on the marketing and hype. It was perfectly adequate with lots of choices but not one meal was drop dead wonderful start to finish. The Grill was very good our first night but we had to send something back the 2nd night and got condescension in the process.

With a couple of minor exceptions, service and attitude of staff was outstanding. Based on this we would sail SS again with the right itinerary. But not with the pricing as an ultra luxury line. No, it's not mass market, just upscale.

Thanks for all the kind comments and non flaming. It's been a pleasure posting.

FT

Next stop- stuff to do both on board and on excursions

I rarely go to a show or a lecture, usually choosing just to donate to the casino. This trip was no different. We tended to arrive for predinner cocktails as the musicians stopped playing, so I'm no help on on those either. The cruise director was good while we were at Hubbard Glacier. We had much better information than on Regent. Other times he came off a bit strong, almost vaudeville, but again my own preference is just low key. No criticism other than I ran into Diamond classes and pro shopping way too frequently.

I am not a TV person either-getting away is the whole point of holidays but since I am a sports fan it was great to see ESPN on the channel listings. Except there was no ESPN. If you are a news junkie, you have access to the BBC and the conservative, liberal and middle of the road news networks

I truly regret that we misplaced or didn't find the invite to the CC event in all the other materials. Still not sure what happened there. We were invited to meet with the art consultant, attend a first timers event where the on board cruise consultant was the special guest, attend a special wine tasting for $25. So I was pretty anti- social this trip.

There was no attempt to sell any excursions. Just explanations in the daily paper (which was good). But universally everyone we spoke to enjoyed their excursion. This was another first. I've never been on a cruise where someone didn't gripe about something gone wrong. I'm sure something did but the broad cross section of people we spoke to all enjoyed their excursions.

That's OUTSTANDING !