JJRP

Thank you for the detailed write up!  Excited for the Cloud’s February 25th sailing, and enjoy learning what to expect.  

22 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

Several years ago I bought poles for the Camino de Santiago.  They weren't so necessary then, but now that I'm in my 70s I find that I need them for hiking in Maine (especially going down steep trails).  So I would definitely bring them.  And I recommend this specific type –  Pacer Poles – because they have a molded hand grip that keeps your wrists in a natural position that is much easier on them and on your back.  The carbon fiber model is even lighter than aluminum, and not subject to any corrosion.  [But – oh my! – they are out of stock.  Hopefully they can get them to you in time...]

Pacer Poles for sure!  Walking pokes aren’t crutches for the old and infirm - youngsters all over the AT swear by them.  They get your upper body in the game, take load off knees downhill, help with balance in the slippery stuff.  You can move quicker and with less risk of injury.   

I’ll be on SS for the first time next February. What are items you like to have stocked in your stateroom?  What other personalizations do you request on your cruises?  I don’t really mean specialized, ahead-of-time requests, but rather from SS typical offerings, what do you particularly enjoy?  What might I not think to request? 

4 hours ago, chrism23 said:

Some of the comments above address this question but provide no answers.  After 8 cruises on SS you would think I know all the nuances of the dress code.  But here is a question I can't answer.  Are jackets, in fact,  required after 6pm in the Main Dining Room on Expedition class ships?  We are leaving on the Cloud next week.  The only other Expedition class ship I have been on was in the Galapagos, where a couple of times we would show up in the MDR still shaking sand from out clothes.  No dress code.  I don't have a clue as to what will be required on the Cloud.  Tony Hanks has a good FAQ on the SS facebook page but there is no answer there.

 

I am packing.  So if anyone has an answer to this I would greatly appreciate a timely response.

 

BTW I love formal nights.  Its the only chance I have know to wear all the tuxedos I have accumulated over the years.   Cheers  Chris.

 

 

 

 

I'll be on the Cloud next February, and had the exact same question.  I found a thread here on CC that directly addressed dressing in the main dinner room on SS expedition cruises.  They said the reality is that jackets are not required any evening, although a fair number of people wear them.  Doesn't sound like much of anyone wears a tie.

I also like dressing for dinner.  So sounds like you'll fit in if you like want to wear a jacket to dinner, but don't have to.  Probably leave the tux at home ;->

I would appreciate anyone's answer if they have first-hand experience on Cloud or Wind.

On 8/4/2022 at 7:03 PM, cruiseej said:

 

I agree! Although this thread has meandered through all the normal machinations about the SS dress code, I think there's a simple answer to the question, isn't there? I thought the original question was a good one, because it does cause some confusion. When people ask about the SS dress code, most responses here tend to point out that you have the option of dining in several venues without formal attire on designated formal nights. But the question was: following dinner, what's the dress code, if any, for going to the theater or a bar/lounge? And the answer is provided in SIlversea's buried dress code explanation on the website:

 

"Following dinner, all guests are free to take advantage of any or all public spaces, however, jacket is required."

 

Isn't that all there is to it? On a formal night, if you don't wear formal clothing and dine in one of the venues which allows informal or casual attire, then you are free to use the other venues on the ship as long as a man is wearing a jacket. So if you dine at The Grill, or in your suite, without a jacket, you need to add one if you want to go to a bar or the theater. If you dine at La Terrazza wearing a sport jacket, you're fine to visit any other areas of the ship after dinner. 

 

(Note that this has nothing to do with whether there is lax — or no — enforcement of the dress code, nor whether the dress code ought/ought not to be changed in the future.

 

That said, Silversea could make this so much easier for everyone if they made the dress code more visible and made the text clearer with a few simple changes:

 

1. They currently bury the dress code in the website section for "Packing your cruise luggage", which is not what people look for when searching for the dress code.  They cause further confusion because the text is under "Clothing suggestions" — which does not sound like mandatory policy at all. That could be resolved if they instead created a heading like "Dress code on Silversea Ships" or "Policy for evening attire on Silversea Ships."
2. It would be less confusing if the text made clear the attire for each of the three levels of the dress code, and how it varies by venue on the ship.
3. They could answer a frequent question by adding subheadings to separate Classic cruises from Expedition cruises. Currently, Expedition cruise dress code is not mentioned at all.
4. And they need to update the text about there options for informal dining on formal nights. Currently, the text says: "On formal nights, guests may dine in La Terrazza and choose to dress informal...This option also applies to Seishin and Stars on board Silver Spirit." Huh? Stars? I'm guessing that is the former name for what is now Silver Note. That text is about four years out of date. And why does it specifically single out Silver Spirit, and not any of the new ships? The text needs to be updated to reflect the 2022 (and ideally 2023) ships and dining venues. 

 

Ten minutes of editing the website could take away 98% of confusion and questions about the dress code!

 

Completely agree - I wanted to write this exactly post, but glad I didn't have to.  I just booked an expedition trip Feb 2023, and had to hunt around CC for a while to figure out what the dress was (which apparently is different from standard SS ships).  Ugh. 

On 7/14/2022 at 9:00 AM, pf778c said:

I thought I'd never respond to one of these threads, but...

 

I agree that Silversea needs to state their dress code with more clarity and stick to it.  It's no secret that it is a more "formal" line, so there should be no excuses.  It seems Silversea has already accommodated guests  that prefer to dress casually for dinner by offering The Grill, Spaccanapoli, and in-suite dining, and (horrors!), if one can be bothered to but pack a simple jacket, La Terrazza, Seishin, Kaiseki, or Silver Note (not sure about the new S.A.L.T. Bar).  And there are usually ample casual nights to sample Atlantide, Indochine, and La Dame.  If, after all that, the dress code still traumatizes you, just sail another line!  With the absence of corsets, starched collars, and boiled shirtfronts, it really doesn't take much to get dressed for dinner, even without a lady's maid or manservant, and even after a day-long excursion, although formal nights are usually scheduled for sea days, and I personally prefer to schedule a more relaxed meal in La Terrazza or in-suite for port days that are especially grueling.

 

I think we all book cruises with Silversea because they are unique in certain ways.  Why clamor for them to lose their uniqueness?

My understanding is that SS does provide a manservant (indeed, a butler), so that is no excuse for dressing down.

On 7/5/2022 at 1:31 PM, Rothko1 said:

 

Touché.   A point to the Englishman.

 

Look, it's easy; buy a nice blue blazer if you don't have one.  Wear it every night except formal night (which is dinner jacket).  The end.  🙂  

Exactly, thank you.  When in doubt, you can never go far wrong with a blue blazer.  And throw a tie or two in the suitcase, just in case.  

21 hours ago, jelayne said:

Have you asked on your Roll Call to see if others want to play.  We have been on many cruises where a group from the Roll Call played on sea days.

Good suggestion, and yes I did actually.  Maybe someone will respond, got a couple weeks left.

I’d bring my own on Infinity leaving Aug 13th if there were players.  Good luck!

1 hour ago, cruiseny4life said:

I think what you're missing is that cruisers want the perception they are in a dining room full of pomposity and arrogance. By bringing the real world in with shorts and a t-shirt (that they're not part of the true 1%) you're dismissing the notion of their false dichotomy. The premise being - hey, look at us! We are strutting our peacock suits and dresses around, while being served on by doting foreign servers. We must have it made! 

 

This is why you are not entitled to your own opinion - your opinion (and actions) have ruined the false dreams of those who believe they have made it...to further dash these dreams, I'll say that anyone cruising on a line that is listed on these forums has not made it. There are no forums for the truly wealthy - that's what the paparazzi is for. 

 

Due to this, you (or I) will never be of the correct opinion (again, before y'all slam me, I follow the dress code or just refuse to dine in the venue if I have to peacock myself). 

People of all economic levels have events where they dress to a certain standard.   In the MDR, wearing blue jeans, a golf shirt from JC Penny’s, and simple leather loathers would satisfy the dress code and be entirely appropriate.  That is hardly pretending to be the 1%.  
 

(Again, thank you for following the dress code, especially when you don’t like it)

I very much enjoy the experience of dining in the MDR.  It is not just about getting dinner; they will deliver the MDR menu to my room if I only want the food.  There are many elements to the experience; decor, attentive service, china, flat ware, food, wine, coffee, conversation, how the staff dress, and even the design of the room itself.  Another part of the experience of dining, for me, is how the other guests dress and their behavior.   Kinda like Rockey Horor Picture Show, or Japanese Kabuki theater, audience participation is part of the experience.  

It has nothing to do with judging someone else about how they like to dress or what they like to do on their vacation.  By all means, you do you.  But when someone else decides to ignore the clearly written direction on how to dress, you deny me my experience.  Please let me be me.

I will be taking my first Celebrity cruise this August.  I changed from NCL specifically because I hoped Celebrity would be somewhat more traditional and calmer.  One of my top hopes for Celebrity specifically was that the MDR dining would a more traditional, full dining experience.  I think it is great that people want to have a crazy silly time with their kids on vacation, or that 20-somethings want to be up drinking and dancing until 2am.  I think it is great that people want to wear flip-flops and shorts to their dinner (on NCL anywhere or Celebrity at the buffet dinner).  I chose Celebrity because I am looking for a somewhat different experience.  It is  discouraging to see I may not find it because someone else has decided that because dressing "to code" does not matter to them, and they are going to make that decision for me.

Finally, I see lots of people on this thread who say they like to wear shorts and flip-flops on their vacation dinner, but that they either eat at the buffet or put on pants and shoes anyway for the MDR.  Thank you for your consideration, and there will be at least one passenger in August who appreciates it.  

17 hours ago, LMaxwell said:

I'm amazed anyone thinks the staff REALLY cares what you wear beyond being neat/clean; they care if you tip and they care if you are a decent person to them; as you should be at any meal service, any time of day. But I really can't imagine they care anything about your life, what you did in port, what show you saw, or about your kids, or doggie at home, etc.  It's an excuse to cajole people into doing something they don't want to do "See, the staff dressed up...so you know it's a special place because of that." 

 

Now I could show you some photos from 20 years ago on ships and we are all head to toe in suits and ties, tuxedos, dresses on the women; extravagent feasts with multiple courses; a real production. Go back to the 1990's and the MDR was IT. It was a fine dining experience every night. And it's gone so far downhill on every cruise line that it is just worth the hour it takes to get your starter and main and get out. Just my opinion.  The world is a lot less formal now.  You can be casual and still look great. Then again, you always see those whose formal clothes is from the 1988 Sears Catalog; not such a great look anymore.  

I believe the staff in the MDR works hard to create a specific experience.  They appear to have pride in their work.  I hear you that how you dress in your daily culture may not be considered part of good manners.  But for much of the world (especially outside the U.S., from where the vast majority of the staff hail), how you dress for dinner at night in a formal dining room is part of good manners; the same as saying "please" and "thank you."  It is not about you - it is not a judgment on your clothing preferences or anything else to do with you personally.  I suspect when you dine in the MDR, you don't refuse to say "please" and "thank you" because you are on vacation.  If you don't use such words of courtesy, I believe the staff would care and find it mildly disrespectful and not appreciating the work they are going for you.  So too, if you dress in shorts and flip-flops, they find it disrespectful of their work, of the experience they are trying to create with their effort.

6 hours ago, jelayne said:

The wine lists are showing in the app.

Thank you!

On 6/21/2022 at 12:24 PM, mahdnc said:

What prevents two people (like my wife and I) who normally sail as 1st/2nd in one cabin from booking two adjoining cabins as solo paying passengers?

You would miss out on discounts for second passenger, e.g. second person 60% off, if you had such an offer.  

I’m booked for 8/13/22 sailing and elected the Elevate package, apparently shortly before they ended it.  I like the premium beverages mostly for more wine selection.  I went to try to find the wine menus yesterday for MDR and Cellar Masters, which showed the wines available for premium drinks versus normal all included, and the bottles available, etc.  But the wine menus are gone!  Perhaps they are revisiting the whole premium beverage upgrade program?   I saw some posts from last spring saying Celebrity did not have many of the premium wines in stock, disappointing.  Any experience or thoughts on this?