DCPIV

On 12/2/2021 at 3:35 PM, DCCruiser57 said:

Lois - safe travels.  We board the Whisper on 12/17.  Quick question about the closet space 0 does the walk in still have a double hanging rod next to the door or have they removed it like they did on the Shadow?

 

Thanks!

Ours actually has the double hanging bar on the half near the door (i.e., one bar all the way across the top and a lower bar across one half). I guess some have it and some don't. 

We've had a wonderful time meeting and chatting with you, @Lois R (as well as @spinnaker2 and her DH, @CruiserFromMaine and his DW, and many others on board)!

This has been a very nice cruise! My only complaint is that the wifi can be glacially slow despite their bragging about how wonderful it is (not to mention the $300 for premium). That's hardly raining on our parade, though. 

6 hours ago, spinnaker2 said:

Pappadeaux ???

safe travels

Close! Pappasito's over in the newer part (gates 1-5). It's a little quieter over there, and I love the shrimp quesadillas. 😀

It is highly unusual. 

It's not normal, but "not normal" is part for the course these days. 

That oddball situation is inevitable, no matter when they go back to 90 days.

I was about to say that it likely would be upwards of $100 for the ride, but i wasn't thinking about how you'll likely need XL for luggage. You might want to check shuttle prices.

The larger concern might be getting an Uber back from the terminal to the airport. Surge pricing can get rather severe in a hurry when cruise ships come in, no matter where you are. 

The good news is that construction traffic on I-45 is nowhere near as bad as it had been in recent years. If you're coming in and sailing on Sunday, traffic shouldn't be a factor at all. 

If you're truly worried about traffic and the cost works out, Uber might be the better option because it's easier for them to go around any traffic. 

Thanks guys running all that down, Lois. We got the emails and hear went to the website, not thinking anything about it. Well, I guess we're all set up should we ever need it! 

We're at the airport and enjoying our "good luck" Bloody Mary's. See y'all tomorrow! 

8 minutes ago, Cruisegoer said:

Yes I know a single test is one use, as I answered questions on their site, what I was reading seemed directed only to myself (for approval of purchase type) so I was unsure if its sold in 2 counts so they are then ultimately selling you a backup test meaning a second person would need to purchase their own so they also have a backup ready.

You get two (or three), individual tests, each with its own QR code. 

6 minutes ago, Cruisegoer said:

Since the tests are sold in 2 packs can you plan to buy 1 kit for both people in the cabin to use? I just went through the questioning on Optum website and to me it implies it's 1 kit per person.  Thoughts? Experiences??  

Yes, you can only use one test once. If all goes off without a hitch the 2-pack (2 individual test kits sold together) will work. However, getting the 3- pack gives you a bit of cheap insurance should something go wrong with one of the tests (not likely, but it does happen).

Allow C&A and CC members of a certain level to get a VS number. The only benefit that conveys would be 5% off the first cruise, but that's a more than decent "little something" that could both reward and encourage good RC and Celebrity customers to give SS whirl when they are ready. Have that apply to Diamond and Elite members, or even to D+ and E+. Everyone cruises happily, and no one dies to make it happen.

On the flip side, give SS customers with a certain number of nights Elite and Diamond status. I haven't the slightest idea how many nights make sense, and I'll be damned before I sit here and try to work it out. Chances are it's not something that would be utilized or even needed all that often, but it might come in handy sometime. Again, it's "a little something."

I agree that C&A and Captain's Club don't really translate to VS at all. It's apples and oranges. We're D+ on RC and soon to be E+ on Celebrity with almost 30 nights on SS. I've played around with ideas in my head of how to equate points, and I've not been able to make more sense than the little that has been put forth in this thread. 

If I were to drive up to the Lexus dealership in a Toyota, they wouldn't care any more than if I were to drive up to the Toyota dealership in a Lexus. 

However, there is some sense in some modicum of reciprocity for the benefit of all the fleet. 

We'll be getting off a ship and staying in Reykjavik in May. Thanks to everyone for the recommendations. 

3 hours ago, Silver Spectre said:

Have a great trip Spins. You are also getting some jumpers from the Moon to keep you company.

Aren't they able to just walk? 

Or is someone setting up a zip line? Because that would be magnificent. 

@isdoo Allow me to segue your thread back on track with a few stories that illustrates what I hope you still can expect from Silversea. Keep in mind that we've only stayed in a Veranda Suite.

DW and I are cruising Silversea for the first time, Istanbul to Athens. It's the first formal night. I put on the tuxedo I owned at the time. As we're about to leave, I go to button the jacket, but the button isn't there. I have no idea where it may have gone, but it ain't there, and it ain't coming back anytime soon. 

This situation will not dampen the evening. I'll be seated nearly all the time. When I'm not, a left hand can hold together my jacket and conceal the issue that most won't be at all concerned with in the first place. No problem. Let's just go to the bar for a drink and then to dinner. 

We walk out of the room. Right there, at our door, is our butler (a lovely woman whose name I am ashamed to have forgotten). With a smile, she offers her arm to escort me (a smaller memory I still cherish) and asks me if we're having a nice evening. I chuckle and take her arm while also showing her the spot where a button used to be. I say something about how that's the only thing to have gone wrong all cruise and how we'll all survive, but she stops us in our tracks. Her face becomes very sympathetically concerned, and she quickly leads us back into the room. 

She asks for my jacket. I give it to her, and she's gone in a flash, saying that she'll be back in about ten or fifteen minutes. DW and I are just sort of looking at each other in amazement. We're on no rush, so let's see how this plays out. 

About ten or fifteen minutes later, our butler returns with my jacket. A new, black button is sewn perfectly in place as if it had been there from the start. She once again offered her arm, and we picked up right where we left off but much better off for the time spent. 

Another time, we sent some things to the laundry. When it came back, everything was there, but there also was a very nice, white handkerchief with all our things. I mentioned it to our butler and offered it back believing it was someone else's that came to us by mistake. Our butler insisted that I kept it because it was ours and was marked on the list of things to be laundered. I was puzzled until I went back and looked at the laundry slip. I had mistakenly marked "1" on the "handkerchief" line and not marked anything on a line I should have (I don't recall what). They returned everything and then threw in the hankie just to be sure (and charged nothing extra for the laundry).

For some time, I enjoyed wearing my tux with my "cruise button" along with my "cruise hankie" stuffed neatly in the pocket. 

Back to that first cruise, we made good acquaintances with the Head Bartender, a fantastic fellow named Joey. He nailed my Martini on the second try and then made sure all the bartenders knew how to make it. Every time we saw him, he would say, "Mister Doak! Would you like your Martini, sir?" That was fun. 

On our second Silversea cruise, Joey wasn't there behind the bar on the first night. It was a different ship and two years later, so I wasn't surprised, but I'd be lying if I said I had hoped he would be. Henry, the Head Bartender who was there, was fantastic, and the only thing I can say about him that isn't high praise is that he wasn't Joey. 

The next morning, we are chatting with the guest lecture up at the pool on a downright perfect sea day. I tell her the above paragraph about Joey. I then go over to the bar to get some water or something. The service door opens. There's Joey. I'm stunned. He's not. "Mister Doak! Would you like your Martini, sir?" He didn't miss a beat.

That's Silversea. 

We all have more stories like that. Celebrity is wonderful, but Silversea is an order of magnitude above. 

7 minutes ago, Catlover54 said:

 

You still then have a jacket -- this is not a big requirement for most , but it is just a warning (many on Celebrity never wear a jacket and do not bring one). SS (other than expedition) is simply overall more formal than X, but it is evolving.  

One disadvantage to dining in LT instead of the main dining area on formal night is that it is often on formal nights that "special" offerings are available, and they are only in the main area.

You can, however, (at least pre-Covid) get the special offering meal served course by course in your room wearing whatever you want  (if your butler is not too busy doing the same, or something else,  for his other 6-10 clients), just give him notice. 

We're about to sail out on Thursday, and I'll have a jacket or two with me (likely the latter, since we're out for 15 nights). We've had close to 30 nights sailing with Silversea and are well practiced. We are aware that we should notify our butler. We actually enjoy dining in the room occasionally, especially on a long cruise or what promises to be a long or arduous day on shore. 

Again, I don't mind dressing up for certain occasions, but I no longer can get my head around lugging down a tailored suit that I'll wear no more than several hours over a couple weeks and get mangled in transit there and back. There was a time when that made sense, but those days passed a handful of years ago. 

I have some very nice slacks and jackets that do fine throughout the cruise. I suppose I might could get my head around wearing a tie for those hours if the suit were not required, but it is, and we shall respect that.

As for special offerings, food on the ship is important to us, but it's not even in the top three reasons we cruise. It's a very rare occasion that we return home and tell a story that's about nothing more than what we ate on board. 

I'm glad to hear the lovely tone about dress code. We've been on a few Silversea cruises, and one of the reasons we keep coming back is because of the fellow passengers.

Another is because there are some very nice alternatives on formal nights. While I'm nearly always happy to don a jacket, I'm pretty much done with wearing a tie except for limited occasions. It's very nice to have included options with the quality of La Terrazza or the Grill (or even just the room) on those nights. 

Afterwards, I'm warmly greeted in the bar with my jacket. 😀

As you've discovered, the C&A level discounts are largely worthless because they cannot be combined with any promotional discounts (a.k.a., sales).  Since they're pretty much always doing a sale of some sort and because that sale (pretty much) always provides a better discount than the C&A discount, the C&A discount is little more than window dressing.

We'll see you on Thursday!

We've never sailed on Whisper, but we sailed on Shadow (sister ship) some years ago.  The only other Silversea ships we've ever sailed on are Wind and Cloud (back before the conversion to expedition), so Shadow and Whisper are relatively enormous! 😂

It does seem to be gone. Between the logistics and the lukewarm reception, I'm not terribly surprised. While some folks enjoyed it, many were not happy with the liquor selection. 

You always can just see about a direct upgrade. That way, you can choose your cabin. It's not unusual to see the cost come in around the same as a minimum RU bid. 

1 minute ago, Flygirl1999 said:

Hi,

Just reading this thread and thought to ask……….is it always 7 days prior to checkin? (The earliest you can check in). 
 

I was told by rep it was 30 days prior, but maybe that’s for the forms/documents/waivers and such?
 

thanks!

It's 45 days prior to sailing, typically. 

3 hours ago, LynnForestgate said:

 

I don't know what to say !

Find this very strange, if I am honest

Cruising lends itself to meeting folks, especially when we all had assigned dining times and tables.  We've also just met folks other ways, such as having so many laughs at a "martini class" that we all met up every night at the R Bar for more.  In any case, if you spend 15-20 hours or so with someone over several days, you might find that you enjoy each other's company to the extent that you would like to stay in touch.

I very much enjoyed San Gervasio. As mentioned, it's not huge site with pyramids, but it's remarkably interesting. We went because we were tired of taking that dadgum ferry to Playa del Carmen and spending most of our day on the road, but San Gervasio proved to be a very pleasant surprise. It's one of my favorite Mayan sites. I'd happily go back. 

Just to compare, Tulum is my favorite Mayan site by far. It's phenomenal. However, I don't think I'll ever be in the mood to day trip back over there from Cozumel while on a cruise. The juice isn't worth the squeeze. 

The Concierge can be a great asset for making reservations or changing/cancelling plans. They can sometimes work a little magic that you couldn't do on your own. 

On 11/26/2021 at 9:36 PM, satxdiver said:

Three weeks ago on Liberty the armbands were put on at checkin counter and could not be removed without cutting them.  They insisted it had to go on the arm and put on while they watched.  We went to the theater several times for presentations and they were checking at the door.  We never went to the WJ and only ate at the MDR.  Sunday we will be boarding the Liberty again and will be watching what they do now.  

How did things go? We're on Liberty in about a month and are curious (but only curious-- not concerned).

Keep in mind that,  if you wait to cancel on board, the refund will be prorated. While I don't know for sure, I would not be surprised if you do not receive a refund for the first day. 

Here's hoping that someone who actually knows how that works will chime in. 

Strictly speaking, you don't -need- to print anything anymore. You can even show your negative test results on your phone. 

However, checking in at the pier goes much more quickly and smoothly if you've printed everything out. You can just hand them your stuff and let them do what they will with it.

I've done both: print nothing, and print everything. The difference was night and day and worth some trouble to print if you can.