Ithaca

Totally agree with Wripro!

I had a couple of friends visit with us in the Spirit last May when in Málaga port. They preferred to treat us to a succulent paella at a well known restaurant, but visited with us after lunch and we gave them a tour of the ship. In order to do this, we submitted petition forms more than 45 days in advance. Copies of their identity documents (passports) were needed to enter the ship. Our TA coordinated with Silversea to forward us the required forms. We had a lovely time and our friends are prospective customers.

ABLE SEAMAN, THANKS! I am following your posts and believe your NEW YEAR'S wish for all in CC was very genteel and charming. Wishing you and your family the best for the NEW YEAR.

 

My guess, duck ragout, delicious!! If Francesco at the helm of La Terraza, I'm sure he knows you would not have enjoyed your dinner outside. With regards to the Meet & Greet, I almost missed one because the invitation was placed under the desk writing mat. Please look there, you may find it. If not, ask at guest services and they will be able to let you know. We so much enjoyed the 2016 Transatlantic on the Spirit! Great ship. We will be on the Whisper (first time) in May. Enjoy your cruise!

Bitob, I totally agree with you on the convenience and satisfaction of having a good butler. Like you, we are not needy, nor need packing/unpacking assistance. However, when you rest assured that one phone message, or a note left behind, will take care of your want or need, you can proceed to thoroughly enjoy your cruise without any hitch. In our last cruise (in another line), our butler was so good that one sea day, when we disappeared for several hours, he searched for us just to make sure all was fine with us. He was very attentive, without being intrusive. Very well trained. Actually, our daily interactions made for a happy cruise. Big difference between a room attendant and a butler.

Thanks, Roy, from Syracuse, NY, which, together with Buffalo, are Queen and King of the snow capitals of New York state. I am following your post with great interest, and some understandable envy. Thanks for your kind words.

I strongly suggest that readers do so understanding that this is not representative of onboard SS behavior

I totally agree that this incident is not representative of onboard SS behavior, however, regarding the cruise consultant IN THIS PARTICULAR CRUISE, I read in another thread that she also had worked less than satisfactorily with somebody else's onboard cruise reservation. This probably is the case of needed training, and SS would benefit if alerted to this situation.

Nov 21st when I disembarked HD was Flavio and Captain was Mino Pontillo.

Right! ...and, the Cruise Director was Moss Hills.

Stumblefoot, I'm certain you will enjoy your cruise. The Spirit is in very good shape and the crew will surely pamper you. Please lt us know your thoughts as you embark on your journey. Safe and wonderful travels!!

Love Duct Tape's take and for this reason I urge you to read the ships' member reviews on the Reviews section of this site. As always with reviews, you need to discern polarization. For example, a mobile challenged person gave a very poor review to his cruise due to the ship's inability to cater to his needs. This, of course, is very relevant to mobility challenged persons; however, if you read the review, the rest is really positive. I would suggest that you read the SS board on a frequent basis as many details emerge from frequent sailors' comments which could be helpful in your decision making process.

My review of this cruise is now available in the Reviews section of this site, under my alter ego Camillus112.

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=554747

Just returned from the Spirit's crossing and the cruise consultant was a gentleman named Barrie (don't know the last name). Friends that consulted with him while on the cruise thought he was very efficient and personable.

I am going to barcelona Feb 2 on spirit any tips on the city?

Yes!! Barcelona is a wonderful city, full of grand sights and monuments, as well as intimate shops and tapas cafés. If you only have one day, I recommend the HoHo bus for a panoramic view of all you will miss if you don't return. Most people from cruises walk Las Ramblas, and I urge you to stroll the tiny streets on the right hand side of the avenue, which comprise Barrio Gotic and El Born. El Born is hip, especially at night. If you can, the Sagrada Familia Basílica by Gaudí is a must see, but will take you several hours. If staying in Barcelona, I recommend Hotel Colón, right in front of the Cathedral (not the Basílica) in Barrio Gotic. There's always music and lots of people in the esplanade in front of the Cathedral and it's a lot of fun. Hope this helps.

When in Málaga during the Spirit's recent transatlantic, we had friends come and visit with us in the ship. We had to submit copies of their passports with at least 45 days in advance, and receive approval for the visit. The approval included either lunch or dinner (at a fee, of course). Can you request a visit without all the approval process if you are a VS member?

On this particular cruise, our butler's tray with toiletries included Bulgari and Ferragamo products. I would remember if the tray included Acqua di Parma, a favorite of my late mother.

Agree with Jollyjones, except for service at The Grill. I posted my review on the Reviews section of CC and hope it will be available soon. I have been on the Cloud twice, but my personal opinion is that the Spirit is much better. Even considering its design flaws, the Spirit is a sleeker, more modern built ship. Unfortunately the Cloud needs an overhaul to reach the condition of the Spirit.

Hi Terry,

We booked the May 10th Barcelona-Southhamptom cruise, since it has an overnight in Bordeaux and we are looking forward to the wineries! The south of Spain is wonderful, and we look forward to Lisbon (where we've been) and to Oporto (where we haven't). We've been to la Coruña, but delighted to visit Santiago again. Just to let you know a feeling about these ports. Hope it helps.

I'm waiting for Cruise Critic to post my review of Silver Spirit. It's been four days. I hope they haven't lost it, as I didn't save it.

Hi Magwun, your review is up! I read it with gusto, since I'm just back home from the Spirit's voyage right after yours. I agree with you that meat preparation needs to be improved; I also had rare meat delivered, instead of the requested medium in all instances, At some point I stopped ordering meat and all else was very much to my satisfaction. I thought the pastas at La Terraza were especially tasty. Also, I thought the overall service standards remain very good, with exceptions here and there...some in the pool deck. One difference in our two trips, for which I came out winning, was the overall passenger ambiance. We had a notable group of people in their 40's and 50's, along with very lively "elders" which provided a happy vibe to the cruise. The pool deck was always pretty full, as we had quite warm (hot) sea days. We had guest entertainers, thank goodness, as the regular shows can be very much improved. However, all in all, I see we both had very good journeys.

I'm so sorry about your experience! I appreciate your being so honest and your details. I have sailed Seabourn on Sojourn and Odyssey and had a very good experience, but I am no cheerleader and value your comments.

Thank you so much for your review of this particular tour. It is people like you that make Cruise Critic a valuable resource. I will be in Casablanca next month and will take the ship's tour. Thanks again!!

I assume most of the excursions are in the morning so alcohol consumption should not be a problem.

...As long as you don't have a Mimosa or Bloody Mary with your breakfast...

I recently booked Sagrada Familia with Viator in Trip Advisor. I chose the skip the line tour; these start at 10AM. Check Viator for your preferred time. Hope you have a lovely trip!

oops, yes we will be ahead not behind!!!

Hi Philipb, I wonder if you know we have a roll call active for the Nov. 5 crossing. We'd love you to join!

Catlover54,

Thanks again for the marvelous trip report. I write to you because your help is needed in the SS threads. A poster is requesting information regarding a cruise you took with a stop in Monaco for the Grand Prix. It seems you took the ship's excursion and the poster would like feedback. Thanks!

I am one to delight in invitations to hosted tables; they are usually very pleasant experiences, and one gets the opportunity of meeting more guests than those one usually meets in public spaces. My one rather odd experience was when, before dessert was ordered, the host (a well known lecturer) got up and said "I don't think we need dessert, let's all go to the show". Most guest tentatively got up and followed, but we stayed with another couple and enjoyed our dessert. A bit unexpected, but the overall experience was very good.