Dolcevita Diva

45 minutes ago, TLCOhio said:

 

At S.A.L.T., are they open to any day-ahead special order requests?  Other suggested ideas for added creativity that they offer, etc.?

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

Can't answer this about SALT Kitchen (the restaurant) and did not make any special requests.  I did notice a slight tendency at the beginning of this voyage across various venues for the crew to encourage certain "standard" offerings. 

A few examples:

On the first evening they were offering an Australian Chardonnay as the complimentary white and when I inquired if they had any French white burgundies, was told no (Say what??? Silversea always has at least a Macon on the comp list). This continued into the second day in other venues (they were really trying to push their planned white wine pour), but then suddenly a variety of additional white offerings were readily available. 

Another example - When my butler offered to bring some canapes later in the afternoon, I asked for a shrimp cocktail and she hesitated and said that she'd have to check if that was possible (? Really - I can order caviar but not shrimp cocktail?).  Someone else on the voyage mentioned elsewhere that they received the same response and were told they could only order items that were on the room service menu.  

On the other hand, on the first evening one of my friends asked for blue-cheese stuffed olives for his martini and although they did not have any, the server said: "We will have those for you tomorrow and the rest of your cruise, Mr. ---"

Not sure if any of this was related to provisioning, new SOPs or newer crew members - but when sharing these examples, it's also important to make clear that the crew throughout displayed the sincere desire to accommodate and make their guests happy - and ultimately whatever you asked for was done with a smile. 

Our next port was Gibraltar.  I had not signed up for any excursions and had a leisurely morning and lunch onboard.  @TLCOhio - I didn’t take many menu or food photos, but here are photos of the lunch menu at The Marquee and some “food porn” for you! 

This is the Roast Pumpkin and Chickpea salad with some chicken added and although I normally don’t have dessert with lunch, couldn’t resist trying the Mint Chocolate Frozen Sandwich, which was delicious.  After lunch, I walked into town and did some browsing/shopping on Main Street.  

My friends went on the Cork & Cattle excursion and really enjoyed it. They learned about cork production, harvesting, aging, exports, etc.  They did say there were 40 people on their bus, though. 

I mentioned earlier that there is a saxophone player onboard who plays at the Dusk Bar and the S.A.L.T. Bar.    It’s hard to convey just how magical this, but most especially during sailaway. Hopefully this video clip as we departed Cádiz will give you a sense.   

5 hours ago, TLCOhio said:

 

Great, interesting thread with these details about no print version of the Chronicle.  As done by zqtchas, I like to save the paper version of those daily details, etc.  Is this only happening on the Silver Nova?  How about for other SS ships now?  Or, in the coming future?

 

While I can navigate fairly well in the digital world, if it is the "new" Chronicle at 80 pages long and has bunches of advertising and promo pitches, then . . . .  

 

Lisbon, NWSpain, Bordeaux/Brittany: Live/blog, June 2017 from Portugal to France along scenic Atlantic Coast on the Silver Spirit.  Now at 33,963 views.  Many pictures, details for history, food, culture, etc.:

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2511358

Terry, so far only on the Nova and will be on the Ray as well. This is party of the overall sustainability/environmentally friendly positioning of these ships.

I never flipped through all the pages of the digital Chronicles. To their credit, it's pretty easy to navigate to the key pages you want and ignore the rest.  

On 10/14/2023 at 7:32 AM, zqtchas said:

 We also like to save the Chronicle’s.

On 10/14/2023 at 9:21 AM, jpalbny said:

 

Me too. Maybe if I can get them on my phone I can figure out a way to save them digitally. 🤔 

When on vacation I really prefer to unplug to a great extent and would much rather peruse a paper copy of the chronicles while enjoying breakfast on my veranda. Hello Silversea - have you noticed that digital screens are not always readable in the sunlight outdoors...? 

There was an option to download, but the file was pretty big and the download on my Ipad apparently was not successful.  I ended up just taking screenshots of the daily activity pages on my phone so they'd be handy without having to fiddle with connecting to the wifi, signing into mycruise.com, etc. 

What I did like was having a lovely photo of the port for the day, time, outdoor temperature and key agenda items on the television and also really liked the digital display by each elevator bank that listed upcoming activities, where they would be held, etc.

3 minutes ago, zqtchas said:

I don’t think we’ll be doing a Nova cruise.

I loved the ship and absolutely will sail on her again!

Don't want my comments to come across as negative or complaining at all - just want to point out some differences from the other ships, a few things to get used to and a few areas that hopefully will be tweaked based on guest feedback. 

3 minutes ago, Lois R said:

Maybe this is a silly question but why are they 80 pages? That is A LOT of pages.

Not a silly question at all. Seems that since it was digital, they threw everything in there - lots of photos, tour descriptions, promotional fluff - when you really only needed the handful of activities for the day.

2 minutes ago, Lois R said:

Hi, so there are no paper Chronicle's on the Nova? It is all electronic??? Call me old or maybe just old school but I love reading the paper in a hard copy.

Nope. Standard procedure is electronic only. 

Someone mentioned elsewhere that they requested a paper copy and were able to get a black and white version.  The Chronicles on the tablet/tv are 79-80 pages long...a lot to flip through.  Your messages and the survey will also come on the tv/tablet, but invitations such as Venetian Society reception are still delivered in paper.  On the positive side, the digital displays near each elevator list do list upcoming activities for the next few hours.

Since @boccenana will board in a few days, let me first add a few more overall comments about specific facets of this ship/cruise experience before covering additional details of our ports and excursions to wrap up.  None of these comments are intended as a complaint, just a few differences from other Silversea ships or oddities they may want to consider sorting out.

Follow-up note re: the Cadiz excursion and sherry tasting - unless you book the first group time, eat a hearty breakfast! Our excursion left at 9:45 a.m. and it was around 1-1:30 when the tasting portion began. So we'd not had lunch before we began tasting 5 different types of sherry😄. 

Electronics - The Silver Nova is much more advanced on the tech front, but there are a few areas that could still stand improvement.   The Chronicles, restaurant descriptions, daily menus and yourbefore we began tasting 5 personal agenda for the day are all handled electronically, either on the tablet provided in your suite, your television or your personal phone/tablet (after you download and connect to Silversea wifi and the mycruise app).   As you look through daily activities in the Chronicles, you can click on activities that you'd like to add to your agenda for the day.  

Really liked having this information available electronically, but some aspects are a bit cumbersome, too.  You can make restaurant reservations electronically, but you're not able to change the number in party or cancel a reservation through these tools (!?).   In fact, cancelling restaurant reservations was rather a pain on this voyage, as you cannot call to cancel until the venue is open or someone there in mid-afternoon, when you might be out on an excursion.  So you need to rely on your butler or ask the reception desk to cancel those reservations and in practice, they are so busy they sometimes forget.  And as mentioned, your agenda is available on your own phone/ap, but in my experience, that was only when connected to Silversea wifi.  Which means only when you're onboard the ship. 

Suite Numbering - The number scheme is disorienting on this ship. Although they followed the usual approach of even numbers on one side and odd numbers on the other, because there are so many different suite configurations interspersed with each other on a deck, the suite numbers on the opposite side of the hallway may be very different. For example, I had booked 6051, a deluxe midship veranda. After boarding the ship and going to deck 6, I quickly found suites 6052 and 6054. But the odd-numbered suites across the hall were numbers 6071 and 6073 and my suite was 10 doors down.    The elevator banks on opposite sides of the ship add to the disorientation once you get to your home deck (or was that the champagne? 😄).  So count the doors till your cabin from each bank of elevators. 

S.A.L.T. Lab  - As others have mentioned on the Dawn and the Moon, these classes can only be booked onboard and are very popular, so they book up quickly.  I inquired about the classes at reception immediately after boarding. They gave me the list (two different classes were offered that week) but told me that these needed to be booked on the television or tablet in my suite.  That didn't seem to be an option on my tablet, though.  Tried again at reception later that evening and they all classes were fully booked until the final day so I grabbed that spot.  I did try to stand by for an earlier class and the chef that day said that there was a spot available, but then far more people than there were places poured in so I left. 

The lady who runs the program was ill/quarantined that week and so the overall organization needed help - the chef was great with the cooking instruction but they really needed someone else there at least at the start of each class to manage the passengers.  They book reservations on the basis of two people at each cooking station, but most of the couples were taking two stations until another passenger pointed out "there are two aprons there, which means two people per station".  There were also clearly more people showing up than had reserved - when my friends took their first class, there was a third person added to their station and a few others.   So - a bit chaotic but loved the  class itself.  And the venue is gorgeous.  I've only seen pictures of the S.A.L.T Lab on the Moon and the Dawn, but this space on the Nova is quite beautiful with a full wall of windows. 

Entertainment/Activities - Although there was only 1 sea day on this itinerary, there were more  activities scheduled on port days than I ever remember seeing. From dance classes with the entertainers to table tennis competitions, golf-putting challenges, enrichment lectures every day and of course team trivia, there was a lot happening on the ship every day. There was also entertainment in each of the bar/lounge areas every evening, so you could listen to Alfredo in Dolce Vita, Chris on the saxophone at S.A.L.T. bar or Dusk Bar or Violinist Annet depending on which venue you went to at that time. And during the early evening from 6 to 8, it was a bit like "season" where I live - multiple invitations all at the same time, so you'd have to flip a coin or stop by each for a short bit.

The Venetian Lounge on the Nova is two-story which gives it even more of a feel of a  theatre/performing arts centre.  There was a much wider variety of entertainment - from the "new" singers/dancers to a comedian, the MacDonald Brothers and acts you may know from other lines like Chris Watkins the violinist.  And even (gulp) karaoke.   The new primary entertainment troupe consists of 4 singers and 5 dancers, plus the Silver Nova Band. The singers are phenomenal and include the gentleman who was the original Simba in The Lion King.  The dancers....hmmm. My opinion was that they're superfluous. They were energetic but didn't add anything to the show and the choreography seemed rather high school musicalish.  So - a LOT more variety than the Voices of Silversea.  

One major drawback? The cruise director is the fabulous and talented Ms. Vicki von Tassel. But if you adore her show "Ship Happens" (who doesn't !!!!???), you will not see it onboard. Silversea has deemed it not in keeping with the approach they are seeking for entertainment on the Silver Nova.  If  you're sailing soon, please write in the comments that you miss that show!  

As for the Karaoke?   Heard that it was very well attended and a lot of fun, although no major new talent was unearthed.  I'm ashamed to admit that I rolled my eyes when I read that Karaoke was an  option, because as I realized later - on Silversea you never know who might be a passenger onboard.  And remembered that way back when I used to cruise with my parents on other lines several decades ago, my dear mother used to bring down the house belting out "The Birth of the Blues" during those passenger talent nights...because when she was in her late teens, she used to sing with one of the big bands in Miami...

On 10/11/2023 at 4:57 PM, Tothesunset said:

It's the free of charge Silversea inoculation program. All part of the service. 

Ah, this could be the reason I've been sick the past few days! I thought it was due to all of the people coughing and sneezing during my travels back. 

Either that...or I'm allergic to being home? In withdrawal from copious quantities of champagne?

Alright, I'm back. The Reentry to Reality phase post-cruise really reinforces the need for Silversea to adopt my recommendation from several years ago for a post-cruise butler service option. 😉 Hear me out - you arrive home in your Blackstone vehicle. The lights are on and a Silversea butler is standing outside your front door with a Welcome Home sign.  Inside, candles are aglow, there is a chilled bottle of Pommery and some canapes at the ready and a therapist is on hand to work out the travel knots while your butler unpacks for you.  He/she has ordered dinner for you from your favorite local restaurant and serves it plated on your china, while music from your favorite artists aboard the ship plays in the background.    After enjoying the delicious chocolates left at your bedside, you nod off to sleep that evening to the white noise sound of ocean waves. 

The following morning, you awaken to wonder if that was all just a dream - until you go to the kitchen and find freshly brewed coffee or tea in a thermos, with an array of pastries and other breakfast goodies on the counter, including the necessary fixings for a bloody mary or a mimosa.  Your laundry has been taken care of, your shoes are polished and there's a note letting you know that necessary perishable and pantry items have been ordered and will be delivered that morning - and that your luggage has been cleaned with an ecologically friendly cleaner.   And of course, tucked under that note is a Silversea brochure for you to peruse and plan your next voyage...

On 10/11/2023 at 4:43 PM, Lois R said:

WOW! For SS, that is a young demographic.

Definitely a younger skew, but did not see kids, teens or passengers in their 20s.  A better way for me to frame that would have been that at least 30% of the passengers appeared to be between 30 and mid-40s and there was a healthy percentage in the mid-40s to mid-50s as well.  It was also noticeable that many of the more physically demanding excursions seemed to fill up quickly. 

On 10/11/2023 at 4:50 PM, sanne said:

This particular voyage we are traveling by ourselves…unusual for us. We like to eat early. So are you saying that apart from Silver Note, if we turn up at any of the dining rooms when they open we will be able to get a table for 2 without having booked it ( apart from Alanttide and S.A.L.T Kitchen which don’t accept reservations)

If you plan to dine early, you should have an easier time getting into most venues. But if there is a particular restaurant that you would be disappointed not to get into, definitely reserve that ahead of time. Someone else who was on the same voyage has said that she could not get into many of the restaurants without a reservation (partially because some passengers booked ahead and did not cancel).   That was not my experience - but I wasn't trying to get into La Dame or Silver Note.  We were able to dine at La Terraza on two different evenings when we did not have a reservation.  The Marquee was a challenge if not reserved ahead of time and others were definitely turned awaya; I saw a long queue form shortly after 8 pm. 

On 10/11/2023 at 7:58 PM, boccenana said:

Dolce, since you have been aboard the Nova, would you have a suggestion for a good spot for our Cruise Criticers to meet?

Go to the S.A.L.T Bar!  The wonderful bartenders there are lonely on this ship.  

3 hours ago, Stumblefoot said:

I’m more interested in knowing how many condoms and how much personal lubricant are they selling?

1 hour ago, Tothesunset said:

Rather less than joint relief cream and denture fixative, I expect. 

Interestingly enough, the demographics on this voyage definitely had a younger skew. I'd hazard a guess that at least 30% of the passengers were under 40. 

19 hours ago, broker1217 said:

DD- could you please validate something? Is the SS water bottle the only water in the cabin?

I drink at least 2 liters a day so I would need t be carrying my bottle around to be refilled?

There was a glass bottle of still water and one of sparkling water in the refrigerator. The main change is there are no plastic bottles handed out when you leave the ship or arrive back from an excursion. 

13 hours ago, sanne said:

We are booked on the Nova next year. Please could you tell me which restaurants we will have to book on line before we go and which ones don’t take bookings. 
 

Thank you. 

As @Stumblefoot mentioned, you don't have to reserve any restaurants.  That said, the one you definitely should reserve is it is of interest, is Silver Note. It's a very small venue and was fully booked all week.   Atlantide and S.A.L.T. Kitchen do not take bookings; all of the other restaurants do.  So if you have your heart set on a particular restaurant, go ahead and make a reservation. The Marquee (which combines Hot Rocks and Spaccanapoli) was very popular on this voyage, so would recommend pre-reserving this as well. 

In addition, the S.A.L.T. Chef's Table tasting dinner held in the S.A.L.T. Lab only takes bookings on board.  On my voyage last week, bookings for that experience were very light. My friends booked it on the same evening that I had reserved Silver Note; otherwise I would have gone too.  As it turns out, my friends ended up having a very special personalized experience - because they were the only people who had booked the tasting dinner that night. 

Another difference of the Silver Nova (and presumably the Ray) is there are no plastic bottles. All passengers will receive a stainless water bottle to take with you on your shore excursions and use aboard the ship.  Your butler will keep it filled in the cabin, there is a filling station near the gangway and servers aboard the ship were proactive offering to refill your bottle. 

All the bottles are alike, however, which could easily result in mixups, especially since some people leave theirs on the excursion bus. Some passengers wrote their initials on the bottom.  

I happened to have a shoulder strap that came with my iPhone case with me and immensely enjoyed being told by other passengers how brilliant that was. 😎

 So if you wish to be known for your brilliance onboard, bring a strap or a carabiner clip to attach the handle to a tote bag, belt loop, etc. Those wine charms that are used at some parties would be useful too…(anyone with mfg. contacts, let me know…I have some ideas about those💡) 

Photos of arrival in Cadiz and of Bodegas Osborne

Cadiz - The following morning we arrived before dawn into lovely Cadiz. Fabulous view of Cadiz from my veranda on the starboard side.  

My excursion for the day was Jerez De La Frontiera & Bodegas Osborne for sherry tasting. Prior to sailing, only one excursion time was listed, but I had learned through someone that there was a later time available. On this voyage, in some ports they apparently added new times and only published those in an excursion list onboard, so be sure to ask.  There were 15 people on our bus.  

The excursion and our guide were good, but we wished it had been at least an hour shorter.  The excursion began with a drive through Cadiz, with our guide pointing out key highlights, then we left the city en route to Jerez de la Frontiera. We had a "drive-by" of sites before the driver parked the bus and we walked to the courtyard at Bodegas Osborne, a producer of sherry and brandy since 1772.

The grounds are absolutely beautiful.  We were escorted into the caves and learned about the grapes used and had a very educational session about how sherry is produced.   Afterward, we were escorted through the museum into another room to taste 5 different types of sherry; the group had an enjoyable time getting to socialize with each other and tasting and sharing notes while a talented guitar player provided background music.  We were a bit startled when some dolorous singing began in the background and turned to watch a young lady (we later learned that she was only 13) sing and then dance the flamenco.  While this is enjoyable at first, when a third round of singing and dancing began, faces froze in polite smiles and the group became restless.   

My friends had signed up for the S.A.L.T. Rare Barrel Tastings & Gourmet Lunch at an 8-Generation Family-Owned Sherry Producer (Bodegas Hidalgo) which was priced at $439 US per person, so that  provided an opportunity to compare notes. They said there were 7 people including themselves who participated. Their excursion had much less "filler" time and took them to Bodegas Hidalgo, which is closer to Cadiz. The S.A.L.T. excursion included time in the vineyards learning about the grapes and harvest procedures. The discussion about how sherry is produced sounded similar to ours; but their group enjoyed tastings from rare barrels in the cave, followed by an 8-course lunch that they said was amazing.  

1 minute ago, Kalscruise said:

Are there showers in the spa area?... I have seen from photos and video the lockers, steam room and  indoor coed whirlpool..  but are there showers in the women's locker room?

 

Not able to answer this, as I was taken straight from the waiting area to the treatment room.

3 minutes ago, Kalscruise said:

Thank you for posting items available but .... Shampoo, conditioner, cotton swabs $????  etc... some of these item on this list ...aren't they

normally gratis?

Yes, there is an ample array of amenities in your suite - shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, lotion, sewing kit, cotton makeup pads, cotton swabs, nail file, shower cap, etc., as well as a clothing brush with shoehorn.   Have no idea why they are also offering the items you mentioned for sale.  

I "took one for the team" and used the new OTIVM line of shampoo, conditioner, etc. - my highlights survived, but I felt that the conditioner left my hair too dry.  

The first day after sailaway was a sea day, which gave us time to explore the ship and relax after travel. The time had moved forward an hour during the night, which meant that many of us received polite phone calls 2 minutes after our spa appointment time.  A few learnings here: 1) if you're relying on Apple or other devices to automatically change the time, they aren't going to do so when you have them set on airplane mode...🤦‍♀️and 2) you will not be the only one and 3) the team in the spa very kindly does not deduct any time from your appt. due to tardiness. 

I don't always use the spa on board because in the past I've found the treatments to be fairly mediocre, but this time I had a great therapist.  On the Nova, the spa specials are not well-publicized (on other ships they typically put offers in the Chronicles). But since the Chronicles on the Nova are provided electronically - and are 79-80 pages long(!) - it's very easy to miss.  For example, apparently a drawing was held on the third day for a spa credit - only 3 people entered, so the prize was divided between the 3 of them.  My therapist also offered me 20% off any additional treatments for that week. 

This was also Formal Optional night - and it was a wonderful surprise to see what appeared to be the majority of passengers - across all ages - decked out in tuxedos, suits, gowns and cocktail dresses - really added a festive, fun touch to the evening. 

4 hours ago, boccenana said:

Dolcevita Diva your detailed posts have been informative and very entertaining. Looking forward to your continuing observations about the Nova.

We sail on her in 6 days.

Between you and Lois you could write a book on Cruising with Silversea.

I do have a question for you.

Is there a place to purchase small items you may have forgotten, ran out of or just weren't allowed in baggage?

Thank you.

Elaine 😎 

 

Thanks for the compliment, @boccenana, but I suspect many would wish my posts were more timely and less verbose 😉  They do have an assortment of "essentials" available on board; you can ask your butler for the list (had a feeling someone might ask; see below).

@MJN1 - Paul is correct. I inquired when meeting with the cruise consultant yesterday.  The deposit for P2P is 25% but 15% is non-refundable.  So you can transfer your deposit to another voyage before the other cancellation penalties kick in, but only 10% would be transferable. 

The Dusk Bar on deck 10 is a terrific new venue.  I was initially concerned because one of the designated smoking areas on the ship is on the port side of the Dusk Bar and I often had to leave the veranda of the Arts Cafe on other ships because the smoke wafts over.  On the Silver Nova, the deck area is wide enough that unless you choose seating right next to the smoking area, you’re not likely to smell any smoke. 
 

There is a talented saxophone player on board who often plays at the Dusk Bar at, well, dusk 😉 and also later at night when there is a later sail away.  Chris also plays in the S.A.L.T. Bar some evenings.

I’d heard so much about the SALT Bar from so many of you and had to seek it out. Definitely go visit when you’re onboard the Nova - the bartenders need some company!!!   The SALT Bar is now on Deck 10 and is next to the SALT Lab.  Unfortunately, this new location is rather out of the way and seems to mainly be used as a pre-dinner meeting area for those who have reserved the Chef’s Table and other guests who are familiar with SALT Bar from the Moon and Dawn.  For those of you who felt the space on the Moon and Dawn was too small - there is plenty of room now! 

13 hours ago, Stumblefoot said:

Wow!  That was entirely too fast.

Yes it was!!!