A Tucson Guy

2 hours ago, Mr Luxury said:

I didn't have any problem in Portofino on Saturday.

Out of, I think, six stops in Italy, I was only requested  by the police once to show the passport.

14 minutes ago, Mr Luxury said:

Just carry a printed copy or like i do, have my passports on my phone.

That dog might not hunt in Italy, based on our recent experience.

38 minutes ago, Randyk47 said:

Pardon my question but I did a search and read through this thread and can’t find what is the process for selecting seats on Silversea arranged flights?  I can now see our flights fir our upcoming cruise but no seats are shown and no passenger number assigned so I can look at the airline’s record.   First time we’ve ever used cruise line arranged flights.  And, by the way, they have us leaving Vancouver, BC at 7 AM.  If that holds true I guess we’ll have to up and off the ship by about 5 AM.  😱

Usually, you will need the ticket locator number, if I recall correctly.

30 minutes ago, FengShui@Sea said:

A Tuscon Guy ~ thank you so much for taking us along on you journey.  We won't be on the sister ship (Silver Ray) until Spring of 2025, but your posts helped me imagine how wonderful it is going to be.  I have what may be an odd question but I was wondering if when you enter your suite (#6011) was the bed on the left side or the right side?  I ask because I have a particular direction I like to sleep so try to choose a suite with the bed on the right side.  Depending on your response I should be able to figure out the layout of other suites.  Thanks again, and happy cruising come November!

 

When we walked into 6011, the bed was on the left side. I hope this helps.

1 minute ago, mysty said:

 

It is definitely valid in some ports!  Granted not all!  On our 2 World Cruises passports were collected.   If they were necessary for visiting any port along the way they were returned.   In some cases photo copies were provided.   Do you really think that Silversea would disembark passengers in ports that required passport identification without providing the passport?  This isn't a rinky-dink cruise line.  

Here is the latest on the Nova in Italy. The first stop in Italy, when we just getting ready to get off the ship when we were told that we needed our passports, so back to the cabin for passports. There was no mention in the daily chronicles that we need our passports to leave the ship or announcements. On the rest of the Italy stops, I never heard anybody being told that they needed their passports. No big deal!

Here's the other side of the coin. We are going on the Nova 11-18-23 and paid in full. We got the outbound tickets a couple of months ago. About a month ago, we still did not have the Bridgetown to Tucson tickets, so I bugged my TA. A couple of days ago, My TA sent me a copy of the email SS Sky Desk sent them and they admitted that they still have not found a good routing for us and SS is still working on it- go figure!

1 minute ago, mysty said:

 

Bring a copy of your passport ID pages when you disembark at a port.  Not rocket science!

In Italy, they would not accept a copy of the passport. They needed to see the original. How do I know, I asked.

News hot off the press!! Just got off the Nova, Venice to Rome with a couple of stops in Croatia and SS did NOT collect our passports, which I thought was strange. It turns out that in Italy, when you come back from an excursion, the police MAY ask to see your passport. We got asked twice by the police to show our passports. I think it must depend on the countries that you are visiting.

40 minutes ago, zship said:

A Tucson Guy, glad you had a great time.
How would you compare the Nova with the new ships of Regent ?

Who do you think has better quality and choice of food options ?

Who do you think offers better service, lectures and entertainment ?

Hi zship,

We have not yet been on Regents newer ships. We have two cruises on the Splendor in 2025. We have been sticking close to SS because the prices with Bus. Air were lower with similar cruises than Regent.

Let me post a few final thoughts on this Nova cruise. I first have to say that I am NOT a SS cheerleader nor for any other line. We frequent mainly RSSC and SS. We have sailed Seabourn and it comes in as third for us. These are just our opinions and others may gladly disagree. I will start with the end of the trip. We did the 2 day post extension to Florence and everything was perfect!! With 2 large (60 to 70 pounds each) suitcases, two carry-ons and two backpacks, we would never do port to port. The door to door transfers were a must for us as it was seamless. Trying to go from the ship to the railroad station, transferring the luggage and then from the rail station to Old Town Florence  and then taken to the airport and have our hands held until going through security was as good as possible for us. The Hotel Bernini Palace was great. Good rooms but not a suite. First-day lunch and dinner was included, second day breakfast and dinner or lunch were included and the last day we left at 3:30 AM but they did bring coffee to the room very early and no charge. After all the fabulous meals on the Nova, we were not expecting much in the way of food- WRONG!! The lunches and dinners were fabulous and we almost thought we were back on the Nova, it was just that good. Wines were included and I thought we got good value for our money.

Some random thoughts on the ship, some of which have already been mentioned in prior posts. The main event was certainly the ship itself. I could go on and on but you just have to to "try it, you will like it". Veranda cabin was great with tons of storage. The decorating and artwork was over the top.   The two-story Venetian showroom was a pleasure and never full! We loved the entertainment and a real step up from the "Voices of Silversea". The lectures were great! Outdoor seating in sun or shade was never a problem as there are so many lounges. The dusk bar is a great place to just watch the wake and the stars. One night around 10 PM, my Princess and I went to just sit and chill. I remember having my head messaged by my Princess and then falling asleep for about 25 minutes- priceless!

All the restaurants were great and the Marquee (I think my spelling may be off) was so much larger than even the Moon and Dawn that it was great eating outdoors. We did eat at the Chef's Table for $360 a couple and had a great time and it was maybe too much food for us. Unless I have shipboard credits, we probably will not do this one again. Similar feelings about La Dame- the menu is almost the same as the Dawn and Moon last year but instead of costing $120 per couple, it is now $320 per couple. On our Nov. 2023 cruise, we have La Dame booked twice at the $120 price per couple as we had made the ressie before the price went up. Same comment, if we have shipboard credits to use, we will go back. After the Nov. cruise, we will probably skip La Dame unless we have shipboard credits. Since we book early, we normally don't get the big $1,000 ship board credits. I have been on 8 SS cruises and this was my wife's third SS cruise. My wife's comment says it all for me- she said on the last day "Honey, I don't want to get off of this ship!" She never said that on the 2 prior SS cruises on the Moon and the Dawn. We can hardly wait for Nov. 18, 2023 to board this beautiful ship.

I also want to mention that the transfers from the airport to hotel and then to the ship in Venice would have been a nightmare without the SS transfers. I have to say that we got excellent value for our investment. After the Nova, we would never go on the older ships and would only go on the Moon and Dawn if we can't find a cruise on the Nova or the Ray. For us now, the ship is as important as the itinerary. If anybody has any questions, I will try and answer them.

Happy trails to you..............

4 hours ago, Port Power said:

The locator number is issued while the tickets still haven’t been issued. So no ability to select seats until tickets are actually paid for but SS, whether 60 days or more prior to travel.

My experience has been that once I had the locator number, I was able to pick the seat on the last three international cruise 6 to 8 months before the cruise and naturally before SS actually paid for the tickets.

52 minutes ago, goldengatecruisers said:

Tuscon Guy - thank you for your commentary.  It has been very helpful. I know many are appreciative of the time you have spent answering questions during your personal vacation.  Perhaps I will meet you in November!  Continued safe travels.

 

Ashley

Thank you very much. Truth be told, I don't usually post on cruises, but I felt that the Nova being a new and very wonderfully different ship, I would let inquiring minds know. I think a review from a paying passenger gives a different perspective than somebody who did not have to pay for the cruise. The two day post excursion to Florence is fabulous and I will post on that when I do my final thoughts post from home. Off to go shopping for my wife and maybe I will find something for myself!!

4 minutes ago, DCPIV said:

 

May you have a wonderful time in Florence and a smooth trip home!

 

Once you've settled back in, could you let us know what whiskies were available on board (especially outside of the Connoisseur's Club)?  We'll be on board soon, and I like to be prepared.

 

Cheers!

Thanks for your good wishes. I don't drink whiskies so sorry but I can't answer your question.

Nov. 18, 2023 NYC to Bridgetown.

We are currently waiting to disembark in Civitavecchia (Rome) to take the SS two day post cruise in Florence. Next week I will try and remember to post my final thoughts on this wonderful cruise and the great headliner, The Silver Nova!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy trails to you..........

On 8/30/2023 at 9:24 AM, seaver said:

How about collared shirts ? Are you seeing polos instead of dress shirts?

Not seeing a lot of Polo's at dinner, but that is not to say it would be inappropriate.

Interesting statistic for me. There are 728 passengers on board and it seems like only 2 people from this board are posting on this board. I have to assume that there are only two people out of 728 currently on the Nova who frequent this board. That means that about .2% or way less than 1% are on the ship. This sure shows that people on this board represent a sliver of SS passenger base. 

1 minute ago, seaver said:

How about collared shirts ? Are you seeing polos instead of dress shirts?

For formal nights, dress shirts seem better. The rest of the nights a Polo shirt will work.

1 hour ago, Doolz said:

Appreciate you taking the time to provide the above update, as it’s not exactly clear how the new dress code is being interpreted. We are joining the Nova on the 16th Oct for 21 nights and we have three Formal nights scheduled, are you able to recall the attire of the ladies at the Formal nights, as my wife is trying to plan her wardrobe!

Per my wife, cocktail attire is sufficient. No one wears long gowns. Slacks and a fancy top will work.

We had a great dinner in La Dame last night. As many on this forum have questions about dress code, last night was not a formal night and the restaurant was almost full. It states that men should wear a jacket every night in La Dame. Last night there were at least 5 men without jackets and I only saw one man wearing a tie. The fact that a few did not wear jackets, did not deter from our dinner. This was our second meal in La Dame and now I am changing my opinion of the $320 per couple opinion. It does not feel like I am getting a value for the investment, especially with other dinner choices. We will probably with come back on future cruises, but the jury is still out on this one. We did not have shipboard credits but if we did, I would probably use them in La Dame. Other wise we are still blown away with the Nova and look forward to returning in November of this year. Now off to Palermo.

7 hours ago, sea bright said:

Sounds like you're having a blast! Loving your posts. We're not onboard til January. Is there a walking/jogging loop on the Nova deck? Hard to tell from the deck plans.

Enjoy the rest of your voyage.

Yes there is a jogging track on deck 10.

7 minutes ago, Jloss said:

Thanks for the response! I was referring to the small group chefs table for $180 pp. 

Chef's table can only be booked once you get on board. We did it right away!!

A couple of nights ago it was Formal "optional" night. We had dinner in Atlantide and we saw very few tuxedos or dinner jackets, maybe less than 10. I would say the balance was gents wearing ties at about 35% and the rest, like me, suit or sport coats with no ties. The rest of the ship looked to be about the same percentages. My crystal ball says this will be the new normal for SS going forward in the future. I did not hear one person complain about the new dress code. I think this is the wave of the future for the cruising industry.

6 hours ago, boccenana said:

Hey Tucson Guy, it's Oro Valley Girl. So glad to see you are on the Nova.

Your great reporting is much appreciated. We sail Oct. 16th. 

Guess the four of us will have to get together one of these days.

Elaine😎

We will cross paths on the high seas some day!

8 hours ago, C-sea said:

I have only been on Spirit with Silverseas and there was one washer/dryer per deck, in a closet space.  We will be on Nova in December, are there more machines in each laundry room?

There are two washers and two dryers on decks 6 through 9. Usually found one open.