Silver Whisper....am Most Concerned

WE HAVE BEEN PREVIOUS PASSENGERS ON THE WHISPER OVER ONE TWO YEARS AGO...AND WERE DELIGHTED.....WE ARE SCHEDULED TO TAKE ANOTHER CRUISE TO NY=CANADA AND HAVE BEEN GLANCING AT SOME OF THE POSTS AND HAVE SEEN FAR TOO MANY POSTS REPORTING A DETERIORATION AND DECLINE OF SERVICES..SOME OF THE REPORTS WERE QUITE DISTURBING....:mad: QUALITY OF FOOD, ENTERTAINMENT, ROOM SERVICE, ETC. ETC...ALL DIMINISHED!!!:(

 

IS THIS TRUE? WOULD BE INTERESTED IN HEARING ANY ONE ELSES THOUGHTS...THOSE WHO HAVE SAILED ON THE WHISPER RECENTLY?:confused:

 

WE ARE CONCERNED!

 

THANKS SO MUCH!

 

DRJW

Do not in any way let the posts you read in any way compromise the enjoyment of your own cruise.

 

Every persons expectations and experience will be different. I'm on Wind in two weeks and I promise you nothing can be done to reduce the enjoyment I will have.

 

Enjoy your cruise and feedback your experience.

Before we sailed on Silver Shadow, last April, I read one or two trivial complaints. Those from folks who usually grumble. We found everything as it was supposed to be. Once I have booked my cruise I will have done my research and read a few opinions. Enjoy your cruise and all of the amenities that go with a luxury cruise line.

Go on your cruise and enjoy it..all will be fine. I am booked on a Sept.cruise and I have never had one negative thought about it..I will go and enjoy,and look forward to another one.What you read are just some opinions that some of us post nad I don't think you have seen any from those who would never sail again on SS..I would venture that those of us who post will cruise again and again.Have a wonderful New England Autum cruise:p

We have just returned from the Whisper dont not worry all is well:)

We have just returned from the Whisper dont not worry all is well:)

 

Nick, glad to hear that all was well on your Silver Whisper cruise. Would you please provide some details? What did you especially enjoy? Any surprises?

 

--Rich

Was on the Whisper this past May, and it was its usual WONDERFUL self. Staff, crew, condition of the ship...all as you would want. We are going on her in 5 weeks...Montreal to New York ..Go & Enjoy !!

Could ask ask a quick Whisper question? We have never sailed SS, and are getting ready to book. Does it matter what location we book the Verhandah suite?

 

Last Celebrity cruise we booked a suite that turned out to be above the pool snack bar, and was loud and not such a good choice. I am guessing the Whisper being a smaller ship location will not matter much. Am I correct?

 

OK, well one more question. Will the balcony on a Verhandah suite be large enough to have breakfast for two??

 

Thanks all.

In my opinion, any verandah suite is fine on the Whisper, although mid-ship seems to be preferred by those who have a tendency to get seasick. The ship is large enough, and stable enough, such that motion is not a problem, at least not for us.

 

And yes, you can fit 2 for breakfast on the veranda without any problem.

 

Denyse

Perfect. Thank you

Does it matter what location we book the Verhandah suite? ...I am guessing the Whisper being a smaller ship location will not matter much. Am I correct?

Location may matter if your trip takes you into shallower (and therefore, potentially rougher) waters, such as the Baltic or Aegean, especially in spring and autumn/fall, or southern South America. Right at the front of the ship, there is a lot more vertical (pitching) motion than midships, but only if the seas are rough. Rolling motion is pretty much the same wherever you are, and it is controlled by the ship's stabilisers. My theory is that it's only the rolling motion that makes you feel sick. Anyway, reception hands out free motion sickness medication on request, and that has always fixed it for me.

 

Also, the design of all four ships cleverly puts most of the cabins together at the front of the ship and the public rooms together at the back, so the only noise issues are from people saying "goodnight" too loudly in the corridors (less of a problem if you're at the front of the ship) and, if you're unlucky, neighbours on either side. I take earplugs just-in-case, but have rarely needed them.

That is interesting. Does it mean that in the middle of an ocean (deep waters), it will be less rough?

 

It is nice to keep all the cabins together (to reduce noice), but then why not put all the cabins at the back of the ship (less motion as well as less anchor noise etc.)? The public areas are less susceptible to noise in the mornings (won't wake anybody up), and the main restaurant (as is) is on a low deck and midship anyway (won't have to worry about plates and glasses falling over). The alternative restaurants and theatre can be closed when the sea turns ugly. Won't this make even better sense? Thank you.

Does it mean that in the middle of an ocean (deep waters), it will be less rough? ...why not put all the cabins at the back of the ship (less motion as well as less anchor noise etc.)? ...the main restaurant (as is) is on a low deck and midship anyway...

Yes, my experience (five transatlantics, sixth one scheduled for April '06) is that it's calmer mid-ocean. My theory is that in shallow waters there is more scope for sloshing around -- the proverbial "storm in a teacup" -- whereas in deeper waters, most of the motion of the water is vertical. You could be unlucky with a storm, especially in the North Atlantic, and anyway YMMV.

 

As for the design aspects, I suspect the thinking is that you spend more time moving around and standing in the public areas, and more time sitting or lying down in the cabins. Also, the noise and vibration from the engines and propellers can be significant, especially when manoeuvreing, as when arriving in port. Anchors are relatively infrequently used, and the noise is over in a few minutes, whereas the manoeuvreing vibration and noise can last up to an hour.

 

I think the restaurants are pretty much at the back of the ship, along with the other public rooms. Lower decks make some difference to how you perceive rolling motion, but not nearly as much as the difference in vertical motion between the extreme front of the ship and midships or even the back -- I've often wondered why some of the most expensive suites are right at the front!

Thank you kindly for your technical explanation. This is interesting, and I hope some marine engineers may read this board and add their input.

 

As for the most expensive suites (only for technical interest), the owner's suites are in the middle. The royal/grand suites are put at the very front probably for privacy reasons. Presumably some folks who can afford it like to feel that they have a separate corner of the ship reserved to themselves?!

Thank you kindly for your technical explanation. This is interesting, and I hope some marine engineers may read this board and add their input.

 

As for the most expensive suites (only for technical interest), the owner's suites are in the middle. The royal/grand suites are put at the very front probably for privacy reasons. Presumably some folks who can afford it like to feel that they have a separate corner of the ship reserved to themselves?!

Meow,

Maybe they feel special having the same view as the Captain!!

 

John

Well now I know where to book my cabin(concluded it doesnt much matter, as we are not sailing the Baltic, and never had sea sickness issues).... but , oh great now I have no where to go!!

 

Actually I had the ship wrong, I was looking at Spain to Rome on the Wind, and looks like right now no cabins are available for the April 06 sailing.. It was kind of confusing to me. The agent said something like the he was waiting to hear back from the inventory department to see if they would release more cabins.... Whatever that means. Will wait and see.

 

Also interesting, the quote went up from about a month ago. Seems SS is in demand.

The agent said something like the he was waiting to hear back from the inventory department to see if they would release more cabins.... Whatever that means.

Sounds like all the heavily-discounted cabins may have gone and SS thinks that it can sell the remaining ones at closer to brochure price. If that's right, it can only be good for SS's finances and the longevity of the line.

Thanks for the explanation... The good news is the agent called today and was able to secure a mid ship Verhandah cabin for us, which we immediatley secured with a deposit. I peeked at the deck plans, and the location looks fine.

 

It is not easy for me to determine if I am purchasing a cabin that is not discounted, or even what the vaule is for my dollar. Prior, our cruise experiences have been limited to sailing the Mass lines in Royal, or Grand suites.. I just have nothing to compare against...

 

We have booked suites on the mass lines because we were seeking a certain expereince and service. By booking suites with butler service we came close to finding what we considered an enjoyable expereince. Finally this year we concluded that maybe we were not spending our dollars wisely and were trying to make a Mass line experience something that it was not intented to be..... So, this brought us to researching Silverseas....

 

We will not be sailing in a large Sq footage suite, but it has never been the square footage that excited us to begin with, it was the service and overall cruise experience the suite provided us.

 

I an so anxioius for this new cruise experience.... I have gone on, havent I? So far away, but it really exictes me to try the SS experience

 

Janet

Passengers who cruise in suites on mass market ships are probably a new source of potential customers Silversea is eagerly courting. It will be interesting to read your comments after you come back from your Silversea voyage. That will be one indication of how successful Silversea is in enlarging its customer base. Thank you.

We're trying SS for the first time this December (the 16 day So American Cruise from Valparaiso to BA) in a verandah suite. Eager to know how it compares to others (we've sailed across Atlantic both directions on Cunard - the queen mary suite on one sailing, various Caribbean cruises on NCL, Costa, Celebrity; WindStar out of Istanbul, Club Med in Greece and raced in the Pacific Cup on our own 52 foot sailboat !) Am expecting the SS to be a nice smaller boat experience (compared to NCL, Costa, Celebrity, etc.) but not as upscale as Cunard's upper level service?? any thoughts from previous SS cruisers?

It is not easy for me to determine if I am purchasing a cabin that is not discounted, or even what the vaule is for my dollar.

You should be able to check the discount by referring to the full brochure fare on the website.

 

As for value, the conventional comparison is $$ per day cruise-only, i.e. ignoring costs for travel to and from the ship. If you're paying about the same per day on this trip as you were for a suite on a "mass market" line, perhaps taking into account the tips, drinks and other extras that you had to add on there, you got a good deal. (At least, I suspect most people here might say so!)

Am expecting the SS to be a nice smaller boat experience (compared to NCL, Costa, Celebrity, etc.) but not as upscale as Cunard's upper level service?? any thoughts from previous SS cruisers?

I don't have a Cunard experience to compare [anybody else here have one?] but I can say that SS is easily my best experience at sea, for service and other aspects, and we keep going back, which is perhaps the test...

Janet - one of the reasons for me to take luxuary lines is other passengers. I've tried suites in mass market lines as you have. Rooms are good and service fine, but you are still surrounded by the kind of people who pile up the plates sky high in buffet as if this is their last meal. I'm sure you know the kind of people I'm talking about. No matter how expensive your room is, you can't get away from 2,000 other passengers decending on a port, either. I think you will feel much more at home in a smaller room on SS than RCCL.

Janet - one of the reasons for me to take luxuary lines is other passengers. I've tried suites in mass market lines as you have. Rooms are good and service fine, but you are still surrounded by the kind of people who pile up the plates sky high in buffet as if this is their last meal. I'm sure you know the kind of people I'm talking about. No matter how expensive your room is, you can't get away from 2,000 other passengers decending on a port, either. I think you will feel much more at home in a smaller room on SS than RCCL.

simonv,

Well said I totally agree

 

John

In this day and age of high blood pressure, glucose and cholesterol, many people are health conscious and would rather eat less than more. The occasional free caviar and foie gras shouldn't hurt, but for the rest, it may be better not to eat much at all. We in fact appreciate small portions, so as not to feel obliged to eat more than we wish, while leftovers are wasted and create unnecessary pollution!