Two New Silver Shadow Reviews Posted

[CatServants]

Two new reviews of the Silver Shadow were posted today, one by "jsroh", and the other by me ("Catservants"). Mine may be a bit buried on the list since our cruise was 07/09 and I just got around to finishing it last night. :(

 

Hope you enjoy,

 

Randy

[ging466]

Two new reviews of the Silver Shadow were posted today, one by "jsroh", and the other by me ("Catservants"). Mine may be a bit buried on the list since our cruise was 07/09 and I just got around to finishing it last night. :( Hope you enjoy, Randy

 

Hi CatServants

 

I enjoyed your review - very different from jsroh. I wonder if you were on the same ship:D:D

 

When I cruised on the Silver Whisper last year, I had the same reaction as you - "Our worst fears came to pass - we fell in love with luxury cruising!"...no more mass market cruising for me.

 

Cheers

ging466

[billcrooz]

catservants;could not find your review

[CatServants]

Hi CatServants

 

I enjoyed your review - very different from jsroh. I wonder if you were on the same ship:D:D

 

When I cruised on the Silver Whisper last year, I had the same reaction as you - "Our worst fears came to pass - we fell in love with luxury cruising!"...no more mass market cruising for me.

 

Cheers

ging466

 

Ging466,

 

Thanks! Our last cruise prior to the Shadow was in a Penthouse suite on Celebrity's Millennium. Although the suite (and even more so the deck) were extravagantly huge, they were a bit frayed and, once you stepped outside the doors, you were "just another passenger". We got better service/atmosphere/amenities/etc. from our standard veranda cabin on the Shadow (and for less money!) than we did from the Millie's penthouse.

 

CatServants

[CatServants]

catservants;could not find your review

 

Billcrooz,

 

Try http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=57700

[TLCOhio]

Billcrooz, Try http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=57700

 

Did enjoy your nice and detailed review. Was a little surprised by your opening statement: "We are in our late 40’s and, by our own definition, 'cabin rats'. As cabin rats our number one goal on a cruise is rest and relaxation, and to us that means great service, no crowds, good food, a comfortable cabin, good books/movies, an upscale/elegant atmosphere, and no hassles."

 

We're not "cabin rats" and that's not my style/goal, but I understand. Glad you noted that at the top of the review. Keep up the good work and making comments for these boards. This is all very helpful as we prepare for our first cruise on Silversea after doing Seabourn in 2006 and Crystal in 2008.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

[TLCOhio]

Two new reviews of the Silver Shadow were posted today, one by "jsroh", and the other by me ("Catservants"). Mine may be a bit buried on the list since our cruise was 07/09 and I just got around to finishing it last night. :( Hope you enjoy, Randy

 

WOW! That's a sharp contrast between the reviews by Keith and Randy . . . versus . . . jsroh. The opening part is not shy: "The ship needs a major refirb., cheap look tiles in the public bathrooms, old carpets in many places, 2 star look spa entrance and 1 star quality gym, stairways are not wide enought to pass each other even my size (5.9", 155#), laudry room in the deck 4 was removed but still showing in the floor map."

 

There were some positive parts cited. On both Seabourn Spirit and Crystal Symphony, we found some things that were not ideal or the best, but overall, we were very happy about the total package and total performance.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

[ging466]

We got better service/atmosphere/amenities/ etc. from our standard veranda cabin on the Shadow (and for less money!) than we did from the Millie's penthouse. CatServants

 

Interesting comment CatServants! I have often wondered why people pay huge amounts for really fancy cabins on mass market lines when they don't get anything else with it...i.e. service, food etc. Whilst SS is rather pricey for me (have to pay single supplement & Aussie dollars), I think the experience is worth every cent. :D

 

Cheers

ging466

[meow!]

Two new reviews of the Silver Shadow were posted today, one by "jsroh", and the other by me ("Catservants"). Mine may be a bit buried on the list since our cruise was 07/09 and I just got around to finishing it last night.

Thank you kindly for such a comprehensive report. Having written lengthy reports in parts ourselves, we know the amount of time and effort required. It is nice to be able to share your experience ... meow!

[ging466]

WOW! That's a sharp contrast between the reviews by Keith and Randy . . . versus . . . jsroh. The opening part is not shy: "The ship needs a major refirb., cheap look tiles in the public bathrooms, old carpets in many places, 2 star look spa entrance and 1 star quality gym, stairways are not wide enought to pass each other even my size (5.9", 155#), laudry room in the deck 4 was removed but still showing in the floor map."

 

Yes, if you read all the Shadow reviews of late, there is a huge contrast between reviews...definitely makes interesting reading. Pity there are so few reviews on the other SS ships.

 

"cheap look tiles in the public bathrooms, old carpets in many places, 2 star look spa entrance" - None of these things upset me when I'm cruising...I'm more interested in my cabin, food, service and the ports!:)

 

Cheers

ging466

[Keith1010]

Thank you for posting the review and letting us know that two reviews have recently been posted.

 

Terry, we all see things through a different set of eyes. This is why I always say the opinion that matters most is your own opinion. Have you ever had a favorite restaurant that others didn't care for? Have you ever gone to a movie that had a great review but you didn't care for it? What are your tastes in music? And the list goes on and on.

 

If we all had the same views on everything this would be a boring world.

 

And, yes, sometimes one can read different reviews from the same sailing and feel that the people were on different ships.

 

It's always best to experience it yourself and then come to your own conclusions.

 

Keith

[Keith1010]

Terry, one of the things I wanted to add is that several years ago we were making a decision whether to sail Silversea or Seabourn. We did a lot of research and for many reasons we went with Seabourn. But one of the things I noticed is that compared to some of the other cruise line boards that there was less consistency on the board regarding Siversea. Usually one of my methods when I have not experienced something first hand is to go with what I call the 90/10 rule. That means that if around 90% of the posters say something is good or bad I accept that as fact until I experience it myself knowing that you will rarely get 100% consensus on anything. Anyway, I find that there really is a much wider view on the SS board. Not sure why. Maybe there is less consistency from one cruise to the next. Not sure. But I thought I would mention it.

 

As you know, we have a very nice cruise. As we do on each of our cruises we try to focus on the cruise itself and not make comparison to other cruise lines and even to other voyages. In my review I did focus more on differences that might be attributable to the size of the ship. Anyway, we all see things from different perspectives so there is never a right or wrong here. In the end, it's all about what is right for you, or does not work for you.

 

Keith

[Emtbsam]

Catservants - many thanks for the great review. I'm so glad to hear the Marcello was still on board and that he gave you such great service!

[billcrooz]

great review; especially the bear adventure inWrangell.

[TLCOhio]

Terry, we all see things through a different set of eyes. This is why I always say the opinion that matters most is your own opinion. Have you ever had a favorite restaurant that others didn't care for? Have you ever gone to a movie that had a great review but you didn't care for it? What are your tastes in music? And the list goes on and on. If we all had the same views on everything this would be a boring world. Keith

 

Usually one of my methods when I have not experienced something first hand is to go with what I call the 90/10 rule. That means that if around 90% of the posters say something is good or bad I accept that as fact until I experience it myself knowing that you will rarely get 100% consensus on anything. Anyway, I find that there really is a much wider view on the SS board. Not sure why. Keith

 

Good, wise thoughts, as always, from Keith! The reality is that most people who are happy from a cruise do not post a review. They are busy moving on in life and/or are not as "hooked" on some boards such as these. Many of the "fans" will post reviews, along with the the hopefully small number who had some problems or "issues". You've got to BALANCE IT OUT, as Keith wisely noted. The 90/10 rule is good. You also have to consider whether that "concern" really will be that major of a problem, if it happens again, for your needs and interests on your cruise at a different time. I remember the rust stain in the marble bath on the Seabourn Spirit and a couple of dining room slips with Crystal. It wasn't perfect, but who and what is in real life? Some staff or situations can be "screwed up", but you need to be also looking at the overall picture.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

[wripro]

Even if one cruise is less than stellar on a particular line it may be a complete anomaly. My feeling is you give a line at least a second chance. I had sailed SS many times before a really bad experience in 2006 on the Shadow. Disappointed as I was I gave them another shot and the next cruise on the Cloud was terrific. A cruise depends on human beings and human beings sometimes fall short.

[Keith1010]

One of the things I noted in my review is no two cruises are alike which is consistent with Wripro's comments.

 

Regardless, each person has to come to the conclusion that they think is right for them. And there will always be a difference of opinion on just about anything you can think of.

 

That's part of life and makes each of us who we are.

 

Keith

[cmhmarine]

Yes, if you read all the Shadow reviews of late, there is a huge contrast between reviews...definitely makes interesting reading. Pity there are so few reviews on the other SS ships.

 

"cheap look tiles in the public bathrooms, old carpets in many places, 2 star look spa entrance" - None of these things upset me when I'm cruising...I'm more interested in my cabin, food, service and the ports!:)

 

Cheers

ging466

 

I agree with you ging. I board the Shadow in 30 days for a mexican Riveria cruise and will post a detailed review, I may even try a live posting every day. I have sailed on mass market and this being my first Luxury cruise, I look forward to the interesting and suprising contrasts. I am going alone and will take diligent notes. I giddy to tell you all about it.

[Keith1010]

I agree with you ging. I board the Shadow in 30 days for a mexican Riveria cruise and will post a detailed review, I may even try a live posting every day. I have sailed on mass market and this being my first Luxury cruise, I look forward to the interesting and suprising contrasts. I am going alone and will take diligent notes. I giddy to tell you all about it.

 

Good approach. We posted daily on our SS cruise in August.

 

We take a simple approach and that is that the half glass is half full rather than half empty. We try to put things in their proper perspective.

 

I hope you enjoy your cruise as much as we did.

 

Keith

[wripro]

At least we're all discussing the relative merits of a cruise line instead of an MRI machine!

[ging466]

I am going alone and will take diligent notes.

 

Hi cmhmarine

 

I also sail solo and take notes on all my cruises. I always like to write up a review when I get home in the hope that it may help others when they are trying to decide on a ship.

 

I'm sure you will have a wonderful first luxury cruise (just like I did) and I'm sure it will spoil you forever (just like it did for me):D.

 

Make sure you let us all know when your review is posted.

 

Cheers

ging466

[endosunshine]

The laundrette on deck 4 is still there. It is a bit difficult to find, but it is there.

 

Again, this seems to be one of the people who finds very little to be pleased about in life.

[CatServants]

To all the thanks you've expressed for my review. It's the first one I've ever written, and took longer than anticipated, but we've always found the reviews others have posted very useful (especially the first time on a line) so I thought I should pitch in as well.

 

I thought it was important to give our expectations for the cruise at the start of the review since that helps readers understand our perspective, and thus allows them to weight our opinions in light of what they're looking for. To paraphrase Keith, "each to their own".

 

Randy

[CatServants]

Interesting comment CatServants! I have often wondered why people pay huge amounts for really fancy cabins on mass market lines when they don't get anything else with it...i.e. service, food etc. Whilst SS is rather pricey for me (have to pay single supplement & Aussie dollars), I think the experience is worth every cent. :D

 

Cheers

ging466

 

Ging466,

 

As a rule I'd agree with you, but every rule has an exception and in this case we were doing a cruise with our extended family, there was no way they'd spring for a luxury line, and we wanted a cabin/deck large enough for everybody to gather in. Celebrity's "M" class penthouse was perfect for that, and we got our money's worth out of it.

 

SS is pricey for us too, but if it's just my wife and myself it's worth the extra US dollars! Especially since you pay up front and then get inclusive drinks and gratuities during the actual cruise, thus allowing you to pretend "it's free"... :)

 

Randy

[CatServants]

great review; especially the bear adventure inWrangell.

 

Billcrooz,

 

Interesting statistic from the bear observatory excursion:

 

Number of tourists who consumed massive amounts of coffee/tea/OJ/water shortly before the morning excursion: 40

 

Length of time said tourists were on the observatory platform: 2 hours

 

Distance from the observatory to the nearest outhouse: 50 feet

 

Number of tourists who chose to walk that 50 feet during those 2 hours: 0!

 

There was one park ranger who used it, but she was armed, so I didn't think it was fair to count her.... :)

 

Randy