All things- Silver Spirit!

[WesW]

Dieter, super on board report thanks for taking the time...safe trip home for Debbie and you.

[DGF]

Thanks for the write up

[Emtbsam]

Wellseasoned -

Have a safe trip home.

[patnlcc]

Harbormaster, can you tell me more about this? I hate extraneous noise in cruiseship cabins, or hotel rooms. Have not heard of this machine. Am assuming they are available in the US? We live in the UK

[harbormaster]

Hi patnlc. Don't want to go too far OT, but our white noise machine is a small 4x6 inch radio type device that plays white noise of your choice - waves, rippling water, etc. It also is a radio and alarm clock. We turn the white noise on when we want to sleep and it, to a great extent, drowns out outside sounds. We take it everywhere we travel. We got it at Brookstone, but you could probably google and find one in the UK.

John and Kathy

[patnlcc]

Thanks for that excellent information, it sounds like just what I need. Our son is living in nyc at the moment, so maybe I could get him to pop into the local Brookstone for me. Will also google to see if I can find it in the UK. Thanks again. Pat.

[vagus]

Purchased something called the "Marpac SleepMate 980A Electro-Mechanical Sound Conditioner" from Amazon ($49.95). Two settings to drown out noisy neighbors, loud bass players, and snoring partners. Wife and I are on the Spirit 9/18/10. Will drag my Marpac over the Atlantic and around the Med.

[DGF]

Hi patnlc. Don't want to go too far OT, but our white noise machine is a small 4x6 inch radio type device that plays white noise of your choice - waves, rippling water, etc. It also is a radio and alarm clock. We turn the white noise on when we want to sleep and it, to a great extent, drowns out outside sounds. We take it everywhere we travel. We got it at Brookstone, but you could probably google and find one in the UK.

John and Kathy

 

Can you look at the noise machine and advise as to make.

 

Thanks

[nfcu]

We also have a white noise machine (2 of them) from Brookstone and cannot sleep without them now. I highly recommend them. We use one at home and bought a smaller one for cruises which is actually a model made for a baby's room, but it still makes the same "white noise" sound as the larger, more expensive adult model. Go to your local Brookstone store or Brookstone on line to purchase.

[doramider7]

a) They look like they should but I can't get 'em to move

b) Nope. On/Off.

We also tried and couldn't, and somehow those TVs are integrated. We had numerous problems with the TV, as did a number of guests, and it is on a reboot system where one guy has to do it every time you call. He was keeping a log and trying to figure out a pattern, so I hope he got it solved. I am wondering why they didn't make them alike and make them both invisible when off. The one in the sitting area remains a black square even though that area has a bench seat, also.

[atrouts]

Dan,

Gary & Julie (atrouts) of Parker, CO here - Do you know of any "Roll Calls" for the Silver Spirit Oct 2, 2010 sailing (Nice - Rome) ? Haven't been able to find one here.

 

Thanks

[morneau]

We are on the Silver Spirit now and there doesn't seem to be any need for a noise machine - the suites and hallways are extremely quiet. We're having a wonderful time - the ship is fully booked (actually overbooked as some suites are carrying three pax) but there are absolutely no children onboard...not a one. The service has been wonderful and the food excellent. My husband, so far, has been pleased with the wines poured at meals and the pours and refills are quite generous. The only negative we see so far is lack of fresh squeezed orange juice - most probably a cost saving measure - but otherwise all is very luxurious. Tonight is formal night and the dining room is featuring lobster with lots of caviar. Caviar has been showing up quite a bit these past few days on all the menus and afternoon canapes. I will post a full review when we return,but so far we are quite satisfied with the luxury cruise.

[DGF]

We are on the Silver Spirit now and there doesn't seem to be any need for a noise machine - the suites and hallways are extremely quiet. We're having a wonderful time - the ship is fully booked (actually overbooked as some suites are carrying three pax) but there are absolutely no children onboard...not a one. The service has been wonderful and the food excellent. My husband, so far, has been pleased with the wines poured at meals and the pours and refills are quite generous. The only negative we see so far is lack of fresh squeezed orange juice - most probably a cost saving measure - but otherwise all is very luxurious. Tonight is formal night and the dining room is featuring lobster with lots of caviar. Caviar has been showing up quite a bit these past few days on all the menus and afternoon canapes. I will post a full review when we return,but so far we are quite satisfied with the luxury cruise.

 

Look forward to reading your review

[ging466]

We are on the Silver Spirit now and there doesn't seem to be any need for a noise machine - the suites and hallways are extremely quiet. We're having a wonderful time.

 

Hi morneau

 

Glad to hear u r having a great time. What suite number are u in?

 

Cheers

Jennifer

[Wellseasoned]

Hi, Morneau,

We just left the Spirit 8 days ago after 14 days aboard. Our last 7 days, Athens to Venice, they had plentiful fresh-squeezed orange juice which was probably the most delicious we have ever tasted. That lovely squeezing machine in Terrazza was pumping out copious quantities. I imagine the quality varies a bit depending on changing supplies.

 

As I suggested on my Sept 3 post on this thread, I wonder if the noise insulation problem varies specifically by location. In January we had no noise in 1010 and 651. This time in 637 we had a few instances of noise from other suites. Where are you?

[chicagogal]

very cruel to mention

that delicious papardelle with duck ragout

 

That was one of my very favorites, too! :)

[morneau]

Good morning all - Wellseasoned is absolutely correct as there is fresh squeezed orange juice in La Terrazza...I was reporting after my experience with room service breakfast (which was wonderful but the juice wasn't fresh squeezed). This morning at La Terrazza it was there and delicious, along with everything else:) We are in one of the Silver Suites (on decks 10 and 11) and although it is extremely quiet up here, we have also been on decks 6,7 and 8 and found them to be extremely quiet in the evenings. We love the Silver Suite and are thrilled that one became available a month prior to the cruise (we were on a waitlist) but have also visited the veranda suites which are beautiful as well. The Silver Suite is very luxurious and spacious, and the bathroom is not only beautiful but extremely well thought out. I think the veranda suites are beautiful as well - less space but comfortable with luxurious touches, a nice veranda and a generous bathroom. The showers are incredible in both suites, with rainshower heads plus separate hand held sprays. I cannot emphasize enough the level of service we have received thus far on the ship. While this is admittedly our first cruise, we have traveled extensively to luxury resorts but have never encountered such personal service. Each staff member, from the butler to the cabin attendant to the servers at the restaurant go out of their way to provide service with a smile. Our fridge is restocked daily with requested drinks, and our butler noticed that my husband ordered a particular beer with room service one day so that evening we found our fridge stocked with that beer as well. I'll save more for a review at the end, but just wanted to update and answer questions again. One final note....a real bonus of the Silver Suites is the proximity to the Observation Lounge which is a wonderful spot to relax, read and observe arrival into port. Early each morning a coffee service is set up with coffee, tea, danish, croissants and bottled water. It's self service, but an elegant set up and a nice way to start the day. Just another small but thoughtful and luxurious touch that make for a wonderful experience.

[wripro]

Thanks for the informative review. Glad the children are back in school now.

[morneau]

Now on day five of the cruise and wanted to send another update - we are in St. Tropez and have had the most beautiful weather throughout the trip. As I look out from the veranda I see two Silversea tenders crossing each other on their way to and from port. They run the tenders continuously throughout these port days so one never has to wait more than five minutes to board. Last night was the pool deck barbeque which was one of the loveliest and most enjoyable evenings we have spent in a long time. The weather was perfect, food delicious and plentiful and all around us were couples and groups who looked absolutely as happy as we were. I cannot say enough about the level of service we have encountered on every aspect of this ship - there is so much waitstaff both in the restaurants and last night at the barbeque that one only has to look up to have someone come over to see if there was anything else we wanted. It's become a joke between my husband and I how quick they are to refill the wines, replace the martinis, bring fresh iced tea, etc. No request is too large or too small - the staff does their best to fulfill any wish you might have. We have met several people who have traveled on the smaller Silversea ships and they seem quite pleased with the experience - there are so many dining options and places on the boat to read and relax that it never seems crowded other than La Terrazza in the morning. Even then, there is never a wait for a table or food and the waitstaff is plentiful. There have been some grumblings about the narrowness of the veranda cabins, particularly ones that are occupied by three passengers, but otherwise people seem to be enjoying themselves immensely. All seem to agree that the showers are the best on any ship they have experienced. The internet has been somewhat spotty (the best connection is in the internet cafe and the bar area on deck five), but we find with our door propped open to our cabin the service speeds up considerably. The owner of Silversea was on the ship last night and brought in three specialists who will work on the internet situation for the next few weeks. (I am told). Must go on now to my next meal (we are embarassing in our gluttony) so will write a full review once home.

[DGF]

Thanks for the short update

 

We are looking forward to our upcoming cruise and we have as good as weather as you are having

[ging466]

I read somewhere that movies were on demand. Do u choose them interactively or from a printed menu left in the suite?

 

Is the library stocked with reasonably current books? For the first time ever, I'm not taking a book with me so am hoping to grab plenty from the library on board.

 

Thankx for any advice.

 

Cheers

Jennifer

[morneau]

Hi Jennifer,

 

The movies on demand are chosen from an interactive menu on your tv. We just returned from the spirit and there was an extensive menu of (I believe) over 400 movies, many of them just newly released on dvd. We enjoyed the feature in addition to the satellite channels of cnn world, msnbc, cnbc and fox news. The library, located on deck seven, has a very good sized and well kept collection of books from newer releases to the classics - I think you should definitely be able to find some that will interest you. In addition, there is a library in the observation lounge that is filled with travel books (eyewitness, fodor, frommers, etc.) for all the ports you will be visiting! I wish I had known that before I used precious packing space for all my travel books! Enjoy your trip:)

[billcrooz]

Now on day five of the cruise and wanted to send another update - we are in St. Tropez and have had the most beautiful weather throughout the trip. As I look out from the veranda I see two Silversea tenders crossing each other on their way to and from port. They run the tenders continuously throughout these port days so one never has to wait more than five minutes to board. Last night was the pool deck barbeque which was one of the loveliest and most enjoyable evenings we have spent in a long time. The weather was perfect, food delicious and plentiful and all around us were couples and groups who looked absolutely as happy as we were. I cannot say enough about the level of service we have encountered on every aspect of this ship - there is so much waitstaff both in the restaurants and last night at the barbeque that one only has to look up to have someone come over to see if there was anything else we wanted. It's become a joke between my husband and I how quick they are to refill the wines, replace the martinis, bring fresh iced tea, etc. No request is too large or too small - the staff does their best to fulfill any wish you might have. We have met several people who have traveled on the smaller Silversea ships and they seem quite pleased with the experience - there are so many dining options and places on the boat to read and relax that it never seems crowded other than La Terrazza in the morning. Even then, there is never a wait for a table or food and the waitstaff is plentiful. There have been some grumblings about the narrowness of the veranda cabins, particularly ones that are occupied by three passengers, but otherwise people seem to be enjoying themselves immensely. All seem to agree that the showers are the best on any ship they have experienced. The internet has been somewhat spotty (the best connection is in the internet cafe and the bar area on deck five), but we find with our door propped open to our cabin the service speeds up considerably. The owner of Silversea was on the ship last night and brought in three specialists who will work on the internet situation for the next few weeks. (I am told). Must go on now to my next meal (we are embarassing in our gluttony) so will write a full review once home.

Wow ! glad to hear everything is going so smoothly! only 73 more days for us and we will be able to experience the new Spirit !:D

[CruisinPashmina]

After about ten cruises we learned that departing passengers frequently leave their own books rather than packing them up. Since the Spirit is so new, the supply of these free books may be sparse, but it's worth a look. On the other ships you can find the cache in the closed cabinets under the open book shelves. Bon voyage!

[wripro]

With the advent of the Ipad and Kindle there may be fewer passengers leaving books behind.