Trip Report: Silver Spirit Part 1

[Northerncheapo]

Trip Report for The Spirit, Silversea Cruise Line

Part One

Date: September 25th to October 2nd 2010

Itinerary: Lisbon-Cadiz (overnight)-Malaga-DAS-Barcelona-Marseilles-Nice

Passengers: Myself (46 years old) and my husband (48 years old)

Cabin: Silver Suite #1102

Shore Excursions: Participated in 1 via SS and 1 via personal arrangements

The Actual Ship: No shortage of per passenger space!

DH and I felt like we were sailing with maybe 20 other people. We were amazed at how you could have as much or as little privacy as you wished with no effort at all! We never felt like we were in crowds regardless of what we were doing. Even the day at sea proved to be busier around the pool area and yet, you could find a quiet corner to yourself and there was peace and quiet no matter where you were.

The condition of the boat was pristine. Very clean. Very tidy.

The layout of the ship was logical with clear signage directing you to wherever you wanted to go.

Very smooth sailing with calm waters and very smooth sailing with the stabilizers engaged in the rougher sail between Barcelona and Marseilles.

Décor was elegant and understated nothing flashy or loud. Very serine and soothing to the eye.

Public Rooms: Very nice!

Main lounge was spacious and easily accommodated everyone during disembarkment.

Library was well stocked and had ample room for those who wished to hang around and do a puzzle or use the computers. Daily puzzles provided.

Connoisseur Lounge had terrific ventilation and could get busy, but was very comfortable with a good selection of spirits (complimentary or for purchase) and cigars (for purchase).

Casino was big enough to accommodate the hand full of people that frequented the room.

Boutiques were a good size and carried a variety of clothing items and jewellery.

Pool Area was always clean with assistance available immediately for laying down towels or getting a drink/food. Pool area was respectfully quiet with no ‘reindeer games’ J

The Spa was a good size with separate exercise salons for classes, a main work out area that was totally full when I saw it (I’m guessing there must have been a wait to use equipment), and well appointed spa service rooms (I had a massage). A small hair salon is attached to the spa which was very functional and efficient (I had a scalp massage/treatment and wash and blow-dry).

Hallways, stairwells, elevators were all a good size and I could count on one hand how often I passed another passenger during the week! I did only use the elevator once, upon arrival, and I found it quick, but perhaps those who used it regularly could comment better. Yes, I climbed to the 11th floor EVERY SINGLE TIME for the whole week; even in heels and gown!

Outdoor decks/jogging track were clean with lots of room. The jogging track was a bit small for my taste as I walked one hour per day and it could get a little dizzy! But, hardly anyone ever used it while I was there.

Panorama Lounge was a great size with terrific views. Smoking allowed here, but never crowded.

Observation Lounge was by far my favourite area since it was literally 10 feet from my cabin door and I treated it as an extension to my room! I read once before here that someone said it was the most underused room on the ship and I have to agree. With the exception of a few nights where there were ‘private’ pre-cocktail gatherings, there was never anyone in there! DH and I would joke with the attendant that it was our own living room as we often had coffee in the morning ALONE. Because our room was right next door we would sit in there at night with a drink from our own bar when the Observation bar was closed for the night...again, ALONE! We LOVED that!!

[Northerncheapo]

The Dining Venues ( please see my note at the end regarding vegetarian request for my DH)

The Restaurant was huge and had a good menu that clearly depicted low calorie options or ‘wellness’ options. I stuck to those selections and am proud to say that combined with 1 hour of walking a day I did not gain any weight. And I drank a good amount too! Wine with lunch, dinner, pre cocktail drink, after dinner drink...oh boy! Service was prompt and courteous with the exception of the last night where we waited in excess of 2 hours for our entrees. Many apologies and personalized attention from the maitre’d at the end, but that was really inexcusable.

Le Champagne was very nice and the food was excellent. On our night, it was A is for Asparagus theme which included amazing appetizers, amuse bouche, and lobster entree. They also did an AMAZING job pairing up the courses with my husband’s vegetarian meal to look exactly like mine that was not vegetarian. The wines were very very good. Request of a green salad that was not on the menu was accommodated with no problem, personally delivered by the sous chef responsible for the Champagne.

The Hot Rocks proved to be our favourite place to dine simply because it was outdoors and the food was great! Amazingly enough even DH managed a slab of tofu on his hot rock which turned everyone’s head! There is room for improvement on the vegetarian options, but the beef options that I had were very good. Thanks to the poster who previously stated to watch that you remove your steak to the cutting board side or it will get over done. Mine were perfect every time! A wonderful relaxed evening!

Stars Super Club...we did not dine in.

Seishin was our least favourite spot. We have a FANTASTIC sushi place here in the Toronto area, so the bar was set pretty high and unfortunately our local place won. Again, issues with the vegetarian options. Don’t get me wrong, the food wasn’t bad, we’ve just had better. And I really don’t understand why my husband was charged the reservation charge for vegetable tempura.

La Terrazza we had one one dinner and lunch twice. Dinner was unremarkable as I sit here trying to remember what I had and cannot recall. I do remember leaving thinking that it was just ‘ok’ and that I would not go back. Mind you, keep in mind that I am from an Italian family and my ‘Nona’ has set the bar pretty high, so take my standard with a grain of salt. Vegetarian option was risotto (like it was 99% of the time anywhere on the boat) which DH found salty and boring. I do remember that the wine that night was very good and I asked for the label which I can report on as soon as my lost luggage arrives from Heathrow if anyone is interested. Lunch was a buffet that was very good but had VERY limited options for vegetarians. Soups, sushi, cold plates, hot plates, salads, everything you could want for lunch was spread out. I very much enjoyed the lunch and found it closer to a real Italian family luncheon...my Nona would have approved!

[Northerncheapo]

My Only Two Complaints: Vegetarian Cuisine and Wine Selection

I was absolutely dumb founded as to how poorly my husband’s vegetarian diet was accommodated. I was actually starting to wonder if he was the first vegetarian to ever sail on Silversea because they clearly had no idea what a vegetarian was or how to be creative (even slightly) with vegetarian cuisine...with the exception of La Champagne (as mentioned above).

I emailed SS 78 days in advance, as per their written rules, informing them of my husband’s vegetarian diet. I followed up with another email via their help/service and received confirmation that my husband would be accommodated. I asked my TA to follow up and she did. I followed up with another email about a week before sailing, making sure that there would be food for my husband. I was assured there would be. I even spoke with Steve Tucker during the My Voyage debacle and mentioned that I was very concerned that all my requests (spa and husband’s diet) had disappeared 3 days before sailing. I was assured that this was all down loaded to the ship well before 3 days before sailing. So, I was please and certain that my husband would be able to eat. Not so easy.

First, let me explain to you what a pain in the neck it is to be a vegetarian and having to trust that the person who takes your order understands that point AND that the person preparing your food is respecting your diet. Anytime we go to a restaurant it is the same thing; my husband asks for the vegetarian menu/option and the waiter rambles off the obligatory grilled vegetables soaked in oil or the mushroom risotto, or the vegetable soup. Without fail, my husband has to ask, “And there is no chicken broth in the soup?” To which the waiter retreats to the kitchen and comes back with a sheepish, “oh, sorry, it’s not vegetarian”. We have to go through the list of ingredients EVERY time we dine out. “You are sure this is vegetarian”. And we are always assured that it is and that, “there’s only anchovy paste in the Caesar salad”. Ok, people, let me explain this: IF IT HAS A MOTHER OR HAS A FACE IT AINT VEGETARAIN! (sorry for yelling...it’s really frustrating). I explained this scenario to SS and said that we do not want to spend our cruise having to go through ‘the list’ with the waiter to ensure that the food is, in fact, vegetarian. I was ASSURED, even ‘pooh-poohed’ with a “but of course, Madame”. We could not have been more disappointed.

I have no idea why they request the 70 day advance notice because no one on the boat had any idea what to do with a vegetarian, including the chefs. I have no idea why they asked us to reconfirm his vegetarian request EVERYDAY because they got it wrong, everyday. I have no idea why they made a notation in the margin of his reservation. Seriously? A 70 day advanced request, a daily request, and additional footnotes and they still could not provide a hassle free vegetarian experience? Was he really the first one ever to sail with them???

So, our first lunch at La Terrazza did not go well. In fact I had to express my extreme displeasure (read that anyway you want,lol) with the fact that there was hardly anything for my husband to eat out of the hundreds of items laid out in the buffet. The ‘hot area’ where there was carved meat and hot vegetables did not have a vegetarian entree. The vegetable soup, after MUCH probing turned out to be made with chicken broth (which my husband had to FORCE the server behind that counter to check on as he insisted that it was vegetarian; but we know better than to believe that). The sushi had crab in it. The salad dressing had anchovy paste. The list goes on. My plate was brimming with all kinds of goodies when we got back to our table and my husband sat with lettuce leaves, olives, cheese and I think carrot sticks. I was livid. I asked to speak with the person in charge of the food and the Maitre d’ came out. When I asked where the vegetarian options were for my DH he pointed to the cucumber sushi. It was covered in red fish roe. I was stunned. I asked, “Do you really not understand what vegetarians don’t eat?”. He tried to make excuses and pointed me towards the vegetable soup that was made with chicken stock and it then got ugly. I was, how shall I put it, VERY clear as to what my expectations were for my husband to dine and if it meant that I would have to go to the kitchen myself and spend some time educating them on vegetarian cuisine, then I would.

I was placated with apologies and assured that this would not happen again for the rest of the cruise. The maitre d’ was going to personally take care of it. I had hope. Mistake.

I have to say that while I had my lunch and my husband munched on his lettuce leaves that the head waiter for the Seishin restaurant came to our table with the maitre d’. He introduced himself and said that he understood that we were dining with him that evening and he wanted to personally assure us that my DH’s diet was going to be well taken care of and that there was nothing to worry about. I have to say, I was totally impressed with this personal touch! When we got to Seishin that night we were once again assured that everything was in order and that the chef was preparing a lovely vegetarian meal for DH. If there is one type of cuisine that can easily accommodate vegetarian diets, it’s the Asian cuisine. Yes, DH did have a hassle free vegetarian meal, but it was unimaginative (vegetable tempura and cucumber rolls) and boring.

It never got better for the rest of the cruise, right up to the last night. His meals constantly had to be monitored for things wrapped in ham (and yes, it had the vegetarian symbol right next to it on the menu), hidden fish and fish stock, caviar, etc. I would guess that 30% of his meals had to be returned. The meals that were not returned were the standard boring risotto or grilled vegetables that poor DH had had enough of.

There is absolutely no reason why vegetarian meals have to be this way. Tofu is so easy and versatile to prepare! No one bothered. I could go on and on about this but I think that I’ve said more than enough to get the point across,lol.

Second (and last) Complaint; the wine

I don’t profess to be a wine expert or snob but I do like my red wine and generally spend anywhere from $60-$100 per bottle at home. For the past 6 weeks we’ve been exploring some fantastic Spanish wines with our Wine Lady at the Liquor Store (you can only buy alcohol at the Liquor Store in Ontario, Canada) in preparation for the Spanish coast. Imagine my surprise that 90% of the offered wines were from Chile. I don’t know why I assumed that the wines would match the regions we were visiting, but I had that in my head and was rather surprised to find Chile wines. And, they always offered WHITE (which I don’t like) right off. Sure, I could get red, but I always had to ask (with the exception of La Terrazza for dinner). Sometimes it would be a red Chile wine or a red Australian wine (which was horrid). The wines for purchase, I found, to be for people who really do know wines and rather expensive for someone like me who doesn’t know the fine nuances about a vintage or who doesn’t have their trusty Wine Lady to guide them along. I wished that they ‘included’ wine was a little better or that there were better priced options for the lesser educated wine lover like me.

[Northerncheapo]

The Cabins

Was in a Silver suite and loved it! Plenty of room, nice balcony, incredible bathroom, comfy duvet. The cabin and balcony were the highlight of my trip! Terrific!!

The Service

Impeccable, stellar, amazing and perfect. Every person that you came in contact with was pleasant, efficient, knowledgeable, polite, and hard working. Even with the problems with the vegetarian meals, I could not fault the maitre d’ or head waiters for lack of trying.

Shore Excursions

I signed up for the Paella Cooking Class in Barcelona and it was handled beautifully. We received notification on our bedding the night before indicating the meeting place and time. We were accompanied by a SS representative from the boat AND a representative of SS who, I believe, worked locally. The actual class was amazing! Bus took us directly there and back to the ship, all went well.

I had booked a private tour on my own for when we were in Marseilles. We had arranged for a driver to meet us at the port for a day of wine tasting in Chateau Neuf du Pape (sp?). We waited outside of the ship while everyone else got picked up (early) and I was getting a bit nervous that he was going to be a no show. Thankfully, Fernando, our cruise director noticed that we were waiting and even though our tour was not booked with SS, he borrowed a cell phone from someone and I gave him our tour guy’s number who he called and asked what the delay was! Turned out that there was some national strike and our driver was caught in a bit of traffic and was about 10 minutes late. But, I was very impressed that Silversea helped us out even though they had nothing to do with the booking.

Bottom Line; Would I Sail Again?

We had a marvellous time aboard the Spirit and even with the pain of my husband’s vegetarian diet and the wines not being that great. I would likely return, and we are looking at the Prince Albert for 2012. But, I think we would most certainly try Sebourn for our next Mediterranean cruise for no other reason than to have some sort of comparison. I would expect that the vegetarian debacle would happen on any line, as this is par for the course when dining en mass. I’d be interested to see what the differences are between the two lines and then decide which line is best for us. Again, there is nothing wrong with SS...I’m just curious as to what others offer.

I hope that this long winded report gives you an idea of what our week was like on The Spirit and I will gladly answer any questions that you may have.

Happy Sailing!

[WesW]

Thanks so much for taking the time with your detailed report. Sorry to hear abouth ow poorly your DH's vegetarian diet was handled. Can picture your living room--Observation lounge--you could use Silversuite's bathroom since the OL does not have any.

[Travelcat2]

Really appreciated your review of the Silver Spirit. We will be on the ship in November -- also a Silver Suite. The one thing that surprised me was the fact that there was smoking in the Panorama Lounge. I thought I read that smoking was no longer allowed. Perhaps someone can comment on this. Thanks!

[DGF]

Thanks for taking to time to submit your review. We are looking forward to our SS Spirit cruise

[scandun]

Is sushi in Seishin a lot better than sushi served at lunch buffet in the other restaurants ?

[DebbieH103]

Thank you kindly for the detailed report.

 

I was the first one to post about the meat still cooking on the rock, and I need to remind my husband about doing that because he was telling me last time it would be cold. His was overcooked due to that. The solution was to cook a little at a time.

 

Is your husband not into fruit? I typically eat pescatarian, so if there is fish in something, it does not bother me, and I am not strict and do enjoy a fois gras and maybe a veal dish. I just prefer not to eat a lot of meat because it does not digest well with me. I am not strict or anything. This report was a good education for a lot of us, I am sure. I am familiar with a lot of things not really being vegetarian, but I did not know that that many dressings had anchovies. I am always more worried about cream and oil, as I don't really eat those.

 

I really don't think I would have been as tolerant or patient with this issue. My issue is usually that the vegetarian meal usually has mushrooms, and I am very allergic to them.

 

What happened with the two hour situation? We had that the first couple of nights of our sailing, but it was the first sailing, and they have been sailing for almost 10 months now.

 

Overall, it sounds like a very nice cruise and that you loved the ship itself, as we did. That crowded gym is a shame for some people.

 

Very classy of Fernando and an example of why he is so beloved by so many. Thankfully, there are many like him in Silversea (though not all) that put their service over some of their similar competitors. I believe it is a training issue where Silversea has focused on this to a very great extent. That is how they achieve such a high level of service even turning over contracts every few months. It likely is one of the top 3 things we love about Silversea.

[Rally]

An excellent review and thank you very much. I am not sure the lunch buffet is the place to expect vegatarian dishes prepared, with lots of variety, for your husband. Maybe the dining room would have worked better. As a minority, vegetarians should not, perhaps, expect the carving board to reflect their needs. I know at the breakfast buffet there were items specificly designed to appeal to Asian tastes, but the majority were not. Why? Because the majority of passengers were not Asian. Isn't this similiar?

[meow!]

Perhaps there are different degrees of vegetarianism. To some, it means no visible red meat (perhaps classic Catholics on Fridays), to others, also no fish or sea food, to still others, no eggs (perhaps Buddhist monks). To take it further, no animal oil or soup (getting technical here), and even further, no contamination of animal products from cookware (such as those allergic to peanuts). Perhaps instead of saying vegetarian (which can be misinterpreted), you should have told Silversea from the beginning, "no non-plant or non-mineral ingredient or any trace contamination thereof". Then perhaps they will understand.

[Rally]

Perhaps there are different degrees of vegetarianism. To some, it means no visible red meat (perhaps classic Catholics on Fridays), to others, also no fish or sea food, to still others, no eggs (perhaps Buddhist monks). To take it further, no animal oil or soup (getting technical here), and even further, no contamination of animal products from cookware (such as those allergic to peanuts). Perhaps instead of saying vegetarian (which can be misinterpreted), you should have told Silversea from the beginning, "no non-plant or non-mineral ingredient or any trace contamination thereof". Then perhaps they will understand.

 

Even then it might have been difficult in the buffet?

[beckaboo]

Northern, I really empathize - I was super-strict until the last few years (no chicken / fish broth, anchovies, etc) but not vegan (which to those who aren't used to it means no cream, butter, etc) - I've relaxed a bit and do fish now, but honestly, it's a HUGE pain to have to ask over and over about chicken broth, lard in the beans, bacon in the soup, and the like! I'm not sure I would have been as patient as you, and it's the details that make the trip (it gets tiring after a few days to have lettuce leaves and olives as you noted). Thanks for your detailed review ... in this day and age I find the difficulty handling this issue somewhat surprising.

[oregon50]

Is DH a vegan, or just an extreme vegetarian? Perhaps the results would have been better had you mentioned vegan as many times as you did vegetarian.

 

Our recent cruise on Whisper matches your wine experience on Spirit. It seems the position of sommelier has been eliminated.

 

Believe me, Fernando was not trained by SS. I'll never forget him standing in the Tahitian sun, waiting for a lone suitcase to be claimed. What he does without effort would never cross the mind of another CD.

[DebbieH103]

Scandun, the sushi on the lunch buffet is made by Seishin chefs. There were a lot of Asians on our maiden voyage, as many or more as Americans, and there were many rice noodles and other dishes - many exotic fruits and lots of things that appeared to be vegetarian. I found the raw veggies and variety of lettuces to be much larger on Spirit than the other SS ships, but maybe it was the area of the world. I don't know. Our selection sounded more plentiful.

 

With some people wanting Halal, Kosher, etc., true vegetarian should be expected. Hubby in review certainly does not sound vegan, just a true strict vegetarian.

 

I don't do cream or butter, but I don't avoid eggs or cheese or milk. Sounds like these were not an issue. The real issue was the use of binding dishes, soups and sauces with animal products while making them visably look vegetarian. This would be OK with me since I am just protecting a sensitive stomach 95% of my time but not for someone with other reasons.

 

I would have gone straight to the F&B director after one talk with the head waiter. I hope you completed the comment cards because I know that SS truly cares. If this is a frequent gap, I would think it could be addressed.

[aussiechick7]

Thanks for a very detailed report,

 

Sorry to hear you DH had problems with the lack of vegetarian food,we had the same problem on our other cruises as the couple we travelled with were vegans.

 

Glad you had a great time,I hope to have a great time also on March 1st 2011,Sydney Australia to Hong Kong :)

[sfvoyage]

Thanks for the excellent review. I was particularly interested to read all about your misadventures with the vegetarian diet, as both my partner and I are vegetarian. We recently sailed with Seabourn in the Mediterranean and had no problems whatsoever. There was always a veggie choice in the Restaurant, and they were very understanding of the no bouillon/consomme/lard/fish broth/oyster sauce/shrimp paste etc. concept and could improvise pretty much whatever you want. I tried all their veggie dishes on the regular menu, and they were all tasty, interesting and imaginative (and primarily not Asian-based). Upon request, they made a tofu dish for me one evening, even though we were sailing in the Mediterranean and not the South China Sea.

 

What you had to go through does sound incredibly horrible and inexcusable. I'm sure you were not the first vegetarian on board. Also, it sounds like your husband is ovo-lacto vegetarian, instead of vegan, so there is really no excuse for all the hassles and the unimaginative dishes.

[Northerncheapo]

You are welcome, col. Wes, DGF, Aussiechick7 and everyone else!

 

Travelcat2: The smoking rules were 'flexible'. I got the impression that as long as the smokers were respectful to their surroundings and no one complained that there was no issue. And, on this voyage, there were no outright rude smokers (ie, smoking around the pool or around people eating. They/we stuck to the outskirts). I would imagine that this could easily be the otherway round on different voyages.

 

Scandun, the sushi tasted the same at lunch as it did at dinner. Dinner offered sashimi, which I did not see at lunch.

 

DebbieH103: Yes, we often get the impression that when someone hears the word 'vegetarian' that it means that they just don't eat beef. This isn't the case and is just a matter of education and I think that this was the basis for the whole problem...lack of education among the chefs. I really don't know what the problem was regarding the two hour wait although I have to suspect that our waiter dropped the ball somehow. We ordered right off the menu with no special requests, so I don't know what the issue was. Yes, I did make mention of this whole mess on my comment card. Glad to see you mention that they do read it.

 

Rally: Ah, you see, I would have thought the exact opposite. There are so many things that can be prepared for non-vegetarians that are actually vegetarian friendly. I would have thought with as many options that were offered, that there would have been more that were not 'flesh contaminated'. As for the hot meal, a vegetarian stew with tofu or beans would have been sooooooo easy to offer. They just didn't bother offering a hot meal without meat/fish. As for your suggestion that the dining room would have been a better option, that is where he actually ordered from the vegetarian menu and rec'd ham in his food etc...In our case, there really wasn't a 'better' option because they simply did not 'get it'.

 

Meow; I like your wording! Trust me, I could not have been more clear about DH's vegetarian diet...fell on deaf ears :(

 

Beckaboo: It is nice to see another person who can relate to 'The List',lol. Yes, we were very surprised at how challenging this was and made me wonder how people with religious reasons manage (which, IMHO, is much more of an issue than someone who is watching cholesterol like my DH).

 

Oregeon, DH is not a vegan...he will eat cheese when absolutely necessary. It was necessary.

 

Happy Sailing!

[sfvoyage]

Question to the OP: What is the hot rock? Is it meat grilled on hot rocks? If so, did your husband not care about tofu or veggies grilled on the same "rocks" on which meat had been cooked? Or can they clean it out first, just like cleaning pots & pans?

[Northerncheapo]

SFVoyage...thank you for the review on the Seabourn regarding your vegetarian request. That is fabulous! I can only imagine how less stressful it was to be dining without going through 'the list'...jello, gelatines, worchester sauce...etc etc.

 

Our one request for tofu was when we ate at the Hot Rocks and they literally opened up a package/brick of firm tofu, slapped it on the rock and served it. It wasn't marinated, there were no sauces, not herbs, nothing...just a 1 inch thick brick of tofu. DH had to split it in half, width wise, so that it could actually cook and then I asked for some sauces for dipping. I mean, really???

 

Thanks again for your update, I will for sure look into Seabourn for next year.

[Northerncheapo]

Yes, SFVoyage, it's a hot rock that is placed in an oven to a gazilion degrees and they throw a slab of meat/fish on it and serve at your table. You wait until it's cooked, turning etc...some people hate this concept, but we found it fun as we actually own hotrocks at our home and use them for a fun dinner.

 

No, DH isn't that strict/Kosher when it comes to using the rocks with his tofu...it isn't a religion thing, it's a cholesterol thing. Thank gooodness, because at the lunch buffet, they pointed to the 'vegetarian sushi' that was in amongst the fish sushi,lol...he had to pick it out and around! A normal vegetarain would have had kittens over that...or maybe not kittens, but eggplants? LOL

[sfvoyage]

No, DH isn't that strict/Kosher when it comes to using the rocks with his tofu...it isn't a religion thing, it's a cholesterol thing. Thank gooodness, because at the lunch buffet, they pointed to the 'vegetarian sushi' that was in amongst the fish sushi,lol...he had to pick it out and around! A normal vegetarain would have had kittens over that...or maybe not kittens, but eggplants? LOL

 

In my case, I'm not as concerned about seafood, but definitely no meat or meat juice contamination! :) In fact, that's one reason I usually hesitate to order veggie burgers, if they were grilled on the same surface as regular burgers. But the cook can always heat it in a clean frying pan.

 

My main vice is desserts - and that's why I can never be vegan! It is sometimes difficult to avoid gelatin. Jello - not that they'd serve such a pedestrian item on SS or SB! - and panna cotta are off-limit, so are hard mousse. With softer, creamier mousse, I sometimes practice "Don't ask, don't tell." Just for fun and to be retro, I asked for baked alaska (you need to special order the night before) on Seabourn and enjoyed it one night along with the normal dessert items.

 

I saved my Seabourn menus and will post some of their veggie dishes tonight for your reference.

[ravenclaw]

Second (and last) Complaint; the wine

I don’t profess to be a wine expert or snob but I do like my red wine and generally spend anywhere from $60-$100 per bottle at home. For the past 6 weeks we’ve been exploring some fantastic Spanish wines with our Wine Lady at the Liquor Store (you can only buy alcohol at the Liquor Store in Ontario, Canada) in preparation for the Spanish coast. Imagine my surprise that 90% of the offered wines were from Chile. I don’t know why I assumed that the wines would match the regions we were visiting, but I had that in my head and was rather surprised to find Chile wines. And, they always offered WHITE (which I don’t like) right off. Sure, I could get red, but I always had to ask (with the exception of La Terrazza for dinner). Sometimes it would be a red Chile wine or a red Australian wine (which was horrid).

 

Reason is that Chilean and Australian wines are cheap and dirt cheap at the wholesale level due to vast mass production capabilities. Wine/spirit distributors catering to bars/restaurants/hotels regularly sell Chilean/Australian wines for about $30 for a case (12) and if one orders say 25 cases or more, they'll throw in a few cases "free". So that bottle can sometimes be acquired wholesale at $2 per unit. In the US several years ago the phrase "two-buck chuck" caught on to describe a wine brand, (Californian), that was produced in huge volumes and sold at food retailer Trader Joe's for $1.99 (!) whether Chard,Cab,Merlots, Sav Blanc. And yes, the majority of them are horrid. (realizing there are many good Chilean/Australian wines also, but not really in volume for the mass market pours).

Don't know what Silversea or the other lux cruise lines pay per case for their inclusive wine offer, perhaps more due to logistics, but based on pp cruise cost on the likes of SS, Seabourn and Regent,the standard wine pour should be of much better quality. With good to very good wines available from wholesalers ranging from $8 to $15 per bottle, a cruising couple paying upwards of 1K per diem should be offered a drinkable wine selection with meals or any other ship venue. "House" wine can be good, but cost cutters and bean counters are reaching for the bottom of the barrel/cask, so to speak.

[meow!]

Meow; I like your wording! Trust me, I could not have been more clear about DH's vegetarian diet...fell on deaf ears :(

Thank you. Just out of curiosity, if someone of similar requirement (but not because of cholesterol) develops diabetes in elderly years, will he be able to take insulin, for example, which is an animal product, or other vitamins manufactured from animals for that matter? This may be a topic some other vegetarians may think of!

[coverpoint]

My wife and I were also on this cruise and largely agree with Northern Cheapo's views. The ship was very clean and tidy and the staff were all first class.

I am interested in a previous post about the wines on offer. We too thought that at least some would have been sourced from the countries we visited - Portugal, Spain and France. The wines were clearly very low quality although there was never a shortage!

As we are not vegetarian, we had no problems with the food, which was, in the main, very good.

I have posted a (fairly brief) review and would be happy to answer any questions.

 

PS Is there anywhere on the ship which provides a decent cup of coffee? If there is, we did not find it!