Silver Cloud Report 10/23-11/02/2010

[jgrahamiii]

Just got back from 10 wonderful days on the Silver Cloud. The trip was that much better due to the posters on this Board, and I'd like to give back something with this trip report. My wife and I traveled with two other couples on voyage 1031 from Athens to Barcelona. We are all in our early-mid 50's and have cruised before (though in our case, only a single time on a megaship several years ago). It was the first time on a luxury small ship for any of us.

 

Though we'd booked our own transportation to the port, the folks from Silversea were there to meet us as soon as our van stopped. It was as if they had been expecting us. It seemed like less than 10 minutes later we were being escorted into our Vista suites on deck 4. Our luggage arrived almost immediately thereafter. Our butler Lorenzo and suite attendant Alex stopped by to meet us as well. Note, no offer was made to unpack for us, but as we were not interested in that service, neither did we inquire. This duo kept the stateroom immaculate during the voyage, kept our fresh fruit basket filled, and occassionally, and without asking, left a treat of some sort for us on our return from port. Anything we asked for appeared quickly.

 

We had originally booked a trip on the newly refurbished Wind. We were a bit concerned having to switch to the older unrefurbished Cloud. We could not have been more wrong. The Cloud is in wonderful condition. Quite stately, with a lot of polished wood surfaces and muted tones. The carpeting and linen were all fairly new, and the beds very comfortable. I thought I would miss having the Observation Lounge, but the Panorama Lounge proved to be just fine and we enjoyed being out on deck 9 quite often.

 

Others have described the staterooms, so let me just talk a bit about the TV. They've taken out the old CRT's and added a nice flat panel above the desk. The area where the old TV was is an open cabinet behind a door that matches the mini-fridge door on the other side and does not look at all out of place. The TV can be angled to be viewed from the bed or couch. Channel 1 is a cam view alternatining between the view from the bow and of the pool. Channel 2 shows an updated map of the voyage and current weather conditions. Channel 15 shows the weather forcast for the day or next day's port. Other channels include repeats of the day's port lecture, emergency info, several news channels and several current movies. My main problem with the TV was that on no matter what volume or channel you left it when you turned it off, it always came back on fairly loudly on channel 1 (which always had music). Therefore, if you got up early, closed the room dividing blackout curtain, and tried to watch TV, you invariably ended up waking your spouse. The remote response was fairly slow, so it took some time to get the volume low.

 

The food on the ship was very, very good. Most often, we ate in the Restaurant. Our head chef was Frank Pollack. He was getting off in Barcelona, though. Not sure which ship he was headed to next. We found the food consistently excellent, interesting and varied. It was well prepared, but not so over the top that the less adventerous eater among us was put off (though that person did order the ever present salmon one day and chicken another). Note, while the menu did contain about 8 items that were listed as always available, in fact the entire room service menu is always available at dinner. I highly recommend the spring rolls with chili dipping sauce. It should be noted that on at least two nights, he served freshly bought local fish (one way to tell is that these were not on the preview menu provided the night before). There was lobster tail one night, and foie gras several others. One night there was a blini appetizer with caviar. There were generally 4-5 items in each category (1 sorbet, 3 dessert plus cheese choices). For those interested, there were to be 2 formal nights (2 and 9), 4 casual (1, 3, 5, 10), and 4 informal (4, 6, 7, 8). Due to rough weather on the last formal night, they wisely changed that to casual and the last night (previously casual) to informal.

 

In general, the meals consisted of five courses - appetizer, intermezzo, sorbet, entree and dessert. Portion sizes were smaller than American restaraunts, but this was mostly just fine. Between the fact that there were so many courses and the fact that you could not take a doggy bag, the portion sizes were generally just right. Two entrees the entire voyage seemed overly small, but a request for more food was quickly attended to. Note also, we frequently ordered two appetizers, or two intermezzo's instead of one of each. No problem.

 

We did try La Terrazza one night. It was good, but overall we liked the Restaurant better. Note, there has apparently been a change in policy here. It was my understanding that there would be a single menu the entire trip. In fact, the menu changed every three days or so. This was not publisized anywhere (unlike the La Champagne menu). From what I can tell, it seems like they took the old menu and divided up the entrees into three groups. There were only three choices of entree on our menu, though there were many pasta choices. Someone with more time on this ships will need to report on this new policy in more detail.

 

We also booked a night "under the stars" on the pool deck. The menu had a choice of several steaks as well as other items all grilled right on deck. Appetizers here were limited to salads, and desserts were also limited, but this night was a favorite of all.

 

I had some mild concerns about the wines going in to the trip. Normally, when we go out, we order moderate wines in the $40-60 range. At home, we'll have $15-30 bottles. From what I could see from other posters, the wines on SS would be $10 bottles (which would likely be $25-30 in a restaurant). While never special, overall, the wines chosen for each evening were quite enjoyable and drinkable. We never felt the need to order a better wine, though some people undoubtedly will. Many of the wines were from France and California, with others from Chili, Spain, Australia/New Zeland and Italy. Most of the whites were either pinots or sav. blancs, while the reds were more varied and often blends. If you did not care for a particular wine, others were always on hand. We made friends with Mike, the head sommelier, the first night, and he always stopped by to describe the wines and see how we liked them. Note, your glass was never allowed to become empty.

 

There were several well stocked bars on the ship, all with good quality bottles. Johnnie Walker Black as well as several 12 year old single malts (plus a 15 yo Aberlour) were available in the scotch department, for example. Mixed drinks were generally not overly strong, but considering the fact that you could not finish a drink before someone would offer to get you another, this was probably not a bad thing. The bartenders would, of course, tailor any drink to your liking. There is also an interesting list of "special" SS cocktails that it would be worth your while to peruse. My wife loved the "Silver Spirit" made with gin and an elderflower liqueor.

 

We had breakfast at the buffet in La Terrazza on port days, and in the sitdown Restaurant on sea days. To tell the truth, there was really no point in the sitdown (which always took longer). You could always order freshly made eggs or pancakes in La Terrazza, so having the option to pick out your own fresh fruit and pastries was actually nice.

 

Entertainment, as you can imagine, is somewhat tamer than on a larger line. Judy, our cruise director, kept things lively and interesting, but it would have been nice to have a commedian or magician on board. We did have a very good classical spanish guitarist, as well as an energetic dance troupe (including the Austrailian National Champions). Several "games" were offered, such as trivia, name that tune, and karaoke. There was a 4 piece combo for dancing in the Bar, but we all felt they were just a "bit off". We much preferred to head up to the Panorama Lounge after dinner each night to sing along with Randy. Randy played some great tunes on his grand piano (with an electric rythym track) and was always willing to take requests. He had a very pleasant voice. He left the ship in Barcelona bound for the Spirit, so look for him there if you are sailing soon on that ship. Myra, the bar tender in the Panorama, quickly became one of our favorite crew members. Note, they were serving a very pleasant Sandeman's port to help with the digestion.

 

During our two sea days, they offered dance, cooking, wine, scarf tying, etc. classes, and other fun activities. Unforunately, these were largely interferred with by 10+ foot seas the first day. The Cloud handled moderate seas before this very well, but the combination of the 90+ km/hr winds, large waves, and our direction of travel made this first day very hard on everyone. Even my patch was not enough, though laying out on the great lounge chairs behind the Panorama Lounge kept my stomach largely in check. Reportedly, the captain did not leave the bridge the entire day. The second day at sea, even with 6-8 foot seas, was much better for all. The captain even took a longer route that day to avoid 12 foot seas, which was much appreciated, though it took more fuel. The chef even staged a second Galley lunch that day which was enjoyed by many more people, including yours truly. The ship also thoughtfully always had ginger candies by the Restaurant to help calm stomachs.

 

Unfortunately, we did not get to mingle much with Captian Luigi Rutigliano. He was under the weather the first couple of days, and no bridge tours were scheduled, likely due to this and the sea conditions on sea days. He did treat us to a trip completely around Capri for a fine view of the Faraglione Rocks and natrual arch. I gather that this is not the normal path as several crew members (incluing Judy) were on deck taking pictures. We heard that he sometimes also sails completely around the Santorini caldera upon departure, though he did not do so on this trip. It was a nice treat from a small ship.

 

The ship generally ran very quietly through the seas. The only exception to this rule were the bow thrusters, which were very near our room. They whine when they spin up and are even louder when employed on your side of the ship. I'd think some soundproofing would be in order here, since the thrusters are generally used when docking or anchoring, which usually took place around 7am. We were normally up anyway, but late sleepers would be advised to book a higher deck or more mid-ship.

 

A couple of words on the Vista... While we would have preferred a balcony, the incremental cost was far more than on most lines. The large size of the room and of the picture window made it so we never felt claustraphobic or bothered in any way. The Vistas are a great value. Plus the low deck probably helped a bit on the rough days (and watching the spray as the bow pounded down a large wave was quite spectacular at times!). The ship is small enough that the open decks on 8 and 9 were never far away. We started to notice that all the people we were meeting on those decks were also in Vistas. I guess everyone else just stayed in their staterooms on their balconies. It ended up being a very nice way to meet people.

 

We were told that every stateroom on the ship had been booked, but due to there being more singles than triples, there were 277 passengers on board. That being said, we never waited for anything, service in the restaurants was always prompt, and getting on and off the ship a breeze. No problem with poolside lounge chairs or room in the hot hot tub (the second tub was always just warm, Eurpoean style). Jorge, the dining room manager, had a slight issue when everyone showed up at once the first formal night after the Captain's reception (which lobster night as well), but by issue, I mean that there were 10 people on line ahead of us, and he had to remake a table for 8 into a table for 6. It took 2 minutes instead of 30 seconds to be seated. Hotel manager Gianni was every present doing whatever needed doing at that minute. There was a group of about 30 car dealers from Puerto Rico on board, but they were never a problem to non-groups. In fact, their group leader, Pancho, was very personable, knowlegeable and helpful to everyone on our cruise.

 

We all felt that we had sufficient time in all of the ports. We had looked at other lines which spent half days in many places. It was great to get on and off when we wanted and not have to go early to avoid the "lines". We much appreciated the fact that there were complimentary busses when the center of town was not walkable, which were all clean and modern. We took one ship sponsored excursion in Patmos. This was well run and included areas that were normally closed at that time. Our second tour in Mallorca was cancelled due to lack of participation (though Ian Denton, the guest port lecuturer, did his best to promote it). Thanks to the local tourist representative (one came on board at each port and were very accessible), we eneded up having a great day anyway, with probably our best meal on the entire trip, so perhaps this was for the best.

 

Internet was generally dismally slow. Not unexpected. Generally seemed better to use their PC's in the internet cafe than to use laptops via wifi. Most particularly, the iPhone 4 seemed to have a great problem connecting and holding a wifi connection. Signing in on the iPhone was very hit or miss. However, when you did get a connection, you did, in fact, have access to the Skype App for a voice call with midling quality. Not usuable for a long call, but not bad in a pinch. I got the best most consistent connection in the Library. Generally better off to do your Skype calling from an internet cafe on land (some of which were free and all cheaper than the ship).

 

Our trip, though expensive, was a great value. Never having to provide your card, or figure your tips was so nice. The crew could not do enough to help you, and always did it with a smile. The senior staff were mostly Italian (except Judy who was from London); the rest of the crew were mostly from the Philippines with a smattering from India and surrounding areas. They all understood English perfectly, and almost all spoke it very well. Language was really not a problem.

 

I would have no problem recommending this line to friends, provided they were not looking for very fine wines and caviar every evening. In those cases, they'd have to be prepared to spend extra, or to try a different luxury line that gives you set credit to spend, rather than being all inclusive. That allows you to spend more on exactly what is important to you. For us, the all inclusive nature of Silversea made the trip that much more carefee and enjoyable.

 

Thanks again to all here who helped to make our trip that much the better. -John

[TLCOhio]

THANKS for a super great summary on the Silver Cloud! Your comments and experiences seem very "spot on" and matched up well to our experiences in early July on the Silver Cloud as we sailed up the Norway Coast, etc. For those who want more visual examples and added details, they can check below my earlier postings as we enjoyed this nice ship with its great crew and fellow passengers. Terry in Ohio

 

For lots of interesting details, great visuals, etc., from our July 1-16 Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. Don’t be shy and feel free to ask any questions of interest. This posting is now over 23,600 views. Appreciate those who have “tuned in”.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

[duct tape]

John, so glad you enjoyed the Cloud. It is one of my favorites! Thank you for the thoughtful review.

[jpalbny]

Edited...

 

Just got back from 10 wonderful days on the Silver Cloud. We had originally booked a trip on the newly refurbished Wind. We were a bit concerned having to switch to the older unrefurbished Cloud. We could not have been more wrong. The Cloud is in wonderful condition. Quite stately, with a lot of polished wood surfaces and muted tones. The carpeting and linen were all fairly new, and the beds very comfortable.

 

We agree! Yes, the Cloud is not "new" and if you look hard you can find something that isn't perfect, but the overall effect is fantastic. We have sailed both the Cloud and the newer Wind, and we really can't choose a favorite.

 

Entertainment, as you can imagine, is somewhat tamer than on a larger line. Judy, our cruise director, kept things lively and interesting, but it would have been nice to have a commedian or magician on board. We did have a very good classical spanish guitarist, as well as an energetic dance troupe (including the Austrailian National Champions).

 

Were the Aussies Hayley and Todd? They were on the Wind with us in June, and we really enjoyed their shows. The dancing couple on the Cloud with us in September were Roman and Diana from Ukraine, who were also very good dancers but we found Hayley and Todd to be more gregarious and fun. We were hoping that they would still be on the Wind for our February cruise... Oh well, maybe they'll be back by then as it looks like they switch around frequently.

 

Jorge, the dining room manager, had a slight issue when everyone showed up at once the first formal night after the Captain's reception (which lobster night as well), but by issue, I mean that there were 10 people on line ahead of us, and he had to remake a table for 8 into a table for 6. It took 2 minutes instead of 30 seconds to be seated. Hotel manager Gianni was every present doing whatever needed doing at that minute.

 

Jorge and Gianni - what a great duo! Did they do any cooking demonstrations on your cruise? Gianni is a fantastic cook, able to take a bunch of random ingredients and put them together into something delicious.

 

Glad to hear that you had a great trip. We are looking forward to being back on the Wind in 3 months, and your very descriptive review makes it that much harder to wait. Thanks!:)

[wripro]

Great report. Judi Abbott imo is one of the best cruise directors at sea.

[jgrahamiii]

Edited...

 

Were the Aussies Hayley and Todd?

 

Jorge and Gianni - what a great duo! Did they do any cooking demonstrations on your cruise? Gianni is a fantastic cook, able to take a bunch of random ingredients and put them together into something delicious.

 

Hi Jpalbny, you are of course correct, it was Haley and Todd. Todd is a wonderful dancer who reminds me of Fred Astaire in the way he glides accross the floor. Haley was pretty amazing in how fast she can move her body, especially in latin numbers. They were both really fun people who had us in hysterics during "Liar's Club". Plus we interacted with them a bit while they were on shore one day.

 

The only cooking demonstration I went to was hosted by Chef Pollack. There was some sort of "cook off" with "special celebrity cooks" on the second sea day, but I was spending as much time as I could outside behind the Panorama at that point. My guess is that Gianni might have been one of the cooks. That was one of the activities I was sorry to have missed.

 

Thanks all for the nice comments. It's hard to capture everything that Silversea is in a post.

 

-John

[HotRoot]

We are aboard the Cloud now. We are using the internet via laptop in our suite (Deck 6). This is the fastest internet we have ever found at sea. People using IPAD are complaining about how slow it is.

[jgrahamiii]

We are aboard the Cloud now. We are using the internet via laptop in our suite (Deck 6). This is the fastest internet we have ever found at sea. People using IPAD are complaining about how slow it is.

I really think the iPhone/iPad issues had to due with the connection to the Wifi, rather than the connection to the satellite. It was very hard to get it to accept the signin, and then it would seem to drop in and out (or way down from 5 bars to 1) quite often. As for the laptop, that may have been connection level as well. May depend on how close you are to the repeater. Or maybe I was expecting too much. All I know is that it took me 26 minutes just to download 5 days of email and check the weather. Again, seemed much faster with web interfaces on the ships desktops than with the direct mail client on the laptop, which points to the wifi connection as the culprit.

 

Enjoy your time on the Cloud. Say hi to Myra up at the Panorama Bar from John and Tanya!

[jpalbny]

We are aboard the Cloud now. We are using the internet via laptop in our suite (Deck 6). This is the fastest internet we have ever found at sea. People using IPAD are complaining about how slow it is.

 

Used the 'net twice on the Cloud in September between London and Nice. Both times wireless on my laptop, from the suite.

 

The first time it was lightning quick and I accomplished what I needed in literally one minute, for 50 cents. I had forgotten to renew a library book from my library back home and was able to log onto their website, renew the book, and log out in under 60 seconds.

 

The next time I needed to reserve a rental car at the last minute, the day before Minorca when the ship canceled our tour. That was painfully slow and took 10 minutes - for $5. It still was a cheap tour of the island, all in all!

 

So based on my controlled experiment, internet speed is - highly variable! (And since that was our only onboard charge, it was the lowest cruise ship bill we've ever had!)

[HotRoot]

I stand by my comment that Internet speed is the best we have ever experienced. John - we have printed your thoughts and distributed them to everyone you mentioned. They all say thank you.

[CanadianKate]

Here's a work-around for the tv. Bring a cheap set of headphones and plug those in when you turn off the tv. When you turn it on, the sound will go through them, rather than into the suite.

[LOVE@CRUISE]

I stand by my comment that Internet speed is the best we have ever experienced. John - we have printed your thoughts and distributed them to everyone you mentioned. They all say thank you.

 

Hot root: who's your chef? also, who is the maitre d'hotel on your cruise. ??? If it's Sergio, can you ask him how long he will be onboard?

Thanks!

[duct tape]

Love@cruise...we can always know that! Just ask him!

[umtali]

Great report. Judi Abbott imo is one of the best cruise directors at sea.

 

Judy is not only one of the best Cruise Directors we have sailed with, she is an truly charming person, and wonderful to spend time with. There are some, younger and newer, who could learn a hell of a lot in people skills from Judy Abbot. Toodaloo:):)

[HotRoot]

Hot root: who's your chef? also, who is the maitre d'hotel on your cruise. ??? If it's Sergio, can you ask him how long he will be onboard?

Thanks!

 

 

Chef is Douglas Hope. Sergio is aboard. We will check with him at dinner this evening and replay tomorrow.

[TLCOhio]

Chef is Douglas Hope. Sergio is aboard. We will check with him at dinner this evening and replay tomorrow.

 

We found Executive Chef Douglas Hope to be super wonderful and great. He's from both the Toronto and western Canada areas. He's had a wide range of experiences in food service and management around the world. He's fairly new to Silversea, but, most important, he "gets it" on great customer service. We worked with him on a special dinner for my wife's birthday that was spectacular. We attended his cooking demo's and a galley tour. He was very visible and active, not just in and around the dining room, but on the ship. Below are a few pictures of Chef Hope in action.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For lots of interesting details, great visuals, etc., from our July 1-16 Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. Don’t be shy and feel free to ask any questions of interest. This posting is now over 24,000 views. Appreciate those who have “tuned in”.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

 

 

Here is Executive Chef, Douglas Hope, who did lots of “working the room” that we saw and experienced while on the Silver Cloud. Here at lunch in the Terrace Room, he is talking with guests in this lovely room that overlooks the water with such great views.:

 

 

 

Executive Chef Douglas Hope came out to take deserved bows after personally preparing part of this spectacular breakfast for our Cruise Critic group and then he answered questions. The Ship’s Captain is shown at left with one of the three tables for our group in the Le Champagne room overlooking the choppy waters as we sailed south along the Norway Coast.:

 

 

 

From our sailing up the narrow Trollfjord, here is the Dining Room Manager and Executive Chef on deck enjoying the unique views. Jorge is the "BEST OF THE BEST" in managing the dining room.:

 

 

 

During a galley tour, we talked with Chef Douglas Hope and then saw the pasta-making operations.:

 

 

 

When departing the Silver Cloud in Copenhagen, both Chef Douglas Hope and new Hotel Manager Giuseppe Bagnato were there, outside the ship, greeting and talking with passengers. Nice finishing touch!!! The Chef had been getting detailed report on these Cruise Critic posting from Cruise Director Jimmy Kovel.:

 

 

 

For our final dining main course, after the strawberry sorbet serving, I had in the main dining room, this Angus beef that was called “Entrecote Rossini”. It was served with fois gras, a crispy potato galette and truffled jus. There were also main course options of sautéed sea scallop and shrimps, slow-cooked pigeon “Souvaroff” or summer lasagna without meat in it. There would be a Relais & Chateaux chef-suggested way to pick a selection for these three courses based on their “collection” of menu items for Silversea. Wellness and vegetarian options were noted on the menu. You could do menu special orders with a day’s advance notice to the kitchen. We did this as a group with a special Thai dinner that evening. If you had special diet needs, the kitchen should be advised in advance and they adjust well.:

 

[HotRoot]

We met Douglas Hope today and he is a very charming man - quite humorous. Sergio will be on board until January 14 - he gets off in San Juan.

 

I think part of our food problem is the "language". Today for lunch we ordered white and dark chocolate pudding for dessert. It was a spiced raisin cake with chocolate sauce. Last night we ordered goat cheese fondue. It was a chunk of goat cheese lying in a mixture of noodles and leek. Where we come from, fondue is melted cheese in a pot and you dip something in it.

[LOVE@CRUISE]

thanks Hot Root. And yes I agree with your definitions of fondue and pudding! You should mention it to Douglas!

[ScottToronto]

We met Douglas Hope today and he is a very charming man - quite humorous. Sergio will be on board until January 14 - he gets off in San Juan.

 

I think part of our food problem is the "language". Today for lunch we ordered white and dark chocolate pudding for dessert. It was a spiced raisin cake with chocolate sauce. Last night we ordered goat cheese fondue. It was a chunk of goat cheese lying in a mixture of noodles and leek. Where we come from, fondue is melted cheese in a pot and you dip something in it.

 

Good evening,

I've heard great things about Douglas Hope. Hope he's still onboard January 22. Does anyone know if Jorge will be the Maitre D?

Haven't sailed on the Cloud for many years. Look forward to sailing on her again. Will be wonderful to see Judie Abbott again.

 

ScottToronto

[LOVE@CRUISE]

Jorge returns after Sergio leaves, .....so yes, he should be onboard. Isn't he fabuloius?:o

[DebbieH103]

Thank you so much for the balanced and informative review on Cloud. I enjoyed it so very much.

 

We just came off of Spirit, and we used wifi in the room on our own laptops. We found it to be faster in port at the largest islands and almost unusable at sea and places like Bequia. In Barbados and St. Kitts, it was better. Once, Todd managed to get a local wifi to come through in Bequia, but I never could.

 

Cloud is the only ship we haven't sailed. We loved the Wind before it was updated, so I know we would love the Cloud.

[TLCOhio]

Jorge returns after Sergio leaves, .....so yes, he should be onboard. Isn't he fabuloius?:o

 

Super agree that Jorge is so wonderful. He is so experienced with Silversea and has an amazing memory for people and names. He treats everyone well and with such class. Very attentive to details.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For lots of interesting details, great visuals, etc., from our July 1-16 Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. Don’t be shy and feel free to ask any questions of interest. This posting is now over 24,000 views. Appreciate those who have “tuned in”.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

 

 

Here’s a picture of Maitre D' Jorge doing a great job finalizing details to get ready for the start of the International Buffet at noon on the Silver Cloud on a sea day. Nice ice carving and super food!:

 

[HotRoot]

The highlight of last night's dinner menu was pigeon. Sorry, I think I have turned this into a food thread. But, who eats pigeon??? We actually ordered one for the table to share. Then we shared the same order with the table next to us. None of us will be serving it for Thanksgiving. We have been told it is a European thing. They did not pick up the pigeons in Barcelona as we suspected. They were from France according to the Chef. They were served with French wine which was delicious.

[jgrahamiii]

Judy is not only one of the best Cruise Directors we have sailed with, she is an truly charming person, and wonderful to spend time with. There are some, younger and newer, who could learn a hell of a lot in people skills from Judy Abbot. Toodaloo:):)

Judy was definitely "spot on"! We always loved hearing her announcements and meeting with her. She seemed to be everywhere. One of my favorite shows was Judy's history of her life and how she got to be one of the few woman cruise directors (Julie McCoy excepted, of course!). And boy can she still sing (she denies that, of course, but she's way too critical of herself -- I can only imagine how well she must have sang in her performing heydays!). -John