Silverwind Silversea loud banging

[elaineeng]

Please read my post and you will see that if there is anything out of balance in my review it is because it is weighted towards positive, not negative. Also, if you read the introduction to my review you will see why I felt it important to post a review. Your concerns were addressed.

 

It is unfair to judge others, people that you have never met, people who are total strangers. Your comments about me could not be further from reality. Your response is aggressive. Even your comment stating that I "do not write reviews" is positioned to make me appear dishonest. I don't know why my review made you feel so insecure. I really don't know what you are thinking. I simply described my cruise as honestly as possible. That being said I will try to calm your fears and answer some of your questions.

 

 

To answer your question on my travels, I have been to over 65 countries, traveled extensively throughout the USA, and have been on over a dozen cruises. We travel at least 4 times per year every year and have been doing this for decades and also have traveled on business many many times. I have written on CC twice. All of our other trips were fabulous. I would say that we have had a pretty good record of picking great vacations. We have had great cruises on Prince Albert, Silver Whisper, Regent Seven Seas, Crystal just to name a few.

 

If we are not allowed to be honest, both with our good reviews and problems we encounter, then there would be no reason for people who are planning trips to read the boards. I don't believe that people who read post are looking to read copy for advertisements. They want honesty.

 

I would like to make one more comment. If you search "Silversea banging" on CC without the quote marks you will see other posts that come up. The banging is a serious problem that others should be aware of before they book.

[elaineeng]

elaineeng - could you tell us the exact date of your cruise and the voyage number please?

 

Don't remember the exact date or voyage number. It was in April. Hope that helps.

[Ravenscroft]

Don't remember the exact date or voyage number. It was in April. Hope that helps.

 

That's a pity. I had wanted Silversea to look into the Le Champagne situation that you wrote about, for my own peace of mind, as it's certainly not the norm, but needed to know which specific cruise it was.

[Northerncheapo]

Sigh...

[Silver Spectre]

The response makes a difference. Kathleen's handling of this was insulting.

 

I am at a loss here, why didn't you go straight to the Hotel Director and ask to be moved to a quieter suite.

[CanadianKate]

Yes, the veranda and Vista suites on the Wind are smaller than the Whisper/Shadow. But that's ok by me. (We were surprised that our Vista felt larger than the Vista on the Spirit.)

 

The bathtub is awful on the Wind. Bad enough that I'd choose another SS ship if the itinerary was the same and many first time SS cruisers were saying they'd never sail SS again because of the bathroom (which is unfair since the bathrooms are much better on other ships.)

 

The smallness of the ship worried me and turned out to be the best part of my recent 28 day cruise.

 

BTW: We were in 421 from Feb to March and had no banging.

 

One thing I've found is to be politely insistent when raising problems. Being told there was no hypo-allergenic products available on the cruise was a huge problem to me and I had to escalate it twice but solved the issue.

 

If the anchor was a demonstrable problem and they couldn't fix it or move you, at the very least they should have supplied the ear plugs.

[elaineeng]

That's a pity. I had wanted Silversea to look into the Le Champagne situation that you wrote about, for my own peace of mind, as it's certainly not the norm, but needed to know which specific cruise it was.

 

Sorry but I didn't keep the paperwork once we returned home. As I said, we wanted to try it out but it was a very small dining room. We dropped by early in the cruise without reservations but could not get in because it was booked. Before we got around to picking a date and making a reservation we heard from other guests how disappointed they were, that it was not worth $200 per head. One gentleman did say that $200 included a bottle of the lowest priced wine on the premium menu. Obviously you seem to disagree with that comment.

 

We never heard anything about a $30 supplement. We enjoy decent wine with dinner and we would have gone for the $200 per person meal if we didn't hear that others complain that they didn't think it was worth it. But now that you mention it if the option of paying a $30 supplement to eat there without wine was available that means that the up-charge for wine with dinner equals an extra $170 per person. That sounds pretty up there to me. Maybe that is because I can only drink two glasses, maybe three at the most.

 

Anyway having dinner in a premium restaurant is optional. On the other hand the banging anchor was not. I don't understand why there is so much attention on the premium restaurant.

[elaineeng]

I am at a loss here, why didn't you go straight to the Hotel Director and ask to be moved to a quieter suite.

 

I had gone to the front desk and asked for the cruise director. Kathleen told me he wasn't on board so I left a message. He called me back two days later and told me that he has nothing to do with this, that I needed to speak with the hotel director. Anyway,the short answer is the cruise was fully booked and there were no other cabins available, not for me or anyone else in the noisy section. When the seas were calm there was no banging. Thank goodness.

[wripro]

During a trial that would be called hearsay and be disallowed.

[elaineeng]

Elaineeng. I agree with you that people want honesty, but they also want accuracy when factual information is involved, and your reporting about Le Champagne was innacurate and based on hearsay. It's very misleading for people who are new to Silversea to read.

 

I feel very sorry that you had such problems with the anchor or whatever was causing that racket you had to put up with. I'd have been very angry if I felt that Silversea was 'not interested' in a problem like that.

 

But when writing a review it helps if you can give facts too. You said your cabin was small. To help put that into perspective, which is what a good review should do, it would have been very helpful if you'd made it clear what you are comparing it to. Are you used to sailing in the top category suite on other lines, or are you comparing it to the size of an Executive Suite at a Four Seasons or something. Giving comparisons like that help the people who are reading your review to make sense of it. Just saying the suite is 'small' is not very helpful to most people, especially when said suite is actually 295sq ft including veranda!

 

We have booked both large suites and small cabins. We have taken Windjammer cruises and 6 star cruises. We have experienced just about everything in-between. Our cabin on SW was about as small a cabin we have ever had on a cruise ship, even the wind jammer cruise back in the 1970's and that is why I called it small. I believe that I called it small but comfortable. Next time I guess I should include the square footage.

 

Regarding the premium restaurant, we were never offered a $30 supplement for food only when we inquired about dinner in the premium restaurant. We were quoted $200 per person if we wanted reservations. My comment regarding price was based on that experience, not hearsay. The comment that I repeated that was hearsay was that other passengers told us that the meal was not worth it. I believed them. Since being informed on this board of a $30 option, I wonder does that mean that of the $200 supplement that $170 per person is just for wine.

 

I worked a while trying to make sure that my review was honest as possible and positive as possible. I had a lot of nice things to say about our cruise.

[elaineeng]

I am at a loss here, why didn't you go straight to the Hotel Director and ask to be moved to a quieter suite.

 

I asked for the Hotel Director. He was not on board and I left a message. Two days later he returned my call and told me it was not his responsibility, that I needed to contact the Hotel Director. Anyway, the short answer is that the cruise was fully booked and there were no rooms to be had my either me or all of the other passengers in noisy rooms. We all tried.

[elaineeng]

During a trial that would be called hearsay and be disallowed.

 

this is getting silly. Am I on trial?

[elaineeng]

I can't comment on your issues with the anchor having never sailed on the Wind.

 

However I think it's fair to say that $30 - the charge for the 'very expensive restaurant' you mentioned - is not 'expensive'.

The 'extremely high cost' you mention is for a Dégustation Menu - the food in each course is matched to a wine. The wines available are usually of a very good quality. You should make that clear otherwise your review sounds rather unbalanced.

It should also be noted that on the other ships, the Dégustation Menu is actually no longer available. I'm surprised to read that it is still available on the Wind.

This restaurant, Le Champagne, is purely optional. Nobody forces anybody to pay $30 per head to dine there.

I think the fact that it was fully booked during your cruise shows that the majority of Silversea passengers don't consider it, as you do, to be 'very expensive'.

 

I believe I answered this but don't see the post here. We were not offered an inexpensive $30 option, so your comment is not accurate as it applies to my review. We were quoted $200 per person if we wanted to eat there. Period. And yes, the premium restaurant is optional as are massages and therefore not a problem for us. The banging anchor, however, was not optional and was a hugh problem. Wish I knew about it before I booked that room. Also, the premium restaurant was not fully booked for the entire cruise. Tables became available during the cruise maybe due to cancellations. It was fully booked the first night that we attempted to just walk in without reservations. As far as your suggestion that I should mention that the wines were fine, that would be hearsay because we never had the pleasure to try them. I guess it is implied since dinner with wine is $200 and without wine cost $30...that is if they really had a $30 option. To pay $170 per person to enjoy wine with dinner, it would have to be very nice wine.

[elaineeng]

I am at a loss here, why didn't you go straight to the Hotel Director and ask to be moved to a quieter suite.

 

I answered your question but I must have done something wrong because it is not here. I went to the hotel director but he was not on board at that time. Kathleen was at the desk and I left a message for him to return my call. Two days later he returned my call and told me that this was not his job. He has nothing to do with this and that I would have to call the Hotel Director. Anyway the short answer is that the ship was fully booked, no extra cabins. We all tried.

[elaineeng]

During a trial that would be called hearsay and be disallowed.

 

This is getting silly. Am I on trial?

[Northerncheapo]

Patti, trust me, there is no dress police on The Spirit. I would say that on our cruise May 5-17 that most people dressed much more down than on our cruise in October of '10.

 

Everyone was neat and clean and presentable, but casual for the most part for the day and at night, just nice clothes, don't worry about it. I was very surprised to see so few evening gowns, mostly cocktail dresses.

 

I really wouldn't worry about it...just look nice and it'll all be ok.

 

And this review is about a totally different ship, not The Spirit.

 

I had the best time ever and can't wait to go back!

[elaineeng]

I can't comment on your issues with the anchor having never sailed on the Wind.

 

However I think it's fair to say that $30 - the charge for the 'very expensive restaurant' you mentioned - is not 'expensive'.

The 'extremely high cost' you mention is for a Dégustation Menu - the food in each course is matched to a wine. The wines available are usually of a very good quality. You should make that clear otherwise your review sounds rather unbalanced.

It should also be noted that on the other ships, the Dégustation Menu is actually no longer available. I'm surprised to read that it is still available on the Wind.

This restaurant, Le Champagne, is purely optional. Nobody forces anybody to pay $30 per head to dine there.

I think the fact that it was fully booked during your cruise shows that the majority of Silversea passengers don't consider it, as you do, to be 'very expensive'.

 

All of your information is not accurate. We were never offered a $30 option and therefore I stand by my statement. I do not believe that was available during our cruise. If we wanted reservations it would cost $200 per person. Period. $200 per person is not an inexpensive dinner especially considering the extra cost of dinner that was already factored into the price we already paid for the cruise. If there is a $30 option, then paying $170 extra per person just for wine with dinner may not be expensive for you but it is pretty expensive to me. Does one drink two or three glasses? Also,your statement about the restaurant being fully booked for our trip is not true. It was booked early on in the cruise when we tried to get in. Later during our trip tables were available (perhaps cancellations?) but that was after other passengers told us it was not worth it so we choose not to eat there. The restaurant was tiny. Even if it was fully booked (which it wasn't) a very small percentage would be able to get in.

 

No one forced us to eat there nor did anyone force us to have bad massages for $140 for 50 minuets plus tip. They were both optional but the banging of the anchor was not optional. Sure wish I read some of the other posts about this before we booked that cabin.

 

Don't know why my previous answer isn't showing. I must have done something wrong earlier when I attempted to clear up the misread elements of my review.

[Ravenscroft]

Ravenscroft and others, EWWWWW! I am getting a really bad vibe about our first SS cruise on Spirit in Jan 13. First the dress police and now this! Methinks this one will be cancelled.

 

With the exception of myself, most SS guests are actually very pleasant.:p

 

However, that aside, you've said on at least two different threads that you've got a bad feeling about the cruise, mostly because of dress code issues, now you've decided on the back of my comments to one poster that all SS pax must have some sort of character defect.

 

If you continue in a negative frame of mind about the cruise there's a very good chance that you'll find faults everywhere...that's human nature.

 

I'm sorry that you've been offended by my comments here - they were not intended to be mean. I explained perfectly well in the post above.

[elaineeng]

I am at a loss here, why didn't you go straight to the Hotel Director and ask to be moved to a quieter suite.

 

No extra rooms were available, we all tried.

[Nigella]

alas, I counted them; took over the lounge dance floors after 11pm; ran screaming through La Terraza during our birthday dinner, during deck BBq's also took over the

dance floors, swimming pool? was a kiddie pool. How did this happen? WE booked one week after US Easter Sunday (to miss Families w/Children), unknown to us SS marketed heavily to the Latin Countries--where Easter Sunday was the next Sunday (when we were on board :(). Our first SS cruise was a disaster, but due to Frank Sansone's personal letter asking us to give SS another chance--we did six months later and now have over 80 days booked on SS.

 

Well I hope my response to Wes doesn't get lost in the melée that has become this thread.

 

I'm happy to read that SS dealt with your complaint in a meaningful manner. Somewhat distressed though to know that they ever allowed a total of 49 kids onto the Whisper. I can't even imagine 49 children on the Spirit, heaven forbid on the smaller ships. Hopefully there are now measures in place to prevent it happening again, since there are no facilities for them whatsoever. And make a note to nyself to avoid Easter cruises just in case.

[Nigella]

My parents-in-law are on the Wind next week.

 

Has anyone else experienced this banging? I haven't seen any other posts about it so I assume, hope and pray, that this was an unfortunate one-off experience.

[Nigella]

Patti, let me change my sentence to 'heated exchanges on the ship are guaranteed at Team Trivia time but away from Trivia the guests are usually pleasant to each other' .

[Silver Spectre]

I had gone to the front desk and asked for the cruise director. Kathleen told me he wasn't on board so I left a message. He called me back two days later and told me that he has nothing to do with this, that I needed to speak with the hotel director. Anyway,the short answer is the cruise was fully booked and there were no other cabins available, not for me or anyone else in the noisy section. When the seas were calm there was no banging. Thank goodness.

 

Thanks for the answer and sorry that you were unable to move. Can you tell us what your suite number was. I have travelled on the Wind within the last 12 months and whilst there is always some noise on deck 4 and 5 at the front when coming into port, have never heard banging.

[elaineeng]

Thanks for the answer and sorry that you were unable to move. Can you tell us what your suite number was. I have travelled on the Wind within the last 12 months and whilst there is always some noise on deck 4 and 5 at the front when coming into port, have never heard banging.

 

We have done some traveling since our cruise and after a while the cabin/room numbers are lost in my mind. My cabin was on the 5th floor and the number was somewhere in the teens, probably mid teens (such as 514 or around there). We were on the port side but the couple across the hall from us were out in the hall during the banging as well so you can hear it from both sides.

[elaineeng]

I never said $30 was expensive. Please be more careful not to misquote me.