Live From Silver Spirit - January 7, 2016 Sailing

[Keith1010]

swindy,

 

You get all of the minutes up front. So, if you are on a 10 day cruise day one you get 600 minutes and any unused continue to carry over.

 

Keith

[swindy]

Keith

 

Thanks. I didn't realise you would get the full cruise minutes from the onset. Sounds a good way to do it.

Thanks for taking the time to reply. Much appreciated

[mariners]

Keith, somehow I missed that you were going on this cruise until the "drib" thread. It's been great to catch up. Obviously, I need to read the Silversea board more often. Wishing you continued good sailing.

[Keith1010]

Keith, somehow I missed that you were going on this cruise until the "drib" thread. It's been great to catch up. Obviously, I need to read the Silversea board more often. Wishing you continued good sailing.

 

Thanks you so much.

 

On the first post there is a link to our Blog.

 

Best to you.

 

Keith

[Keith1010]

Keith

 

Thanks. I didn't realise you would get the full cruise minutes from the onset. Sounds a good way to do it.

Thanks for taking the time to reply. Much appreciated

 

You are very welcome.

 

Keith

[spinnaker2]

Lovely pictures of you both.

Nice to see Paolo.

Wonder where his therapy dog is?:-)

Thanks for including us on your adventure.

[Keith1010]

spinnaker2, thank you for the nice comments. Best to you.

 

Keith

[Kilroyshere]

We are on the Spirit as well and decided to check into CC to see if others were commenting on this cruise. This is our first time cruising Silversea.

 

We are disappointed and underwhelmed with what we've been receiving. And we are not alone. We've met up with several veteran Seabourn, Regent, Azamara and Crystal cruisers who too, feel the same as we do.

 

The Spirit herself seems a fine ship. The cabins are well appointed and comfortable. And the crew we interact with daily are very friendly and attentive.

 

But what has disappointed us, is the lack of 'wow' factor at almost every level.

 

Here's an easy example; There are virtually no flowers nor floral arrangements on the entire ship. Not a one. Yeah, there's an orchid in the corner of the MDR or public area by the reception desk, but not a single flower on a dining table, not a single floral arrangement, not a carnation nor rose on any table, not even that nice touch of flower pedals left on a bed after returning from evening entertainment when retiring.

 

Flowers do not make or break a cruise...but the ship here being devoid of them is intentional and I suspect, a cost cutting move. It's an ambiance issue that premium cruise lines and even say a mass market large ship like HAL, would not skip.

 

The daily breakfast and lunch buffets in La Terrazza are virtually the same offering each day with only a few hot dishes changing. No wow factor; no omelet station to have one made in front of you, no waffle guy, same salad every day without daily variations e.g.; seafood salads, Greek salad...no ice cream bar or smoothie station. It's just all those little 'wow' things the other premium cruise lines offer.

 

The pool lunch grill is burgers and fries mostly...no elaborate buffet, no BBQ's thus far, no 'Taco Bar'...none of the little wow extras, as is so common on premium cruise lines.

 

MDR selections: Fish has been overcooked every time with very little variety; wahoo or mahi mahi and of course salmon on the everyday available room service menu. Most premium line offer a different daily fresh fish and often a fish picked up locally at a visited Island or port...I've been on many 'go shopping with the chef' to fish markets around the world and then, enjoyed it served that day. Not on this cruise. And whats with 2 burgers on the MDR menu...not 1, but 2 at dinner in the MDR with few other protein offerings? We just don't get it.

 

Other premium lines offer emphasis on an elaborate coffee/espresso bar venues with extensive pastry, fruit and other tasty offerings. There is no place to be found like that on this ship. That kind of venue not just offers those of us addicted with our daily coffee fix, but is a place to socialize and meet others. We are missing that kind of 'wow' experience on this ship. The 'early riser' coffee served aft in the Panarama Lounge might have sufficed 20 years ago on a premium ship, but not by what is offered elsewhere. The Panarama coffee bar has an espresso machine and attentive help. And the dish with plastic cover showing a few muffins and sweets looks more akin to the kind of plate one would find at an executive meeting where the Admin offered a modest bite.

 

The ship is appointed with art...nearly all of which, is for sale with price tags. That's tacky IMO...

 

We all have our own subjective opinions about cruising. We are unlikely to return to Silversea, preferring the attention to detail, wow factor, sophistication and frankly better quality we've found on several other premium cruise lines at a similar price point.

[oregon50]

But you're on an ultra luxury line.....not premium.

 

Try the lasagna and visit Stars. Two bright spots.

[lincslady]

I think these so different responses to the cruise, from Keith and Kilroyshere, point up the adage that one needs to discount the top and bottom 5% of reviews!

 

There is no doubt in my mind, and it applies to us re Seabourn, that after many cruises with a line you are more inclined to be 'forgiving' and understanding, partly because you already know and like many staff, and they know you as well. It does make a real difference as to how you view events onboard.

 

Will look forward to hearing more from both of them.

[Keith1010]

I think these so different responses to the cruise, from Keith and Kilroyshere, point up the adage that one needs to discount the top and bottom 5% of reviews!

 

There is no doubt in my mind, and it applies to us re Seabourn, that after many cruises with a line you are more inclined to be 'forgiving' and understanding, partly because you already know and like many staff, and they know you as well. It does make a real difference as to how you view events onboard.

 

Will look forward to hearing more from both of them.

 

Please keep in mind that I have yet to give a review.

 

And I have known people who have sailed on specific lines for a long time and became disenchanted with them and some who overlooked things as you said.

 

And I won't do that until we return from the cruise. We still have 50% of this short cruise to go. :)

 

What our comments do indicate is not to discount anything. Rather that we all see things differently.

 

Do you ever see unanimous agreement on anything? I don't.

 

And on some items people are split evenly.

 

Just so you know this is only my second time on Silversea so my views are not shaped having sailed with Silversea a lot.

 

I will post additional thoughts in a second.

 

In the end, only one option matters. And that is our very own.

 

Keith

Edited January 11, 2016 by Keith1010

[Keith1010]

Good morning from Silver Spirit.

 

We are getting ready to dock at our next port of call in Santo Tomas.

 

We didn’t do much in Belize yesterday as we didn’t have any tours (no tours planned for this entire cruise) and since it was Sunday many places were closed.

 

No big deal.

 

Instead we just enjoyed the ship and made it a sea day.

 

I think we now have discovered all of the venues on the ship. Last night we made it to the Observation Lounge. A very nice lounge as some such as Wes have mentioned.

 

Enjoyed a nice dinner in The Restaurant last night. We were seated in a quieter area (I had asked the Maitre d’ if he could seat us by a window, just to avoid the middle section). Had a nice waiter who took good care of us.

 

I do want to comment on Kilroyshere's post because it reaffirms a core believe of mine.

 

In the end, my view is always very simple and that is that in the end the only opinion that matters is your very own. If we all had the same taste and interests than we would all eat the same food, wear the same clothes, drive the same vehicles, enjoy the same music, root for the same sports teams and the list goes on and on and on.

 

I have gone to movies, read books gone to the theatre, stayed at hotels, visited places around the world, sailed cruise lines, and done so many things where some might like a particular item and I didn’t or some might not have cared for something and I liked it a lot.

 

I have only sailed on one cruise line where we had a terrible experience yet some people love that line including some that I know. That's life.

 

I have experienced items and read reviews and sometimes I say to myself was I really at the same restaurant or on the same cruise ship as the other person. Well I was but we all see things differently and some of it comes down to our own expectations, our own tastes or even other factors such as what we choose to do or even what we ordered from the menu.

 

When we arrive home, I will share my own thoughts about our current experience. We still have half the cruise to go.

 

In the meantime, we will go into port soon. Looks like it might rain but we will hope for the best.

 

Oh one more comment. In the end, figure out what you like in life and what you don't. For those things you don't like don't repeat them. For those that you enjoy pursue them. Life is short. Whatever you do, enjoy!

 

Keith

[Suite Travels]

Keith, as you say the glass is only half full. Enjoy the rest of your cruise. Just an aside Dan loves Tastes I don't want to wear it out. Last night we sat at your table in the MDR and we raised a glass to you and Anne Marie....well maybe a few glasses.:D

[Observer]

I am a lapsed Silversea booster, with hundreds of nights on the line. I am cutting back my use of SS for some of the reasons Kilroyshere mentions. There are matters of taste (the fish is dry) and matters of fact (this or that feature is not present). I will focus only on a few of the latter where I share Kilroyshere's disappointment.

 

SS lacks any facility like Seabourn Square or Crystal Bistro or the comparable place on Regent for all day coffee/snacks. To my mind this is a huge missing element.

 

SS used to have lovely floral arrangements and flowers (not one lonely potted orchid) in suites. Flowers, as Kilroyshere notes, are largely missing.

 

The sales pitches for art and for shoes made by onboard cobblers, the port sales consultants I have encountered on Caribbean cruises (directing passengers to specific onshore diamond stores), as well as merchandise-promoting jewelry fashion shows interrupting afternoon tea are all things I would expect on a premium line but not a luxury line.

 

Keith's glass is generally half (or more) full, and I imagine he will enthuse about his SS cruise. Time will tell. :) But I find a lot of truth in Kilroyshere's post and well understand his/her disappointment.

[RachelG]

If there are no made to order omelets in La Terraza for breakfast, that is definitely a change. I agree though about the salad bar being basically the same every day at lunch--not that that is a bad thing for me as I chose basically the same salad ingredients every day even if there is some variation--but they could mix it up a bit more.

[Keith1010]

Miles thank you very much. I am glad you and Dan enjoy Tastes. We love it. It takes both of us out of our normal eating pattern.

 

Observer, I think I was pretty clear from the get go about a couple of things. Yes, I focus on what I like and don't sweat the little things. If I don't care for a cruise line whether it's my first, fifth or one hundred time, I won't be back. Things change and we change. Are somethings not like they were in the old days? I am sure that is the case. I can't think of any cruise line where this doesn't come up.

 

In the end for those of us who can afford to take a luxury line isn't it great that three is choice because while some might want a "glitzy" ship others might want something totally the opposite.

 

Oh, and choice and competition is great because for those lines that don't improve their likely will be others that will try to make inroads in their business.

 

Before anyone judges what I will say in a post review why not wait to see. I suspect if you do it will likely be one that is balanced.

 

In the meantime it's almost lunch time.

 

Keith

[Observer]

If there are no made to order omelets in La Terraza for breakfast, that is definitely a change. I agree though about the salad bar being basically the same every day at lunch--not that that is a bad thing for me as I chose basically the same salad ingredients every day even if there is some variation--but they could mix it up a bit more.

 

There are still made-to-order egg dishes in La Terrazza. I think the poster was lamenting that the order for such eggs had to be given to a server, who took it back to the grill -- that there is not a person preparing the eggs in the restaurant proper to whom one can walk up, point out the desired ingredients, etc.

[yogagal47]

Keith-thank you for your lively, informative "real-time" posts about your experience cruising on Silver Spirit. We board this Friday and are so looking forward to a lovely 10 days at Sea on a line we have cruised with twice in the past(both times on Whisper). I will look at your blog instead as I would rather not poison the waters by reading how miserable the ship is for some folks. People are certainly free to air their opinions on this forum but I for one will not spend my time onboard posting these types of remarks. Enjoy the rest of your cruise and just one question: do they have TITO'S Vodka onboard?

[yogagal47]

Oops-forgot to ask: Are there any NFL playoff games on the big screen onboard ship?

[Mr Luxury]

Many thanks Keith for all of your posts and for waiting to post a real review of your experiences.

I for one will gauge what you have experienced by how many more SS cruises that you take and by how near in the future the next one will be.

[Suite Travels]

If there are no made to order omelets in La Terraza for breakfast, that is definitely a change. I agree though about the salad bar being basically the same every day at lunch--not that that is a bad thing for me as I chose basically the same salad ingredients every day even if there is some variation--but they could mix it up a bit more.

 

The absolute best salad bar at sea is on Crystal.and I know Keith's final review will mention that as both of us love different FRESH salads and it is never the same everyday.

 

On the Serenity we have five places to lunch, ding room, Tastes, Trident Grill, Bistro, room service and we are enjoying it right now.

[Suite Travels]

Many thanks Keith for all of your posts and for waiting to post a real review of your experiences.

I for one will gauge what you have experienced by how many more SS cruises that you take and by how near in the future the next one will be.

 

Oh I have a gut feeling. Let's leave it at that.

[RachelG]

The absolute best salad bar at sea is on Crystal.and I know Keith's final review will mention that as both of us love different FRESH salads and it is never the same everyday.

 

 

 

On the Serenity we have five places to lunch, ding room, Tastes, Trident Grill, Bistro, room service and we are enjoying it right now.

 

 

I am looking at a couple of well priced crystal cruises, and may do one in 2017.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Travelcat2]

I am looking at a couple of well priced crystal cruises, and may do one in 2017.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

I am definitely in shock:eek::rolleyes::confused:;)

[Travelcat2]

Just want to make one comment about flowers. Regent receives multiple complaints from guests that are allergic to flowers. Before Christmas they had some beautiful arrangements but ended up having to remove the stamens from the flowers due to complaints. So, the lack of flowers may not be about cost cutting but more about complying with the requests of guests.

 

Our main concern about Silversea is the lack of maintenance on their ships. Second, we felt that the Spirit was not built to the standard of the Whisper and Shadow. La Terrazza tables were too close together...... the front lounge did not have a restroom....... the furniture was too plastic, etc. Again, I am comparing this ship to the Whisper and Shadow.