Live: Silver Spirit South America Grand Voyage 2016

[spinnaker2]

Thanks for the updates Victoria and Wes.

Happy to learn Ida is feeling better.

 

I think Chef Grant has a terrific sense of humor and of course, he is a great chef.

 

Best to all onboard.

[Silver Spectre]

I think Chef Grant has a terrific sense of humor and of course, he is a great chef.

 

He's a pretty good chap, and yes he has a killer sense of humour. I watched him wind up Tim the Austrian GRM on the Whisper a couple of years ago, and he had me in stiches.

[Keith1010]

Enjoying the posts.

 

We enjoyed the Executive Chef.

 

Keith

[yogagal47]

Enjoying reading this thread. We were on the recent Fort Lauderdale to Barbados leg with friends. As a matter of fact, we were the group of six that took the Lobster Snorkel and Sail with you. Our dear friend Rena was the lovely blonde woman with the wheelchair. We all enjoyed that excursion immensely. How terrible to learn shortly after we returned, that an American woman on holiday with her husband was murdered by a local recently released from prison. It happened on the beach at a top resort not far from Hog Island where we had our barbecue.

We all loved the cruise but I totally agree that the overdone Art Sales and the hard sells of Jewelry from the "shopping expert" Phillip are beyond annoying and tacky! Our Butler Naia(yes, a woman Butler!) is excellent. She serviced us in cabin 522 which we loved. Such a great location. Our friends were in 533 which is an accessible cabin and they loved the location as it is slightly tucked away from the main hall and very quiet but be aware that you give up the closet and the bathtub. Our cabin steward Vincent did a fabulous job keeping things neat and tidy and always remembered our names. Other standouts are Luisa from Mexico who serves at the Panorama lounge and deck outside during the day and at the Observation lounge at night, John, deck attendant at the pool deck and Embrah who serves at La Terrazzo by day and the pool grill at night. Also, the bar tender at the main bar who made us cappuccino every morning was wonderful-sorry I am forgetting his name at the moment. The head waiter at the Grill(cannot recall her name) took care of our "special request" to have lobster tails to grill one night and they were delicious. I do think the buffets were uninspired and not particularly appealing as some have said on these boards. The fruit was particularly disappointing in quality and variety. I never saw a single piece of mango and certainly no papaya(I hate to gripe but honestly the fruit and buffets in general, were better on Windstar).

We absolutely adored Vicki and had a super dinner with her one night in the main dining room. She is hysterical! Be sure to see her show "Ship Happens" and stick around after the other shows just to hear her "stand-up" commentary on the next days happenings. Silver Spirit is very lucky to have her. Sorry to hear you missed Devils Island and hope you all enjoy Brazil. I have been there quite a few times as our son lived in Sao Paulo for over 3 years. Will they offer a full day over to Fernando De Noronha from either Natal or Recife? If so, by all means, go! It is the Galapagos of Brazil and quite beautiful! Recife is ok. I believe there is an interesting art museum outside the city. The town itself does not offer much and the waters are filled with sharks so be careful! Rio is a gem, one of the world's most beautiful cities. A nice day would be to go have lunch at the Copacabana Palace Hotel and hang out at the stunning pool(check with the concierge to see if that is possible-we stayed there on one of our visits. Be very careful in Montevideo-Many cruise passengers are mugged there. When we sailed there on Azamara we did an excursion to a winery and had a lovely day. Cheers to all!

[Emtbsam]

Enjoying reading this thread. We were on the recent Fort Lauderdale to Barbados leg with friends. As a matter of fact, we were the group of six that took the Lobster Snorkel and Sail with you. Our dear friend Rena was the lovely blonde woman with the wheelchair. We all enjoyed that excursion immensely. How terrible to learn shortly after we returned, that an American woman on holiday with her husband was murdered by a local recently released from prison. It happened on the beach at a top resort not far from Hog Island where we had our barbecue.

We all loved the cruise but I totally agree that the overdone Art Sales and the hard sells of Jewelry from the "shopping expert" Phillip are beyond annoying and tacky! Our Butler Naia(yes, a woman Butler!) is excellent. She serviced us in cabin 522 which we loved. Such a great location. Our friends were in 533 which is an accessible cabin and they loved the location as it is slightly tucked away from the main hall and very quiet but be aware that you give up the closet and the bathtub. Our cabin steward Vincent did a fabulous job keeping things neat and tidy and always remembered our names. Other standouts are Luisa from Mexico who serves at the Panorama lounge and deck outside during the day and at the Observation lounge at night, John, deck attendant at the pool deck and Embrah who serves at La Terrazzo by day and the pool grill at night. Also, the bar tender at the main bar who made us cappuccino every morning was wonderful-sorry I am forgetting his name at the moment. The head waiter at the Grill(cannot recall her name) took care of our "special request" to have lobster tails to grill one night and they were delicious. I do think the buffets were uninspired and not particularly appealing as some have said on these boards. The fruit was particularly disappointing in quality and variety. I never saw a single piece of mango and certainly no papaya(I hate to gripe but honestly the fruit and buffets in general, were better on Windstar).

We absolutely adored Vicki and had a super dinner with her one night in the main dining room. She is hysterical! Be sure to see her show "Ship Happens" and stick around after the other shows just to hear her "stand-up" commentary on the next days happenings. Silver Spirit is very lucky to have her. Sorry to hear you missed Devils Island and hope you all enjoy Brazil. I have been there quite a few times as our son lived in Sao Paulo for over 3 years. Will they offer a full day over to Fernando De Noronha from either Natal or Recife? If so, by all means, go! It is the Galapagos of Brazil and quite beautiful! Recife is ok. I believe there is an interesting art museum outside the city. The town itself does not offer much and the waters are filled with sharks so be careful! Rio is a gem, one of the world's most beautiful cities. A nice day would be to go have lunch at the Copacabana Palace Hotel and hang out at the stunning pool(check with the concierge to see if that is possible-we stayed there on one of our visits. Be very careful in Montevideo-Many cruise passengers are mugged there. When we sailed there on Azamara we did an excursion to a winery and had a lovely day. Cheers to all!

 

We do remember you all from the champagne snorkel trip which we enjoyed a lot. We will remember Rena for her big smile and her willingness to do everything! How sad to hear of violence not far from our lovely beach luncheon. I agree that the deck buffets have been less interesting than the big spread in La Terrazza where we eat most of the time. The fruit there at breakfast is quite abundant and you can always request berries if they are on board. I believe I did see mango and papaya one day, but since I'm not a big fan, I didn't take any. The fruit selection at lunch is considerably less than at breakfast in La Terrazza.

 

Glad you enjoyed your trip. Many passengers got off in Barbados, and we're now sailing with considerably less than a full ship. Hope you had a safe trip home.

[yogagal47]

Thanks so much! We had a nice day at the Hilton and that night during cocktails on the sand, we all waved to the Spirit as she sailed Southward toward Brazil. The lights on the ship were so pretty. It took 3 flights to get back to Denver but the weather and American Airlines were in perfect harmony so we made all the connections to arrive home safe and sound. Thanks for the kind words about Rena. Her positive outlook motivates me every day! Keep those posts coming-I look forward to seeing your impressions of Brazil.

Cheers all!

[WesW]

Thanks for your cruise summary post, yogagal47--delightfully done.

 

Last nite we had another exceptional Italian meal in La Terrazza with Wellseasoneds (Dieter and Debbie) Dieter introduced me to Linguirian salad (seafood), we all had the veal scallopine and paired it with a robust 2010 Alliegrini Amarone. We are looking forward to sharing a Le Champagne dinner with the Wellseasoneds tomorrow nite.

 

Fun today on our fourth sea day on board the Silver Spirit. Another excellent enrichment lecture from destination specialist Niki Sepsas discussing Brazil. At noon we had the traditional Equator crossing ceremony. Please enjoy a few pix below (hope Dieter post his--much better than my ipad versions). Also, wanted to post a picture of the winning trivia team (well they win most of the time). Darn, photobucket now down for maintenance--will post these pictures later. We all are excited about arriving in Fortaleza Brazil tomorrow morning. Ida and I eagerly look forward to exploring this Brazilian town.

 

Thanks Mr. Silver for letting us know that today is Cruise Director Vicki's birthday--we'll make sure we sing Happy Birthday to her.

[nowornever]

is there Trivia everyday, port or sea day?

[duct tape]

Yes, every day. sB only does sea days.[emoji53].

Wes, David and Lawrence are headed your way tomorrow! Enjoy.

[Wellseasoned]

We are now in Forteleza, Brazil after four sort of choppy sea days with clouds and some rain. It is now sunny! We will tour to explore the city this afternoon before the 5 PM sailaway.

 

The equator ceremony yesterday was fun and different from the multiple previous ones we've seen. As usual, CD Vicki was a hoot! Our trivia team won with a perfect score yesterday, making up for an abyssmal showing the previous day. Another first in yesterday's trivia: the entire assemblage sang happy birthday to CD Vicki.

Here are a few photos from the equator event.

 

 

 

 

[Mr Luxury]

Wes,who's the classy chick in the turquoise dress [emoji1]

[WesW]

duct tape, thanks for the David and Lawrence update--look forward.

 

John, Daniel (Daniela :))

 

Thanks Dieter for sharing your outstanding equator cross pix, and kudos again for Cinco (Triva Team's name) notching another win!

 

 

We arrived in Fortaleza, Brazil this morning. Please see our escort approaching the Silver Spirit with the Fortaleza skyline in the background below. Ida and I took the complimentary shuttle into Fortaleza mid morning and enjoyed a brisk walk along the major beach prominade in downtown Fortaleza (please see a few pix below).

 

Tonight we have Showtime Silversea's classical pianist Roger Tutti entertaining us at 6:45pm, then Liars club at 10pm. We look forward to our Le Champagne (dover sole anyone) dinner tonight with the Wellseasoned. Tomorrow, we arrive in Natal, Brazil. Ida and I look forward to our Silversea excursion featuring Brazilian Capoeira.

 

 

 

 

First time Silversea had a mosquito repellent set up before we disembarked. Ida beaming brightly after spraying both of us.

 

 

 

 

Edited January 30, 2016 by WesW

[Keith1010]

Wes, wise move by Silversea. Last year the cruise line we sailed on had spray out for our stops in the Caribbean for the other insect that was a problem.

 

Continue to enjoy.

 

Keith

[Emtbsam]

We had dinner on deck at The Grill ("Hot Rocks") this evening which was lovely. Since the ship was under way, there were no bugs. Actually, we saw no bugs in Fortaleza today and yet were glad that the ship provided bug spray.

 

Tomorrow will be Natal, and we have been told that it will be hotter than today. Since I lost 2 pounds walking around Fortaleza today ( which was quickly replenished), I wonder what tomorrow's toll will be.

 

In any event, we continue to enjoy the wonderful service on board. Rex and Luisa in the Obs Bar have been wonderful. Emrah, Jonathan and Jorge (not the maitre d') have been great at Hot Rocks.

 

My pompoms are wilted from the heat but still work perfectly!

[Emtbsam]

We had dinner on deck at The Grill ("Hot Rocks") this evening which was lovely. Since the ship was under way, there were no bugs. Actually, we saw no bugs in Fortaleza today and yet were glad that the ship provided bug spray.

 

Tomorrow will be Natal, and we have been told that it will be hotter than today. Since I lost 2 pounds walking around Fortaleza today ( which was quickly replenished), I wonder what tomorrow's toll will be.

 

In any event, we continue to enjoy the wonderful service on board. Rex and Luisa in the Obs Bar have been wonderful. Emrah, Jonathan and Jorge (not the maitre d') have been great at Hot Rocks.

 

My pompoms are wilted from the heat but still work perfectly!

[spinnaker2]

E N J O Y !

 

Rah Rah Rah!

[Keith1010]

Enjoying all of the posts.

 

Keith

[WesW]

Thanks Candy & Keith--we're continuing to have a blast--service, cuisine, entertainment and now ports are excellent.

 

We enjoyed another wonderful evening on board the Silver Spirit. We began with drinks in the Bar with Wellseasoned (Dieter and Debbie). Ida enjoyed dancing at the bar with new friends (koichi and Danielle). We all then headed to Le Champagne for an outstanding meal. Please enjoy a few pix below:

 

 

Ida dancing with Koichi:

 

 

Dinner in Le Champage (LtoR, Daniell, Ida, Debbie, Dieter, Wes, Koichi)

 

 

Desert:

 

 

Edited January 31, 2016 by WesW

[UKCruiseJeff]

Nice piccies Wes ..... great to see you having a great time.

 

:)

 

Jeff

[Mr Luxury]

Wes,good to see that you let Koichi dine with you without a tie.

 

lovely pictures, glad everyone is having a great time.

[Stevanb]

One awful realization yesterday: It seems that I forgot to bring along the charger for my camera, and this is a 31 day cruise for us. I have a couple of charged batteries, so I'll pretend that I am back in the days of film and limited photos. I'll be looking for a camera store. Oh, well, I guess the I-Pad and smartphone take something akin to photos.

 

If you have a cable you can use the usb charger that is near the tv I was told they are there

 

 

Steve

[WesW]

Today the Silver Spirit visited Natal known as the “Sun Capital” in Brazil--a nation of sun and beach and beach worshipers. Founded on Christmas day (Natal in Portuguese) it is Brazil’s closest port to Africa.

 

Ida and enjoyed a fabulous excursion today to a Brazilian Capoiera school. We were mesmerized by the children and teenagers performing this magical blend of martial arts and the Samba. Please enjoy a few pix below:

Ida standing with the Capoiera students as they greeted our Silver Spirit group:

 

 

The Capoiera school is located in one the poorest area's of Natal. It is a wonderful learning academy for young children and teenagers of all ages:

 

 

 

 

[WesW]

And a few more pix from the Natal Capoiera School:

 

 

 

 

They even pulled Katia (Casino employee), Ida and I up to dance the Capoiera:

 

 

[Emtbsam]

Wes - I'm so glad you had a good experience in Natal, which was billed in the Eyewitness Travel guide as a "safe" city.

 

We took the Silversea shuttle bus to the beach area with the intention of walking along the beach and possibly all the way to the fort. The Silversea "greeter" at the beach strongly advised against walking and went so far to say that I should hide my little point and shoot camera! The H. Stern man spoke to a security man at the mall at the beach and told us that we should absolutely not walk around, even on the beach. He also said that women should not walk around alone! Now, we are not frail elderly people, and apart from gray hair consider ourselves fit. This was all very disappointing and we reboarded the bus and returned to the ship. The shuttle bus went through all kinds of neighborhoods from those with high rise apartments to hovels. There were many homeless sleeping in doorways. We did not see a single area where there was not a mix of very nice and horrible housing side by side, whereas in Fortaleza, there were some lovely areas of high rise condos and hotels.

 

Today we are in Recife and once again have not scheduled a tour. We will take the shuttle bus into town and see if our luck is any better.

[yogagal47]

Go to Olinda if you can. I have not been but a friend was there while visiting her son who was living in Brazil and they loved it.