New to Spirit

[asus]

After 12 cruises and 140 days on Silversea ships we are about to take our first cruise on the Spirit. Can any one please advise what difference can we expect from the older but much loved ships.

Thank you

[Keith1010]

We've only had two sailings on Silversea but took Spirit for the first time in January. Personally I preferred it over the Shadow. I liked that it had additional dining choices and I would highly recommended booking them ahead of time as that is what we did. Some who waited couldn't get reservations. I liked the layout of the ship.

 

Keith

[patnlcc]

Us too. We think the Spirit is a beautiful ship. Love the spacious bar for pre-dinner drinks and socialising.

[Travelcat2]

We prefer the Spirit over the Cloud or Wind but prefer the Whisper and Shadow over the Spirit.

[imcpa]

You can expect a wonderful ship and an excellent overall experience; it is still Silversea after all. I sailed the Cloud in 2010 and the Spirit in 2015.

 

The rooms are a bit more narrow, but it wasn't a problem for us. The Bar is an awesome area. Outdoor dining for La Terrazza has more room as does the outside area of the Panorama Lounge.

 

The gym is slightly bigger, but should be even bigger. There is an outside area for an aerobic self-workout (if that is your thing) that is great.

[Emtbsam]

We love the fact that the Observation Bar has a bartender and excellent hors d'oeuvres in the evening. It is the perfect place to go for quiet conversation before dinner.

 

We like the extra dining choices and think that the entertainment is Stars is usually a cut above. The MDR is nice since there are alcove like areas on the sides where you can have a wall behind your table - a plus if you are hard of hearing.

 

There are the negatives - we think the main bar feels like Grand Central Station and is not at all to our taste but others like it a lot. The show lounge is not as good as on the smaller ships. We do not find the shape of the veranda cabins to be an issue and really like the larger bathrooms, but we usually travel in a Silver because we love to be high up and forward. The above counter sinks are a joke. The quality of the furniture is not great, but we understand that since it must be fire retardant, it is harder to make it look like real wood.

 

As others have said, it is Silversea, and that is what we like regardless of which ship we are on.

[Catlover54]

I've been on the Spirit twice (last was February 2015) and liked the rooms, comfortable chairs in public areas, and the light and airy overall decor. Shows were decent. I did not like the bathroom sinks (you spray water around due to poor design) or some of the nouveau-African art they have hanging around which I thought was just plain ugly (I thought the artwork on the Shadow was classier).

 

I really liked the Stars small bite supper club dining venue, with the music, and had better service there than in the MDR where we repeatedly struggled with wine and drink service issues (but DH and I are not regulars there so we did not know waiters by name to help assure good service, like some regular people do, and each time we sailed the ships were totally full, which I understand strains the personnel more). The buffet at La Terrazza was very nice, lovely to eat outside, though service was spotty.

 

Each time I went to the Observation bar to try and get little sandwiches the bartenders were annoyed with my requests so I gave up. The pool bar guys were also annoyed when I asked for chips and cookies in between meal times. The guy booking future cruises was also not happy to see me, but the rest of the front desk area personnel were nice.

 

Overall, the Spirit provided a typical, good SS experience.

Edited March 8, 2016 by Catlover54