Live from the Spirit April 26 Barcelona to Rome

[Suite Travels]

I would not put it past them. Last May the Shadow failed again a CDC inspection in May. I would post the CNN video here but the moderators would probably delete it. You can Google it yourself. The video showed trolleys of food in crew cabins when they had a surprise visit and food not kept at proper temperature and the non-use of sneeze guards. SS got into hot water on that visit but still failed a subsequent inspection.

[Les Picantins]

Let me get this straight.

 

Silversea staff having decanted prosecco into champagne bottles and then argued with a foody working in the food industry in France! That is courageous. We have never met, but make my day and tell me you also have a French accent. :rolleyes:

 

Personally I'd prefer rat wee to Blue Cap but that doesn't sound like much better than you got. :D

 

Liberté, égalité, fraternité .......... et courage mon brave!

 

:)

 

Jeff

 

Sorry to disappoint you Jeff, I'm french by mariage. It's my husband with the sexy accent.

 

The problem has been resolved. Unopened bottles are brought to us wherever we ask.

 

Let me also add that the practice of serving prosecco or vin mousseux in place of champagne is not unique to Silversea. However, on the other lines (Crystal, Seadream, Regent) they never insisted that they indeed served us champagne. The only line this has never happened on is Seabourn, but the complimentary pour on Silversea is better (when they are not cheating).

 

We've just dropped anchor in lovely Sanary Sur Mer. The sun is trying to pierce the clouds. And this evening we will be dining at Champagne with a freshly opened bottle of my favorite beverage.:)

[UKCruiseJeff]

Sorry to disappoint you Jeff, I'm french by mariage. It's my husband with the sexy accent.

 

The problem has been resolved. Unopened bottles are brought to us wherever we ask.

 

Let me also add that the practice of serving prosecco or vin mousseux in place of champagne is not unique to Silversea. However, on the other lines (Crystal, Seadream, Regent) they never insisted that they indeed served us champagne. The only line this has never happened on is Seabourn, but the complimentary pour on Silversea is better (when they are not cheating).

 

We've just dropped anchor in lovely Sanary Sur Mer. The sun is trying to pierce the clouds. And this evening we will be dining at Champagne with a freshly opened bottle of my favorite beverage.:)

 

 

It ius frustrating that Silversea seems to miss a trick here. The reason why champagne is so popular is because of the historic hype and branding. As you know there is no difference in taste between it and a decent quality mousseaux. In fact a decent mousseaux will beat a average champagne. It is just the perception of exclusivity that motivates people it seems to me.

 

It seems like only a short while ago that spumante was seen as cheap muck, but cava became fashionable. Then prosecco appeared .... my impression as a result of mixing bubbly in cocktails and in particular bellinis.

 

So why don't SS embrace their full Italian heritage and tie up with a really good prosecco house and feature prosecco instead of champagne boldly and proudly? Tell customers that SS serve prosecco in preference to champagne but are happy to serve champagne when customers insist instead of all this cheap deception. There is a deal to be done there.:D

 

I think what has always concerned me when I see the champagne shuffle that you describe is "knowing" what they are doing in all probability with the ex-suite opened spirits. Ordering a G&T and thinking of that would worry me. But that is an old topic!

 

In the UK these things would be outed immediately hence the growth of the generic term "bubbly" when at least you know the one drink not being served will be champers!

 

Enjoy your cruise ..... and do report about what you are eating and drinking!

 

:)

 

Jeff

 

EDITED: As you're near Bandol ... hope you enjoy a nice frozen bottle of Ott rose ...... a real fav of ours ..... and nice fresh sole ....... oh ... I'm hungry .... :)

 

.

Edited April 28, 2016 by UKCruiseJeff

[Les Picantins]

We had a very nice dinner at Champagne last night: caviar, foie gras, risotto, st. Jacques, lamb and sole. All of that served with real champagne.:) The only disappointment was dessert, what they called Valrhona mi-cuits were actually made using chocolate way inferior to Valrhona. It's a good thing that we are not working for the répression des fraudes.

 

After dinner, the show was very entertaining. It was the CD's, Moss, show. He played 5 different instruments and chose music that brought back some great memories. He has an ease on stage and we didn't want the show to end.

 

Today we are in my Disneyland, Monte Carlo.

[spinnaker2]

Sorry have been busy and not posted photos.

Unsure if I will have the time now.

 

We are docked in Livorno today and regrettably we were unable to make it to Florence, the one place I was eager to return to. This was due to a case of gastritis I developed overnight. I am nursing my very sore stomach with tea, but the thought of 9.5 hours just to eat and walk about seemed overwhelming.

 

I must comment on my thoughts regarding the cruise, as we are near the end.

 

It is a completely different group of pax and a different vibe.

 

Add to that the fact that the corporate types were aboard dressed suits and in meetings which made for some tension, their expressions were often dour. Then some other groups came aboard for meetings and a few days here and there. It seems that the ship was used as a party boat in Monaco by someone with a lot of clout. La Terrazza was taken over for the night by that group who arrived in big black cars and in dressy clothes. All pax who had reservations for La Terrazza were displaced by the last minute soirée.

 

The grill had a 120 pax wait list!!

 

The cruise consultant had to leave abruptly some days ago for "a family emergency" leaving many pax with unrealized plans for future cruises. Moss Hills stepped in to assist, but of course this isn't his bailiwick. We have been assured all be taken care of post haste, or at least before the end of the cruise, which is day after tomorrow.

 

There are a number of pax aboard who are very demanding and just plain RUDE. Apparently nothing will please them.

 

When disembarking a tender in very rough seas a man pushed me aside along with others, so that he could be among the first to rush off the tender. This was dangerous and people could have been hurt by his actions. In retrospect, I hadn't realized a King was aboard.

 

All of these comments are just to give some of the flavor of this mini cruise.

[jpalbny]

A shame that you couldn't make Florence. Hope you're feeling better soon!

[KaraokeQueen]

Spins,

First off, sorry to hear you were ill. That is no way to enjoy a cruise.

 

Second, it's terribly disappointing to read that you had to endure not only the corporate representatives on board but also a very large group that displaced passengers. This is not a luxury experience.

 

In my opinion, those taster (short) cruises invites surprises. It would be nice if there was a disclosure made to passengers or better yet, let the line take the days out of the cruise calendar and use the ship to their delight. It's just not right when it changes the ambience of the experience for the paying passengers.

 

Makes me wonder if these were investors.

[spinnaker2]

Thanks for the good wishes.

 

Seems mr LeFebre took over ship for his birthday in Monaco. Guess he can do that, it's his ship.

Some other group from Fabory corporation also aboard.

 

Other groups too. I guess the ship was discounted, as we were told it wasn't filled until the last minute.

 

Another incident with rude pax this morning on jeep trip. Man wanted us to move from our seats so he could take them. He arrived after tour was to depart and created a scene. OMG.

 

Cruise consultant debacle continues. No replacement and seems that prior guy made lots of promises he could not and did not keep. He promised us a suite which he claimed he held. That wasn't true.

 

Moss still trying to do his job and that of Cruise consultant. Unfair for him.

 

People wearing shorts in public venues way after 6 pm. The rules apparently don't apply to them.

 

This was a disappointing cruise for us on the whole, especially after the great crossing.

 

On another note had a great time in Sardinia. More on that later. Must pack now.

[Les Picantins]

Hi Spinnaker, I'm glad you're feeling better. I hope they didn't quarantine you like Regent did to my husband last year after giving him food poisoning. We are all packed and savoring our last sips of fresh ginger infusion, something we discovered on this trip.

 

I agree that the ambiance on board this cruise is a bit different than the typical luxury cruise experience. This is partially due to the short length of the cruise and the groups on board. Fortunately for us they are not as misbehaved as some I've seen in the past and some I've read about.

 

Enjoy your last evening and have a safe trip home.

[UKCruiseJeff]

Thanks for the good wishes.

 

Seems mr LeFebre took over ship for his birthday in Monaco. Guess he can do that, it's his ship. Some other group from Fabory corporation also aboard.

 

 

Very sad.

 

Customers screwed by both the owner and ironically a screw company.

 

The second you might expect, but not the first.

 

Jeff

[WesW]

Sorry that your second segment was disappointing Candy, but relish the joy you expressed on your crossing. Safe travels home.

Edited May 1, 2016 by WesW

[bsrkent]

So we leave you guys on your own for a couple of days and this is what happens!!!

Your pix remain outstanding... thanks for sharing.

We don't understand it here... no one is making our bed each morning??

Hope you at least enjoyed your digs on this segment. Best to El Larro and safe travels home.

Edited May 1, 2016 by bsrkent

[Emtbsam]

Spinnaker2 --

 

Great to see you both in Monte Carlo, and we are so appreciative of everything you did to make our brief sejour so wonderful. Sorry to hear that you were sick and unable to go to Livorno. Hope we didn't do anything to cause the illness.

 

It was strange being on board as a visitor after having spent so many days on board as a paying customer. Many of the crew recognized me and made the day particularly special for us. Thanks to the Security Officer at the gangway who thought I should be on the passenger list not the visitor list. Great to see Nicolas, Gabriel and Damien among others.

 

I agree about your thoughts concerning the passenger component. Many of them looked at us with great disdain since we were "only" visitors. Little do they know...

 

In any event, it was a lovely afternoon thanks to you both, and we look forward to seeing you again and to our next voyage, the WC in January.

[Les Picantins]

Thanks for the good wishes.

 

Seems mr LeFebre took over ship for his birthday in Monaco. Guess he can do that, it's his ship.

 

Don't you think it would have been a good idea if he had first hosted a cocktail for the passengers before throwing his private party?

[vistaman]

 

Since you asked, on 3 out of 5 occasions that we have ordered champagne (and we always specify french champagne) we have been served prosecco served out of either a Monopole bottle or a Pommery bottle. Where we come from, this is an act punishable by a fat fine. They continue to insist that they are not freshly opened bottles and we continue to insist that we know better. Hopefully by this evening the message has been passed around and this sacrilige will end (with us at least).

 

Also this morning while looking for the internet instructions within our desktop folder we found an invitation from our travel agent to dine at Champagne and to contact the maitre d'hotel for reservations. A lovely surprise. At lunch we asked our waiter how we can proceed to make this reservation, he took our cabin number and said he would pass the message (he was very pleasant by the way, as are the majority of the staff). Shortly after, by the pool, we were approached by "Typhoon" agressively with "what's your cabin number" and "we were waiting for you last night". If there is a problem with communication, do not put the passenger in doubt.

 

We now have our reservation and all is well, it is just a shame that the way it was handled was not dignified.

 

Otherwise the staff in general are very friendly and eager to please.

 

that is disgusting : serving sparkling stuff out of Champagne bottles :mad:

nearly practices done in "red light district " bars

however it seems some people are very easy to accept "sparkling" wine as champagne

on the former Vistafjord in the nineties it was common sense to present the bubbles on the parties as champagne ( was sparkling wine - a glass of Champagne was a special order )

on Crystal you are also welcomed by French sparkling (cremant ) on welcome lunch and most of the times passengers must request French Champagne to receive the included Jacquart otherwise Roederer estate is served

it seems only French Belgians and Germans are so precise about "Champagne"

however very occasionnaly done ( nearly all parties are with Champagne ) on Hapag Lloyd non champagne is always correctly presented as prosecco or sekt

[spinnaker2]

 

 

[spinnaker2]

This was the first time the Spirit visited this lovely coastal fishing village. We had an easy tender ride over in the very early morning, about the same time the fishermen were setting up their stalls to display their wares and catch.

We were scheduled to go to the village of Le Castellet and the vineyard of Domaine de Souviou.

 

 

Calm sea for tender

 

 

Village of Sanary Sur Mer

 

Fishing boats typical for the area

[spinnaker2]

Le Castellet is a small feudal village perched on the edge of a cliff. We arrived so early that the many of the shops were closed, making it lovely for us as the tourists had not yet arrived either. As we walked about in the morning chill it was quiet and the air was heavy with the scent of flowers. The views were lovely.

 

 

View into the valley

 

 

View from the town square arch

 

 

Many of the winding streets ended in courtyards

 

 

 

Ahhhhh. If I could only see behind those marvelous doors...

[spinnaker2]

The grounds of the vineyard are quite large and in addition to wine, the vineyard produces olive oil. Some of the olive trees are a thousand years old. The main house dates from the 14th century. Of course there are the obligatory three cypress trees which signify food, wine and a bed for the traveler in medieval times, the symbols of hospitality.

 

 

 

 

 

We tasted the red, rose and white wines, as well as two olive oils.

 

Then it was time to head back to the ship.

[WesW]

Bravo Candy, beautiful pictures, thanks for sharing.

[spinnaker2]

A shot of the spice stall as we walked by en route to the tenders.

 

And now the ride back.

 

 

Let's just say it was rocky. I took the photos after we got off. This is the time when I was pushed aside by the very rude man from Peru, who distinguished himself as being one of the most obnoxious people on the cruise in the following days. I wasn't the only one he pushed aside to try and get off the tender. It was very difficult to come alongside the Spirit, water was washing in the doors of the tender and it was slippery. It took a number of tries to finally come alongside and get off. It reminded me of the difficult times in the zodiacs on expedition.

[spinnaker2]

thanks all.

 

I have been shirking my duties. I will try and finish this in the next few days.

 

We left sanary sur mer early as the weather and seas were not cooperating.

[KaraokeQueen]

During our March cruise on Spirit, we found the tender operations to be sub par. It didn't appear that the pilots had adequate training. During one ride, an officer actually removed the driver and took over the docking procedure. I made mention of it on our comment card. Being seasoned boaters, we are aware when something could be done better.

[spinnaker2]

KQ

It wasn't the tender operator.

Swells were very large, Spirit dock fixed and not floating.

Spirit guys quite amazing trying to grab the lines.

[duct tape]

Great pix! It is always a problem when Officers drive the tenders!