Muse 9/9 Last Alaska Cruise

[PM1225]

Greetings to anyone interested in the Muse and its last trip north to Alaska.

My first comment is that our vaccine works, we passed our test and boarded.

My wife and I arrived at Seattle's Pier 66 on a perfect Seattle day.  Covid testing was as advertised, done behind partitions.  We arrived a little later to avoid the 2PM rush and were rewarded with little to no wait.  We were told results would be available in 45 minutes and it only took about 20.

 

We did not hear of anyone denied boarding due to a positive result.  We did hear about a couple from Florida who failed to bring their passports.  Boarding denied.  My guess is that their TA is partially to blame for not emphasizing this requirement.  Ours didn't but we read the requirement somewhere.

 

The rest of the boarding was efficient and without incident.  This is my first Silversea and my wife has not been on this line since 2004.  My first impression is that the muse is a close cousin of Seabourn's Encore.  Very similar design, without the huge restaurant and SB's single specialty restaurant.  

 

This is our second cruise post Covid.  We were on the Crystal Serenity in late July.  The boarding and cruising with reduced loads is quite similar.  The ships and itinerary are quite different.

 

Aboud Muse we have a mid-sized room.  We prefer a room with a butler and this fits the bill although I think all room have butlers here, quite unlike Seabourn where even to top suites have no butlers. 

 

We put our butler to work, ordering drinks to the room, making a reservation at the Hot Rock/Grill last night and morning coffee.  Things are a little bit slower that butler service on other lines but definitely not out of line.  Silversea butlers seem to be about 70% butler and 30% cabin steward.

 

There couldn't have been a better evening for a departure from Seattle last night.  Clear skies and about 70 degrees.  The standard introductions and sail-away festivities were held by the pool.  We learned that there are about 280 people on board (less the 2 that missed the passport instructions).  This is about 80 more than the last cruise which surprised me.  We have since learned that there are a fair number of travel agents aboard likely enjoying a reduced rate cruise offered to those in the industry.

 

After cleaning up we headed to Tor's Observation Library.  The forward views and sunset were fantastic.  This my just about top any port departure that I have enjoyed.  The only downer that we observed was a topic of previous posts; one individual wearing his ball cap in the lounge.  No action was taken.

 

Dinner at the Grill was great.  Our theory was that the weather was as good as it would get so best to eat outside while you can.  He never returned but we were quick enough to pull the meat before it was overdone.

 

A few comparisons with other lines from my first day. 

 

- I find the per day price to be higher on SS than similar square footage rooms on SB and Oceania.  Pricing is about where Regent comes in but Regent delivers more "all inclusive" (whether or not you use it)

- We had read on other boards that SS service and food would be not up to the higher end cruise line standards.  There is lots of cruise left but there is zero sign that this would be correct. 

- Activities are a bit scarce, but this is generally OK with me.

- We really like the fit and finish of the ship.  Its new which is a big plus for us.  Newer ships have so much more to offer.  We have given up on the "R" ships of Oceania, the older Regent ships, and are considering ditching Crystal.

- The internet is fine.  I had an hour long Zoom call today, without problems.  TV was out this morning.

 

Today is a dreary but dead calm day.  Formal optional is tonight so we'll see what that brings. 

 

Preston

[Lois R]

Hi, thanks for the "Live From"🙂 hope you have a wonderful cruise!  I have never sailed the other lines you mentioned but have  always found the service and food on board terrific👍

[CJANDH]

Thanks for the post PM. We were on Muse three weeks ago on the second of her Alaska trips. Everything was pretty loose on board then in terms of masking and social distancing. The crew were all masked at all times; but most of the guests were unmasked except, maybe, in elevators. I would be interested to hear how things are now that protocols have been more generally set in place.

 

Enjoy your cruise. I am confident that you will find the food and service in all the restaurants to be to your liking.

[ronrick1943]

Looking forward to hearing about your cruise.  Great it has a nice start—have a super cruise, sounds like you enjoying cruising.  We also gave up on Oceania a few years ago.  The suites were great, but food got be be a let down.  We moved over to Regent, nice line but to many mistakes for us (but must say they handled it well), just to many.  One being non heat in are suite for 4 nights in Alaska, and it took them that long to get it fixed.  They did bring extra blankets……..So know we are giving Silversea a try—-specially looking forward to hear what you have to say……Thanks for taking the time.

[bigmjh]

58 minutes ago, ronrick1943 said:

"... One being non heat in are suite for 4 nights in Alaska, and it took them that long to get it fixed.  They did bring extra blankets… "

Didn't SS offer to move you? Obviously with such a "light load" they must have had many suites available. To just "bring extra blankets" does not seem to reflect SS's standards of service IMHO.

[ronrick1943]

It wasn’t Silversea, it was Regent and before Covid ship was full—we did a Tokyo to Vancouver cruise.  Unfortunately for us it was really cold, when the ship was going thought the ice and glaciers and I guess no other suites open.  

[PM1225]

Well, as soon as I hit the submit button I turned around and we have a perfect sea day.  Sunny mid-60s and not too windy.  We have seen lots of whale spouts but no breaches.  Vancouver Island mountains are visible, but we are too far out for them to be spectacular.

 

Regarding masks, we are asked to wear masks when moving around.  I have not seen any incidents yet.  90% to 95% of guests comply inside, but a few forget.  There are certainly no mask police, as there were on American Airlines en route to Seattle.  Overall I would consider it more of an inconvenience as opposed to a distraction.  Some guests over-comply and wear them at all times, fully their choice.

 

Of interest I don't think that Silversea has fully recovered from their internet outage (hack?).  Yesterday the TV position has us in Kushiro, Japan.  Tomorrow the TV shows us headed to Tokyo. 

 

We had lunch on the pool deck.  The music was a bit loud as we were seated close to the band but the bright sunshine and beverage overcame that.  We had lamb rotisserie which was very good.  Tomorrow we will try the pizza.  I look forward to that as we have become somewhat of reviewers of pizza at sea.  Hint - the secret is  in the crust, not the ingredients, but lets not get ahead of ourselves.

 

Preston

[CJANDH]

38 minutes ago, PM1225 said:

Of interest I don't think that Silversea has fully recovered from their internet outage (hack?).  Yesterday the TV position has us in Kushiro, Japan.  Tomorrow the TV shows us headed to Tokyo. 

 

Based on our cruise, you are about to lose internet. We had a good signal in Seattle and day one. But things became pretty bad as we worked our way up the coast. At least you will not know that you are actually sailing to the Far East.  😁

[jollyjones]

Not necessarily, I was on the last cruise and only lost it when docked in Skagway and Icy Straight and one day somewhere else, I forget where, but definitely only three days out of eleven. 
SS refunded those three days pro rata (without me asking) which I thought was good since it’s not their fault. And none of the outages was for a full day. 
(I choose to buy the faster internet)

Edited September 11, 2021 by jollyjones

[ronrick1943]

17 hours ago, PM1225 said:

Well, as soon as I hit the submit button I turned around and we have a perfect sea day.  Sunny mid-60s and not too windy.  We have seen lots of whale spouts but no breaches.  Vancouver Island mountains are visible, but we are too far out for them to be spectacular.

 

Regarding masks, we are asked to wear masks when moving around.  I have not seen any incidents yet.  90% to 95% of guests comply inside, but a few forget.  There are certainly no mask police, as there were on American Airlines en route to Seattle.  Overall I would consider it more of an inconvenience as opposed to a distraction.  Some guests over-comply and wear them at all times, fully their choice.

 

Of interest I don't think that Silversea has fully recovered from their internet outage (hack?).  Yesterday the TV position has us in Kushiro, Japan.  Tomorrow the TV shows us headed to Tokyo. 

 

We had lunch on the pool deck.  The music was a bit loud as we were seated close to the band but the bright sunshine and beverage overcame that.  We had lamb rotisserie which was very good.  Tomorrow we will try the pizza.  I look forward to that as we have become somewhat of reviewers of pizza at sea.  Hint - the secret is  in the crust, not the ingredients, but lets not get ahead of ourselves.

 

Preston

Looking forward to the Pizza review, from what I’ve been reading I can’t wait to try it.  Hope it;’s has good as they say.  Enjoy.

[PM1225]

Sea day 1 is in the books.  All was well but it clearly was one of the stranger weather days encountered.  Rain in the morning, bright sun at lunch heavy rain at tea time and a clear weather perfect sunset, again enjoyed from the Observation library. 

 

The captain's welcome reception was sparsely attended, and it was a formal night.  About 10% wore black tie and a large percentage wore at least a sport coat and tie.  Very few were seen without even a sport coat.

 

Dinner was Atlantide, which was 4 out of 5.  Service was great but there was a very loud party of 2 seated next to us which detracted from the ambience.

 

The show was excellent but I am beginning to see some Silversea differences when compared with SB, Regent, Crystal etc.  There is no live orchestra but rather a sound track to back them up.  These folks were good and the addition of a live orchestra would have greatly improved the experience.  It also looks like there are no guest or special entertainers.  No comedian, no sax player, magician etc.  We have seen loads of these shows over the years and they of course run the gambit from excellent to needing to be keel hauled.  Perhaps this is a sign of the times or perhaps this is always the  norm?

 

We did encounter our first Covid protocol that was found to be not so pleasant.  When you enter one of the shops, your are greeted with an employee with a 1 quart spray bottle that insists on spraying your hands.  Walk across the isle the the other shop, yes you get sprayed again....

 

The internet continues to be excellent.  I guess that I have the higher access speed as a perk of the room?  I find the app of my cruise . com to be useful.  Yesterday I mentioned that the system was confused .  Here is a screen shot of the system that does not know if we are in Alaska or Japan.

 

 

One note received from last nights welcome reception.  The passenger count of 279 was outnumbered by having just over 400 crew.  SS has apparently not cut back on the staff due to the lighter loads as a quick check of the internet shows a full crew compliment of 411.  Aboard Crystal in late July and early August crew members were being sent home to reduce costs.  Kudos to SS as the experience for the passenger is excellent but the accountants probably are having heartburn.

 

Pizza with drinks at lunch and perhaps a few pictures from around the ship which I find interesting.

 

Preston

[Lois R]

Hi Preston, thanks for the updates........FYI, if you find your table unappealing (for whatever reason), ask the Maitr'd to please move.....they are always willing to accommodate those requests. Especially with so few guests.....no need to stay seated near something/or someone that is putting a downer on your dinner. 

[rkacruiser]

3 hours ago, PM1225 said:

Dinner was Atlantide,

 

Enjoying reading your reports.  Thanks for taking the time and making the effort to do so. 

 

What did you have for dinner?  

[PM1225]

4 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

 

Enjoying reading your reports.  Thanks for taking the time and making the effort to do so. 

 

What did you have for dinner?  

Interesting question, I had the lobster and Nina had the Sea Bass.  Interesting because SS publishes the menus in advance and you are able to do research as to what or where you would like to eat.  Atlantide advertised that the lobster came fro Honduras, not Maine while several of the other restaurants had Maine Lobster.  Still I had it and it was good, though I should have asked for some extra butter.

Nina likes small portions.  She is not satisfied to order food and leave some behind so she asks for small portions (it comes from her father - I once saw him have a hissie because the CC brought him 2 pieces of fish, not the one he asked to be brought).  She asked for 1 piece of Sea Bass and that is exactly what they brought.  It really was small, appetizer sized, but she was happy.

 

And we did have the pizza for lunch.  I'll try it again but it does need some improvement.  The cruise line pizza score:

- The worst was "finest cuisine at sea"  Oceania.  The crust tasted and had the consistency of cardboard.  We took this to the French Hotel Director, and he agreed (pre-Covid).  The best was Crystal, (last month) where one could order pizza from Silk, the Asian (go figure) restaurant on the covered-over pool deck.  Regent made it hard to get pizza and I would rate SB the middle of the pack along with todays pizza.  I ordered it well done, but it seemed as if the cheese was barely melted and not piping hot.  I'm going to try it again with more specific instructions.  Interestingly, the crispy-est part of the crust was the edges which were done and tasty.   

 

We tried to get a reservation for La Dame tomorrow night but it was full..... wow a post Covid first a waiting list.  No problem, we will get in the following night at the least. 

 

It really sort of rubs us the wrong way to pay for the specialty restaurant.  We crossed the South Pacific on Oceania (top suite) and were all we had to do was let our butler know where we wished to dine (MDR or any of the 4 specialty venues) prior to noon.  No limit.  No extra charges.  Neither of us are Asian food fans so we won't be paying for the Japanese restaurant or be hitting the Indochine.  We are considering heading back to Hot Rocks the matre-de (I can't get that one close enough for spell check) is excellent and has promised to tuck us in out of the wind and under the heater. 

 

No cast show tonight, just one member of the cast with a specialty show in the lounge on deck 9.  Again, a hole that would normally be filled by a guest entertainer on similar lines.

 

Finally, a correction.  I said that there were a few travel agents on this cruise.  It seems that all that we have met are TAs.  We may be one of the few aboard paying full freight.

 

Preston

[cruisemaster6]

7 hours ago, PM1225 said:The cruise line pizza score:

- The worst was "finest cuisine at sea"  Oceania.  The crust tasted and had the consistency of cardboard.  We took this to the French Hotel Director, and he agreed (pre-Covid).  The best was Crystal, (last month) where one could order pizza from Silk, the Asian (go figure) restaurant on the covered-over pool deck.  Regent made it hard to get pizza and I would rate SB the middle of the pack along with todays pizza.  I ordered it well done, but it seemed as if the cheese was barely melted and not piping hot.  I'm going to try it again with more specific instructions.  Interestingly, the crispy-est part of the crust was the edges which were done and tasty.   

Preston,

 

Thanks for the ongoing review and update. As for the rest of the food on the ship, how would you rate it compared to Oceania, Crystal, Regent, and Seabourn.  IMO, Crystal has the best overall food variety and presentation.  However, I have to say Oceania provides excellent food quality for the per diems charged.  Enjoy the rest of your cruise!

[CJANDH]

12 hours ago, PM1225 said:

Neither of us are Asian food fans so we won't be paying for the Japanese restaurant or be hitting the Indochine. 

Indochine is Asian inspired, but has a pretty diverse menu. It is not busy, probably because Americans tend to shy away from Asian fare. However, we love it and the chef even prepared us an Indian family feast with a 24 hour advance order. Great! By the way, their crème brulee is so good it is worth the visit just for that.

[Stumblefoot]

3 hours ago, CJANDH said:

Indochine is Asian inspired, but has a pretty diverse menu. It is not busy, probably because Americans tend to shy away from Asian fare. However, we love it and the chef even prepared us an Indian family feast with a 24 hour advance order. Great! 

Shhh… don’t tell the Americans what they’re missing.  Like Les from the UK, we love the diversity of Indochine.  And, like you, had an incredible Indian meal there as well.  

[RJ2002]

17 minutes ago, Stumblefoot said:

Shhh… don’t tell the Americans what they’re missing.  Like Les from the UK, we love the diversity of Indochine.  And, like you, had an incredible Indian meal there as well.  

 

Not all Americans shy away from Asian cuisine.  😉

 

Really enjoying these reports from the Muse.  

[Observer]

16 hours ago, PM1225 said:

We tried to get a reservation for La Dame tomorrow night but it was full..... wow a post Covid first a waiting list.  No problem, we will get in the following night at the least. 

 

It really sort of rubs us the wrong way to pay for the specialty restaurant. 

 

I think others share your feelings about the surcharge for La Dame.  However, your post suggests the dilemma faced by SS.  I doubt they impose the charge primarily for extra revenue.  There is *very* little push for upcharging on SS.  Instead, I imagine the charge is designed to limit uptake of this wonderful restaurant.  If it were a "free good" it would be packed every night, lots of people would be turned away or it would have to be substantially enlarged, and in the latter case the quality of the preparation/presentation/service might well suffer.

[Fort_Worth]

My wife and I are aboard this sailing. I won’t repeat what’s been posted but perhaps add some “flavoring”.

 

Based on the tour group I saw, I would estimate 60 of the 280 passengers are travel agents. I can’t imagine that SS is very pleased with the lukewarm customer response to these sailings. 
 

We were at Indochine last night for the first time. Can’t fathom the connection between an Asian-themed restaurant and an entree of Osso Buco. But hey, everything in the world is upside down. We both had the fantastic Creme Brûlée for desert. 
 

We thought La Dame was excellent. In the grand scheme, $60/couple seems reasonable.

 

Ship is beautiful. Our closet comparison point is the Seabourn Quest and there is no comparison. 
 

Not too impressed with shipboard entertainment. Seabourn was much better.

 

We’re happy to be sailing again. But if I had known I’d be required to wear a mask onboard, I would have never booked the cruise. We’re booked on a 22-night Iceland/Norway btb cruise on the Moon in May 2022. I have until mid-Jan to cancel and will do so if things don’t stabilize by then. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[A Tucson Guy]

I thought La Dame was $60 per person.

[Fort_Worth]

30 minutes ago, A Tucson Guy said:

I thought La Dame was $60 per person.

You’re correct. My bad.

Edited September 12, 2021 by Fort_Worth

[Stumblefoot]

3 hours ago, RJ2002 said:

Not all Americans shy away from Asian cuisine.  😉

 

I know… we love it!  But, in my defense, I like ALL food. 😆

 

I’m just trying to keep my fellow Americans who are unadventurous at bay so we can always get a table whenever we like. 😉

Edited September 12, 2021 by Stumblefoot

[Mocamps]

Hi,

 

Can I please ask if there are any hot rumours onboard about what's happening to Muse after this cruise?

 

Our 17th November cruise from Hong Kong to Singapore cruise still hasn't been cancelled despite everything being waitlisted until the end of March.......so we're almost certain it won't happen. I'm really keen to book a replacement cruise (and have my eye on an Antarctic one (though I'm not sure what we'd do if Chile remains on the red list!)  but my husband isn't willing to give Silversea even more of our money if they hang onto it like this despite knowing the cruise won't happen!

[jollyjones]

As I’ve already posted, the info I got from the Cruise Consultant onboard is that the Muse is going into layup at Manila until at least November, probably December.