Any positives to cruising on a maiden voyage ?

[machotspur]

As posted a few weeks ago Mrs Machotspur & I have unwittingly found ourselves on the maiden voyage of the Dawn, now commencing in Lisbon on 1st April (a very unwelcome situation for some I know).

 

We have always been conscious of the potential negatives of a maiden voyage - teething problems etc - but are there any tangible positives ? 

 

Will anything 'special' take place, or will it be treated like any other cruise ?    

 

In any case - I can't help feeling that it isn't a 'proper' maiden voyage, due to the the cruise full of travel agents taking place before the 'proper' guests come onboard 😠 

 

    

[cruiseej]

And since there are inevitably some problems and teething pains on a first voyage of any new ship, why would Silversea want to make that first trip with a boat full of travel agents? Any flaws or problems will be magnified because the travel agents will post about it and share it with their clients. Why not have the travel agents onboard a month or so into service, when any ship issues have been resolved or worked around and the crew is operating at full proficiency?

 

(Sorry, @machotspur that doesn't address the question you asked.)

[WesW]

Machotspur; am also on this Dawn voyage and the next (Barcelona to Rome).  We were on the Spirit's maiden crossing in January 2010.  We (along with Dougburns) enjoyed being the first couple to renew their vows on the bridge with the Captain and CD.

 

The Captain (Angelo Corsaro, now retired) invited me on the bridge when the Spirit docked first in the Caribbean.  He then proudly showed me the plaque the Mayor of the island gave him for the first time the Spirit docked at the island.

 

We received a Spirit inaugural carry on bag that my wife immediately made her own.

 

Besides this fond memories and nice memento, almost all passengers enjoyed the new ship "vibe" and were excited to be on board.

 

The one consistency (important) from our Maiden crossing 12 years ago to the Maiden Dawn voyage is the Hotel Director then (Paolo Percivale) will be the Dawn Hotel Director.

 

See you on board!

[Daveywavey70]

🤐

[Silver Spectre]

4 hours ago, machotspur said:

As posted a few weeks ago Mrs Machotspur & I have unwittingly found ourselves on the maiden voyage of the Dawn, now commencing in Lisbon on 1st April (a very unwelcome situation for some I know).

 

We have always been conscious of the potential negatives of a maiden voyage - teething problems etc - but are there any tangible positives ? 

 

Will anything 'special' take place, or will it be treated like any other cruise ?    

 

In any case - I can't help feeling that it isn't a 'proper' maiden voyage, due to the the cruise full of travel agents taking place before the 'proper' guests come onboard 😠 

 

    

Simple answer, no. We haven’t been on a maiden voyage but know friends who have had bad experiences, but we have been on after a dry or wet dock, and all have been poor. There is always snagging going on.

[ronrick1943]

Why would you want to go—-just never want that as a cruise.

[les37b]

Hopefully there are no positives.... I will never get my head around negative is good and positive is bad.... But 10 days in jail probably soon focus the terms! (sorry couldn't resist!) lol

 

I suspect that given numbers currently travelling, you may find not having a ship full, will help with some of the teething problems. If there are suite problems, you'll be able to move to another.

 

If I were booked on it, I probably would stick, but I certainly wouldn't invest now as a new booking.

 

Is there any official reason the Moon took over for the Dawn's South America season? The crew mentioned something about there being a warehouse fire destroying goods intended for the Dawn in Ancona. Funnily, I also learned the Moon photo I posted from September 2019 in Ancona, contained not just the near completed Moon, but the bow section already started of the Dawn.

 

 

 

 

[Stumblefoot]

6 minutes ago, les37b said:

Is there any official reason the Moon took over for the Dawn's South America season?

The Dawn was delayed.

[les37b]

5 minutes ago, Stumblefoot said:

The Dawn was delayed.

 

Ok, I probably worded that badly.

 

Was it the warehouse fire I was told about that caused the delay? I suspect the answer is an obvious yes. Just wasn't aware of that event until speaking to crew on the Moon who were in Ancona when it happened.

[Stumblefoot]

9 minutes ago, les37b said:

Was it the warehouse fire I was told about that caused the delay?

No idea about a fire.  All I know is the ship builder claimed a contractual force majeure.

 

Ask Wes. As you may remember, he was adamant the Dawn was going to sail on time based on his senior management contacts and relationship with the Hotel Director who was on site at the shipyard.

[scottjeanne]

We have been unwittingly on two maiden voyages and one first cruise after a retro fit.  None were Silver Seas.  The Disney inaugural voyage was okay.  They  had not figured out all the stocking issues (ran out of non caffeinated soda, like 7up or Sprite), we had Mary Kate and Ashley on the cruise and they were obnoxious.  On a Holland America inaugural, they had all the bigwigs on board for a short round trip Venice cruise which then sailed on a longer Adriatic cruise.  Some of the events were very cool.  They had a glass wall that we signed with a special pen and is now part of the décor.  They had a bell ringing ceremony on a special platform over the pool with champagne and pictures.

 

The voyage after the retro fit was a disaster from start to finish.  The construction was not done.  We were held in the pier embarkation lounge for 5 hours while they stocked the ship and cleaned up the construction debris.  The crew had worked overnight and were exhausted.  They threw things everywhere, so some days we had orange juice but no tomato juice.  The next day was the opposite.  There was a raft of norovirus, so there was no buffets.  The entertainers became the servers.  Swine flu hit Mexico, so they canceled all the Mexican ports.  We lost an engine, so they canceled Cartagena so we could make our Panama canal time, but they would not let us through so we reversed and went back to Cartagena.  The pools were closed as they were not finished.  When they finally opened in San Diego, they flooded the dining room below.  One passenger refused to go through passport control in San Diego, so no one could disembark.  Everyone missed their plane except those of us who were staying on until Vancouver.

On the other hand, with mainly sea days and great entertainers, we had an absolutely marvelous 30 day cruise.  They did refund most of the money we paid, it was that bad. It was just a perfect storm.  some of it was due to the fact that it was the first cruise after a retro fit.  some was just other factors that added up to the difficulties.

 

Not a lot different from today with Covid.  Ha

 

[machotspur]

On 2/11/2022 at 8:12 PM, WesW said:

Machotspur; am also on this Dawn voyage and the next (Barcelona to Rome).  We were on the Spirit's maiden crossing in January 2010.  We (along with Dougburns) enjoyed being the first couple to renew their vows on the bridge with the Captain and CD.

 

The Captain (Angelo Corsaro, now retired) invited me on the bridge when the Spirit docked first in the Caribbean.  He then proudly showed me the plaque the Mayor of the island gave him for the first time the Spirit docked at the island.

 

We received a Spirit inaugural carry on bag that my wife immediately made her own.

 

Besides this fond memories and nice memento, almost all passengers enjoyed the new ship "vibe" and were excited to be on board.

 

The one consistency (important) from our Maiden crossing 12 years ago to the Maiden Dawn voyage is the Hotel Director then (Paolo Percivale) will be the Dawn Hotel Director.

 

See you on board!

 

 

Wes - thank you so much for taking the time to respond to my original post, particularly to include your & Mrs W's lovely memories - I appreciate it.

 

It was never our plan to be aboard for the maiden cruise of Silver Dawn. As you are aware the naughty goings on which resulted in the TA being pulled, created the situation of the inaugural cruise now commencing in Lisbon. Having said that it is what it is and not having been on a maiden voyage before we see it as an 'experience' to enjoy - irrespective of any potential shortcomings.

 

As noted in my post we are quite familiar with what the 'teething problems' could be - on a new cruise ship, a restaurant, or a sports stadium. We will roll with it (influenced by the 'glass half full' approach that shines through in many of your posts !).

 

The key question I was asking in my post was if anything 'special' took place that made the maiden cruise stand out. You alone answered that question for me - thank you.

 

As you have said - we too hope to meet you onboard. You and Mrs W (Ida if I may) are at a disadvantage in that your trip reports and excellent photo's make you instantly recognisable ! So there is no hiding from Mr & Mrs Machotspur  😀😉

 

Stay safe !