Questions... Children, Formal Dress, Smoking, more???

[joseph123]

Hello, 

I am considering a Silverseas cruise in the Caribbean sailing out of San Juan this winter and have a few questions that I am hoping to get answered prior to booking. I have taken many main stream cruise line cruises and am looking for a less crowded, smaller ship for a more relaxing and peaceful cruise experience. Me and my partner are men in our early 60's and want to determine if Silverseas will be a good fit for us. We are also considering Viking Ocean, but the cost is a bit higher and they don't do 7 day cruises, which we are looking for. This is a big investment for us, so what to make sure we make the right decision.

Here are my questions:

Children- No offense, but we are looking for a relaxing, tranquil pool experience while on board and usually when there are children they dominate the pool areas. I would think there would be less children on Silverseas but they are allowed, unlike Viking. Any comments from past cruisers as to their experiences here?

Smoking- Was surprised to read in reviews that smoking was so prevalent on Silverseas. Will I be bothered by smoke? Do people smoke on balconies? Open deck areas? Is it a bother? As a former smoker, I really can't stand to be subject to this, but could tolerate if it is well controlled.

Formal Attire- We hung up our formal attire some time back and have vowed to only be smart casual while on vacation- meaning no jackets for us! I understand that there will only be one 1 formal night on a 7 day cruise, but on that night and other semi-formal nights will we feel very out of place and banished to our rooms? Would be interested in hearing what others feel album this. Viking seems far less formal and more our speed, but not a fit for the cruise we are looking to take. Will just want to make sure the ship is not over the top formal and we would feel out of place.

WIFI- Is wifi free? I have read some reports of poor connections. Need to be connected while on board even though on vacation, so that is impotent to us.

Drinks- Are all drinks free or is there a charge for more exotic drinks and premium wines, etc?

Thanks all!

[dawntrdr]

Welcome to the SS Board!  I'm sure many folks will offer their views, but this is my experience:

 

1.  Children - I have never cruised on SS in the Caribbean, but I have never seen a single child onboard (other than one toddler who was a relative of an officer and who was seldom seen and behaved impeccably).  I suspect that the number of children onboard would be tied to whether the voyage occurred during a school vacation period, so you may want to consider that in your planning.  

 

2.  Smoking -  there is a smoking area on one side of the pool, which we have found easy to avoid.  On the Moon (and Dawn), there is an outside area for the Connoisseurs Club but we did not note any smoke travelling from there on the Moon.  You've already noted that there are various experiences with smoke reported on these boards;  I've never sniffed smoke anywhere in the rooms or verandas.

 

3. Attire:  On formal nights, spiffy attire is only required in the Main Dining Room (and possibly LaDame, but I have no personal knowledge of that).  You will not be alone!  Nevertheless, I always urge my DH to bring a jacket in case everyone else has one . . .

 

4.  Regular WiFi is free.  Both I and DH have had to work on board and never had problems with documents, email or websites.  If you like streaming video or video calls, that could be an issue.

 

5.  all fancy drinks are included (and they do excel at these), although I expect there is an upcharge for really premier spirits and of course, wines off the wine list.  They also have numerous options for the daily (complementary) wine offering so you need never have to look at the list.

[joseph123]

Thanks so much for the detailed response. My main concern is feeling out of place if not dressed formally. Hopefully since this would a Caribbean cruise it would be a bit more relaxed than others and more would be a bit more casually, tropically chic dressed. I did read one post that said a jacket would be required in any of the public spaces onboard, which would be a bit troubling. I would not want to be holed up in my cabin in the evenings.

[1985rz1]

2 hours ago, joseph123 said:

Hello, 

I am considering a Silverseas cruise in the Caribbean sailing out of San Juan this winter and have a few questions...

 

Formal Attire- We hung up our formal attire some time back and have vowed to only be smart casual while on vacation- meaning no jackets for us! I understand that there will only be one 1 formal night on a 7 day cruise, but on that night and other semi-formal nights will we feel very out of place and banished to our rooms? Would be interested in hearing what others feel album this. Viking seems far less formal and more our speed, but not a fit for the cruise we are looking to take. Will just want to make sure the ship is not over the top formal and we would feel out of place.

 

This piece is from the Silversea web site.  You may want to note the suggestions about jackets on informal nights and in the public spaces in the evenings.

 

Clothing Suggestions – Shipboard Attire

Shipboard attire ranges from casual to formal. Casual wear is appropriate for daytime aboard ship or ashore and consists of standard sports outfits as worn at five-star resorts. Shoes should be flat or low heeled for deck activities. Evening attire falls into three categories: casual, informal and formal. On casual evenings, pants, blouses, skirts and casual dresses for ladies; open-neck shirts and slacks for gentlemen are appropriate. On informal evenings, ladies usually wear dresses or pantsuits; gentlemen wear jackets (tie optional). Appropriate formal evening wear for ladies is an evening gown or cocktail dress; gentlemen wear tuxedos, dinner jackets or dark suits. Tie is required.

On formal nights, guests may dine in La Terrazza and choose to dress informal; dresses or pantsuits for ladies, jackets for gentlemen (tie optional). This option also applies to Seishin and Stars on board Silver Spirit. Dining at The Grill is optional casual
all nights. Following dinner, all guests are free to take advantage of any or all public spaces, however, jacket is required. Sailings of 9 days or less typically feature 1 formal night, while longer voyages usually have 2-3 formal nights. Details will be provided in your final cruise documents, but the chart below provides a basic guideline to assist in packing the proper attire.

Please note: On 7 day sailings in the Baltic, Mediterranean and
Alaska, formal night is always optional; guests may choose to
dress informal, a jacket is required for gentlemen.

Evening Dress Code*   
Number of Cruise Days -> Formal -> Informal -> Casual
4 -> 1 -> 2 -> 1
5 -> 1 -> 3 -> 1
6 -> 1 -> 3 -> 2
7 -> 1 -> 3 -> 3
8 -> 1 -> 4 -> 3
9 -> 1 -> 5 -> 3
10 -> 2 -> 5 -> 3
11 -> 2 -> 6 -> 3
12 -> 2 -> 6 -> 4
13 -> 2 -> 7 -> 4
14 -> 3 -> 7 -> 4
15 -> 3 -> 8 -> 4
16 -> 3 -> 8 -> 5
17 -> 3 -> 9 -> 5
18 -> 3 -> 10 -> 5
19 -> 3 -> 10 -> 6
20 -> 3 -> 11 -> 6

*This information is for your guidance only and is subject to change.

[fudgbug]

JMO - formal wear doesn't make the food and drink taste better and who really wants to bring a jacket or evening gown for a 7 day cruise?

 

[ronrick1943]

4 minutes ago, fudgbug said:

JMO - formal wear doesn't make the food and drink taste better and who really wants to bring a jacket or evening gown for a 7 day cruise?

 

Agree, it’s seems like SS is behind the times—i one day they will realize they have to deal with new cruisers as times have changed,.  Most other luxury lines are already doing that,  SS needs to wake up.

[joseph123]

I get that some people really want to get dressed up and don't want to see the traditions of more formal dress go away, but will there be some that choose not to on SS? It is a small ship and I don't want to feel really out of place. From others who have sailed, any thoughts? 

[fudge]

I think once you start to lower the standards where do you draw the line, shorts and t shirt?  Any old kind of wear, jeans?

[machotspur]

This exact subject is being discussed on a roll call - a 7 day cruise next week where 'My Silversea' is stating that there are no formal nights.

 

My enquiries to Silversea London today brought the following response ...

 

During all our cruises there is at least one formal night. In this case it is a 7 day cruise, so guests will have 1 formal night, usually on the second day, or on sea day (if there is in the itinerary).

 So yes, guests need to bring a formal suite.

 

All I need to do now is seek out one of these 'formal suite' pieces of attire 😉

[A Tucson Guy]

Dark suit and works for me. Ladies can get away with many things- check search By no means  Ladies do NOT need to wear a formal gown and men don't need tuxedos!!

[Silver Spectre]

4 hours ago, ronrick1943 said:

Agree, it’s seems like SS is behind the times—i one day they will realize they have to deal with new cruisers as times have changed,.  Most other luxury lines are already doing that,  SS needs to wake up.

Absolutely not true, SS appeals to a particular clientele that does not include the country club casual nouveau riche, there is plenty of space on Regent if that’s your bag.

[joseph123]

So sounds as if I am not going to fit in here? This was not a debate on a policy change. I am asking these questions to determine if I should book this cruise. From the sounds of many of these posts, it does not seem that smartly casual attire would be welcome on any nights other than the casual dedicated evenings. If there are others that would disagree please let me know.

 

[Tothesunset]

To answer the title of the thread I can honestly say we have never on SS seen children smoking in formal dress. 

 

You're welcome. 

[ronrick1943]

3 hours ago, fudge said:

I think once you start to lower the standards where do you draw the line, shorts and t shirt?  Any old kind of wear, jeans?

I’m not so sure, Regent is doing a great job on dress code-and no jeans.

[ronrick1943]

32 minutes ago, Silver Spectre said:

Absolutely not true, SS appeals to a particular clientele that does not include the country club casual nouveau riche, there is plenty of space on Regent if that’s your bag.

Time changes—people change and why are so many people asking this question about a less formal wear.  As the older crowd (me include) leave - things will change.  I don’t mine dressing up, but when I do it I want the items I wear to look up dated—-Some of the guest wearing old design formal wear just don’t look good—-it’s time to retire some of those outfits we see on the ship. Just an opinon.

[gogo65]

1 hour ago, joseph123 said:

So sounds as if I am not going to fit in here? This was not a debate on a policy change. I am asking these questions to determine if I should book this cruise. From the sounds of many of these posts, it does not seem that smartly casual attire would be welcome on any nights other than the casual dedicated evenings. If there are others that would disagree please let me know.

 

Joseph I’m with you,

we’ve done one SS cruise but it was an expedition. We are considering a 15 day traditional cruise but as we will be traveling for 8 weeks, we have no inclination to bring formal wear.

I’m considering how many nights we will not be able to attend the main dining room, and instead have dinner in the room or grill.

I know my husband will not take a jacket and the most I’ll do is a nice top and pants.

The itinerary is right, the dates fit our time line but just not sure we want to be banished to our room because our holiday plans don’t fit with SS dress code.

 

[ronrick1943]

35 minutes ago, gogo65 said:

Joseph I’m with you,

we’ve done one SS cruise but it was an expedition. We are considering a 15 day traditional cruise but as we will be traveling for 8 weeks, we have no inclination to bring formal wear.

I’m considering how many nights we will not be able to attend the main dining room, and instead have dinner in the room or grill.

I know my husband will not take a jacket and the most I’ll do is a nice top and pants.

The itinerary is right, the dates fit our time line but just not sure we want to be banished to our room because our holiday plans don’t fit with SS dress code.

 

Nicely stated, and as SS does market research they may find that to fill the ship they need to update the rules to fill the ships.

[Host Jazzbeau]

I booked SS for New Zealand because they were the first to release 2024 dates.  If New Zealand really does ever open up again, I may take the cancellation fee hit and switch to another cruise line whose dress code better fits my and DW's lifestyle.

[RachelG]

Ok, here goes.  We have over 125 days on Silversea, mostly on the expedition ship, but on some of the regular ones as well.

 

Children— very few and 99% very well behaved including the adorable toddler of one of the captains.  The exception—the infamous child of a relative of Manfredi back in the day when he actually owned Silversea. Nico was a terror, screaming in the dining room, totally out of control and uncared for by his parents.  I think those days are probably long gone now, thank heavens.

 

formal night—I love, my husband hates.  I have been known to wear a formal gown while he wears slacks, dress shirt and sports coat, and nobody said anything.  I just like dressing up.

 

wifi—free, and adequate for me to work everyday 

 

drinks—all included and good unless you want some super premium port, etc

 

smoking—nobody smokes on their balcony or in the suites, but I have encountered a little smoke smell outside on the decks.  There are designated smoking areas, and these are enforced, but lots of the ships officers still smoke unfortunately.  I hate breathing cigarette smoke, but it is not bad enough to be a deal breaker for me.

[Silver Spectre]

Well said @RachelGand it’s true that days of ‘Screaming Nico’ seem long gone.

[rojaan19]

Jeez,  how hard is it to  pack,  a jacket,  a pair of dark  trousers, and a tie  !!! 

 

When  we cruise we usually travel  for at least 6-8 weeks, a cruise somewhere in that time,   and we schelp our luggage  from Australia.  I like dressing up, I like Silverseas,  I dont see a problem  with formal  nights.  If JP and Chris can  do  with Hand Carry Only ( and they look  mighty spiffy on formal  nights ) I really cant see what all the fuss is about.  

There is a formal night.  Dress appropriately.  Or sit at the Grill.

[turtlemichael]

2 hours ago, rojaan19 said:

Jeez,  how hard is it to  pack,  a jacket,  a pair of dark  trousers, and a tie  !!! 

 

When  we cruise we usually travel  for at least 6-8 weeks, a cruise somewhere in that time,   and we schelp our luggage  from Australia.  I like dressing up, I like Silverseas,  I dont see a problem  with formal  nights.  If JP and Chris can  do  with Hand Carry Only ( and they look  mighty spiffy on formal  nights ) I really cant see what all the fuss is about.  

There is a formal night.  Dress appropriately.  Or sit at the Grill.

I have to say too I don't get that anyone would dismiss a cruise line based on the dress code. But we are all different. I'm much more likely to consider itineraries, food, ambiance, standards, cost etc. But that is just me. 

Edited March 22, 2022 by turtlemichael

[MBP&O2/O]

We chose SS because of the more stringent dress code ... each to his own?

[joseph123]

So to address my question regarding this topic...

Sounds like I would need to wear an obligatory jacket on at least 4 of the 7 nights of my Caribbean cruise or eat only in my cabin and not be able to enjoy the public lounges on the ship in the evening? This is what I am trying to be clear on.

If so, I will book elsewhere.

Not sure what all the fuss is about, I can see people being concerned about relaxing the policy to the point where people might show up in shorts and t-shirts, but hey, If we are judging style here I would put my smart casual attire up against some that I have seen on formal nights in their stodgy old suits any day-- and I think I would probably look better!
Hey folks, beauty (and style) is in the eye of the beholder!

[HPfoodie]

2 minutes ago, joseph123 said:

Not sure what all the fuss is about, I can see people being concerned about relaxing the policy to the point where people might show up in shorts and t-shirts, but hey, If we are judging style here I would put my smart casual attire up against some that I have seen on formal nights in their stodgy old suits any day-- and I think I would probably look better!
Hey folks, beauty (and style) is in the eye of the beholder!

I agree with you. I have seen it mentioned elsewhere that some of these old tuxes are past their best.And I don't get why it says 'dark suit'. We are sailing the Med very soon and my husband will be taking his little worn light linen 3 piece - bought for a very stylish wedding in Greece a year or so ago. I do believe that the 7 day Med cruises are optional formal.