Just off the Nova

[poinsettiaplate]

I just completed a 32-day b2b on the Nova and have submitted a review in that section of CruiseCritic.  It will be a few days before they actually 'print' it.  Based on the others I read, I think mine is quite balanced and helpful.

[Host Jazzbeau]

6 hours ago, poinsettiaplate said:

I just completed a 32-day b2b on the Nova and have submitted a review in that section of CruiseCritic.  It will be a few days before they actually 'print' it.  Based on the others I read, I think mine is quite balanced and helpful.

Many of us here on the Boards part of Cruise Critic don't read the Reviews part – because there are so many one-post-wonders there.  Could you copy your review (or retype it) and post it here?  Thanks!

[Gourmet Gal]

Can they just create a link?

[taxatty]

https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=714306

 

[agape01]

@poinsettiaplate hope you don't mind me just copying and paste your written review here so that it would be much easier for forum members to read.

"

I took this 32-day b2b in order to do two complete transits of the Panama Canal, one from each direction. It did not disappoint.

The ship – All I can say is wow! The Silver Nova is a brand-new ship with a beautiful layout and décor. It was a small ship, easy to get around, did not feel crowded anywhere. The artwork was beautiful. It had all kinds of interesting design features. The public areas were open and light. Every cabin had a balcony so there was only one hallway per floor. There were glass elevators on the sides of the ship, one on the port side and one on the starboard side. When getting off an elevator, one always turned to same way to go to one’s cabin; no need to look around confusedly for the sign showing which cabin numbers were which way. The hot tub was like an infinity pool. The swimming pool was on one side of the deck, not in the middle. All of the seating on the outer decks was ocean-oriented; there was plenty of comfortable, shaded seating as well as more deck loungers than passengers. This was the most handicapped accessible ship I have ever been on, with elevators to every deck, lots of ramps, automated doors everywhere, separate specifically designated restrooms on every public deck. For a disabled person, the only drawback would have been the gangways at most ports; they were not easily negotiable.

The ports and shore excursions – This was a somewhat interesting itinerary. We went to twelve ports, three of which were duplicates, three were overnights; there were thirteen sea days, plus two transits of the Canal. We were the only ship in most places. It was too many sea days, even for me. In nine ports, we did not depart until 11 P.M.; this also seemed a little excessive, since there was not a lot to do and some ports were not really safe at night.

SilverSea includes shore excursions as a part of the cruise price. The number and quality were good for the most part; it depended on where we were since most of the ports were not set up for cruise ships. I took eight of them, several marginal ones and only one unsatisfactory. Most of the half-day excursions had morning and afternoon departure times.

There were a few excursions at additional cost. The best excursion I took was one of these: S.A.L.T. A to Z Panamanian Culinary Experience – visit to a fish market, a town square with crafters and crafts, the A to Z Venue for an eleven-course lunch with a wonderful narrative by the chef/owner. It was incredibly pricy but well worth it.

The cabins – Just as on the Dawn, this was the biggest standard verandah cabin I have ever had; it must have been three to four feet longer than any other ship’s. The lighting was very good and the AC was excellent. The AC turned off when the balcony door was opened. There was a walk-in closet with a chest of drawers; a large bathroom with a fantastically large shower, long counter, two big drawers and six shelves; a good-sized desk and a giant TV; a separate vanity with jewelry drawer; plenty of drawers and shelves everywhere, all of which had the latest automatic closing system. This cabin was definitely adequate for more than one person.

The entertainment and activities –There were desktop computers available; every cabin had a tablet as well as interactive TV. In addition, one could request a hard-copy two-page chronicle of events and activities to be delivered every night for the next day and a hard-copy news digest. There was a library with a small collection. There was a very small casino, which was not used much.

The inhouse singers and dancers, the house band, and the guest performers were excellent; there were one or two shows every night. There was a hosted Solo Traveler’s Group every night; two of the cruise director’s staff were always there. In addition to S.A.L.T. cooking classes, there were S.A.L.T. cooking demonstrations which were very good and based on the food where we were.

The enrichment lecturers were excellent and covered a wide range of topics from health to world affairs, the Canal, the history of the indigenous populations of various South American countries.

The restaurants and food – There was a buffet and two table service restaurants for breakfast. There was a buffet and three table service restaurants for lunch, including on port days – a real plus not often found on most ships. There were seven specialty restaurants for dinner, two with open seating, two with hefty upcharges. There was no buffet at dinner. Dinner service began at 7:00 and the last seating was at 9:30. Except for the Japanese restaurant, the menus partially or completely changed every three days. The upcharges on La Dame and Kaiseki were double what they were on the Dawn and were not really worth it because the other restaurants were so good.

There was also a S.A.L.T. Chef’s Table, with an even heftier upcharge. It was an eleven-course tasting menu prepared tableside with narrative by the chef, a cocktail and two wines. It was an interesting experience but, again, not worth the upcharge.

The Japanese restaurant needs to be eliminated unless it can be revised. The menus never changed. There were not a lot of choices. It was definitely not authentic Japanese, nor even what is currently considered Japanese American. Many dishes did not match the menu descriptions. The raw fish was not acceptable from the first day. At lunch, the sushi chef made the rolls and sliced the sashimi in advance and let it sit on an open counter with no refrigeration and no cover for the entirety of lunch. After one dinner and two lunches, I would not go again.

For the most part, the food was very good to excellent. Some restaurant concepts were very innovative. I particularly enjoyed SALT Kitchen and Atlantide. The bread and butter, ice cream, vegetarian dishes, curry dishes, cheese, fruit were excellent. The coffee was very good. Caviar was available every night in Atlantide. The wines were very good to excellent. SALT Kitchen was particularly innovative. La Terrazza, the upscale Italian restaurant, had some good menus but was not consistent. One of the highlights for me: popcorn could be ordered from room service at any time.

For each 16-day segment of the cruise, there were two formal nights; the rest were informal. Some restaurants had more upscale dress codes.

The service was exceptional everywhere.

Intangibles –

My chemical and scent instruction actually made it to the ship.

I was designated a VIP and my laundry was comped even though I do not have enough days on SS to qualify under their regular rewards program. It was a nice touch.

No luggage tags were provided; I made my own.

They need to have wedges for the beds for those who request them.

The embarkation was a disaster; due to a last-minute schedule change for the ship, almost the whole ship’s passengers were to be processed at the same time. They completely blew it on planning, staffing and organization. What should have taken a few minutes took four hours with the luggage delivery after another two and a half hours.

The Blacklane driver who came to the port left before I got off the ship.

It was only with the help of one of their other drivers that I was able to get another driver to get home. Obviously I probably will not do door-to-door again.

I would do this ship or any other in its class anytime."

 

Edited April 22 by agape01

[poinsettiaplate]

Thanks,Agape01.  I was going to do this tonight.  

 

The only thing missing are the dates:  March 15-April 16, 2024.

[Dallas Aggie]

@agape01 thanks for the detailed review.  3 1/2 weeks until we board so really enjoyed the details you shared and really getting excited.  Can you share who the cruise director was on your cruise?  Just curious.

[agape01]

36 minutes ago, Dallas Aggie said:

@agape01 thanks for the detailed review.  3 1/2 weeks until we board so really enjoyed the details you shared and really getting excited.  Can you share who the cruise director was on your cruise?  Just curious.

 

This is @poinsettiaplate's cruise.

 

I merely copy and pasted his original review on the cruise critic website into the forum.

[poinsettiaplate]

Cruise was JP Allman (sp) -- one of the best I have ever encountered.  As was his whole staff.