Muse Alaska 5/27 - 6/6

[Will Work for Tiramisu]

BB,

I appreciate the difficulty of sorting through the comments, and your concern as to whether you have made a dire mistake signing up for your cruise.  I've now done 6 cruises on SS, as well as 3 on other lines, so know a little bit.  SS is in the top tier.  People who work on the ship are almost without exception wonderful - kind, caring, interesting, and want to help you have a good experience.  The ships are in good shape, run by professionals who know what they are doing, and almost never run aground.  This forum, like every other one for cruise ships, can give you the impression things are borderline horrible.  They are not.  Is the food as good as anything you've had on shore?  No, but it ain't bad.  Take these comments from naysayers with a grain of salt.  You will have a chance to have a wonderful time at sea, and if you look for the best experiences and sort out what is important, you will have a wonderful time.  I wish you all the best, and Bon Voyage.  

[dawntrdr]

@BBGrace273, as someone with 9 SS cruises (and several on other lines), I agree with WWFT. In reading on-line reviews, you have to take the long view and watch the history of posting before taking comments seriously.   Any long-time reader/poster on Cruise Critic has seen numerous posters saying "I'll never sail SS again" and then you see them a year later talking about their next SS reservation.  Some of the negative posts you see are people who have only been on one SS cruise and did not have a bad experience (in that they got what they paid for) but came in with expectations (realistic or not) that weren't met.  A substantial number of posters are fans of other lines and not surprisingly find that SS does not measure up to their favorite, pointing out differences which might make a big difference to you according to your individual tastes.  Some people post right after something happens and they are angry, but later realize it wasn't such a big thing and can't change the post.  I've even seen people criticize SS policies and practices (such as the dress code) before they've even been on one SS cruise! 

 

These are all valid opinions/feelings, but you have to consider the context.

 

And always remember, there are always some posters who  who enjoy controversy and write things just to push other people's buttons.  

 

The Nova is a beautiful ship and you will have a great time, and don't let anyone steal the joy of anticipation.

 

[alainciao]

10 hours ago, BBGrace273 said:

Nothing super specific... just all the people making complaints, and that they'll never go on SS again. It's concerning since this is kinda a trip of a lifetime cruise, and I feel more and more like I made a terrible mistake for the cost.

We enjoyed our cruise.  The food is good, the wine is plentiful and the service from our butler, housekeeper and the crew in general was excellent.  I did not like the Arts Cafe setup but that was a minor issue.  If I wanted coffee quickly (and I do) I went to the Observation lounge and enjoyed the forward view with a few other like-minded cruisers.  If I wanted food, La Terraza was open with a nice buffet, or you could order.  Love the Panorama Lounge and the Dusk Bar.  If you are on a warm weather cruise you will love the Nova outside areas, both for relaxing and dining.  The entertainment at 10 was too late for me.  Also, the Venetian lounge does not have the best theater configuration.   The shows I did attend were fine with talented singers and dancers.  We had a good lecturer on our Alaska cruise.  All in all, a good cruise.  As others have said, it is largely about managing expectations as well as your own ability to roll with any small issues.😀

[highplanesdrifters]

@RetiredandTravel.  Not sure if you mentioned it - where are you headed next?  Inquiring minds. 😃

Edited Monday at 02:44 PM by highplanesdrifters

[RetiredandTravel]

34 minutes ago, highplanesdrifters said:

@RetiredandTravel.  Not sure if you mentioned it - where are you headed next?  Inquiring minds. 😃

 

Hey.  Next cruise Australia/NZ (North & South)  on the Nova.  Six days in Australia prior.

 

When's your next expedition?

 

[highplanesdrifters]

Just now, RetiredandTravel said:

 

Hey.  Next cruise Australia/NZ (North & South)  on the Nova.  Six days in Australia prior.

 

When's your next expedition?

 

Ohhhh, sounds lovely.  Been thinking about heading back in that direction. What are you doing in Oz if I may ask? 

 

For us, September on Seabourn Pursuit.  Our longest yet, 40 days, Guam to Santiago. I'm thinking of it as a vacation at a beach resort, lots of sea days. 🏝🦀🍹

[RetiredandTravel]

Three days in Melbourne and three in Sydney.  We are taking the 18 hr Qantas DFW>MEL which arrives ~6AM, not sure we will do a whole lot the first day.  I've done some investigating but haven't decided exactly we will do.   This is a 22 day trip (w/o travel) also our longest, not sure I could handle 40 days.  We are very disciplined at home with food, drink and excercise.  When I travel it all goes out the window, I put on 10lbs in 14 days in Alaska.  I will have to change my approach if we start going on longer trips.  Stop acting like Bluto. 😇

 

 

[BBGrace273]

5 hours ago, alainciao said:

1) The food is good, the wine is plentiful and the service from our butler, housekeeper and the crew in general was excellent. 

I have read "horror" stories about butlers being terrible. I wouldn't even know what to ask about!

5 hours ago, alainciao said:

2) If I wanted coffee quickly (and I do) I went to the Observation lounge and enjoyed the forward view with a few other like-minded cruisers. 

I found out after the fact that this is a bridge cruise. I have read that the Observation lounge is mostly unusable on these voyages. (Although I can't imagine that being the case in the early am!)

5 hours ago, alainciao said:

 3)Love the Panorama Lounge and the Dusk Bar.  If you are on a warm weather cruise you will love the Nova outside areas, both for relaxing and dining. 

Sadly, this is the big one. All the posts I've read have said what a poor choice the Nova is for Alaska, as the outside spaces are basically unusable and closed. I am an avid swimmer, and don't mind non-heated pools, but I also read that being more eco friendly (which is great) the pool is now just plain ambient, which will probably mean frigidfor AK and the trans-Pacific crossing. I see you were on an Alaska segment yourself. Was this the case?

5 hours ago, alainciao said:

The entertainment at 10 was too late for me.  Also, the Venetian lounge does not have the best theater configuration.   The shows I did attend were fine with talented singers and dancers. 

Thankfully not something I feel I'll be missing out on!  

5 hours ago, alainciao said:

We had a good lecturer on our Alaska cruise. 

I am looking forward to some of these on our sea days. I am a teacher, and love to learn.

5 hours ago, alainciao said:

All in all, a good cruise.  As others have said, it is largely about managing expectations as well as your own ability to roll with any small issues.

Very true. Honestly... I really truly AM a, "roll with the punches" type person. I think it's just the combination of the astronomical cost of this trip for me coupled with the issues I've been reading about. When I booked it, the cost justified what I was expecting. Now, not exactly so much. Like they just cancelled the port I was most looking forward to, not being able to swim, the chances of my favorite drink being available are slim to none... and basically all my dad ever drinks is Guinness, but he can't stand bottles of it which is all they have. Couple that with all the brouhaha of the RCI take over, higher-ups fleeing, complaints about status matching, and all the lowering of product standard across the board, and maybe I start to hyperventilate a little. 😅 Death by a thousand papercuts type stuff.  And believe me, I definitely know that this is a total privledge that I can do something like this at all. I know deep down I just have to focus on the point that I will be on a VACATION, so all the rest is just bonus. (And the fact that it IS true that people tend to write down and remember their complaints more than all the things that went right.) So, long story short, thank you, @alainciao, @dawntrdr, and @Will Work for Tiramisu. (And all the others that have chimed in to allay my fears.) I know it's gonna be ok. 

[Lois R]

I am really sorry you are going through all these negative feelings. Not everyone has negative things to say but public message boards are a funny thing. Negative stuff always seems to out do positive. 

 

One comment about the butler....I am very low maintenance and only ask for a few things at the very beginning......will give you an example. I don't like a duvet cover.....too hot for me. I always ask for them to remove it and just put a top sheet and a blanket. Pillows, I always request foam as the other ones are way too thin for me......they offer no support (in my opinion). And I always tell them I only drink still water and they can remove the bottle of sparkling. I can't recall having any major problems with my requests. 

 

Again, I hope you have a wonderful cruise😀. I sail again in November and am very much looking forward to it.

[highplanesdrifters]

18 hours ago, RetiredandTravel said:

Three days in Melbourne and three in Sydney.  We are taking the 18 hr Qantas DFW>MEL which arrives ~6AM, not sure we will do a whole lot the first day.  I've done some investigating but haven't decided exactly we will do.   This is a 22 day trip (w/o travel) also our longest, not sure I could handle 40 days.  We are very disciplined at home with food, drink and excercise.  When I travel it all goes out the window, I put on 10lbs in 14 days in Alaska.  I will have to change my approach if we start going on longer trips.  Stop acting like Bluto. 😇

 

 

I'm sure you've already figured out Melbourne is the foodie town. Buyer beware.😃

 

I lost weight on our March 31 day Cloud Antarctica/C2C where the food was excellent.  I gained weight (too much) on our recent Seabourn 14 day Scotland/Norway where the food was just good  Go figure. 

 

I wish I had your discipline. 

 

 

[RetiredandTravel]

1 hour ago, highplanesdrifters said:

I'm sure you've already figured out Melbourne is the foodie town. Buyer beware.😃

 

I lost weight on our March 31 day Cloud Antarctica/C2C where the food was excellent.  I gained weight (too much) on our recent Seabourn 14 day Scotland/Norway where the food was just good  Go figure. 

 

I wish I had your discipline. 

 

 

 

 

Yes I did see that Melbourne is a foodie town.  The restaurants look great, it will be difficult to pick just three.  Any recommendations?  We got a great deal on the Langham (w AMEX-P benefits), less than $200US a night.

 

You probably burn a lot more calories on the expedition cruises.  I had three scoops of gelato and two cookies every aftrenoon on the cruise.  You just can't do that. 😃

 

 

 

[highplanesdrifters]

21 hours ago, RetiredandTravel said:

 

 

Yes I did see that Melbourne is a foodie town.  The restaurants look great, it will be difficult to pick just three.  Any recommendations?  We got a great deal on the Langham (w AMEX-P benefits), less than $200US a night.

 

You probably burn a lot more calories on the expedition cruises.  I had three scoops of gelato and two cookies every aftrenoon on the cruise.  You just can't do that. 😃

 

 

 

 

You had me at gelato.

 

When I first read your email I thought it said $2,000US.  But $200 US, that's crazy. Congrats. It looks like you're just across the bridge over The Yara from the CBD and foodie central. Sweet.

 

Melbourne was the end of our 35 day PNG/Kimberly adventure. We were spent and mostly wandered around and grabbed whatever was nearby. However my ex lives there and took us for a lovely lunch (how civilized) and sent a list of recommendations.  I'll dig that up an pass it on.

 

We love little museums that focus on history and place.  I can highly recommend The Old Treasury Building which showcases the history of Melbourne. We hit the Immigration museum, also very interesting. I learned so much and it really gave me an understanding of OZ.