Just returned from Alaska on the Shadow

[south seas sue]

We just returned yesterday from a 9 day RT Vancouver trip on the Shadow. The ship was about half capacity - definitely more crew than pax! Weather was unbelievable - not one day of rain, and warm temps throughout! Rather than write a lengthy review, I would be happy to answer specific questions about the ship, activities, itinerary, whatever. We enjoyed our cruise - this is our 4th on SS, but our first in about 5 years. First was on the Wind, then two on the Whisper - one in the Med and one in the Carrib. As most of you know, the Shadow is the twin of the Whisper. Shadow was in great shape - everything was sparkling and service was perfect, as usual. So, let me know if there is anything specific you would like to know.

 

Glenda :o

[chrislcruise]

We will be on the Shadow on July20 roundtrip SF/SF and can't wait. Please fill me in on what to expect: activities, food, dress code, service. This is our first SS cruise (we are Regents folks).

 

Thanks so much.

[Pincus]

How formal was your sailing?

 

Does my husband bring his tuxedo? Can you guess the percentage of tuxedos on your voyage?

 

Thanks for offering to help this way.

[south seas sue]

Yes, my hubby brought his tux. I'd say more than half wore tuxes. Mostly the older gentlemen wore them - with a few dinner jackets thrown in. Didn't see any kilts! There is something exciting about dressing for dinner with your man in a tux........I say, take it!

 

Chrisl, please ask me some specific questions about areas of the cruise experience you are interested in. Hard to just respond generally, but I will say this:

 

Service was impeccable. Our suite was cleaned up immediately after we left for breakfast, or, in case we dined in our suite, she came as soon as we left after a leisurely morning. In the eve. the suite was again spiffed up during our time at dinner. The waiters carry your plates always from the buffet, and are at your beck and call.

 

Personally, I LOVED the music. We're not much for the singing/dancing shows, so cannot comment on that, but I can comment on the 4 piece quartet. SS hires its musicians mostly from Eastern Europe, specifically Poland. From one past experience, I am always afraid the ship quartet won't be able to swing themselves out of a paper bag. On this cruise, boy, did they swing! Absolutely great musicians, playing all the great old Cole Porter/Berlin/Gershwin standards. They have a sax/clarinet player named Chris that is phenomenal. Their contract calls for 4 months on, 4 months off so not sure when they began - I think just a couple of weeks ago, so they should be on board until the end of the Alaska cruising season. There was also a GREAT singer, Donnie Ray Evins, who sounds a bit like Nat King Cole. In fact, he gave a show featuring the songs of the great Nat. Terrific singer, we enjoyed him a lot. There was also another duo who just joined the ship, from the Phillipines, a pianist and girl singer. They were okay, nothing great. This was their first cruise and first cruise job, so maybe they will "shake out".

 

As it was not raining, we had a good time on our excursions. We did not do anything very adventurous, however, no dog sledding, fishing, or helicopter/float planes. Just boat excursions to places to see whales (we saw a few), sea lions, eagles and nests, seals.....the scenery is just gorgeous, with the snow capped mts. and glaciers coming down to the sea. On the return we were supposed to go through Tracy Arm, but it was blocked with ice. So, we went into another arm of the Passage, which featured many glaciers coming down from 3-4,000 ft. mts., and newly born seals with their mothers on ice flows. Apparently the pups had just been born last week. Very intersting, but we were only in that arm the one morning. Loved the White Pass train - takes about 3 hours up and back - lovely scenery. The train does not stop, only up about 2,000 ft. and back.

 

There is no ship photographer, but staff are always happy to take your picture!

 

Also, as the weather was so fine, there was very little ship motion. We wore our sea bands just in case, but you hardly felt the shp move.

 

I'd say the pax were mostly 50's up, with a few in their 40's and perhaps 2 or 3 honeymooners. Groups from Holland and Germany, some French, lots of Brits, Aussies, Canadians. You could dine alone or with others. Everyone we were in contact with was friendly - you never had a "one up" kind of feeling, so no stuffiness that I could see.

 

Although the food is delicious, and prepared in the Continental gourmet fashion, it is definitely NOT simple fare. They do have hamburgers (and delicious crab burgers) on the pool deck. Seafood was plentiful! Halibut can get 100-150 pounds, and that and salmon are of course the main deal as far as fishing is concerned. We ate lots of freshly caught halibut and salmon, crab, and they had one lobster night. We only dined in the Italian restaurant, La Terraza, two nights but enjoyed it thoroughly. I think the portions are larger there. They pick one area of Italy each evening and feature dishes and wines from that region. It only holds 45, so reservations are essential.

 

One thing I might mention for you art aficionados - something new SS is trying I believe. The public corridors were filled with very good original art by artists such as Picasso, Bracque, Legere, Miro, with price tags attached of several thousand dollars, needless to say. There were two art experts aboard who would escort you through the various pieces at various times throughout the trip. I don't know if they sold very many - someone told me they did see a "sold" tag on one piece.

 

One disappointment is the availability of TV stations. Only FOX News and CNN, which means we missed the last two Laker games! We did go to a terrific bar/restaurant in Skagway which featured the game on a big screen - had a great dinner of huge crab legs, salmon, and halibut - caught that day I imagine. Its called the "Anchor" I believe. Walking distance from the ship.

 

Glenda

 

I had two spa treatments - facial and massage - that I had booked in advance. The therapists I had were from So. Africa, and did a good job. Pricey of course ($115 for each treatment), but you have to expect that.

[billcrooz]

terrific review southseasgal;will be on aug1 out of S,F. who is the cruise director? and the captain? was on the Sahdow thru the canal last year.is Oliver( the bar captain extremo ! ) on board. is Mary anne in the bar? this is my 3rd time on the Shadow and my 4th will be in Nov. i am so psyched :D what was your favorite excursion ?

[south seas sue]

cruise dir. is the well known (and well cruised!) Fernando. He is great - gives conversational language lessons almost every day in Spanish, Portugese, Italian - great raconteaur.

 

Captain is Giancomo? Something like that. Balding guy, relatively young. Great staff of officers.

 

Don't know about the bar staff. Alex was the barman on the 5th level bar.

 

g

[cinbeach]

Glenda

 

Thank you for your review. We will be on the August 1st cruise.

 

I have sailed with Fernando many times as well as Captain Giancomo.

 

As far as the Seafood that was served - would you say it was caught locally while you were sailing and then brought on board and prepared. I will be ecstatic if it is. We have requested many times during our 18 SS cruises to have them serve local seafood. In the past they basically served frozen fish even when we were right there in the Med or Baltic.

 

I have not been on the Shadow since it was refurbished - are there now Flat Screen tv's in the rooms. The old tv's were crazy small except for those in Owners Suites which are large flat panel plasmas. I agree with the disspointment of tv channels and had hoped that they would have added more by now.

 

The question to Tux or not is always brought up. My husband always wears one and I a long gown. We are in our early 40's and really love to dress it up when we travel, but suits are of course acceptable - it is just a personal preference.

 

Again thanks for answering all my questions.

[SantaAna,CA]

Hi Glenda, what a nice review. I'm on the Shadow later this year, in November, to the southern Caribbean. Did you have any sea days? Wondering what kind of fun there is going on the ship on a sea day. This will be my first voyage on Silversea.

 

So glad you saw Alaska in good weather. My cruise to Alaska was on Holland America's Amsterdam a few years ago. We were also very lucky with good weather.

 

Best wishes!

[south seas sue]

Yes, there are flat screen TVs, which play 3 different movies each day, continuously, as well as the music stations and the 2 TV networks.

 

I think the fish was fresh! Seems like they had a lot of it, and they could easily board it at the ports.......Tasted like it!

 

I'm sure you will have a great time. Again, we could not believe the weather! Hopefully you will be as lucky.

 

g

[Capt.F]

Oh No! Close the Art Gallery!Selling Art onboard, no please not that. Has Park West moved from Royal Caribbean to Silversea? My wife and I will be back on the Shadow in October, Nov, Dec and the Spirit in Jan. I only hope the "art" has returned to the gallery by that time. Really this is just not appropriate... it's one thing to have the Spa Girls fashion the jewelry in the Panorama, but this is too much really. I would like to hear from other loyal SSC Cruisers sound off on this topic. If enough people agree with me then perhaps the head office will abandon this ridiculous folly. For those who want to acquire "art" they don't need to be on a cruise vacation to do so. It is just too tacky... a "sold" tag on the art... Next we will get those ladies from San Blas Island to have a permanent kiosk onboard to sell Mola Art. They can even join us for dinner and tell us how they sold all their gold. Please get rid of the Art! Place a instead in the suites and if we are interested we can let you know.

Please chime in.

Capt. F

 

Prince Albert II Feb 2009

Silver Shadow Oct 2008

Silver Shadow – Oct 2008

Silver Shadow - Sep 2008

Silver Shadow - Sep 2008

Silver Shadow -Sep 2008

Silver Whisper - Feb 2008

Silver Whisper - Feb 2008

Silver Shadow - May 2007

Silver Shadow - Oct 2006

Silver Shadow - Oct 2006

Silver Whisper - Apr 2006

Silver Whisper - Dec 2003

Silver Shadow - Jul 2002

Silver Shadow - Jul 2002

Silver Whisper - Nov 2001

Silver Shadow - Oct 2000

[south seas sue]

ScubaLady, yes, we had a couple of sea days, sailing up to the Inside Passage from Vancouver, and then down again to Victoria. Typical of things to do would include: Ballroom dance lesson, language lesson with Fernando, wine tasting, trivia competition (every day at teat time), not too much else. I scheduled my spa sessions during these times. Of course the bridge players continue to play bridge. They tried to scare up interest in a casino competion by having a $20 buy-in blackjack tournament, and same for a roulette tournament. DH went to the roulette competition, but it was cancelled because of lack of participation. We never saw more than a half dozen people in the casino - not a popoular activity among that crowd. And remember, the ship was less than 200 pax. I saw a few people touring around with the art dealers, getting the art lecture, but only a very few..........I would have been interested in hearing more about the works, but didn't want to mislead the dealers into thinking I was at all a candidate bo buy one of these pricey pieces. At my age, I'm more interested in thinking about giving things we have acquired away, and how to do that, rather than acquiring more "stuff".

 

Oh, and BTW - the wait staff and cabin steward staff is almost all Filipino. Interesting change from previous years, where there were more European waters and cabin stewards. There are a few Eastern European waiters here and there, probably less than 10% of the total number.

 

g

[yogagal47]

Dittos to pretty much everything Sue has said. Our group of six had a fantastic time on the cruise. Glad to hear you mention the quartet Sue-we thought they were fabulous. More passengers need to check them out in the Panorama Lounge before dinner and after the shows(we really enjoyed the Jean Ann Ryan productions shows by the way). One night my husband who is a jazz pianist played a bit with them so on jazz night they made a special effort to include him in a few numbers. Fernando even announced it to the ship in advance!

We took several of the adventurous excursions including Misty Fjords Floatplane(absolutely gorgeous and we even saw a grizzly when we landed on a lake in the back country), Stikine River Jet boat trip out of Wrangell(lots of fun and beautiful scenery)and helicoptering to Mendenhall Glacier(two in our group did the ship's tour and 3 of us booked indep. with Northstar for the Heli and walk on the glacier for 3 hours which also included ice climbing).

We also did the jetboat Orca Quest in Victoria and did see some Transient Orcas on the trip.

On our Skagway day we rented a van from Sourdough rentals and drove the Klondike Highway all the way to Emerald Lake. We had lunch @ the Cinamon Cache and stopped in Carcross for a while. We spotted bears along the road in both directions. When we got back we went to Dyea and saw seals in the bay as well as a giant porcupine!

We had a terrace cabin and enjoyed being able to pop out and look @ the gorgeous scenery any time we desired. The weather was so agreeable during the cruise we actually went out on the pool deck in bathing suits several times and we were quite comfortable(no water in the pool though and the hot tubs were not very hot).

There were indeed, lots of activities offered on the sea days. We attended trivia most days and it was usually just the 6 of us but we still got our "points!" Chef Sean did a cooking demo with wine pairing which was fun. He is a great chef by the way. We loved Jovi, the wine waitress-she is very very knowledgable and Alex in The Bar was super also. The bartender @ the Pool bar(can't remember his name)makes a great Mojito and was alway willing to stay open a bit past 6pm if we needed a drink after we returned from an excursion!

I would be happy to answer any ?'s relating to specifics of the cruise.

[south seas sue]

Oh Yoga, I remember your husband on the piano! We were in the Panorama for "jazz night" and he played a couple of numbers - beginning with My Funny Valentine, as I recall. He is a neurosurgeon I believe? Missed his calling.......(just kidding - in today's world, jazz clubs are closing right and left.) Sounds like your outings were full of adventure! I remember you indicated as much from your pre-cruise posts. I envy you. Unfortunately, we are not in shape to try such physical activities.

 

Note for Capt. F. - the art display and the selling involved was really very, very unobtrusive. Other than having prices discretely placed on the walls, the art the was really very well displayed and - I feel - added to the extreme elegance of the ship. Truly, unless you showed up to be escorted around by one of the two dealers on board, you would not even know the art was for sale. There were also a few ceramic pieces, including two by Picasso. There was no auction, no intrusive announcements, just an "opportunity" to find out more if you were interested. What could be more discrete? Now, I don'lt know whether the dealers will feel it was worth their while or not. As I said earlier, this is a new venture for SS and they very well might discontinue it if people complain. Personally, though, what is there to complain about? It was all 20th century original art by some very well known artists. Personally, I enjoyed the opportunity to look at the works, and felt no pressure to do anything more.

 

If anything, the jewelry pushed by the boutiques was promoted much more than the art. Seems like they were always holding demonstrations and showings of various jewelry designers. Again, if interested you go. If not, it did not take away a thing from enjoying the ambiance of the ship and the cruise itself.

 

Just MHO

 

glenda

[yogagal47]

That's right Glenda: DH is a neurosurgeon and this cruise was a much needed break from the stress of work for him! By the way, the leader of the orchestra(the drummer-can't recall his name) gave both of us neat little Polish flag pins-so thoughtful of him. He is also the "music director" for the ship.

I agree with you about the art on display throughout the ship-it was really quite nice although I would not choose to purchase art this way. We had fun looking at it whenever we passed by the areas where the prints were.

[south seas sue]

This is always a popular topic, so thought I would update you on what toiletries are provided. As usual, there were the Bulgari "Vert" shampoo/conditioner/bath jel/soap offered. YOu also had your choice of Acqua di Parma toiletries, which I personally like better. I get a little tired of the Vert scent.

 

Also, it was Pommery champagne poured, and in our suite - along with the liquor we requested - Belvedere vodka and Santa Margarita Pinot Grigio. We had also requested a few cans of Newcastle beer, diet soda, and Pelligrino - all provided promptly and refreshed as needed.

 

One other interesting note: Caviar. There was a note in one of the daily Chronicles newsletters that wild caviar is no longer being provided. It has been determined that the sturgeon caviar found in (is it the Black Sea?) is endangered and Russia and neighboring countries have been requested to no longer deal in it. Those countries refused to go along with the ban, so SS is only serving "farmed" caviar - I saw red and black.

[meow!]

YOu also had your choice of Acqua di Parma toiletries, which I personally like better.

 

One other interesting note: Caviar. There was a note in one of the daily Chronicles newsletters that wild caviar is no longer being provided. It has been determined that the sturgeon caviar found in (is it the Black Sea?) is endangered and Russia and neighboring countries have been requested to no longer deal in it. Those countries refused to go along with the ban, so SS is only serving "farmed" caviar - I saw red and black.

 

We agree about Aqua di Parma, we felt the scent of Bulgari to be a little bit strong.

 

As for caviar, one New York store sells farmed caviar at $58 per ounce (presumably cheaper in bulk). Back in the old days, sevruga caviar used to be some $150 per ounce, golden oesetra perhaps $250, and beluga has been endangered for perhaps over a decade. Now the word caviar is so "abused", some even call salmon roe and Japanese fly fish eggs caviar.

 

In December, 2007, the (then still free flowing) caviar on the Shadow tasted alright. In October, 2008, the once in a while provided caviar on the Oceania Nautica looked alright, but somehow in the mouth it was a bit "mushy", "melting" upon touch, and did not have the grannular feel of the Shadow's caviar. Does anyone know why?

[Wellseasoned]

Glenda, thank you so much for your cruise info. We will be on the 12 day Sept 12 Vancouver to L.A. Alaska cruise. We have been on many Silversea cruises, but never to Alaska. My specific question is: What are the "don't miss" sights or excursions? Please omit any helicopter tours. ( As a Navy doctor many years ago, one of my duties was investigating fresh helicopter crashes, and you'll never get me aboard one of those things. I piloted planes, but that's different.) We remember Donnie Ray Evins from a Whisper cruise last year, and he is indeed a fine singer, with a great tribute to Nat King Cole!

 

Meow, the caviar on the ships is no longer worth eating, so it's just as well that it barely exists. If you happen to be on a cruise stopping in Istanbul, go to the Spice Bazaar. There are a few vendors which will sell the REAL stuff, real Oscetra or Beluga, not the generic fakes, and at good prices. Then, you take it aboard, put it into your fridge, and order the caviar condiments, without the caviar, from room service. A delightful way to spend your cocktail time!

[south seas sue]

Well seasoned, as mentioned earlier we did NOT take any of the more physically demanding excursions - no planes, helis, or sleds, or kayaks. So there. Love to, but............SO, our excursions were confined to boats to various interesting places to see scenery and wildlife. I think the excursion to Misty Fjords is really worth it. The boat was roomy and comfy, and we spent lots of time on the top deck looking at the shoreline and the water. We saw a couple of mother/calf whale pairs, lots of eagle nests and some eagles on the shore, and sea lions. In the Misty Fjords itself the spectacular sights asre the surrounding cliffs and waterfalls. The journey out and back is about 2 hours each way, but you do see wonderful scenery and the opportunity for wildlife. We also saw petroglyphs on the shorline. The train ride in Skagway is nice and relaxing, with wonderful scenery out the windows, with opportunities to stand outside the cars. As we only did 3 excursions, those were the top two that stand out in my mind.

 

I hope Yoga 147 chimes in here, as her group did lots of exciting activities!!

 

Glenda

[bill king]

oh no! Close the art gallery!selling art onboard, no please not that. Has park west moved from royal caribbean to silversea? My wife and i will be back on the shadow in october, nov, dec and the spirit in jan. I only hope the "art" has returned to the gallery by that time. Really this is just not appropriate... It's one thing to have the spa girls fashion the jewelry in the panorama, but this is too much really. I would like to hear from other loyal ssc cruisers sound off on this topic. If enough people agree with me then perhaps the head office will abandon this ridiculous folly. For those who want to acquire "art" they don't need to be on a cruise vacation to do so. It is just too tacky... A "sold" tag on the art... Next we will get those ladies from san blas island to have a permanent kiosk onboard to sell mola art. They can even join us for dinner and tell us how they sold all their gold. Please get rid of the art! Place a instead in the suites and if we are interested we can let you know.

Please chime in.

Capt. F

 

prince albert ii feb 2009

silver shadow oct 2008

silver shadow – oct 2008

silver shadow - sep 2008

silver shadow - sep 2008

silver shadow -sep 2008

silver whisper - feb 2008

silver whisper - feb 2008

silver shadow - may 2007

silver shadow - oct 2006

silver shadow - oct 2006

silver whisper - apr 2006

silver whisper - dec 2003

silver shadow - jul 2002

silver shadow - jul 2002

silver whisper - nov 2001

silver shadow - oct 2000

we do think that the art showen by micheal judge is not done under pressure and is a upgrade for ss.

Know take the "personal shopper" that is not ss

[south seas sue]

There were no children at all on our cruise. HOWEVER, on an excursion we met the new Children's Activities Counselor!!! (!!!). She just joined the ship, this is a new position, and she has been hired to organize whatever kids are on the cruises with activities and events. The activities are designed to keep the kids occupied and away from bothering adults, according to her. She really had nothing to do on our cruise, but I think there were a few children boarding the next cruise, which left on June 16.

 

This is an "experiment", and I know some SS pax will go ballistic at the idea of catering to kids. On the other hand, SS is trying in these economics times to expand its market to provide more to do for families, and you can't blame them for that. We'll see how it goes. I'm sure if there are lots of complaints they will heed their frequent sailors.

 

glenda

[duct tape]

They already have! If you browse the threads, there was a furor a few weeks ago re: children on SS. Enjoy.

[yogagal47]

We were told that there would be 12 children on Shadow this week(including two infants). We were also told that there are two counselors for the children with the idea of keeping them out of trouble and busy with activities so other passengers are not bothered by their presence.

[Wellseasoned]

Glenda or Yogagal, one quick question. Where did the Shadow dock in Vancouver? Is it the dock near the Fairmont Waterfront?

[yogagal47]

Shadow has the North Berth @ Canada Place. I believe the Fairmount is several blocks from there as we passed it on the way from the pier to the airport. You can't beat the convenience of the hotel right @ Canada Place though! We had a drink at the bar on the 3rd level the day before we sailed and enjoyed watching the ships sailing off one right after the other. They have a sat. night buffet there with live opera which looked nice.

We boarded Shadow on a sunday when two large ships were also there. We left the Marriott around 3pm and by the time we arrived it was fairly orderly.Porters took our luggage, we went through security and customs with little wait then filled out flu questionnaires before boarding the ship.

Be aware that there is was a very long wait for security @ Vancouver airport upon departure back to the US. It helps if you are a premiere/first class passenger so be sure to look for where those passengers can cut the line short. It saves quite a bit of time. Friends of ours had 11 am flights booked and were able to get off the ship immediately after it was cleared @ the port in Vancouver. Of course, we came in on a tuesday so it was very quiet-we were the only ship that day.

[duct tape]

One of the Fairmounts is directly across the street from the Cruise Terminal. The hotel staff will deliver your luggage across the street for you. Have a great trip!