Dinner Choice

[crestofawave]

This is a question i asked in the general lux forum, but since we are now sailing Silversea i thought i would be more specific and ask on this forum.

 

We as a family are not adventurous eaters and prefer plain food like grilled chicken etc and the children are more than happy with pizza and pasta.Is this something we could order for dinner rather than from the menu. I understand that pizza and pasta, burgers etc are available at lunchtime just wondered about the evening.

[DebbieH103]

Burgers and pizza are available from room service. They always have pasta at dinner.

 

The food is quite good in the main dining room, and you can always order a steak or chicken or salmon or pasta. You can also do things like asking for the entree with no sauce, but nothing is ever drowned in sauce. The menus for lunch and dinner in the main restaurant come out the night before at turndown, and you get the first night's menu shortly after you board.

[e.h. beach bum]

Why would you bring children on a SS cruise? Not recommended for kids and usually not welcomed by other passengers

[bigmjh]

Silversea is definitely NOT a child friendly experience. I would suggest that you do a little research first.

[Wellseasoned]

We've been on lots of SS cruises, and most have had a few (or very few) children aboard. They've been uniformly well-behaved. But the only ones we've seen to be happy have been younger, usually around age ten. There are absolutely no on-board activities or facilities for them, and the teens tend to be bored. This also varies by itinerary. The types of available shore excursions and how they match the interests of the children are crucial in your planning. The children who find the restaurant food to be an interesting adventure are also going to be happier. If your children just want to eat burgers and pizza for supper most of the time, this is not the place to be. The Silversea fare is a lot more interesting and nutritious.

[oregon50]

If you want pizza and burgers for dinner in The Restaurant, no problem. It is not a big deal and we do it often. Enjoy your cruise.

[meow!]

If you want pizza and burgers for dinner in The Restaurant, no problem.

That is true, though it may look a little odd to some people. It is like going to a fine restaurant on land and ordering those same stuff!

[billcrooz]

south seas sue; thanks for all the iinfo; couple more questions;did they have a bridge instructor on board; also was Joey the bartender at the pool grill? My wife had me join the bridge club..................I jump on Thursday:D

[duct tape]

There is usually a bridge instructor.

[south seas sue]

Wellseasoned, big, and beachbum - don't forget there are going to be at least one (Yoga147 says 2) counselor on board the Shadow for the foreseeable future whose only job is to take care of the kids.........games, activities, whatever can keep them happy and occupied. Yoga also mentioned there are 12 on the current cruise now.........I know some of you blanch at the thought, but if the kids are well entertained, why not provide a happy experience for everyone! The counselor I talked with is well aware of the complaints of the frequent SSers, and will try to see it is a positive experience for all.

 

Billcruz, sorry, I don't know if Joey the bartenders was at the pool grill.

 

glenda

[e.h. beach bum]

Sorry, but from my perspective kids do NOT belong on a SS cruise. I would never dream of including my 4 grankids ages 8 to 11. It's not fair to other passengers. Take a DISNEY or Carnival cruise. They welcome kids

[billcrooz]

on the other hand; diapers should be stocked in the gift shop ;for adults and kids !:D:eek:

[yogagal47]

According to several of the "Chronicles" we received on our recent cruise, Bridge play was with "fellow guests" and "unsupervised," so I would imagine there is no instruction.

The pool bartender was great but i cannot remember his name. What does Joey look like?

The head bartender is Oliver and he did a Martini tasting on one of the sea days. Glenda, I do not recall any wine tastings other than the cooking demo by Chef Sean on our inside passage day-they served a "connoisseur wine pairing" with our tastings of the delicious duck salad he prepared.

I ordered caesar salad in the dining room several times even though it was not on the list and it was great! Sometimes our group even ordered 4 courses and once even two entrees! They were also able to accomodate us. Be sure to actually "order" the sorbet course as they did not bring it automatically. There is always a tiered plate of petits fours placed on the table in addition to the dessert, a nice touch! I never ordered pizza in the restaurant but loved the pizzas i ordered several times in La Verandah.

[yogagal47]

Forgot to mention that we made friends with Alex, the bartender in the restaurant soon after we boarded the ship. He is a great bartender and is also adorable!

[Goldens4]

Don't be sorry Beach Bum. I agree with you 100%! I go into my " memory bank" and think about when I was a kid and a teen. I would have been bored out of my mind. Also, having to dress every night for dinner would have killed me. A bungalow for the summer at the Jersey Shore was my family's yearly vacation.

[DebbieH103]

We seldom took family-specific or kid-friendly type trips when I was growing up and were never bored and stuck to our own family and figured that was what everyone did.

 

If you want no children, go to a resort that is adult only. There are no lines that completely exclude children.

 

I have posted before about nobody getting a diaper baby out of the pool, but the other experiences we had with children on board were fine. There were never more than a couple of young ones and maybe a few teens. They stuck with their family or friends they had with them and were quieter than the adults.

[crestofawave]

Thanks for all your comments

 

What if we left the cruise able to play bridge.

[bigmjh]

While I respect everyone's opinions and comments ... I'll stay with my own opinion - Silversea is NOT a child-oriented-experience and most children will be bored. If you are looking for the finest cruise experience for yourself ... GREAT ... Silversea will probably exceed your expectations. But don't count on the children coming home with a positive attitude towards cruising.

[Wellseasoned]

Crestofawave, you obviously know your teens better than anyone, so you know whether or not they are likely to be happy on a small cruise ship, visiting the wonderful ports on your Med cruise. But don't count on the kids counselors now on the Shadow in Alaska. I'm pretty sure that they don't exist on the smaller Wind in the Med. I hope the teens are not bored and have a great time, so that they may ultimately become happy adult SS cruisers!

 

I'm sort of surprised that they don't seem to have bridge instructors on the Shadow now, since SS has always had them on our cruises. But it's likely that they will be present on your Med cruise. Enjoy!

[billcrooz]

funny as they had bridge instructors on the shadow thru the canal last Nov. maybe cutting back on the personell here ?

[unfathomable]

Some cruises have bridge instructors; some don't. Transatlantic crossings pretty much always have them; port-intensive itineraries in (say) the Med may not.

[FlyerTalker]

SS used to have a policy of bridge instructors on all cruises. This has been revised to have the instructors only on cruises with a certain number of sea days (and that number is probably above 25% of the cruise). Even on those sailings, port days have the "unhosted" play. Economics were at play here, as not having an instructor frees up a cabin for sale.

 

Oceania and Regent have also cut back instructors to specific cruises with a number of sea days. Can't speak to Seabourn's policy. Crystal remains the only luxury line that has an instructor on every sailing, regardless of the number of sea days.

 

If an instructor, or even just someone to organize the bridge games, is important to you, you might contact SS HQ in advance to find out if one will be onboard. And, if you didn't have one and wanted one on your sailing, let SS know your feelings. Only from feedback will they know if it was a wise decision or one that is a net negative to the guests.

[e.h. beach bum]

In my opinion most of the responders have it all wrong. Whether or not the children will have a good time is not the issue. The focus is on the majority of full paying passenges and what they prefer and why this particular cruise line was selected.. This was and hopefully still is an upscale cruise line catering to mature adults wanting to be away from kids. I think people who bring children(under 18) are disrespectful of others.

[DebbieH103]

They had two (a couple) on our recent Asia/Whisper cruise. That couple was very active in not only trying to educate those that wanted it but engaging with guests at other activities. The ship was barely over 1/2 full, so having a cabin to sell was no issue, but they did have the two mouths to feed. The couple went on shore excursions, etc., so they did spend. My husband went to a "beginner" session a year or two ago. When I met him 20 years ago, he played daily at lunch and was quite good, but he has not played in probably 16 years. He thought even at the beginner it was competitive and a bit clichish (sp). Maybe that was his sailing. I know if I wanted to learn, I would not be detered from trying it out. I just don't want to be tied down to the commitment I think would be involved to really learn. I have never played even one time and don't know a thing about it.

[whylion]

This is a strange interpretation. If the two kids are sharing a cabin they are paying full fare. Maybe you should look for a cruise line that doesn't accept bookings for children under 18 rather than try to rewrite Silversea policy. I don't think they see their line as cruising only for the elderly.