Condition of the Cloud - what is it?

Hi, I have cruised 3 times on SS including the 18 day Antartica (amazing) and 2 on the Shadow (both in 2010). Because of my moms illness I havent cruised since 2013 when we went on the Explorer. My parents are dedicated SS cruisers having been on the wind, cloud, shadow and whisper many times going back to the late 90's. My Mom passed this year and my Dad who is 88 wants to do a family cruise with us "kids" who are in our 50's and our spouses on the Cloud. Great I thought - we booked the Cloud for the Feb 5 Caribbean and have our flights so we are now committed. Now I am reading bad reviews of the Cloud! I cant believe it - this as not the case of the SS I know and love. This trip is costing over 50K US and one of my sisters is already complaining we should have gone Regent - i dont want to be on a week long cruise listening to this and assumed SS would shine as always. ANy encouraging words out there? Should I raise this with the agent. I also want my Dad to have a good experience after all he has been through (my parents were married 60 years).

thanks friends, nelsonbc

PS: has SS slipped? Is the ship really that worn out?

I heard its getting a bit of a face lift in October but really how much will they do if its being changed into an Expedition ship?

Nelson - with a name like yours it might be wise to check which ship you are on. The Feb Caribbean cruise is on the Silver Wind.

Nelson bc........Our SS cruising spans a similar timescale to your mum and dad.We are still enjoying SS cruises,some things have changed as life goes on but the one thing that remains constant is the way the staff look after the clients which in our opinion cannot be faulted.The food,state of the fleet,excursions,free wi if and many other things are a matter of personal taste or preference.Your cruise in Feb is on the Wind and we have friends aboard the Wind now who are enjoying a wonderful cruise.Go with positive thoughts and enjoy a wonderful family occasion in the Caribbean in Feb when the weather should be perfect.

Hi, My parents are dedicated SS cruisers having been on the wind, cloud, shadow and whisper many times going back to the late 90's. My Mom passed this year and my Dad who is 88 wants to do a family cruise with us "kids" who are in our 50's and our spouses on the Cloud. G

Who is the cruise for?

Mom wont be there (not being harsh just real) but dad wants to turn back time and feel she is there with him…

So the taggers on need to deal with that and give him the best time they can..

once they whinge (real or imagined) they will tarnish his trip… if they are that insecure they should stay home….

am i harsh… yes and no…

the first trip away without your soulmate is hard… the last thing you need is negatives

Hi, I have cruised 3 times on SS including the 18 day Antartica (amazing) and 2 on the Shadow (both in 2010). Because of my moms illness I havent cruised since 2013 when we went on the Explorer. My parents are dedicated SS cruisers having been on the wind, cloud, shadow and whisper many times going back to the late 90's. My Mom passed this year and my Dad who is 88 wants to do a family cruise with us "kids" who are in our 50's and our spouses on the Cloud. Great I thought - we booked the Cloud for the Feb 5 Caribbean and have our flights so we are now committed. Now I am reading bad reviews of the Cloud! I cant believe it - this as not the case of the SS I know and love. This trip is costing over 50K US and one of my sisters is already complaining we should have gone Regent - i dont want to be on a week long cruise listening to this and assumed SS would shine as always. ANy encouraging words out there? Should I raise this with the agent. I also want my Dad to have a good experience after all he has been through (my parents were married 60 years).

thanks friends, nelsonbc

 

PS: has SS slipped? Is the ship really that worn out?

I heard its getting a bit of a face lift in October but really how much will they do if its being changed into an Expedition ship?

I wonder whether you might have (inadvertently) answered your own question. You have already booked the cruise and presumably have no wriggle room.

Undoubtedly SS isn't better than it was and a difference may be noted.

I think your challenge is to say to all "Look, we're going. We're going to ensure we have a great time. Things do change. Sometimes better, sometimes worst, sometimes just different. Out of deference to dad I do not want to hear any whinging ruining his time and our job is to make this cruise at this time in his lif the most wonderful thing." I think I'd also just gently warn Dad that things do move on and he should just not think things are going to be identical to when he was last on board, but that none of that matters. What matters is being together.

So I think telling everyone other than dad that they must focus on manking everyone happy rather than finding fault in order to say "I told you so" and just gently managing Dad's expectations. You might contact your agent if it reassures you but a lot depends on how good they are and what you want them to do.

I would also give some thought about how you might add some value whilst at the same time avoid some of the fears emnating from your readings. For example, as soon as you board go and see the MD and explain about your situation and your large group size and ask whether a large table nicely situated can be informally reserved for you. Als pre-plan (now) some landmark meals. For example ask the MD to arrange a special meal second night and give him the courses and food you'd like served ie 24 hours notice. As him to have a cake made with "We have a special Dad xxxxx. " or some better words. Ask to talk to the sommeilier and sweet talk them about dad and the family and see what special they can do within house pour. They always have stuff they keep back. . But have an idea planned now for two or three special meals to ensure that at least half are exceptional and dad remembers them and knows you took trouble. The people at SS are largely exceptional and they will be delighted to respond and show you what they can do.

I'm sure with managing your family to keep their eye on the ball, managing dad's hopes to a reasonable level qand doing a bit of prep and groundwork could really increase your odds of having an exceptional time.

I hope these thoughts are helpful and constructive.

:)

Jeff

Thanks for your reply Mrs Waldo. Yes agree on the positives and the reason for my post is to ascertain if the issues raised by other cruisers are real or not so I can be prepared if there are complaints from other family members which there will be based on the reviews - that just means as uou say I need to help with the positive spin. Of course its about my Dad - but as someone who has been with SS since day one he will notice any decline. HE is a very sharp 88. Also thanks for everyone for pointing out its the Wind not the Cloud - my sister booked it and I havent seen any of the docs yet - she likely just got confused as there are 7 of us! happy cruising.

All of that said as someone with a marketing background I notice there are too many negative reviews complaining about the food, ship, wine to be more then "complaining." IF SS does not return to the early standard their brand will be tarnished - thats not whinging - its reality. Even iof the ship is old there is no reason for it too look old. Already you can see a clear pattern of Seabourn knocking off SS. I hope that doesnt happen

Yikes - thanks for pointing that out - my sis booked it and with 7 people and emails back and forth it got lost in the translation as we decided which cruises we were doing!

Thans - but it looks like the same issues are popping up. Hoping Dad doesnt notice as he basks in his memories. But really whats going on with SS - I ahvent cruised for 5 years and I am shocked at what I am reading.... there are a lot of negative reviews esp food, wine and shabbiness, but them a really good one every now and then. ITs hard to tell what the issue is - people being too picky & impossible too please or SS standards slipping?

Dear Jeff, thank you so much for your thoughtful and compassionate helpful reply to my post. Of course this is exactly how I should handle it now that you have confirmed that SS has slipped since 2010! Accepting the reality and working with it is the best course of action. In some ways it might actually help my Dad with the grieving process as he slowly accepts you can never go back and only forward. I do believe even if we had told him SS has slipped I know he would still want to go so all we can do is make it the best experience we can. We have a great agent who has a relationship with SS so I will discreetly speak to her as well as act on all your other great ideas. Sometime it takes a compassionate complete stranger to point out the obvious. I am too close to it. It was a huge decision to do this trip with much debate amonsgt the 4 daughters who want to protect him - but he really wants to go and I think its part of his grieving process and we will be there to support him. My parents were complete lovebirds and were each others best friends. They did everything together and its been very hard for my Dad because my Mom had Alzheimers and she died in inches over 10 years. OUr trip on Shadow in 201 thru Panama was Moms last cruise - my husband and I went to help and Mom was still pretty good but a lot of the time she didnt know she was on a ship and thought she was in a hotel. Teh staff know them well and they were amazing, keeping an eye out for her although my Dad and us never left her alone. He was a caregiver as long as he could be and then he was at the care home everyday basically being a caregiver at the home from 8-4 every day. So doing this trip is a "journey" of another kind for all of us. Thank you so much as you kind and insightful words which have made a huge difference in showing me how to go forward. I am in marketing so I know how to spin and will tap into those skills. Jeff, have a great day knowing you made someones load a lot lighter. Bless you! nelsonbc

It's a pleasure. I appreciate your comments. :)

I don't wish to alarm you but are you sure you have the right ship and cruise?

Currently unless I am going barmy, it is the Wind and not Cloud sailing on 5th February 2016 and Cloud will be elsewhere. It is a lot of cash if you find yourself on a ship you hadn't planned .... and you'd been reading about the wrong ship. :eek:

This looks like the cruise you were planning?

San Juan, Puerto Rico

to San Juan, Puerto Rico

Silversea Cruises

Departure:

05 Feb 2016

Duration:

7 Days

Ship:

Silver Wind

Voyage Number:

2604

05 Feb 2016 Friday San Juan, Puerto Rico 7:00 PM +

06 Feb 2016 Saturday Gustavia, St Barts 9:00 AM 11:00 PM SHOW +

07 Feb 2016 Sunday Roseau, Dominica 12:00 PM 6:00 PM SHOW +

08 Feb 2016 Monday Bridgetown, Barbados 8:00 AM 10:00 PM SHOW +

09 Feb 2016 Tuesday Castries, St Lucia, West Indies 8:00 AM 5:00 PM SHOW +

10 Feb 2016 Wednesday St. John's, Antigua and Barbuda 8:00 AM 6:00 PM SHOW +

11 Feb 2016 Thursday Road Town, Tortola, British Virgin Islands 8:00 AM 7:00 PM SHOW +

12 Feb 2016 Friday San Juan, Puerto Rico 7:00 AM SHOW

Is this your cruise?

Jeff

IF SS does not return to the early standard their brand will be tarnished - thats not whinging - its reality. Even iof the ship is old there is no reason for it too look old. Already you can see a clear pattern of Seabourn knocking off SS. I hope that doesnt happen

The decision was made by SS many years ago to convert from ultra luxury, to whatever slot they fit today. Other than the hardware, your dad will not recognize the product being served today. They should be issuing refunds for false advertising.

The decision was made by SS many years ago to convert from ultra luxury, to whatever slot they fit today. Other than the hardware, your dad will not recognize the product being served today. They should be issuing refunds for false advertising.

Sadly, I must agree. One litmus test for me has been the significant decline in the single malt scotch on offer. For years, one could have Macallan 12 with no upcharge. Now I think it is $10 a pour. I believe that there has been a significant decline in the quality of the ingredients provided to the gallery crew. One executive chef shared his frustration with me when we chatted ashore. A final example: it used to be that one could have as much bottled water as one wanted in one's room. Now the standard issue is a carafe of water treated on the ship. Eyebrows are raised among the housekeeping/Butler staff if one requests bottled water.

Of course there've been improvements also: the boutiques have been redone and at last report were stocked largely with very expensive jewelry.

Nelson,

Jeff put my thoughts onto paper much more eloquently, partly because the issue is a lot closer to home for me, still being in your dad's position, without having the extra years.

Our coming Christmas cruise is an attempt to forge new memories and celebrate in a different way so that Christmas isn't quite so painful and Miss W's 21st, which we will also celebrate on board is a little more distracting. We've gone back to SS partly because Mr W loved it. I have decided to ignore the naysayers, mostly because if I go in looking for faults, I'll find them. MY TA has been in touch to try and make sure our cruise is a very positive experience.

No matter what your dad does that is the same, it can never be the same, so that in itself is hard. Having someone making little comments makes it harder and the reality more harsh. You'll all find you miss your mum and some level of grief will come with you on the cruise.

FWIW, the decline in luxury, from most luxury services these days seems to becoming a common thing across the board. A little glance at SB 2 years ago shows the same story. When we first went with SS in 2006 reviews were poor and everyone was complaining about the decline. Our cruise was still excellent and the things that counted, service and other passengers, were second none.

The luxury market for many things has become a lot more competitive, but the market base doesn't seem to have grown as quickly as options. One of the places I stay has got it right. We are better having 70% capacity at a higher rate and return guests, than 90% at a lower rate and no returns. Let's hope SS gets it right :)

Make your own opinions when you get there. It is all about the crew.

It all depends on what you want from a cruise.As duct tape says it is all about the crew and to us that hasn't changed.Though I would also add the other passengers.You do forge real bonds with others on your cruise.

Food and wine-always subjective and depends on your taste.We have always found at least 1 of the complimentary wines to our liking and then asking for it when others were the wines of the day.Just get to know the sommelier.

So if your dad appreciated the service he got on board and is surrounded by others he knows well I am sure it will be enjoyable for him even if not for others in the family.

Thanx for the reminder, drron.

Thanx for the reminder, drron.

If I have understood you correctly, you have thanked drron for reminding us that he had agreed with you.

Good grief!

:D

Jeff