Long term future of the Cloud

Having just returned from a wonderful transoceanic on the Cloud I thought I would share my impressions of the ship.

The staff were outstanding (this was up to but excluding the Guest Relations Manager and the Hotel Director). The food was very good and the galley team led by Chef Grant did a really excellent job. The food demo's, both with Grant and David Bilsland, were very enjoyable. The entertainment and lecturers were the usual mix of very good, good and average. The Silversea Artists (including the lovely and multi-talented Kashena Sampson) were highly professional and are all great individuals. Some shows were new to me, others I had seen before, but all were very enjoyable.

On the surface the Cloud still looks lovely, the remodelled Le Champagne is larger and a much improved space, and most people seemed happy with the shower based bathrooms.

Peel back the surface and all is not quite so good.

The noise at the front of the ship when docking (I think this is the winch engines which are turned on an hour beforehand) is now significantly louder than 2 years ago. This is not to be confused with the noise from the bow thrusters. Anyone choosing a suite on any of the decks 4/5/6 forward of about x20 or x21 is never going to get a lie in on port days now.

There seemed to be a major problem with the pumps that fill the pool. These are located across from the Owners Suite and were operated between 5 and 7am, and drove the couple in the suite to distraction, such that they cancelled their summer cruise on the Cloud. Their problems were handled very poorly by the management team.

I was aware of two sets of guests forced to move after being flooded out of their suites, and when walking along decks 5 and 6 it was quite common to pass a suite with the ceiling opened, or an engineer working in one of the inspection hatches.

One of the guests on deck 4 complained about their inefectual air con control, and when the engineer arrived to check the control box in the ceiling found it had been canibalised for another suite and rigged to bypass the missing box.

The hand rail by the left side of the bar on the pool deck had recently broken (and did not get repaired during the voyage), and had been held in place by paint alone.

The funnel/condensation problem is back. This was supposably fixed during the last dry dock. It means that on a clear, sunny day, depending on the wind, there is a light shower of 'rain' on deck 8/9, sometimes over the pool, sometimes over the rear deck.

Remodelling Le Champange has meant that the male bathroom on deck 4 has gone, sometimes the one on deck 5 was out of order, so where to 'go' when in the retaurant. For the older gentlemen, this is a real issue now.

The ship seems to have 'lost' most of the cushions for the chairs on deck 8. One always had to ask for them when using the pool grill.

There appeared to be only 7 or 8 boullion mugs left.

The plates in Le Champagne had mostly lost their gold leaf markings.

The TV channel 2 map system was down for a couple of days and out of action at other times.

The gym is still small, smelly, and unless the ship is in port it is dangerous for anyone over 6' to use the main exercise machines.

I got the impression that maintenance is being kept to a minimum, that there is an ongoing problem of trying to keep up with the parts of the ship that are wearing out through age, and that it is quite likely that there will be another event similar to the air conditioning catastrophe of 2 years ago.

This begs the question of what SS will do with the Cloud over the next 2 to 5 years. I understand that the owner does not wish to sell the ship, which leaves 2 choices. Spend some more real money and replace a lot of the ageing equipment (might be cheaper to build a new ship though) or spend just as much as is necessary to keep it looking good and hope most of the guests will not notice (or be affected by) the underlying problems.

Although I love the Cloud, I shall not be going back until I hear that there has been a significant change of heart with regard to the above issues.

Oh dear,

thanks for your frank post about the lack of money being spent on the Cloud.

I agree with Mr. Luxury and appreciate the candidness expressed in your report Silver Spectre.

I have dreamt about traveling this very ship through Norway for years now and continue to do so. But, will keenly watch for future reports on the condition of the ship over the coming year. I know Colonel Wes will no longer sail her due to the terrible conditions of the gym.

Mr. Silver, thanks for a very well written Cloud issues summary--laser spot on.

I also appreciate your thoughts and have wondered the same thing. We took a tour of the ship three years ago and decided that it was not for us. IMO, the issue goes deeper than just the Cloud. As has been mentioned on another thread, even though the Shadow was recently refurbished (to a certain extent), there are many things that need to be attended to. Although the "fixes" could be very expensive, it should be a lot less than having to build new ships.

I have always thought that many of the problems of the past several years could have been avoided/minimized had they employed a journeyman maintenance engineer on every ship. Where do you want to spend the money?

SS has made their decision to pay on the back end. The end that actually costs more.

Sad to see the Cloud deteriorating so quickly, right in front of our eyes.

It is so, so puzzling. Trying to understand what SS are "playing at" is almost impossible to fathom. Dissapointing. :confused:

It is so, so puzzling. Trying to understand what SS are "playing at" is almost impossible to fathom. Dissapointing. :confused:

It reminds me of how Woolworth's was being run just before they went belly up.

The management were blind and would not move with the times.

It reminds me of how Woolworth's was being run just before they went belly up.

 

The management were blind and would not move with the times.

You cannot go far wrong by listening to your customers. If your staff are telling you something different than your customers, ignore your staff. SS customers needs aren't complicated or difficult to understand. They want extraordinary quality and consistency. They want a personalised direct relationship. They want integrity. It isn't rocket science.

You cannot go far wrong by listening to your customers. If your staff are telling you something different than your customers, ignore your staff. SS customers needs aren't complicated or difficult to understand. They want extraordinary quality and consistency. They want a personalised direct relationship. They want integrity. It isn't rocket science.

Very true Jeff,but if you stop spending money or at the very least scrimp on your outgoings with a luxury product it ceases to be a luxury product and begins a journey on the slippery slope to ruin.

There,that's cheery

Very true Jeff,but if you stop spending money or at the very least scrimp on your outgoings with a luxury product it ceases to be a luxury product and begins a journey on the slippery slope to ruin.

 

There,that's cheery

Exactly. The short-term cash flow savings has terrible consequences. It is difficult to reconcile this behaviour with the man who I know is passionate about this company. It is utterly perplexing.

Exactly. The short-term cash flow savings has terrible consequences. It is difficult to reconcile this behaviour with the man who I know is passionate about this company. It is utterly perplexing.

That's the whole point it's short term thinking as opposed to long term planning.

Now if you compare SS to what Seabourn are doing currently you can see that Seabourn is planning ahead by the sale of their three smaller ships and the order of a slightly larger new build.

That's the whole point it's short term thinking as opposed to long term planning.

 

Now if you compare SS to what Seabourn are doing currently you can see that Seabourn is planning ahead by the sale of their three smaller ships and the order of a slightly larger new build.

I agree. However, not an SB customer, so am I right in saying they are dumping sans balcony ships? If so, then they always had a limited future and the decision inevitable. The two small SS ships are inherently unique and lovely and are still potentially fully serviceable and have a real loyal following. They are quite unique. Having had to endure one of the nastiest weeks I ever had on a Seadream you realise how good a small ship can be with Cloud and Wind. I wish I could understand why the investment isn't being protected. They are also the Boss's first born ....

I agree. However, not an SB customer, so am I right in saying they are dumping sans balcony ships? If so, then they always had a limited future and the decision inevitable. The two small SS ships are inherently unique and lovely and are still potentially fully serviceable and have a real loyal following. They are quite unique. Having had to endure one of the nastiest weeks I ever had on a Seadream you realise how good a small ship can be with Cloud and Wind. I wish I could understand why the investment isn't being protected. They are also the Boss's first born ....

Yes,the three 10k tonne ships with the Juliet balconies.

I don't mind those suites and always have one when sailing on one of them.

They have been well maintained and now have a new lease of life with Windstar.

I will miss them as they get into places that are not accessable to larger vessels.

Seabourn have had the foresight to get rid of them at exactly the right time and now has the newest fleet in the luxury sector.

It will be interesting to see what things happen at SS

Yes,the three 10k tonne ships with the Juliet balconies.

I don't mind those suites and always have one when sailing on one of them.

They have been well maintained and now have a new lease of life with Windstar.

I will miss them as they get into places that are not accessable to larger vessels.

 

Seabourn have had the foresight to get rid of them at exactly the right time and now has the newest fleet in the luxury sector.

 

It will be interesting to see what things happen at SS

Our problem was always needing the balcony hence the small SB's never figured. A big thing was sleeping on the balconies and listening to the water.

What's your favourite SS Suite?

Our problem was always needing the balcony hence the small SB's never figured. A big thing was sleeping on the balconies and listening to the water.

 

What's your favourite SS Suite?

I like the Silver suites,they are good value for what you get.

You cannot go far wrong by listening to your customers. If your staff are telling you something different than your customers, ignore your staff. SS customers needs aren't complicated or difficult to understand. They want extraordinary quality and consistency. They want a personalised direct relationship. They want integrity. It isn't rocket science.

Silver Spectre: Long term future of the Cloud. Having just returned from a wonderful transoceanic on the Cloud I thought I would share my impressions of the ship.

Appreciate these thoughtful comments and questions. From our June 2010 Silver Cloud cruise (as detailed below)' date=' there were [b']a few "mechanical" issues that we noticed and experienced.[/b] No big or life-threatening problems. In fact, with a clanking sound in our cabin, we nicely got upgraded from a Vista Suite to a balcony, mid-ship. Duct Tape was along on this cruise with us. Great crew, service, food, etc.

BUT, one of our fellow passenger was a retired U.S. Navy Captain. He shared that most all ships undergo lots of "stresses" on their systems. More than what happens with a car or piece of equipment that is just sitting there on dry land. Also, just like in an older home, pipes and certain other aspects of these "mechanicals" are hidden, but have stress from lots of use and travels as the years pile up. Their Silver Cloud room had a major water leakage problems on our cruise. Carpet and soft goods can be replaced and upgraded more easily. Those pipes and other hidden details, however, can be more challenging for fixes or polishing up. The Silver Cloud is nearly 20 years old. Will be interested to see how this nice ship and others in the Silversea fleet are maintained, both for what we see and those hidden areas that are very important, too.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 141,917 views. Nice to be hitting this high of a level for viewership. Appreciate the interest!!

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

Appreciate these thoughtful comments and questions. From our June 2010 Silver Cloud cruise (as detailed below), there were a few "mechanical" issues that we noticed and experienced. No big or life-threatening problems. In fact, with a clanking sound in our cabin, we nicely got upgraded from a Vista Suite to a balcony, mid-ship. Duct Tape was along on this cruise with us. Great crew, service, food, etc.

 

BUT, one of our fellow passenger was a retired U.S. Navy Captain. He shared that most all ships undergo lots of "stresses" on their systems. More than what happens with a car or piece of equipment that is just sitting there on dry land. Also, just like in an older home, pipes and certain other aspects of these "mechanicals" are hidden, but have stress from lots of use and travels as the years pile up. Their Silver Cloud room had a major water leakage problems on our cruise. Carpet and soft goods can be replaced and upgraded more easily. Those pipes and other hidden details, however, can be more challenging for fixes or polishing up. The Silver Cloud is nearly 20 years old. Will be interested to see how this nice ship and others in the Silversea fleet are maintained, both for what we see and those hidden areas that are very important, too.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Thanks Terry,

Your note is just a further confirmation of the issue we have been discussing.

The problems that Cloud is experiencing are not unexpected. They are perfectly predicatable and would have been expected. That is why experienced operators dry-dock and undertake appropriate works according to age and condition and expert engineering advice rather than being ignored. SS have failed to do so with Cloud and as a result the ship is unfit for purpose and loyal customers are stating that they will avoid it. It seems to me that the ship is doing exactly what an ill-maintained ship of 20 years old should be expected to do.

Sorry to see that SS is in decline. For some time,it has been the Regent board with mostly complaints. These are our two favorite lines and we are booked on the Cloud later this year. Sadly, management of these two cruise lines have ignored customer needs and requests. They will regret it too late.

Sorry to see that SS is in decline. For some time,it has been the Regent board with mostly complaints. These are our two favorite lines and we are booked on the Cloud later this year. Sadly, management of these two cruise lines have ignored customer needs and requests. They will regret it too late.

The ludicrous thing is that there is a market for a premium high-diem no-discount product with high standards. SS when it started.

The problem is that it is an ultra small line exclusive solution for a relatively small market / number of people and they tend to mess up their business when they get all sweaty and greedy and try to scale it up and expand and then need to fill boats. It never works. Exclusive means what it says on the pack.

I want the original SS back again please.

I want the original SS back again please.

It will happen. Someone with more money than brains will see that this slim market is not being properly serviced and will take a shot at it. I can see a person building two new Cloud/Whisper type ships and having enough cash to burn through for five years. After that time, the dream has met reality and you would have two fairly new ships that could be leased. Through the lease, the guy accidentally comes out ahead after fifteen years.

It will happen. Someone with more money than brains will see that this slim market is not being properly serviced and will take a shot at it. I can see a person building two new Cloud/Whisper type ships and having enough cash to burn through for five years. After that time, the dream has met reality and you would have two fairly new ships that could be leased. Through the lease, the guy accidentally comes out ahead after fifteen years.

I hope so. I don't know how many others around here originate back to the earlier days and feel a genuine sense of bereavement and being 100% perplexed. It was a completely different experience. Never perfect but good enough.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if someone purchased the small ships, dry-docked and relaunched. High price, adults only, transparent discounts, all premium and quality and no riff raff. Once announced, no charters. No group bookings. Expensive quiet elegance. Simple.

It seems there are a very few on here (not me) that sailed with SS during the mid 90's. From their comments, you could feed them a pile of c__p and they would happily eat it.....and have.

People like Doug Ward that sell books rating the cruise lines. What rubbish to reprint the same outdated stuff, year after year.

i sailed on the Cloud in June 1994 when she was the only ship in the fleet and it's like a whole different cruise line now. I miss it a lot!