First Time with Silversea

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I guess we had the second. After an empty wine gass tipped over during the night I found myself on my hands and knees in the morning trying to gather up the pieces. When the butler appeared, my wife asked her to have the area vacuumed. she replied that it was not the day for the suite to be vacuumed.

And was that the end of the interaction, or did you go above her head to the supervisors and insist that someone come in and vacuum or at least give you the vacuum so you could vacuum up the shards yourself if it was not in their job description that day? If so, did they comply? Broken glass is obviously a safety hazard and dealing with it is not just a whim to be indulged.

This seems to be another example of how some "not my problem" service personnel behave like robots, doing what they were told to do on their initial training list of "must do" tasks, but not using judgment to do (or not do) anything else that might make sense or serve the customer's desires or make a good impression.

My sense reading various threads is also that people who frequently cruise SS (and probably other lines too) and are part of the "in" crowd of regulars, rather than sporadic short-termers, are more likely to get better service or get assigned a butler who is known to be more responsive (independent of suite fare paid).

At the end of our recent Auckland-Melbourne leg, where butler service was less than stellar as I reported in my review, our butler did not even bother to deliver the end-of-cruise review forms (he may have been afraid of what we would say about him, or just forgot due to overwork)

"

My sense reading various threads is also that people who frequently cruise SS (and probably other lines too) and are part of the "in" crowd of regulars, rather than sporadic short-termers, are more likely to get better service or get assigned a butler who is known to be more responsive (independent of suite fare paid).

With only 50 days on Silversea over the past couple of years I certainly don't consider us as part of any "in" crowd if there is even such a group. Now there are Silversea loyalists with hundreds of days on the line. Certainly these folks are known and recognized by the staff and crew and maybe that earns slightly better service but our service has been consistently outstanding from day 1 to day 50. It's not like I've walked around the ship checking but my impression was butlers were assigned to a specific area/number of cabins and not necessarily running around the ships taking care of specific guests.

Butlers are indeed assigned a block of rooms on the ship. So I don't think it has anything to do with the number of days a particular passenger has on the ship.

I do think that perhaps we get better service from some of the waitstaff and bartenders than others based on the fact that they know us. Not that they would intentionally give anyone poorer service, but if they know you, there is the relationship factor in play. Same is true when we go to a restaurant in town here where we are regulars and known to the staff.

Hi Randy.

 

I caught up with your website and thought it truly outstanding. Well done you.

 

A tip if you are interested. Two places to consider in Istanbul...

 

http://solentrichardscruiseblog.com/2014/08/11/one-way-to-do-istanbul-the-nocturnal-edition/

 

or...

 

http://www.sunsetgrillbar.com/en

 

I couldn't tell from their website but where is The Sunset Grill located-which neighborhood? It looks marvelous.

I couldn't tell from their website but where is The Sunset Grill located-which neighborhood? It looks marvelous.

Beşiktaş.

We made our reservation by email and they sent us a telephone number that we handed to the taxi driver.

They then gave him directions.

Hope that helps.

"

I guess we had the second. After an empty wine gass tipped over during the night I found myself on my hands and knees in the morning trying to gather up the pieces. When the butler appeared, my wife asked her to have the area vacuumed. she replied that it was not the day for the suite to be vacuumed.

And was that the end of the interaction, or did you go above her head to the supervisors and insist that someone come in and vacuum or at least give you the vacuum so you could vacuum up the shards yourself if it was not in their job description that day? If so, did they comply? Broken glass is obviously a safety hazard and dealing with it is not just a whim to be indulged.

This seems to be another example of how some "not my problem" service personnel behave like robots, doing what they were told to do on their initial training list of "must do" tasks, but not using judgment to do (or not do) anything else that might make sense or serve the customer's desires or make a good impression.

My sense reading various threads is also that people who frequently cruise SS (and probably other lines too) and are part of the "in" crowd of regulars, rather than sporadic short-termers, are more likely to get better service or get assigned a butler who is known to be more responsive (independent of suite fare paid).

At the end of our recent Auckland-Melbourne leg, where butler service was less than stellar as I reported in my review, our butler did not even bother to deliver the end-of-cruise review forms (he may have been afraid of what we would say about him, or just forgot due to overwork)

And was that the end of the interaction, or did you go above her head to the supervisors and insist that someone come in and vacuum or at least give you the vacuum so you could vacuum up the shards yourself if it was not in their job description that day? If so, did they comply? Broken glass is obviously a safety hazard and dealing with it is not just a whim to be indulged.

This seems to be another example of how some "not my problem" service personnel behave like robots, doing what they were told to do on their initial training list of "must do" tasks, but not using judgment to do (or not do) anything else that might make sense or serve the customer's desires or make a good impression.

My sense reading various threads is also that people who frequently cruise SS (and probably other lines too) and are part of the "in" crowd of regulars, rather than sporadic short-termers, are more likely to get better service or get assigned a butler who is known to be more responsive (independent of suite fare paid).

At the end of our recent Auckland-Melbourne leg, where butler service was less than stellar as I reported in my review, our butler did not even bother to deliver the end-of-cruise review forms (he may have been afraid of what we would say about him, or just forgot due to overwork)

And was that the end of the interaction, or did you go above her head to the supervisors and insist that someone come in and vacuum or at least give you the vacuum so you could vacuum up the shards yourself if it was not in their job description that day? If so, did they comply? Broken glass is obviously a safety hazard and dealing with it is not just a whim to be indulged.

This seems to be another example of how some "not my problem" service personnel behave like robots, doing what they were told to do on their initial training list of "must do" tasks, but not using judgment to do (or not do) anything else that might make sense or serve the customer's desires or make a good impression.

 

My sense reading various threads is also that people who frequently cruise SS (and probably other lines too) and are part of the "in" crowd of regulars, rather than sporadic short-termers, are more likely to get better service or get assigned a butler who is known to be more responsive (independent of suite fare paid).

 

At the end of our recent Auckland-Melbourne leg, where butler service was less than stellar as I reported in my review, our butler did not even bother to deliver the end-of-cruise review forms (he may have been afraid of what we would say about him, or just forgot due to overwork)

From the beginning let me say that I'm learning how to use this site. From your choice of ID, I guess that you are a cat lover, as are we. Aside from that, let me say that, yes, we did take action to inform management that we felt we had encountered a problem with the mainentance of our suite, and the issue was resolved. But there was absolutely no way that my wife or I was going to vacuum the suite ourselves--and who would expect a guest to do so? I suppose one could say we are regulars on Silversea but would not suggest that we receive better treatment than others--but, perhaps, I haven't been paying attention. We continue to sail with Silversea but also look to other alternatives.

Are converters required for standard US appliances, iphone, ipad, laptop on the Silver Cloud? Also are there outlets located at the bedside tables in the veranda suites?

Are converters required for standard US appliances, iphone, ipad, laptop on the Silver Cloud? Also are there outlets located at the bedside tables in the veranda suites?

No, you won't need converters as there are 110 outlets in the cabin. I don't remember 110 outlets at or near the bedside tables. Most are on the desk and vanity areas.

Actually, unless you want more than one usable outlet, you will need to bring a converter. I brought and used 2 on our recent cruise on Spirit.

Are converters required for standard US appliances, iphone, ipad, laptop on the Silver Cloud? Also are there outlets located at the bedside tables in the veranda suites?

Having just come off of doing 26 days on the Silver Cloud, I can offer a little more details and specifics for what is and is not there within Veranda Suite rooms. There is only one 110-volt, three prong plug there at the make-up area. Nothing for 110 or otherwise at or near the beds. Sorry!!! I have a CPAP machine and an extension cord set-up was needed to be rigged up to make that medical device work for me while sleeping.

At the regular desk, there is one euro/220 plug-in place available. Plus, in the bathroom, there is a place available for one 110-volt, two-prong plug. That works OK for razors, lighter-duty needs, etc.

I am very glad that I took a converter for the euro plug-in location so that I could get an added 110 electrical access from the suite's desk spot. I really needed that added hook-up, converter spot with all of my camera, computer, iPhone, etc., equipment.

Limited plugs? YES!!! In today's electronic world, we need lots more plugs on cruise ships, at home, etc. Sadly, even on newer ship, such as the 2008-build Celebrity Solstice, there were not enough plug-in spots on this large ship and for most cruise rooms.

Any other Silver Cloud questions and/or needs? Don't be shy!!

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

From our Jan. 25-Feb. 20, 2015, Amazon River-Caribbean combo sailing over 26 days that started in Barbados, here is the link below to that live/blog. Lots of great visuals from this amazing Brazil river and these various Caribbean Islands (Dutch ABC's, St. Barts, Dominica, Grenada, etc.) that we experienced. Check it out at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2157696

Now at 18,913 views for these postings.

Thanks all for the info.

Did you enjoy the Silver cloud? Was the food good? Were the table linens changed and kept clean?

Many Thanks

Thanks all for the info. Did you enjoy the Silver cloud? Was the food good? Were the table linens changed and kept clean? Many Thanks

If were asking me from our recent 26-days on the Silver Cloud, the quick answer is . . . YES, things were fine!! We did a booking for an early 2016, ten-day, South Africa cruise on the Silver Cloud.

Were things "perfect" on the Silver Cloud? No. Never happens on a ship, with a hotel, etc. That has been our experiences from being on Seabourn, Crystal, Silversea and Celebrity. There are always "little things" that could be made better, improved or changed. Not every crew member is at the peak, highest level to match the "best of the best" staff. Some of the "wear-and-being-old" aspects such as the teak decking will get fixed in late October during the Cloud's 18-day dry dock process in Italy.

There were a few "service inconsistencies" that happened maybe 5% of the time. BUT, nothing terrible or dire. My list? I would like more cashews and better snack mixes in the Panorama Lounge. More electrical outlets in the rooms, etc. I can add a few more items to my list, but, overall, we had a great, fun, interesting experience over our 26-days on the ship. Many, many top staffers and fellow passengers. Very pleased with the overall food quality. Yes, table linens were clean and very nice, etc.

Happy to share more and/or answer any added, more specific information needs.

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 174,596 views.

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