Christmas and new years on spirit

Hi

We are taking the Dec 22nd Silver Spirit cruise to the Caribean from FL over Christmas and New Years. Can anyone tell us what to expect on the Spirit on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Years Eve, and New Years day?

We have been on Spirit for the last 3 Christmas cruises but giving it a miss this year although the nearer it gets begining to wonder about the wisdom of that decision.

 

In general there are decorations in the stairwells and gingerbread houses with sweets in a couple of locations around the ship. For the first 2 years Christmas eve was pretty well another day but last year we thought the evening meal in MDR was what we would call a Christmas menu and the Christmas day menu was a "special" menu (i.e. non Xmas) to go with a formal evening. All a bit confusing.

 

New Years eve we always book for Terrazza so have no experience of MDR where a dinner dance in organised but quite how it operates I do not know. Given that the MDR struggles on a full night I would imagine there is plenty of time to dance if you so wish. New Years Day is just another day with nothing out of the ordinary if ordinary is the right word for life on SS.

 

The Christmas Day show in the lounge on our first year was absolutly magnificent as a special producer was on board and directed the artists of SS in a magical show but otherwise there is not much difference to usual.

 

One big difference to usual is the number of children on board. In the first year about half a dozen and no problem. Year 2 there were about a dozen and had it moments around the pool area. Year 3 they were in the twenties and we had buggies in the MDR, races in corridors and the pool was almost a no go area. This was probably the main reason we opted to miss this year so would be interested to know how many this year.

 

Please let me know if you have any other questions and rest assured despite some of my comments Christmas on Spirit is still a vey good place to be.

Edited December 11, 2014 by eastwoodboy

We are trying the Cloud this Christmas. It is a 2 week cruise so the kiddies will (hopefully) be on the shorter ones!

DT: I think the fact that you are on the Cloud is more likely to save you from too many little ones more than the length of the cruise. Unless SS has stopped splitting 2 week cruises into two 1 week options as the sail date approaches. Just looked and see the Spirit's Christmas cruise offers an 8 day and 7 day option as well as the 15 days under the original number. The Shadow's Christmas cruise has also been split. But the Cloud is waitlisted and unsplit.

 

(That marketing ploy scares me, not so much due to kids but due to the possibility there will be a large corporate group on board. Of course, over Christmas, corporate groups won't be an issue.)

Edited December 11, 2014 by CanadianKate

No experience on Spirit, but have doen 2 Christmas/NY cruises.

 

Decorations are visible and (mainly) tasteful.

 

Don't forget that in many European countries, the big meal and family celebrations are on Christmas Eve, and so expect to have a "Christmas" menu that evening, and a 'formal' dinner with a less typically Christmas menu on Christmas evening. I had roast goose (another very European Chsritmas dish) one Christmas Eve, and I still remember it as one of the best dishes I have ever had on board.

 

The midnight service can be very moving, and (in my limited experience) mainly attended by crew. On one cruise there was a Christmas morning service as well (on the other one, we were not at sea).

 

NY Eve seems to vary by location and management preferences ideas. I have fond memories of NYE 2009 on the Wind, with the Captain in command on the bridge moving the ship all over the place (and missing the party on deck)to avoid the storms, seeing NY in somewhere off the Comoros.

 

Another important consideration is to sign up the priest on board to your trivia team. The sooner you intercept him the better. Experience says that he will make all the difference to your team winning. We have missed the sign up twice - the only two cruises to date where our team was defeated!

Another important consideration is to sign up the priest on board to your trivia team.

SS has priests on board their voyages? I had no idea. In all of the cruises we've done with SS (not that many mind you), I have never seen a priest. But, we don't play trivia, so maybe that's why. ;o)

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

There is usually a Priest on board for Christmas and Easter. Services are well attended by reformed Catholics!

Services are well attended by reformed Catholics!

Haha! I bet. Thx Ms. Tape.

In my experience it is not uncommon to have a priest aboard during Christmas sailings or a rabbi during high holidays. My husband and I were cruising on Sept 11, 2001 and the rabbi aboard (the cruise was during Rosh Hashanah) performed an interdenominational service that evening--for crew as well as passengers. It was very moving and comforting, especially since we were off Greenland at the time.

Edited December 15, 2014 by Winner

coco888 I hope all is going well and would be most interested to know your views although I guesss you are too busy enjoying yourself at the moment.

 

Do let us have your thoughts at some stage

We're on board the Spirit for the Holiday Cruise. Now berthed in Barbados and watching as many passengers are disembarking on this split up into two segments cruise. It will be interesting to see if the ambiance changes.

 

The ship looks good all dressed up for Christmas. A lot of the crew are old friends and, as usual, are very welcoming. Our suite staff, Olivia and Marlon, are A + at looking after us.

 

Gotta have a little negativity to go with all this sweetness. We, especially my husband, are frustrated by the lack of coordination at the pool grill at lunch time. You never know who takes food orders, who takes drink orders, and delivery of both can be haphazard. If SS wants us to follow a protocol, then we wish it were made clear. I've been writing about this on comment cards...for years. How about different color or type of uniform for the various servers...and let us know. My DH has basically said the H with it and walks to the bar to get us drinks..including the elusive refills. Everyone wants to give good service, but there needs to be a good sorting out of assignments.

 

Back to sweetness. The food has been very, very good. There has been excellent variety, everything has been fresh and it seems to be a little less "fussy"....a good evolution we think. As usual, the service stars are at all of the bars. SS know exactly who to pick for friendliness and fun. There have been children and quite a few teenagers...all perfectly behaved except for an adorable 2 year old who gets mad as a wet hen, stomps her feet, yells every two year old's favorite word; NO, and is immediately shushed by always attentive family. We find this charming...but are glad that she's not one of many!

 

I'll report in again when we find out how the second group of passengers settle in. Almost Happy New Year to us all!

Thanks for the update CruisinPashmina, and a Happy New Year to you and all aboard.

Greetings from the Cloud. Have a great cruise!

Oops

Edited December 30, 2014 by duct tape

Thanks for your comments cruisinpashmina and look forward to your update.

 

Tonight will be our first at home for new year having been in Terrazza for the last three years so will be thing of you all onboard even though 5 hours ahead of what is actually going on. We still recall the first year we entered the bar on newyears eve at 7.00 pm to find the television showing the midnight celebrations live from London. Deeply envious of anyone with a booking for Terrazza tonight.

 

Hope the deck party at midnight goes better than the year the pool was only half drained and all the balloons stuck to the water and refused to be released. The year the pool was fully drained a few hundred balloons were released en mass into a moonlite sky which was more impressive.

 

Happy new year to you and all on board.

An Update:

Happy first day of 2015! New passengers on this split cruise are all aboard. Essentially the switcheroo was an even swap. About 75 left and about 80 joined. In mulling things over, I've decided that both groups are mostly new to SS. Both appear to be families with older children out on school holidays. I think that this is what SS is looking for when they split a cruise....new passengers,and a younger demographic. And perhaps more single travelers of all ages.

 

I don't think, at least in this case, that dividing the cruise has made any big difference. Whatever comraderie develops on a holiday cruise is usually within the "regulars" who have become acquaintances/friends over the years. There are even regulars within regulars meaning those of us who always book the Holiday Cruise love to get together if only for a drink. The newbies are usually too busy checking out everything to exchange more than pleasantries. Although as I mentioned, in another context, we have found that people new to SS from mass market cruises, tend to complain about things we old timers find minuscule or nonexistent.

 

All in all, it's been a wonderful holiday cruise. The Spirit looks great all decked out for Christmas. The sun is shining, the sea is just the right amount of lively, and we are about to head to the New Year's Day brunch in the Restaurant.....We are booked on the Shadow bound for Burma next December 22... Life, as we sail along is very good! Happy New Year to everyone!

I like that...the sea is just the right amount of lively. Happy New Year to you also. I anxiously await the Brunch today. I am very hungry from the not so terrific NYE dinner!

Happy New Year to all! Enjoying the reports and looking forward to boarding the Spirit again next Tuesday. Please leave us some good wine and white chocolate grappa!

Dieter I too wish we could meet for quick drink at least -- but not this time.

My TA and his wife will be on Spirit with you - he was Malcolm's agent too. Small world -- the Silversea world. Have a great trip and I'll report on Cloud.

Mary Ann