Silver Whisper - disembarked3/03/05

Hi All,

It was wonderful. We spent two nights pre-cruise and 3 post-cruise. All of my concerns were unfounded. It was a delightful time.

I loved almost every minute of the cruise and wish we could only cruise on Silversea. Roomservice was always exactly on time.

I'm not going to do a review, but if you have questions, just ask.

The ports were spectacular (natural beauty) and the crew and officers were also very accomodating. The passanger list was so varied I couldn't believe it. Very different than I had expected. (two children) Avarage age was about 40. We thought the entertainment was excellent! New Cruise Director, who was very pleasant and special.

Regards,

Shannon

Glad to hear you had a very enjoyable time. I am leaving a week from tomorrow on the 3/18 Whisper sailing. Did you do any excursions in Grenada or St. Lucia? How early do most of the morning excursions start? Did you eat in the alternative restaurant that has theme nights? First time on Silversea so any tips you could pass on would be much appreciated.

Thanks so much.

Here are some things you may find helpful. The Captain was Gennaro Arma, I believe he is mentioned on other threads regarding the Whisper. I found him very interested in passengers comments. On our cruise we had two VIPs from the home office who were quite visable. The Cruise Director joined the ship in S.J., he was energetic and charming. His name was Michael Gregurich, and I believe he trained as an opera singer. He was featured in one of the performances one evening. The production company was quite talented and I believe they haven't been "back" with the ship for long.

We ate in the Terrace Cafe on one evening. It was a "lobster" themed dinner. At the end of the dinner, the Chef came and inquired as to our satisfaction. We didn't eat in La Champagne, we probably should have, it is a lovely and intimate room. Almost every morning we had breakfast in the Terrace Cafe, usually outside, if it wasn't in the sun. I always had juice, coffee and fruit in our suite before breakfast. (I need my coffee!!!) Service was perfect.

If they have the Galley Brunch (I imagine they will) be sure to go and arrive hungry. It is very fun, as well. Also, there will probably be a "Latin Pool Deck Spectacular", it really is. It was amazing the amount of work it took to transform the area for this evening. We really enjoyed ourselves as did everyone we visited with that evening. Many of us were pretty tired the next morning.

My favorite islands were Bequia, St. Vincent and St. Barts, French West Indies. We didn't do any ship's tours but on St. Lucia we hired a taxi for $30 an hour, we agreed to two hours but then added another. I believe on all the islands "highlights" tours were offered, usually in both the morning and afternoon. If it isn't too close to your sailing date, you can book your tours in advance on Silversea's website.

Have a wonderful time. Do post when you return.

Regards,

Shannon

Oh, I just found it. The entertainment was provided by "The Jean Ann Ryan Production Company". I only saved two Chronicles.

Do you know how long Mike Gregurich is staying onboard. We are on the Whisper in May and I was wondering if he would still be onboard?

Do you know how long Mike Gregurich is staying onboard. We are on the Whisper in May and I was wondering if he would still be onboard?

Assuming Silversea doesn't move the Cruise Director to another ship, he should be on the Whisper in May. The senior officer's contracts are for four months. If he boarded in late February, he'll disembark around late June.

I'm so glad you had a great time. We leave Sunday for a cruise starting March 14th. It will be our first Silversea cruise so we are really excited. Thanks for the information regarding the resturants--we will have to try at least one of the alternatives.

Better go and pack!

Thank you so much for the information. Were most of the people in tux/gowns on formal nights? On semi formal did most men just wear a jacket or jacket and tie? How was the lobster night in the terrace restaurant? Did they serve whole lobsters? tail? or lobster dishes.

Thanks

Oh, one last question. What time were you off the ship the last day?

I forgot to answer your question on Grenada. We had been to this island before so we simply walked into town and checked things out. Given what they went through, the Island is in pretty good shape. The people there are wonderful. One man touched my arm and said, "It will be better, next time you come." If you have not been to Grenada, I encourage you to do one of the "Highlights" tours.

Mostly Tux's on formal nights, much more variety for women. Beause the cruise was so short, I didn't take any "gowns" but wore "fancy" evening attire. On informal nights, my husband and most men wore jackets but no ties.

It turned out there was a bit of miscommunication about the "Lobster" night. There were Maine Lobster drawings on the promotion for the Terrace Cafe, which is why we went. It was formal night, so others may have gone there to not dress in a Tux. We did not, my husband wore his tux and the dinner was delicious, however it was not Maine Lobster. Rather there were many selections (cources) featuring lobster. It was excellent and we enjoyed it very much but did feel a bit duped. When we visited with the Chef, we told him so. The problem of expectations. Again, let me say, each course was excellent.

I hope this helps and that you have a wonderful cruise.

Regards,

Shannon

As we were independent travelers, staying on in SJ for three nights, we requested and received a disembarcation time of 10:00AM. It worked out very well for us. We got our passports and went to breakfast in the Terrace Cafe. Then we returned to our suite to finish up packing. About the time I finished, our color was called. So, once we were ready, we left.

Regards,

Shannon

It turned out there was a bit of miscommunication about the "Lobster" night. There were Maine Lobster drawings on the promotion for the Terrace Cafe, which is why we went. It was formal night, so others may have gone there to not dress in a Tux. We did not, my husband wore his tux and the dinner was delicious, however it was not Maine Lobster. Rather there were many selections (cources) featuring lobster. It was excellent and we enjoyed it very much but did feel a bit duped. When we visited with the Chef, we told him so. The problem of expectations.

When we were on our one week Mexican Riviera cruise on the Shadow last December, "surf and turf" was served once at the Terrace Cafe. Lobsters and king crab legs (and oysters for that matter) were never on the menu (though presumably you could prior order it a day ahead of time if you so insisted). The "food from the sea" section every night was fish, fish and more fish, even though they were good fish. (To be fair, I have to mention that expensive items such as caviar and foie gras were liberally served upon request.)

Reading through Silversea's menu on their website, as well as other people's postings through the years, it seems that Silversea emphasizes "food from the fields", and (at least on the menu) has been rather "monotonous" in regard to seafood. Perhaps they believe fish is better for health than the other varieties, or perhaps since they cannot serve "live" lobsters, king crabs and fresh oysters at sea, they prefer not to make them part of the regular menu (those items are usually served "live" in gourmet restaurants on land). Any comments? Thank you.

They usually have shrimp on the menu in one form or other almost every night.

Do you know how long Mike Gregurich is staying onboard. We are on the Whisper in May and I was wondering if he would still be onboard?

Swindy, which cruise are you on? We are on 5/12 to 5/19 from Civitavecchia to Villefranche?

This may seem like a silly question but given the price of SilverSea cruises, are shore excursions included? Also, if I might ask those of you who have sailed on SilverSea before, can one get any significant discounts if one books/pays 6-12 months in advance? I know that like everything else, retailers like to maintain product integrity and not admit to discounting but...

Your input is greatly appreciated

They are not normally included. There are some TAs that include "shore events" in their pricing. I'm afraid I can't help with your other question. You might try doing a search.

Regards,

Shannon

This may seem like a silly question but given the price of SilverSea cruises, are shore excursions included? Also, if I might ask those of you who have sailed on SilverSea before, can one get any significant discounts if one books/pays 6-12 months in advance? I know that like everything else, retailers like to maintain product integrity and not admit to discounting but...

 

Your input is greatly appreciated

There are some discounts for booking for and paying for your cruise in full 6 months in advance. However, lately there have been several discounted Silver Sailings that offer savings of up to 50% off. In addition, if you do an onboard booking, you save 5% off, and if it is a Venetian Club Sailing, you get another 5% to 10% off of that. The thing that I like is that Silversea takes the other discounts (onboard booking and Venetian Club discounts) off the full fare, not the discounted fare.

Hope this helps.

The thing that I like is that Silversea takes the other discounts (onboard booking and Venetian Club discounts) off the full fare, not the discounted fare.

Is that so, that is nice to know!

As usual, I really appreciate the sharing of information on this board. Thanks again;)

...are shore excursions included?

The "silversea experience" was what I was thinking of earlier in the thread, just didn't get it quite right. In addition I get mailings (all the time) from a TA with their "exclusive silversea events" (which are free, right).

Hope this all helps the person with the shore excursion question.

Regards,

Shannon

Shannon,

Can you tell me who was the Maitre'D and the Cruise Consultant on your Whisper cruise.

Thanks

The Maitre d'Hotel was - Paolo Vitali, who is charming and such fun. The tour manager was Clive Jellicoe, who lives in the south of France.

Regards,

Shannon

Hi All,

Our Cruise Consultant was Teresa Binding. I hope this helps.

Regards,

Shannon

Hi Shannon,

Thanks very much for the info.

We know both Paolo and Teresa so it would be nice if they were still on in May. We are looking forward to seeing Michael Gregurich again and I believe it will be Captain Tatulli.

Hi All,

You are more than welcome. We had such a marvelous time, I only hope that is so for others who cruise SS. Enjoy your next voyage knowing I will be sailing with you in spirit (hope that's not too California for you).

Regards,

Shannon

Shannon, thanks for the information as well. We are also sailing in May, so it is nice to know who might be our staff ahead of time. Last April we had Captain Casaro and the CD was Judy Abbott. Both were outstanding, but you wouldn't expect anything less on SS.

Swindy, which cruise are you on???