New to Silversea

I am new to this line. On the Shadow what are the terrace rooms and how does their guarantee rooms work. Also what goes on during the day and as per dress code how far does a jacket and tie get you? I spoke to them however they do not seem too sure, almost what I want to hear. I do not want to go and not fit in. Thanks to all

We have sailed in the Terrace suites several times and like them a lot. Their location just aft of the shops and near the small casino bar is ideal for us. While it is true that you have a shared veranda and you cannot leave furniture out there, the wider veranda gives you a much better view fore and aft. Passengers are generally very respectful of other people's privacy and space on the shared veranda. The veranda is an emergency passageway and also a way for the crew to move about, but we never found that to be a problem. The rest of the cabin is the same as a regular veranda suite except that there is slightly less window area next to the door to the veranda in a terrace suite.

Sorry I can't help with information on a guarantee.

on the whisper ( same as shadow) i always took a terrace

concerning the dress code : i did a caribbean on the spirit in december: on 10 days : 2 formal - still lots of people with tuxedo and real evening gear including some guests with gala uniform and medals - and 5 times informal most of those with tie

and do not hesitate to ask for your preferred drinks in the suite or cabin during the first meeting with your butler - and daily fruit

you recently were on the Europa 2 - you cannot compare - also the fares i agree on that as well

When you book a "guarantee cabin" it is typically a "guarantee veranda 1", "guarantee veranda 2"--i.e., you book a guarantee in a specific category.. They don't offer guarantee cabins all the time. You could say it's how they overbook a category, thinking they will get cancellations at some point. You are guaranteed a cabin in that category...if none are available, you get a higher category. We are Silversea veterans and we have booked guarantee cabins three times. The first time we booked guarantee 1 and got upgraded to a veranda 4 cabin. The other two times we booked veranda 2 and received veranda 2 cabins. We are frequent floaters on SS and I thought our status might help us get an upgraded cabin, but alas it did not. (I know this because someone we spoke to booked a guarantee in the same category as us, had less days, and got a higher category cabin.) I suspect it might be the luck of the draw. If you don't like the cabins in a specific category, don't book a guarantee for that category as you may end up there...i.e., don't book guarantee V1 if you don't like cabins 501 or 502!

In regard to dress code during the day, I would say a safe bet would be country club casual depending on the climate in the region you are sailing. We dress in business attire all the time for work, and frequently are at formal events, so many times the last thing we want to do on a 7 day cruise is to bring formal attire and dress up in a place like the Caribbean. So on formal nights, we book one of the two restaurants that don't require formal attire--La Terrazza or The Grill. Mr. Herman the Cat takes a dark jacket, crisp white shirt and tie, dark pants and that has been fine. I will also tell you that we have been invited to dinners with officers on formal nights which we felt we needed to attend, and this ensemble has been fine. That being said, if we are in Europe for a longer sailing (10+ days) we typically do bring formal wear as it will be worn more than once.

I am curious what Vistaman said about Europa 2...I have often looked at the ship and do wonder how it would compare to Silversea in terms of the ship, food service and type of passenger.

the quality of the ingredients is far superior on Europa 2

to give you an idea for breakfast : i think 12 different ( crispy also ) breads , and aside "bread cheese like gouda 8 speciality cheeses on the breakfast buffet ,( 14 on the dinner buffet )

i am very into gastronomy ...

same for cold cuts : several fresh fruit juices and impeccable fruits

Europa 2 is informal no ties at all

but do not expect traditional cruise dishes : no Beef wellington and no giant plates with pasta's neither giant steaks

light interior colours vs dark colours on SS ( brown and red )

very few people do drink cocktails and martinis on the 2 - lots of French champagne

You will be fine with a dark suit and tie on formal nights if you want to go to the main dining room.

We did 10 days in the Baltic and 10 days in Alaska another time and DH did not take his tux, just too much to pack for the flights, train, etc. He just brought several shirts and ties. The dry cleaning services got some of our OBC so he didn't have to pack 10 dress shirts.

We saw almost everything during the day: shorts around the pool on our unexpected warm days, casual cotton slacks, even the occasional pair of nice jeans.

Did not see any sweat pants, pajama bottoms, or anything like that. :D

 

Did not see any sweat pants, pajama bottoms, or anything like that. :D

Yes, while I'm a Walmart shopper, they sell other things. Although I probably wore my yoga pants too much on the last cruise for on the walking deck but I did have a longish top to cover most of the worst of me when going from gym or walking deck back to the cabin.

I do wear jeans because I like to travel in them (they are stretchy) and use them on board for cold days.

For days I favour skirts and sandals with plain t-shirts just because I look terrible in shorts (see above.)

For my first cruise I had planned church wear for casual nights, fancier dresses for informal and a few gowns for formal night. Got on board and realized that my church wear was really only suitable for daytime wear and so was short informal outfits since most of those shifted down to casual nights.

Informal nights remain an issue for me (I don't work outside the home, nor belong to a club of any sort, so am short the right sort of clothing.) I usually plan a couple of nights in the cabin on informal evenings as a result. Those become our burgers and a movie nights. But I'm on board a minimum of 21 days at a time so am happy to give up a few nights in the dining room for a quiet dinner at home.

the quality of the ingredients is far superior on Europa 2

to give you an idea for breakfast : i think 12 different ( crispy also ) breads , and aside "bread cheese like gouda 8 speciality cheeses on the breakfast buffet ,( 14 on the dinner buffet )

i am very into gastronomy ...

same for cold cuts : several fresh fruit juices and impeccable fruits

Europa 2 is informal no ties at all

but do not expect traditional cruise dishes : no Beef wellington and no giant plates with pasta's neither giant steaks

light interior colours vs dark colours on SS ( brown and red )

very few people do drink cocktails and martinis on the 2 - lots of French champagne

Thank you for the information. It sounds like the food (at least breakfast) is much more European in style. From what I understand 80% of the clientele is German, and the primary language on board is German and secondary is English? And I guess one other distinctive feature is the nude sunbathing deck!;)

usually there is also a special party for non german speaking guests

and you are welcomed aboard by the hotel director and the cruise director and French champagne is offered ( no prosecco as welcome...+ canapes and small cakes)

and so far NO filthy lap dogs on board :p

usually there is also a special party for non german speaking guests

and you are welcomed aboard by the hotel director and the cruise director and French champagne is offered ( no prosecco as welcome...+ canapes and small cakes)

and so far NO filthy lap dogs on board :p

It sounds very tempting!

Yes, we did hear about the dog from some friends who were on board...they had encountered the same couple on Seabourn and the situation was the same. They suspected that 75% of the passengers would probably complain about the dog etc...

Frankly, we were appalled that Silversea allowed that. Who knows what they were thinking...if they were even thinking at all?!!! I would like to think that situation slipped through the cracks. I'm sure others had complaints as well and I suspect I will hear in due course.