Tudorcruisers

It’s very disappointing to hear about what seems to be a real decline in service and everything else on Silver Nova. We sailed in September and everything was so good it’s a real worry to read about all these issues.

1. What is dress code like at dinner? We’re a little more business casual than dressed up but not a dealbreaker. We find Silversea a lot more formal than Regent for example though if you look up the dress code we find most guests do adhere to a jacket for men and collared shirts when required . I find in general most passengers dress as they would to visit a very nice restaurant. 2. Are the included shore excursions of good quality? We like a wide range of activities from beach getaways to learning about destinations we are visiting . We have found it really does come down to the guide. We have had some excellent free excursions and some not as good. As they are free we just appreciate someone taking the time to talk about their area to us. 3. Is there entertainment on board and what can we expect? The entertainment isn’t the big shows you might get if you sail on Celebrity or some of the larger ships. It’s more low key though we have always enjoyed it and have no complaints . Their is a main show each evening and then other entertainment in different lounges. 4. Quality of food? Again we have never had any cause whatsoever to complain and when I read some of the posts even just a week after we have been onboard it really makes me wonder what is going on and I do like good food . I personally find the food on Silversea to be as good as any five star restaurant we would go to. 5. Tipping? Is it included in the price? I don’t see it included when doing a booking. It does say included and it’s an exhausting subject. I do still tip as I find the service to be above and beyond and there is a staff fund you can contribute to so every worker is covered which I think is an excellent idea. I feel if you travel with Silversea you will realise just how excellent the service is so I personally feel this should be rewarded. I actually think Silversea need to come up with something regarding tipping as I know how hard the staff work and it’s so unfair when some passengers tip and others don’t.

You would most likely find yourself in the minority if our cruise in September on Silver Nova was anything to go by. Most men were in collared shirts and looking very smart indeed. I would count a polo shirt more as sports attire.

If you don’t care about the dress code and it’s the itinerary you want then I would say go with Regent. I sailed with them once and didn’t enjoy it though that was due to the extremely casual dress code which after Silversea was a shock to the system. Customer service wasn’t as good either though the food was ok. Silversea would be much superior in my view.

It would be simple to leave out your clothes for the evening before you go out. A quick shower, touch up of make -up and for me it would be no difference at all between casual and informal, only difference is the clothing .

I was disappointed Vikki couldn’t do her show on Silver Nova as it is very enjoyable. I also feel that it would be much better if a booking could be made for just one of the S.A.L.T cooking classes so that other passengers could also enjoy the class. I was quite surprised some people thought it was ok to book every single class as this meant others couldn’t get to enjoy it at all. As this can only be booked once onboard for those whose flight is delayed they don’t stand a chance at all.

Always fly the previous day and think now this is even more important as there are so many delays and we always pack some of each other’s clothes in the suitcases in case one gets lost as we had no case one time for 4 days. I have a checklist that I print out each time I’m going away so I can tick things off and over the years it just makes travelling much easier. I pack pretty light as I can always do laundry and I always used to bring things home that were never worn so I now plan each day and take nothing extra so the case is a lot lighter too. I used to always take a highlighter for the daily news sheet so I could mark what I wanted to do though on last cruise it was paperless and the daily chronicle was on an iPad so no need of a highlighter anymore.

I wouldn’t chance it given so many delays these days.

Always a travel agent.

I just put some Fabreze in a spray bottle and it works really well. Give the clothes a good shake and hang up in the shower area. With not being allowed an iron for years now it’s good to get new ideas.

I didn’t see any public computers on Silver Nova. I would definitely take my own iPad or tablet. Any other questions please ask.

When we first did the Silversea excursions a few years ago a lot of passengers tipped the guide at the end of the tour. Last year and again this year very, very few have tipped the guide at the end despite the tours in my opinion mainly being very good indeed. I’m not American, just feel it’s the right thing to do if someone has given good service.

There wasn’t one on Silver Nova, looks like it’s being phased out.

I enjoy the S.A.L.T. cooking experience. I personally felt the kitchen on Silver nova is now too big which made it difficult for Chef Erin to check what everyone was doing so I preferred it on the smaller ships though still had fun.

Our cruise was just 7 nights so every night was elegant casual so we didn’t have a formal/optional evening. I felt the majority of passengers were really well dressed and had embraced Elegant casual. A lot of men were wearing jackets and dress shirts. In June we sailed on Silver Dawn and on the formal night there weren’t very many men wearing a tux though even on non-formal evenings passengers were a lot more casual than on this trip.