PaulaJK

A special treat….last evening in the Avenue..when pianist John Barker cleverly braided two guests’ request into an alternating offerings of 42nd Street and ALWeber music… creative, artistic and thoroughly enjoyed! Thank you, John.

-At check- in there is a staff member who will collect, secure and deliver any hand luggage you wish to submit. -There is a safety video to watch in your cabin, pre muster. - No problems late night room service. We are requested to not have heating elements in cabin due to fire risk. - Worry not, filtered water is very available.

This is a big change as fusina was a commercial port that did not permit walking around, independent arrival, etc. Folks who stay first in Venice will have a trip but perhaps the cruise line will hrlp w these arrabementd.

We spent a bolus of time in the Avenue last evening and found John Barker very enjoyable..talented, personable and solicits requests. not certain why but j Fox’s 2 nd show was in the over crammed Star Dust as opposed to the Galaxy..a bit unnerving as crows and assistance devices somewhat block door.

Yes, Keith. Mark Farris is not on this cruise. My, that would have been a surprise and a treat!

On board currently. JMO…our evening shows have been excellent ..the Avenue good enough…but have to agree w a downward shift for ‘ around the ship’. Perhaps the entertainment budget has been trimmed. Was in Cove this evening. Pianist stopped at 6:30 and violinist began 6:45. Odd timing for prime time Cove. The violinist seems to be playing a lot..and far more than any pianist..aT least in our experience . One night there was a DJ w ipad in Cove, also an afternoon at the pool…just not interesting. will report as this cruise moves forward

Looking forward ti your comments on Osteria. BTW. Mushroom soup in bread basket appeared on menu 2 nights ago..would welcome a revisit. excellent selections in Waterside tonight plus a well received show of Whitney Houston tunes.

Last evening was Crystal at its finest….fabulous dinner of caviar and lobster followed by the music of Billy Joel, presented by the super talented Jamie Fox. The orchestra and very talented cast accompanied Fox’s presentation. Dinner service seems faster these days…or perhaps folks check posted menus & order more quickly…or consume less ( ha!). but whatever, there can be a lull between dinner and the show…no casino, music doesn’t start in Avenue until 9.

Am sitting in a very fine lecture on the Metaverse as Ryndam churns out menus, etc. yeah,Ryndam. First day has been excellent..familiar faces, lovely dinner, terrific show w. Irish dancing taken to a new level.. last evening a medical emergency had us returning to LA to debark passenger..so awaiting word about arrival in first port.

The Maersk container ship is on exhibit in the harbor thru Wednesday…heralding its state of the art technology and its 16 k container capacity. Of course it dwarfs RCCL’s Navigator of the Seas which is about to sail on a four night voyage. Lots of interesting sights in this harbor. Looking forward to boarding tomorrow.

A word to the wise… We found reservations for La Dame and Silver Note impossibly difficult to make once on board. Also unsure how early SALT lab classes fill but my attempts to reserve 24-48 hrs in advance were unsuccessful. i am reluctant to use the word ‘spoil’ but will say that the dearth of entertainment, whether in lounges or at the evening ‘show’ is a factor for us.

We enjoyed our 2 dinners in La Dame..beautiful room and place settings. Service is fine, even if a bit pretentious. Menu is interesting and you may order any number of courses. We each had 2 appetizers and a main. Caviar service was lovely, duck and lobster very good. We were too full for cheeses but enjoyed both the pistachio souffle and the crepes passion. It was challenging to acquire additional resv but the room seems to be about 60% full each time, so puzzling. We did not visit Salt as the menus did not appeal. Silver Note, another difficult to obtain reservation, did not seem very interesting (cuisine) this cruise but the jazz duo was fine. Setting seemed more like a dark bar than a boite.

Ashley, so enjoyable to read your comprehensive and balanced review. We just disembarked from Moon and share most of your impressions. Fortunately for us, we had not only hot plates but also good meats which were bring plated beautifully. Both our duck and steak were NYC worthy. We found the menu choices too few, especially since the majority of the menu remains for several day. For us, the problem is the plainness of many items.Essentially you select a protein and then one of their sauces, meaning composed dishes are few. Desserts are weak. We found the entertainment seriously weak. Silver Moon is a lovely ship with a terrific crew..and our final tally was positive. Hope to meet both of you again somewhere on the seas. Paula

You are quite correct…auto fill combined w poor editing. None the less, the duck was especially delicious. Other high notes have included the lobster in La Dame and the rack of lamb. The attention to plating is extraordinary, especially in view of the high number of diners in a relatively narrow window.

The Grill is quite popular, esp for burgers. on to entertainment: at best, fair. Early in thr cruise there was an excellent guest artist..Martin Kaye..who gave 2 well appreciated performances. There also was a spotlight performance by a cast member. The other shows have been cast shows..fairly weak everything including staging, production and talent…costumes look as though they were sewn in hone ec. Two nights ago the pool deck party was fun: tonight’s rehash..w chocolate desserts..saw folks heading for the exits. Off to panorama where DJ Craig does a nice job but the young adults were lying on the floor, climbing on top and over each other in ? Dance moves. SS is not serving its population w regard to entertsinment.

This cruise was Rome to Barcelona w a port everyday…attractive to some, not auite a sailing adventure to others. The extreme temperatures 95-100, most days were causing folks to wilt a bit. This was our first time on Moon. She is a beautiful ship, well maintained and very clean. She is well staffed and the crew is service oriented and warm/ pleasant…easy to appreciate. Embarkation was a breeze. We love the new style key cards which only need to touch readers at your door and gangplank. Cabins are well sized and well appointed..and well maintained by butler and room attendant. public rooms are lovely as is very large pool deck. Now on to, for us, the weaker areas. You will not go hungry on this ship w offers spread across times and areas. Breakfast and lunch are primarily focused on the La Terrazza buffets which offer a wide variety of foods. The salad bar is extensive but the steam table mains are, well, steamy. Breads are very dry..cheeses are unattractive chunks,… desserts here are numerous..drink service is good enough. Toques off to SS for keeping Atlantide open for lunch, even on port days! If you enjoy a bloody mary pre lunch you are mostly relegated to the pool bar, where service is uneven. Evenings may disappoint some. Before dinner entertainment is limited and light in talent. The dinner menu with its unchanging part is rather limited. when it does change, it is still the sane proteins w slightly different sounds. The quality of the proteins is high w duck and beef and lamb all excelling…but..they are presented plain and you select your sauce…no composed or complex dishes here..particulary noticed w the 3 fish offerings. Love the many different plates and the entrees are beautifully plated. There are few salads.. no cheese course and you cannot even request it. Desserts are decidedly weak,relying alot on gelato. i realize that we all differ….but the negatives I have just cited have been shared w several..most of whom see it as a decline from their previous SS experiences. JMO but SS now ranks below Regent and Crystal in this dept.

To round off our experiences w the spa during this cruise — moisturizing facial..about 45-50 min…comfortable treatment room..adequate but not special ..$199 – massage…50 min..vaguely disappointing…$179 JMO but both did not compare favorably w land services. I would not book again. Of course, there is always that attempt to upsell from ‘ golden’ packages to products.

Glad for you but it would be a bit more awesome were it generally available. On Moon now..two formal optional nights.. no Wellington or lobster on main menu..menu changed yesterday but same old beef, pork and veal w three repetitive fishes… but special duck last night was delicious and inedible. Nearby diner could not get any cheese for dessert. My dessert of marron was a fork challenge and inedible…why serve what you can’t deliver? For pamphlets? . Now at lunch..surprisingly, chicken quesadilla was delicious.. pasta not so..waited 20 min for dessert “chef had trouble” …it was ( pre baked) meringue w whipped cream and sliced pineapple. I could join thecgalley forcthat one!🤭

Cheked w HD..gratuities are included. HD emphasized that this is a contracted service…but..certainly SS should monitor this.

Had shampoo and BD on SS Moon 2 days ago. The fee was $49. Hairdresser reoeatedly said that that did not include gratuity. BTW, no mousse or gel available…”waiting for delivery”.

The same experiences…over and over…apparently with no attempt by SS to address them

Thank you very much…now just need to find ‘test’

Seeking simple directions to do this

We are in a port intensive cruise which traveling from Rome to Barcelona visits Italian, French and Spanish ports. Will Salt change offerings in line w the ports/ countries? Since pre booking was nit available fir Salt, hiw do we gi about booking and how far in advance…or is this a walk in option like Atlantide?