Observer

Lots of questions. I will address only those on the Grill and breakfast.

BREAKFAST: In nice weather, the rear (open) seating area of Terrazza is open and one can have the full buffet breakfast there (including special order omelets, etc.) In nearly all kinds of weather, there is a nice continental breakfast available on the pool deck -- cereals, fruits, juices, pastry. One can always get a table, and it's quiet and very pleasant. I'm surprised it isn't more patronized.

THE GRILL: The outdoor, informal, hot rocks dining at the Grill on the pool deck is very nice, but reservations are required. It's very informal, and the steaks/seafood are wonderful. The menu is the same night after night, so one would get tired of this fare if one dined here too often.

The OP mentions the inability to get a full/hot breakfast in the suite.

This is puzzling. One can always get a full/hot breakfast in suite (at least on five larger Silversea ships).

I assume that the OP elected not to have the in suite breakfast or perhaps that on this charter such an option was not offered (perhaps because everyone would be disembarking at the same times and it would be impossible to serve everyone properly).

I can't recall the arrangement on Spirit, but on the other four (larger) ships there is nearly always an attendant present in Panorama from 6:30 am on for early riser coffee -- refreshing the coffee, juice, pastry selections. He will gladly prepare a speciality coffee. Speciality coffee is then available on demand throughout the day in Panorama. There is a high-tech coffee machine in the observation lounges of Wind, Whisper, and Shadow. However, I have not been able to master their operation. :)

Do I correctly infer that you dealt exclusively with Silversea personnel and did not use a travel agent?

I have a well-cruised colleague who had a similar, fine experience dealing only with Silversea and found the Silversea cruise consultant (a former travel agent) to be far more responsive and knowledgeable than the two travel agencies with which they had previously dealt.

The colleague understood that she and her husband could have enjoyed some financial savings from dealing with a travel agency, but they were fatally burned by previous experience and were very happy with the interaction with the Silversea cruise consultant.

It never occurred to me that -- dealing exclusively with the cruise line -- one might even have more "clout" should an issue arise.

It is worth noting that the Terrace walkway is *not* accessible to passengers other than those in Terrace suites. It is not as if random passengers would be walking by, looking in. Crew occasionally walk by. Doubtless as instructed, their eyes are always straight-ahead. I have never seen a crew member as much as glance at me in my Terrace suite.

They are there because of SOLAS safety requirements. People book them because they have many (but as you point out not all) of the advantages of a verandah suite at a lower fare. They tend to sell out early in my experience.

I have found download speeds to be quite adequate. This may be because I download first thing every morning. It rarely takes more than 5 minutes to download my email, to browse my local newspaper, and to download that day's NY TIMES, to be read at leisure offline. Downloading magazines (e.g., NEW YORKER or BUSINESS WEEK) takes longer. In any case, I do nearly all of my reading and replying offline (and then upload responses to email messages).

You could be surprised with an upgrade to a suite more expensive than the category you booked. It has happened. In any case, no Silversea suite is bad. It's quite possible you will not get an assignment until embarkation, but I certainly would not worry if I were you.

Might this not depend on the terms agreed between Silversea and whoever chartered the ship? I can imagine that with a corporate charter (recognizing high-flying insurance agents) there may be no loyalty days. But with other kinds of charters they would be.

Silversea's North American website shows the lower fares under the special offers section. It clearly shows the lower price for the 2 cat upgrade offer. Not sure about UK website but I would check out the NA website

The Terms/Conditions apparently state that the new fare must a) be on the website and b) be labeled as a Silver Privilege fare.

It may be that the special offer fare is not listed as a Silver Privilege fare.

Details matter, alas.

How often does SS update voyage cabin availability? We've been looking at a few cruises that indicate most cabins available only to find out the ship is sold out and waitlist only. When I spoke with their Customer Service they suggested that perhaps the ship had just sold out -- 5 different cabin levels all selling out simultaneously on the Whisper -- really?

 

The phone reps have no idea about how often the website is updated and they cannot provide any information about the size of the waitlists.

 

Why bother showing prices/waitlists if they aren't kept reasonably updated? Silversea can certainly make it difficult for their clients.

I have discovered through experience that the website indication of availability may mean that only one or two suites are available in that category (often in very unattractive locations) or that all suites have been booked but that Silversea is confident of cancellations and is taking "GTY" (guarantee) bookings in that category.

If I understand this matter correctly, the OP received a "targeted offer," directed to a specific group of possible customers. Credit card companies and airlines/hotel chains use these frequently in the USA. A group of people receive a special offer (double miles, quicker route to higher status, etc.) but only those who receive the offer are eligible. Even if someone else gets the code, the corporate computers do not allow registration.

The Silversea case seems similar. The offer in question was targeted to a specific group (British nationals?). The guarantee, however, applies only if there is a general lowering of fares, available to everyone, and publicized on the Silversea website.

I have travelled extensively on both Silversea and Regent (though not on Regent since they greatly increased single supplements and began including tours). I think both are quality products, with high quality food and service. However, I greatly prefer the smaller size and greater intimacy of the Silversea ships. I sailed twice with Regent during the new/current included excursions era, and I vowed I would never set foot again on a Regent ship when I waited in the blazing sun for half an hour because there was such a long line for tenders back to the ship. I have never had such an experience on Silversea. Nor have I encountered on Silversea the hustle of "art" dealers! :) Is Regent still lining corridors with "art", holding actions, etc?

I was recently sitting within easy hearing distance of two Gentleman Hosts who were talking loudly with each other. They would have to have been blind not to have seen me. They were joking with each other about (paying) guests, making absolutely inappropriate comments about one passenger after another. I could hear all of this clearly. I was appalled.

Yes. There are some very attractive fares. See:

http://www.silversea.com/specialoffers/?specialoffer=18897

Observer, I did post quite a bit during the cruise on the thread I started, Shadow Hong Kong to Tokyo to Seward, last post on that thread was May 20, and addressed many of these questions.

 

Yes, the Shadow has plenty of faded, stained carpets. I was told that they would be doing replacements during the Alaska season, largely at night. We have been on other ships where this has been done, and it was quiet and unobtrusive, so let's hope.

Thanks, Wellseasoned. I probably did not read that other thread -- or, if I did, I failed to connect the dots.

Does anyone know whether Silversea is in fact replacing Shadow's carpets and perhaps other soft goods, etc., during the Alaska season?

We're boarding the Shadow next week, I'll let you know what we think.

I do not find a followup post from Wellseasoned. I (and doubtless others) would be interested in your thoughts about the condition of the Shadow.

Other recent guests on Shadow could also weigh in. I, for one, am more interested in the condition of the ship (wear and tear, etc.) than on service, menus, etc. Reactions to service/menus is so subjective. But so too, I guess, is whether hallway carpets are clean, sofas are threadbare, etc. :)

We were on the shadow in October... but the ship has been in dry dock since so they may have spruced things up. Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

Is it the case that the Shadow has been in dry dock sometime after October 2013? If so, does anyone know what was done? Is the ship in better shape?

Thanks.

While not necessarily mid-ship... I have stayed in suites 505 & 706. Both smelled of cigarette smoke... presumably from the crew area as the hallways had the same odour. As I recall, a many night VS member was able to get her low700's suite changed to a less smoky higher number suite on the same floor.

I assume that this experience was some time ago, as smoking is no longer permitted in suites (and certainly not in interior crew areas on passenger decks).

An additional consideration might be port/starboard. For example, on westbound cruises along the Mexican coast, I always book starboard suites to enjoy the (distant) view of the mountains. If you really like sunsets and are traveling north along the east coast of South America, you might want port. Etc.

On Silversea, one way to thank the behind the scenes staff is to donate to the crew fund. This is much appreciated by a large number of people.

Hear! Hear!

I donate on every cruise. Often I ask Reception how many others will contribute. I don't think the estimate has ever reached as high as 5% of the guests.

We see the waiters and the butlers and the housekeepers. But there are countless people we never see, chopping vegetables, getting provisions from the stores, laundering our soiled linens, etc.

"All Inclusive" need not imply that one cannot offer an additional gratuity to the crew at large.

I can not believe that you would not book a trip on Silversea based on some of the opinions posed here by some of the same naysayers that continuously bad mouth this company.Sure it might not be as great as the first time one steps on, but as one who's cruised on all the other so called luxury lines,it's still a great time.just look at the posts on Regent,Crystal ,and Seabourn to,see all the caterwauling and bitching going on. Book it !

Strongly agreed. I too have traveled on each of the four major luxury lines, and none of them is perfect. Have others not discovered (as I did long ago) that nothing in life is perfect, including Silversea. But Silversea comes about as close to perfection as one can expect nowadays.

Previous posters who are dissatisfied with Silversea and believe that it has gone hopelessly downmarket, and who imply that cost is not a major consideration for them, might want to consider purchasing their own yachts.

I cannot speak about layout, but I would not worry a bit about proximity to reception. Soundproofing is very good, and the lobby is hardly party central. It's generally deserted.

Are you saying that you had a confirmed booking on this cruise when you booked it shortly after 2015 cruises were announced? In that case, Silversea is doubtless offering you some compensation. Over the years, I have been booked on two Silversea cruises that were later cancelled, and I thought that the compensation offered was quite reasonable -- even generous.

Sounds like a charter to me. It's difficult to fault Silversea for opting for the charter if they can sell an entire ship with the stroke of a pen on a contract. I infer from your message that the contract had been pending for some time. Thus, their not taking any firm reservations but instead giving people positions on a wait list *if* the cruise took place.

A minor change we noticed: those staying on from the previous cruise were "strongly recommended" to attend the safety drill again, but not forced to do so.

In my opinion, this is a most welcome change. People on back-to-backs can surely remember instructions given when they boarded the ship. Often departures are late in the evening, and the requirement that in transit passengers attend each drill means that they have to hurry back to the ship for the ~6 pm drill rather than, say, staying in town and having a leisurely dinner before the ship departs at 10.