wanderingnsw

OH man, I mistyped. That's embarrassing! I meant to say Copenhagen to Stockholm. So it's 7 days to Baltic areas.

I know it's kind of last minute, but I'm considering booking a cruise in July on the Silver Dawn. It will do the Baltics. I've never been before and really look forward to seeing things there. Has anyone been on this cruise? Just wondering if there are any excursions that are "not to be missed". 

Oh, I should say I'll be traveling with myself (30s) and my husband (40s) - we're up for adventures. We took our young daughter on a SS cruise to Alaska last summer and had a blast, but looking forward to sailing child free this summer.

So I've been talking with a travel agent who found me 2 cruise options this summer - both to Scandinavia - one on Regent Seven Seas and one on Ponant. I had been leaning towards Regent, but they only have very expensive staterooms left. Is it worth the hefty price tag? Has anyone cruised on both and can give me a nice comparison? 

Any and all advice would be great!

Thanks!

Hello all, 

I am very new to cruising. I was on my first cruise last summer. We did SilverSea in Alaska. It was amazing and has perhaps ruined me for all other cruises. 

What I loved about it? The very small boat, the all-inclusive nature, the included excursions, great food. 

Does anyone have a suggestion for a Caribbean cruise line that might feel similar? I'm not really interested in the huge cruise ships. I'm looking at going during the holidays (school break!). I'm kind of at a loss of where to even begin. Any and all advice is appreciated. 

Hello, 

I will be sailing on the SilverSea Muse this summer from Vancouver to Seward. Does anyone know when you get into Anchorage? We are taking the transport to the airport, but then I'll be renting a car and staying in Alaska on my own for a few days. Just wasn't sure what time I should tell the rental company I am coming. 

Thanks!

5 hours ago, Will Work for Tiramisu said:

We once took care of friends' 5 year old  boy (we had a 6 yr old), as parents had family emergency and had to go out of town.  They told us he ONLY ate PB&J with apple juice, and pasta butter & cheese.  Nothing else.  (No food allergies.)  We of course thought "forget that noise".  By end of the week he had eaten (copiously) steamed clams, roast chicken, grilled tuna, salads, guacamole, curry, granola, fruit salad, everything BUT the two things he "only ate".  When parents got him back, they called next day, asking "What did you DO to him?"  We said, "he got hungry, we fed him".  I always think of that, when I hear parents dancing around what to feed the little dears!  Given the special nature of being on a cool cruise ship, out on the water and the fresh air, with a whole crew of professional chefs - it is a GREAT time to introduce your child to a whole 'nother world of good food, from many cultural traditions.  Enjoy the trip!    

Love this. We said the same thing about my kid when she was born. She likes pizza (who doesn't?), but her favorites include spicy tofu, sushi, and bahn mi. We just take her where we go (it's easy because we have a 2-to-1 ratio) and she eats whatever. 

20 hours ago, Stickman1990 said:

Just off 16 days on Muse in Asia - loved it and loved the dining options 

 

One favourite we quickly developed was Indochine - great menu options and we love Indian and Thai curries so the range they offered was a real bonus 

 

Things your 5 year old might like include the pizzeria and The Grill and Hot Rocks poolside - who doesn’t like food sizzling in front of them while it’s cooking. Food is so subjective but I think you’re in for a treat and you certainly won’t be disappointed 

 

Our group has booked a Tokyo to Vancouver cruise for next year and we’re all long forward to our time on Silver Muse

Thanks! My daughter's favorite is Thai (the spicier the better!), so we will for sure make a reservation there. 

Hello All, 

I'm heading on my first cruise this summer and will be sailing on the Muse to Alaska. I just finished my booking today and I'm starting to look over excursions and food. What are your thoughts? Are there any excursions that are 'must dos'? Note: I'm traveling with my husband and my 5-year-old daughter. We are young(ish) and  fit(ish), but the kid can't do any big hikes.

What about restaurants? I know literally nothing and the descriptions on the SilverSea site aren't exactly helpful. We are super adventurous eaters (including the kid...she's also great anywhere, goes to Michelin star restaurants with us) so are fine with any cuisine, but I just wasn't sure if there are places that are better than others. 

Thank you all! Looking forward to this new experience!

So are we saying these might be the only rooms available? Or that a TA might have more options? 

12 hours ago, Stumblefoot said:

It’s not possible to book directly on the website.

Really? At silversea.com I got all the way to a payment screen. Am I doing something wrong? As I said, I've never cruised before and I'm not used to needing to use a Travel Agent

12 hours ago, Stumblefoot said:

What website are you referring to?

The Silver Sea website. silversea.com

Hello, I'm looking into sailing to Alaska on the Muse this summer. I was searching the site directly and it seems like the only rooms still available are on decks 8, 7, and 6. They're all rooms next to the elevators (836, 864, 766, etc). Is this a bad idea to book? Are there hidden rooms I just can't find on the website? Or is it really that booked up? 

(I know I'm starting this late, but we just found out my husband will have a significant amount of time off work in July and decided to go for it and try to book a trip). 

Tha

Hello, 

1st time cruiser here. I'm trying to book a cruise in Alaska for this summer. Just curious about what people think about booking directly on the website as opposed to with an agent. I have friend who is a travel agent, but I'm not sure if they've ever booked a SS cruise. I usually trip plan myself, but wasn't sure if that's the wrong way to go about cruising. 

Any tips would be greatly appreciated! 

4 hours ago, AKStafford said:

If you really want a smaller ship, you could look at something like this: https://www.alaskandreamcruises.com/

I have looked into them, but they don't allow young children. Thanks though!

Hello, 

I'm planning a cruise for the first time ever and want to go to Alaska this summer. I will be traveling with my husband and our 5-year-old daughter. We prefer a smaller ship and no need for tons (or any) of 'kids' activities. I'm more interested in seeing Alaska than I am in cruise activities. 

My husband is not sure about cruising because he hates all-inclusive resorts and is worried that a cruise will be the same thing on a boat. 

So after doing a bit of research, I think booking Regent will be the best option for us, but wanted to get others opinions. I'd prefer a cruise where most costs are upfront (so excursions are included in the price), where the food is good, and we can get the most space. 

2 hours ago, Post it said:

For Alaska, I think Regent may be a better choice.  We took our grade school daughter on RSSC during the summer when they offer children's activities for ages 5 and up.  She enjoyed the crafts and meeting other children her age.

Oh. This is good to know. I think the more I research the more it seems like Regent would be a better cruise line for us than SS. I just loved the size of the rooms on the SS cruises! haha. 

2 hours ago, Techno123 said:

There was a lady enquiring on another Regent social media site as to whether children would be onboard a Regent cruise as she wasn't keen on the idea of hordes of badly behaved children rampaging around the ship. I have copied my reply to her below (this is my opinion) and in fairness you sound like you fall into the first category of parent 😁.
 

Our continental cousins take their children out for long meals and even the young ones tend to be well behaved - it all depends on the expectations the parents hold of their children's behaviour, and as all children have their off days, how parents deal with that so others aren't disturbed.

 

if you do bring your daughter onto Regent I hope you both have a wonderful time and maybe you will find cruising is for you 😁

 

'To be honest you could have children on board who are properly supervised and well behaved with parents/ carers who play with them onboard and take them off ship in ports to burn off their beans so to speak. Then there are the other parents who are on vacation so lie by the pool with a book and a cocktail and let their children run riot. It is the luck of the draw which type of parent the children bring with them 

Good to know. Yes, I often take my daughter out to fine dining. I travel a lot and don't want to miss some of the best restaurants around. My kid is almost always well behaved (or quietly watching PBS kids on a tablet with headphones). I've taken her to Michelin star restaurants and she orders off the adult menu (or shares with me). I think it sounds like Regent might be a good choice for us. 

5 hours ago, lincslady said:

Have to  agree with this, but, having said that, I have travelled on Regent and Silversea, and am fairly impartial about them - neither is my favourite line - but from experience a young child would be more welcome and have a better time on a Regent ship.  Certainly a very good way to see Alaska, though,  and in the summer months there would pretty certainly be other children on board, if she does like mingling some of the time.

I'm not really a "Disney" person. We looked into it, but the ship just seems SO BIG. Plus you honestly get more space on a Regent ship. I feel like the Disney cruise line seems to nickel and dime and it will end up costing the same. 

Thank you all so much! I've had a much bigger positive response on this forum than on the Silversea one. 

My kid doesn't need lots of other kids (she's an only child and pretty used to hanging with adults most of the time). My daughter does absolutely love to dress up, but I think a few less 'formal' nights would work for us. 

We are planning to go in July. 

Ok. Thank you all for the opinions. She doesn't use a high chair or a booster. In general, I planned on just having early nights in (post dinner). I'm not really a 'cruise' person, and I'm really just considering one to Alaska because it seems to be the most efficient way to see things there. 

SS does allow children, so no problem there. For me the point of the trip is to see Alaska, not necessarily to cruise. 

Hi was wondering if anyone has ever traveled Silverseas with a younger kid. I've never been on a cruise before and I'm considering booking an Alaskan cruise and I like that this company has smaller ships. I will however be traveling with my (then) 5-year-old daughter. I've gone lots of places with her and we don't do typical 'kid' things when we travel, but I just wanted to see if she (or I) would feel out of place. I'm also looking into a cruise on RSSC, so I'm going to ask the same question on that forum. Any insight would be amazing. 

Thanks!

Hi was wondering if anyone has ever traveled RSSC with a younger kid. I've never been on a cruise before and I'm considering booking an Alaskan cruise and I like that this company has smaller ships. I will however be traveling with my (then) 5-year-old daughter. I've gone lots of places with her and we don't do typical 'kid' things when we travel, but I just wanted to see if she (or I) would feel out of place. I'm also looking into a cruise on Silversea, so I'm going to ask the same question on that forum. Any insight would be amazing. 

Thanks!