strawbs1

Yeah...I've noticed the inconsistent dress over the past few years too.  And don't get me started on Polaris!!  I'd come back from an excursion and ordered a drink in the lounge in denim capris and ratty sandals and when the waiter delivered it I realized it was after 6 so I said "Oh my God!  Can I be in here dressed like this??" and he said "Sure," it was my vacation...and then I looked at the people sitting at the bar and they were all in shorts and t-shirts.  Anyway, thanks everyone!  I'm old school and actually sort of like dressing up a bit but don't want to look like I'm trying too hard!  I'll keep it elegant casual.

I've sailed Viking many times but this Saturday I leave for my first Atlantic crossing with them.  For those who've done that, is there any real difference in dress code between Viking's traditional cruises and their crossings?  I have seen that be the case on other lines--the crossings were significantly more dressy.  Thanks!

Interesting review! I’ll be on the April 22 crossing~~I’m a long time SeaDream fan but never sailed transatlantic so I’m at once excited…and nervous!  But I have supreme faith in this line so the “excited” part is the predominent!

I sailed Mardi Gras in 1976 and have a photo just like your parents' somewhere!  I think the cruise director is on the right--Rex Richards, if I recall.  Wow....that was my first cruise, a million years ago!

I just got this response from Silversea via FB messenger.  I'd written with regard to the identical itinerary for 9/3 and 9/15.  So I guess both sailings ARE happening:

I can confirm that we were in the process of making the change when we encountered the system issues. Rest assured everything is still 'a go' and we will be sending out fresh information asap (hopefully early next week). I have asked my colleagues in Miami to email you the new details once we are able to. Have a good cruise! All the best, Silversea Team

Holy moly!  I totally missed the part about the 9/15 sailing being identical to the 9/3!  I'm going on both, as well.  Now that I re-read it, I see what you mean....  This is all way weird but I'm still going...  And I, too, booked the Day 2 Covid test on my own.  I will say that the part about the itinerary change was sort of buried in the message....  

Ugh....I'm booked on Spirit's September 3rd sailing which now appears to be the ship's return to service.  The very weird thing is that I paid the deposit back in February and the balance was supposed to be due 120 days prior to sailing which was weeks ago.  I even called Silversea to alert them that the balance hadn't been charged.  They said by the end of that week (maybe three weeks ago??) and still it hasn't been charged...which makes me wonder.  Not that I'm dying to see thousands of dollars on my credit card bill, but it would make me feel like I'm really going.

I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE Little Arches, a boutique hotel with only 10 rooms/suites but absolutely phenomenal.  The rooftop restaurant is fantastic too.  Oh, I would SO recommend it!!!!!

Whoa, Jess4845, don't pin this on New York!  From what I heard, it was a group from California...I really wish SeaDream could sue their irresponsible, entitled asses...  Heartbreaking news and my heart goes out to the extraordinary crew, the company and, from what I understand, the vast majority of guests who knew how to behave during this time. 

SeaDream has paused sailings for the rest of the year.  This appears on their website:  https://seadream.com/pressreleases/seadream-pauses-sailing-for-the-rest-of-the-year/

I noticed the schedules have been updated for Silversea today:  https://www.silversea.com/information-on-itinerary-changes.html 

Silver Origin's first sailing now appears to be November 7th.

I haven't read all nine pages on this but scanned and agree with those who say safety always comes first.  I've missed ports and sometimes it was a huge disappointment but that's cruising!   Of course, there'd be a whole lot more to complain about if the ports had not been cancelled and people were injured or killed while tendering or whatever. 

We're sailing a charter on Mariner this Sunday.  I was told by the charter company that we were upgraded and that RCCL would update early this week.  I have the new cabin number but the RCCL website still isn't reflecting it.  Since we have to print our new docs three days before at the latest, I'm starting to freak a bit.  I printed out the existing docs (with the old cabin number), along with the company's email telling me about the upgrade and figure I can get luggage tags at the pier.  Anyone else have this problem, i.e., an upgrade not reflected on the website and needing to deal with it at the pier??

Another On the Blue Cruise person here! 

I'm in the same boat, so to speak. I'll be arriving at LGW and taking the train to Portsmouth...I THINK I'll be okay but not sure. But the train fare isn't crazy expensive so, worst case, I guess I'll have to repurchase...

I can confirm that! IDEAL weather on the February 13th sailing! A slight storm (maybe an hour or so) in Moorea and some rain after midnight once or twice. Otherwise, perfection! Kudos to the captain for sailing the itinerary in reverse!

Well, that's a relief to hear! We board on the 13th....

Nothing beats SeaDream!!

Which would you recommend for just a one-night stay before a cruise: El Convento, Cervantes or somewhere else. I've visited El Convento several times but I've never stayed there. Cervantes claims to be walking distance from the pier. Again, only one night's stay.

Freelance but do the majority of my writing for Porthole. And I think you and I met on SeaDream last November! You were with your mom, I was with a friend. We did the wine dinner together, if I'm not mistaken.

Very, very favorable! I should know--I wrote it! I've been a cruise writer for about 15 years now and absolutely adore SeaDream. It was terrific to be able to do a story that marks the line's 15th anniversary!

Just want to say how good of you to offer your experiences and advice. My mom is in the early stages of dementia so I can relate to a lot of things. I was really just searching around cruise critic and came upon this post and although not relevant to me (i.e., I'm not planning a cruise with mom), it certainly offers excellent advice. One thing we do have in common is that I lost my husband on April 2, 2015 (only 62 years old) and he, too, always wanted his ashes scattered from a ship (we met, were engaged and married on cruises) and in July I scattered his ashes in the waters around Bermuda from Volendam. Funny how a vacation choice had permeated our entire lives, up to his death.

Favorite thing? Wow...where to begin... It feels like home. So intimate and comfortable. The food, the service, the camaraderie. No entertainment and that's fine with me. The ship tends to attract really interesting and fun people. And then there's the attention to detail, the activities that you just can't find with big ships. I remember being docked next to a megaship when we were on Seadream and there was my husband in his bathrobe having coffee near the pool. Nobody else was on the deck and the people from the megaship--and there were thousands of them--were just dazzled that there could be such a peaceful ambiance on a ship! And then there's the beach party that's a total mind blower. The friend I'm going with has never been on a cruise--just wait until she sees that!

I'll be there too! I and a friend are flying down on Thanksgiving Day.

Judi (traveling with Carole)

The good news is that I found someone! I'll be sailing with one of my all-time favorite friends who I never considered asking because she has a family and I figured TG week would be a big family time. WRONG! She's ready and willing to go on her FIRST cruise! Talk about starting at the top!