dawntrdr

Query whether SS pays a different commission scale to a TA than it does to its in-house Cruise Consultant.

First, I have to say "aw shucks" because I thought this string was going to be about gentlemen hosts! Second, however, do the CC Hosts get non-$ compensation such as discounts offered to travel agents?

It's been my experience that SS will keep listing cruises on the website for some time even after a drydock is planned for the same period. When our 2019 Shadow cruise was cancelled because of a planned drydock refurbishment, the first place that appeared was in MySilversea - the cruise disappeared from the voyages list. The cruise was still listed as available on the website for several weeks, however. As I recall, the voyage disappeared about 10 months before the sail date - so that would be your lead time to find something else. (It was noted at the time that you will often find out about a cancellation on these boards before SS will notify you of them formally.) The post that the above posters are speaking about said that a drydock was planned for early 2024. I also had a Jan. 2024 cruise booked on the Whisper and when I expressed reservations about the ship needing a refresh (especially to add an Arts Cafe), my CC confirmed that a drydock was certain to occur, although they couldn't say when. I have since cancelled that booking so that I can replace it with something less chancy.

That seems to be the case with every survey I have ever received from SS.

But Ms. Muckerman was not promoted by a spouse or parent. Her position had to be chosen by the management of Royal Caribbean, a publicly traded and regulated company. Notwithstanding that her spouse probably did recommend her for the job, RCI could have chosen elsewhere. Unless, of course (and I say this with tongue in cheek), she said "promote me or I'll go to Crystal!"

I doubt that "special advisor" is a promotion. It sounds like the title they give someone in management who has retired or been replaced but who needs a reason to justify the continued receipt of salary (it sounds better than "severance pay").

Don't forget that there is an unlimited supply of good books on the pool loungers.

I see it's available on some voyages I have booked, but only at 15% (although I cannot cancel and rebook under this promotion even if I wanted to). I'll stick with door to door for my new voyages for now as I don't want to assume the risk of escalating airfares, or a 100% penalty, even for an enticing discount.

Only if you throw your book in the water.

The wise women wouldn't have gone to the king to find out where the new baby is. Any other woman in Bethlehem could have told them who just had a baby and where to find it.

Meanwhile, a delay in the delivery of the Silver Nova has not stopped progress on the Silver Ray: https://cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/2022/11/silversea-cruises-cuts-steel-for-second-nova-class-ship-silver-ray/

The Moon does - a nice one. I have to bet the Dawn has the same thing.

It is posted on another thread that the Nova is being delayed a month. Indeed, the inaugural sailing was noted on this thread above as being from Southampton in July, and now on the SS website the first cruise is from Venice in August.

My DH asked for nonalcoholic cocktails on the Moon in the Salt bar and was very pleased with the variety of flavors and presentation that the bartender provided. The barman pulled out several vials and special reductions from below the bar and took it as a challenge!

We thought the ship was in excellent physical condition and operated well. On two occasions while in port, we noticed a slight sewage smell in the suite, but it wasn't clear if it was inside or from outside. At one point we noticed a wet spot on the floor outside of bathroom but it was promptly fixed (plumbing issue from the sink). We were last on the Cloud in 2018 and felt there was no difference in the look and feel of the ship. Service was good to excellent in all restaurants. Food quality varied; the pool grill seems to have a very limited and unrefreshed menu and there were only a few items I would order.

I believe that they have books on the shelves in the Arts Cafe too. When I finish a book that I have brought with me, I usually sneak it onto one of the shelves in the library or Observation Lounge so I don't have to take it back. Perhaps they could reserve a shelf labelled "Passengers Recommend...." for these orphaned reads.

What people want to/have to smell is clearly a question of personal taste. This conversation reminds me of the old Steve Martin routine (c. 1978): Person #1: Mind if I smoke? Person #2: Mind if I f*rt?

No worries, US outlets and voltage are available in the veranda staterooms.

Assuming you mean the talented Kirk Detweiler (whose last CD gig was on the Shadow in May 2019), he is now the Executive Director of the beautiful Palace Theatre in Marion Ohio, where he occasionally performs: https://www.marionstar.com/story/news/local/2021/10/14/kirk-detweiler-chosen-new-executive-director-palace-theatre/6096421001/

The boarding process out of Malta on the Cloud last month was also quick and efficient. The welcome desk agent at the hotel had even given us some of the paperwork to complete before getting on the bus to the port - if you had completed that, it was even quicker. The only time-consuming part was collecting your luggage at the hotel to get on the bus to the port.

This intrigues me...just how old was this Holy Terror when these things occurred?

Fernando's picture is still on the SS website advertising the "Sail with us!" promotion. Perhaps they'd better change that.

The Whisper is the only one of the classic fleet (pre-Muse) that has not been updated. I was told that this was due to the fact that it had been used for the World Cruise for many years and never had enough open time for a re-fit. My CC suggested that it was probably due for a drydock for that reason. I went ahead and booked a voyage for early 2024, but I have since reconsidered and cancelled it in favor of one of the newer ships. I don't want to find out only a few months before saiing that the cruise is cancelled, as happened to me when the Shadow went in for updating in 2019. As to food and beverages, it should be of the same quality level that you will find in the other ships, which means sometimes it's great and sometimes there are issues with supply, etc., but the age of the ship shouldn't impact that. What could impact your enjoyment of food and bev on the Whisper is simply the fact that as an un-updated ship it has less variety of restaurants and cuisines. Unless it's an expedition, my DH wants an Arts Cafe on board.

I agree. I tried to make reservations for two specialty restaurants (one each) one week after the reservations opened. Any day and any time I tried was already waitlisted. It really is the equivalent of a small group putting a book or towel on every lounge at the pool weeks in advance.

Check in with Col. Wes at the email address in post #16 - he was able to solve a similar problem.