Cancun01

Poor you Lois especially after making it through all that Covid testing!🤣! Pleased to hear that you had good health care on both the Dawn and onshore. You seem to be making the best of it by going to the Grill and not sitting in your stateroom. Make sure you take good care of yourself. I am sure you will start to feel better in a few days with a bit of pampering on that beautiful ship.

Enjoy Lois! The Rooftop Bar at the Majestic is lovely especially as you have comfortable weather for sitting. We were there at the end of May and it was very hot but enjoyable. I am jealous and would love to be there drinking Sangria or other beverage of choice. Hope your embarkation goes smoothly.

As stated in several posts above I would suggest that you contact your TA because although we don’t have the same experience with ss as many other posters on here ….when we cleared wait-list for our May/June cruise we paid the entire amount including the business up-grade which was list as a separate line item. Because the hotels for D2D were not named we waited and paid them subsequently after we booked. New invoices were issued by ss with hotels listed as separate line items. Everything was listed clearly on the invoices.

Hate to break the news but on the Dawn in May there was a $9/glass charge for Cloudy Bay which I agree is way over-rated. The only reason I know is because at the Grill they brought the premium wine list as soon as we sat down. I certainly wasn’t going to challenge the waiter as it is not his fault but I laughed that ss has enough nerve with the price of their cruise fares to charge for Cloudy Bay. Seriously? I asked him to bring me a Pinot Grigio or SB that was complimentary. It escapes me what he poured but it was fine. I think it was PG Santa Margarita.

Deck 6 at the end of the corridor…there is a set of glass doors that have restricted entry. We were in 632 and we observed 2 sets of meals being delivered in disposable containers plus 2 pots of coffee etc. at meal times plus medical staff going/coming. I was a bit concerned before we embarked because I had read in these posts that deck 6 was being used and that the rooms were cordoned off with yellow tape. Seems that they constructed new glass doors from what we observed blocking that end of the deck with a sign forbidding entry. We had zero concerns.

On the Dawn in May/June our butler came to our suite and took our temperature every morning.

I too am a Crystal refugee. Because of the potential of contacting Covid and being declined boarding etc I ensured that I read and understood every single word of SS’s cancellation policies prior to booking (no choice D2D) our recently completed Med cruise. The declined boarding policies are actually very generous compared to other lines so some of ss’s cancellation policies are very good but the 15% of a ss cruise fare at 9 months out is a bit much. Regardless of whether one read and understood the cancellation policy of 15% non-refundable for a P2P booking, and whether the cruise was cancelled on a whim or for a good reason there is one fact that has not been mentioned…. chances are that 9 months from sailing provides a large window of opportunity for the cruise line to resell that stateroom non-discounted thus most likely they will “double-dip” for the 15%.

I take an 11/12 or 41/42 EU. I find the best overall in a flat shoe with support and reasonably priced for walking on cobblestones in Europe is Joseph Seibel or Romika ….lots of selection in style and colour. Some can look a bit frumpy but they do have stylish shoes as well. You can find them in dept stores but Costco have them in the spring/fall. I also have found ( more $$) that Jimmy Choo from the outlets often have knit sneakers with pretty stones/decorations that are unbelievably comfortable and supportive. I can’t get over how comfortable they are for my big feet😂. I was lucky and got them at 40% off outlet price at a sale and even at outlet prices they are outrageous but wow they are soooo comfortable and they fit very well. It was well worth the money and they are cute.

I am glad you were able to get something sorted Lois. I guess the hotel has now stepped up to the plate. I hope ss have not stopped pierside testing prior to their previously announced date of June 30 because of “nickel and diming”. After all you have no doubt paid a premium amount for your cruise and the stress caused from all the inconsistency should never have happened. Hopefully it is all water under the bridge now and everything will go smoothly going forward. Safe travels to you. Have fun!

So far so good🤞Lois…but such a simple thing shouldn’t be this complicated and time-consuming for you ….just a suggestion…when you speak with your usual ss contact tomorrow….I would ask her to confirm ( so there is a mutual understanding) whatever she tells you in an email incase you get to the pier ( if you decide to be tested there) and someone says complimentary testing is only for people with land packages etc. The pierside testing for my husband and family in Barcelona in May was quick and easy but we didn’t have these pre-cruise concerns because the literature was consistent.

Won’t it be great when we can all stop wondering about the timing of results and these tests:? That was one of the reasons after much consideration we opted for pierside antigen testing. The onus was on whomever ss contracted to get the results quickly! Again, I would call Silversea and ask them to explain their current rules and I would call them again next week incase their rules change. I feel your frustration. It is difficult to comply when you don’t know the precise rules and who qualifies for which rules.

Agree as long as you can be assured of decent Internet. I know some who ended up going to a pharmacy anyway because the Internet in their hotel was less than stellar and they lost their connection.

Lois, I agree with others’ advice to call Silversea or your TA for clarification. I believe the rapid antigen has to be with 24 hours of embarkation. The PCR has a 72 hour window. In our case we flew into Barcelona 4 days before embarkation. We had little choice but to obtain our testing there. If you find out from ss they are no longer providing pierside testing… If it were me I would be tempted to obtain a PCR test before you leave the US…that way you can enjoy your time in Barcelona having a beverage of choice on the Majestic rooftop bar, finding some nice tapas, paella or there is some great shopping near the hotel instead of getting tested. And remember you have 2 weeks….testing requirements could change again and again. I apologize….this is the actual wording from the ss notice at the hotel May 25. The email they refer to is the wording that I provided in post #103 which stated June 30. Please make sure to refer to the “Important information regarding your upcoming voyage” guest email communication that has been previously sent by Silversea Cruises for detailed information about safety protocols, policies and procedures for embarkation, check-in, while onboard and disembarkation. This important information is also available through “My Silversea”. If you decide to wait until Barcelona, the ss rep in the hospitality suite should be able to help you.

Lois.. We stayed at the Majestic. This was in the email we received. Let me see if I still have the document we were given at the hotel. Stay tuned… f you arrive for embarkation with a valid antigen negative test result, please make note you will enjoy expedited boarding. If you require pier-side testing by Silversea at embarkation, please note this will result in a delayed boarding process for you. If you are unable to obtain a negative test in time for embarkation, Silversea will continue to provide complimentary pier-side testing prior to boarding the ship, through June 30, 2022.

For our May 25 Barcelona embarkation we received our documents 12 days out of sailing. The document provided at the ss hotel made it very clear that ss would provide pierside rapid testing until June 30 but stated that if you want to to embark more quickly, obtain a test before arriving at the pier. Rapid testing at a pharmacy recommended by the hotel was €30 each x the 6 people in our party. Not sure if the hotel takes a cut. LOL. We opted to wait until the pier. It was very quick and efficient. A woman had an iPad and walked around calling out names and waved us towards the door to complete check-in after testing negative. Easy peasy. The other people waiting with us were from the hotel transfer so I am not certain if testing was only for those with pre-cruise ss hotels.

Agree…we flew into to Barcelona (BCN) yesterday morning (Saturday May 21) from Montreal. We had to show our vaccine certificates and the SPTH Spanish Health Certificate with QR code both prior to boarding our flight and again at BCN. Passports were checked at immigration in BCN. Near the luggage carrousels prior to collecting luggage, staff directed everyone to lines where they asked for the SPTH QR code which they scanned. They weren’t really interested in the vaccine certificates but they did a cursory review. You could not collect your luggage without going through this process. It could all change tomorrow but that was the procedure yesterday morning.

Thank you for clarifying Lois. It just takes getting used to other lines. I am a refugee from “C” and I was just trying to figure out if there was a formal night ( 9 days) because none of the days listed on MySilversea have the little bow tie icon. I was originally told it should be noted in MySilversea if the classic cruise is more than 7 days. I have no issue dressing as per Silversea policy. I just want to make sure that I pack the appropriate clothes. My TA has confirmed that there is indeed a formal night.

We just received our cruise ticket for May 25th yesterday. It is very basic and does not list itinerary, evening dress codes nor “docking/tendering” info that I am used to but maybe this is normal for SS. There is lots of Covid info - the same as they sent a few days earlier. As Lois mentioned there are not any luggage tags. As others have suggested call Silversea directly. I have always found them very helpful ( I have a TA). Enjoy your cruise!

Documents received Day 13. No apparent changes but itinerary is not mentioned in cruise docs except by number…no ports listed.

We received pre-cruise Covid testing requirements this week but we are at Day 13 and have not received our actual cruise e-documents nor have any of our friends received theirs. I have checked junk mail etc. There do not appear to be any itinerary changes either on the website or in MySilversea. Not sure if there are last minute changes but I will post on here if there are.

My fav! I have used the pink and green since the early 1970s! Once in awhile I try something else but I always end up back to the pink and green. Most of my cosmetics are fairly high-end department store but I wouldn’t trade my pink and green drug-store mascara for anything else. I always keep a new one in its package in my travel cosmetic case ready to go.

With all due respect there is definitely a communication issue or perhaps a land/sea communication difference. Being new to Silversea I called their Miami offices last week. I received a document by email dated April 22 that provides the “evening dress/cocktail dress” version for Classic cruises. 🤦‍♀️It doesn’t matter to me as have all categories in my closet. I just wanted to know what to pack. As “cocktail dress” is consistent in both versions ..that is what I will bring.🤣

I received information this morning from Silversea via my TA about embarkation protocols. My airline lists the protocol cold to enter Spain.

We are on this cruise. We are waiting to receive our info from ss.

Beautiful picture of your beautiful family!