Gnoelj

On 6/29/2023 at 7:15 PM, Fionboard said:

Sanitiser does not kill virus. Hand washing does!

During the pandemic, I looked up a lot on what kills virus, and not. I was surprised at the findings.

It's not entirely true that Sanitizers does not kill virus. Actually, from what I learnt, it KILLS CORONAVIRUS. However, it does not kill Norovirus.

The best way to get rid of both Coronavirus and Norovirus is to wash your hands properly, about 20-30 seconds.

While I was on the Arvia a couple of months, the majority of people did not wash their hands nor use the sanitizer. Not only that, they were coughing loudly and with "full force", some even coughed in my direction while I was carrying food to the table. I had to get rid of the food and start plating all over again.

Do other  passengers on other cruise lines do that? I guess some did. I was on Azamara before the P&O cruise and some passengers did that too unfortunately (coughing without covering themselves etc and not using santizers nor washing hands, etc) .

Still on food hygiene, I noticed in the buffet on Arvia, some of the "cleaned" plates and bowls were not always that cleaned. Some had traces of old food still stuck to them.

1 hour ago, Gnoelj said:

Following a post by @Technoman2 giving his review about Arvia K309 cruise....

,...... that "triggered" us to write about our experience on Arvia on the previous cruise K308 as some of his comments about his experience seems similar to ours (others maybe not)

 

I know some P&O passengers and fans may disagree with us, that's fine, but our views seem to reflect that of some passengers we spoke to on our cruise.

 

THE GOOD POINTS

 

*Cabin Bathroom was spacious and clean.

*Zennith Restaurant manager was very helpful and friendly

*The last night "last minute" replacement show in the Headliners Theatre ,a repertoire of songs by Ben Ian Gordon , was superb.

*Staff were generally hardworking but some seemed too shy to say "hello" or "goodmorning"

*Ship was clean.

*No touch doors into public toilets was a plus

*The Crows Nest was a nice "sanctuary" for a quiet read.

*Wash basins and handwash stations in many areas.

*Regular announcements by the Captain who said he comes to meet and speak to passengers for hours (we didn't see him personally but  we don't have any reason to doubt his word).

 

*Transfer buses from ship to port entrances were relatively good, although in Marseille, there was yet another long queue under the sun.That wasn't too bad, really, you have to accept to queue a bit sometimes, we are not some presidents or kings!

*Breakfast sausages were not so good, but their "wild boar" sausages, available on some days were great. Also, their scrambled eggs at breakfast was still being kept runny, not hardened as in some buffets.

 

AND NOW, THE NOT-SO-GOOD POINTS

 

P&O cutbacks were evident, and new booking and queuing arrangements at the cost to the passengers were not really acceptable. You just seem to queue everywhere.

It started with the first day, when the queue to speak to the receptionist was as  long as the queue to wait for entry into the main dining room (Zennith) and the Headliner Theatre. It's also queue in most other places too.

 

EMBARKATION

 

Embarkation was rather "chaotic". As we had not stapler our baggage tag, upon arrival in Southampton Ocean Terminal, we were asked to look for someone who would be sitting in a little desk. When he showed up, he found his stapler did not work. He had to call to get a replacement. As there was a huge queue, we suggested he used the handwritten one. Didn't know why he did not do it before I suggested it even though the queue was getting longer and longer. Then, we were passed from one baggage handler to another to hand in our suitcases.

 

THEATRE & ENTERTAINMENT

 

Headliner Theatre entertainment quality and availability were reduced compared to a few years ago. We had to book  to see a stage show in the theatre. and most times were already booked almost on the first day. Plus shows are limited to only one show per passenger.That's fine if you have different shows different nights. They repeated the shows over several days, and since we were not even allowed to see the repeat shows, we just sat in the cabin on sea days getting really bored.

 

Even if you had booked your "slot" for the show, you are not given a seat, so you have to wait more than 30 mins before that to get a decent seat.

 

Most of the theatre shows were pretty not that inspiring anyway. Choice of songs mostly for those in their 20's or 30's (but passenger profile on our cruise appeared a lot older). So bad was one when the group of singers asked the audience to stand up and clapped, only about 20 out of 700 stood up. Before the show could end, the audience was already rushing out of the theatre!

The best show was because the Gary Barlow Take That show was cancelled as a performer was injured, and they had to have a replacement show. This came in the form of singer Ben Ian Gordon . With his powerful voice, his versatility, and his excellent choice of songs, that brought the audience to their feet at the end of show.  It was fabulous

MEALS 

The main restaurant needs booking for your meal and even after that you still queue, and you may have to wait up to 30 mins before the doors open because others were already there. If you don't book, you'd queue in a different line and you'd get in slower by  up to ten times. Food, even on special Marco Pierre White nights, were not "special". 

 

We had been informed by some passengers that they did not experience such ridiculous queuing on Iona which they had been. However, they did say that when they sailed on Iona, it was only about half full.

 

Food in the Horizon buffet very repetitive. 

 

The salads were practically the same every day during lunch and dinner throughout the entire cruise. They were also not dressed, and they lack any imagination. Only exception was during one meal when they had a Ceaser Salad behind the glass counter but you have to ask for it as it had to be done for you individually.  Hams and meats felt as if they have been in the fridge for little too long.

 

They had about 9-12(?) different kinds of little cakes which they take out a choice of 4 at each meal but they seemed boring after 2 weeks. Quality ingredients like marzipan, ground almonds or nuts appeared to be missing. For their version Tiramisu(?), we couldn't detect the TiaMaria However, the Horizon have pouring cream if you ask. And if the custard is too weak for you, add yourself a knob of butter to "enrichen" it!  We wish the ice-cream served weren't melting almost every evening they were available. 

 

STAFF SERVICE STANDARD

 

Unfortunately some staff a behaved like "Little Napoleons". For example, at the Zennith Restaurant had asked to speak to a manager for help with our booking as the head waitress refused to help, she just just snubbed us and spoke to another passenger . (On the other hand the restaurant manager, when we managed to find him ourself and managed to speak to him,he was very professional helpful and friendly ) .Other staff gave incorrect information. For example, in the second last night, we called reception to asked to borrow a weighing machine for our luggage. She said they did not have it on board, that they only had it for their Caribbean cruises and not our Mediterranean cruise. However, when we went down personally to reception to ask for it, the receptionist managed to get us one. At the beginning of the cruise,when we called reception, it went on for about 45 mins (?) or so until it got cut off!

CABIN 

 

Our balcony Cabin on deck 15 and the width of the room seemed  narrow relative to cabins in other ships we have been on.The interior designer probably has to "slot" the table into the sofa to make some room. Also due to the narrowness of the room, it appears the beds may be shorter than normal. My partner, who is only 5ft10in, when he slept, his feet was jutting out at the bottom of the bed! The bed cover also did not even cover the whole body.

 

Apparently, we weren't the only ones who experienced that. An English couple from the Southampton Area had the same experience too with their beds.

 

SUMMARY

 

And on and on it goes. Before we went on the K308 cruise, we had wanted to book future cruises with P&O, We had pinpointed the 21 day cruise to Norway and Iceland, and another 21 day Transatlantic cruise. However, just after a few days on the Arvia,that changed our minds and we haven't booked any future cruises with them. We will cruise with other cruise lines for the time being. As for P&O we would wait and see if their standard would come back up in the future.

 

After leaving the ship, in Southampton Airport, we met a Scottish couple who seemed to agree with many of our views and experience with the Arvia, and we had a good few minutes "moan" to get it off our chests! Like us, they indicated they won't be returning to P&O in a hurry.

 

 

 

Something else which put us off the cruise, and it is not P&O's fault at all, was that there were so many people coughing out loudly without covering their mouths, etc. This happened so often, we could have heard about two dozen "coughers" every hour! Imagine carrying your tray of food in the buffet and someone coughed onto your food. It happened to us. Would you like your food to be so respectfully treated?

You are right if you say it could happen in any cruise, but it would happen more frequently in larger cruises merely by the larger number of passengers.

We hope we haven't upset anyone with our comments. You have every right to disagree and we respect that.

3 minutes ago, davecttr said:

You were on the wrong ship, the target demographic for Arvia and Iona is  a younger age group. The problem was all us oldies going to see what it was like and not liking it.

If the Arvia is for the youngsters, how come the majority of the passengers appear to be "oldies"? Have they all chosen the wrong ship as well?

16 minutes ago, TigerB said:

It's a shame you had a generally poor experience, although, as has been alluded to by another poster, the baggage problem at the start was perhaps of your own making.

 

Was this your first trip with P&O, or just on such a large ship? Having sailed on her at the beginning of January, we knew what to expect, so adapted our approach accordingly when it came to dining and some other aspects. Consequently, we had a generally positive experience. My thoughts after the cruise are here:

https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/topic/2931167-arvia-k308-all-aboard/page/10/#comment-65318444

 

Generally, the crew looked less stressed than they did in January and, in time, I'm sure most, if not all the problems, will be ironed out. Reports from folk who have sailed on Iona would suggest that to be so. I spoke with Simba, the chap you refer to at Zenith, and he was saying how much they've moved on since the first cruise. 

 

As others have written, try not to let a poor experience on a large and new ship put you off sailing with P&O.

 

It was not the first cruise we had with P&O, it was the third. The first one, on Aurora from Rio to Valparaiso was excellent. The food was good and there were so many activities, including in the evenings. We remembered that after dinner (no booking no queues), we were moving from one show to another show and then  yet to another. During the day, when not in port for excursions,  there were art and Spanish classes, etc. It was so much fun.

Our second cruise was on the Ventura. That was a bit disappointment too unfortunately, but that was mainly due to the poor quality of the food (I lost a few pounds AFTER the cruise!) On the Ventura,  I chatted with the Maitre D' who recognised me from the previous cruise when she was on the Aurora. She indicated  then the quality of cooking on P&O was coming down because of cutbacks.

On the Arvia,we weren't banking on "haute cuisine"  but we were hoping at least the standard of entertainment and cabin comfort would be better as it is a bigger ship (more passengers, higher entertainment budget, new ship more comfortable, etc) .Unfortunately, we found that to be the opposite, The choice of music of the majority of the singers seems to be that which attract young people in the 20's and early 30's, not the more mature ones in their 50's or older.

Following a post by @Technoman2 giving his review about Arvia K309 cruise....

,...... that "triggered" us to write about our experience on Arvia on the previous cruise K308 as some of his comments about his experience seems similar to ours (others maybe not)

I know some P&O passengers and fans may disagree with us, that's fine, but our views seem to reflect that of some passengers we spoke to on our cruise.

THE GOOD POINTS

*Cabin Bathroom was spacious and clean.

*Zennith Restaurant manager was very helpful and friendly

*The last night "last minute" replacement show in the Headliners Theatre ,a repertoire of songs by Ben Ian Gordon , was superb.

*Staff were generally hardworking but some seemed too shy to say "hello" or "goodmorning"

*Ship was clean.

*No touch doors into public toilets was a plus

*The Crows Nest was a nice "sanctuary" for a quiet read.

*Wash basins and handwash stations in many areas.

*Regular announcements by the Captain who said he comes to meet and speak to passengers for hours (we didn't see him personally but  we don't have any reason to doubt his word).

*Transfer buses from ship to port entrances were relatively good, although in Marseille, there was yet another long queue under the sun.That wasn't too bad, really, you have to accept to queue a bit sometimes, we are not some presidents or kings!

*Breakfast sausages were not so good, but their "wild boar" sausages, available on some days were great. Also, their scrambled eggs at breakfast was still being kept runny, not hardened as in some buffets.

AND NOW, THE NOT-SO-GOOD POINTS

P&O cutbacks were evident, and new booking and queuing arrangements at the cost to the passengers were not really acceptable. You just seem to queue everywhere.

It started with the first day, when the queue to speak to the receptionist was as  long as the queue to wait for entry into the main dining room (Zennith) and the Headliner Theatre. It's also queue in most other places too.

EMBARKATION

Embarkation was rather "chaotic". As we had not stapler our baggage tag, upon arrival in Southampton Ocean Terminal, we were asked to look for someone who would be sitting in a little desk. When he showed up, he found his stapler did not work. He had to call to get a replacement. As there was a huge queue, we suggested he used the handwritten one. Didn't know why he did not do it before I suggested it even though the queue was getting longer and longer. Then, we were passed from one baggage handler to another to hand in our suitcases.

THEATRE & ENTERTAINMENT

Headliner Theatre entertainment quality and availability were reduced compared to a few years ago. We had to book  to see a stage show in the theatre. and most times were already booked almost on the first day. Plus shows are limited to only one show per passenger.That's fine if you have different shows different nights. They repeated the shows over several days, and since we were not even allowed to see the repeat shows, we just sat in the cabin on sea days getting really bored.

Even if you had booked your "slot" for the show, you are not given a seat, so you have to wait more than 30 mins before that to get a decent seat.

Most of the theatre shows were pretty not that inspiring anyway. Choice of songs mostly for those in their 20's or 30's (but passenger profile on our cruise appeared a lot older). So bad was one when the group of singers asked the audience to stand up and clapped, only about 20 out of 700 stood up. Before the show could end, the audience was already rushing out of the theatre!

The best show was because the Gary Barlow Take That show was cancelled as a performer was injured, and they had to have a replacement show. This came in the form of singer Ben Ian Gordon . With his powerful voice, his versatility, and his excellent choice of songs, that brought the audience to their feet at the end of show.  It was fabulous

MEALS 

The main restaurant needs booking for your meal and even after that you still queue, and you may have to wait up to 30 mins before the doors open because others were already there. If you don't book, you'd queue in a different line and you'd get in slower by  up to ten times. Food, even on special Marco Pierre White nights, were not "special". 

We had been informed by some passengers that they did not experience such ridiculous queuing on Iona which they had been. However, they did say that when they sailed on Iona, it was only about half full.

Food in the Horizon buffet very repetitive. 

The salads were practically the same every day during lunch and dinner throughout the entire cruise. They were also not dressed, and they lack any imagination. Only exception was during one meal when they had a Ceaser Salad behind the glass counter but you have to ask for it as it had to be done for you individually.  Hams and meats felt as if they have been in the fridge for little too long.

They had about 9-12(?) different kinds of little cakes which they take out a choice of 4 at each meal but they seemed boring after 2 weeks. Quality ingredients like marzipan, ground almonds or nuts appeared to be missing. For their version Tiramisu(?), we couldn't detect the TiaMaria However, the Horizon have pouring cream if you ask. And if the custard is too weak for you, add yourself a knob of butter to "enrichen" it!  We wish the ice-cream served weren't melting almost every evening they were available. 

STAFF SERVICE STANDARD

Unfortunately some staff a behaved like "Little Napoleons". For example, at the Zennith Restaurant had asked to speak to a manager for help with our booking as the head waitress refused to help, she just just snubbed us and spoke to another passenger . (On the other hand the restaurant manager, when we managed to find him ourself and managed to speak to him,he was very professional helpful and friendly ) .Other staff gave incorrect information. For example, in the second last night, we called reception to asked to borrow a weighing machine for our luggage. She said they did not have it on board, that they only had it for their Caribbean cruises and not our Mediterranean cruise. However, when we went down personally to reception to ask for it, the receptionist managed to get us one. At the beginning of the cruise,when we called reception, it went on for about 45 mins (?) or so until it got cut off!

CABIN 

Our balcony Cabin on deck 15 and the width of the room seemed  narrow relative to cabins in other ships we have been on.The interior designer probably has to "slot" the table into the sofa to make some room. Also due to the narrowness of the room, it appears the beds may be shorter than normal. My partner, who is only 5ft10in, when he slept, his feet was jutting out at the bottom of the bed! The bed cover also did not even cover the whole body.

Apparently, we weren't the only ones who experienced that. An English couple from the Southampton Area had the same experience too with their beds.

SUMMARY

And on and on it goes. Before we went on the K308 cruise, we had wanted to book future cruises with P&O, We had pinpointed the 21 day cruise to Norway and Iceland, and another 21 day Transatlantic cruise. However, just after a few days on the Arvia,that changed our minds and we haven't booked any future cruises with them. We will cruise with other cruise lines for the time being. As for P&O we would wait and see if their standard would come back up in the future.

After leaving the ship, in Southampton Airport, we met a Scottish couple who seemed to agree with many of our views and experience with the Arvia, and we had a good few minutes "moan" to get it off our chests! Like us, they indicated they won't be returning to P&O in a hurry.

23 minutes ago, d9704011 said:

Pretty clear to me on the Azamara site that you do not require a pre-boarding test:

 

https://www.azamara.com/int/booked-guests/before-you-board/explore-well-at-sea

I am afraid it is still NOT CLEAR

That webpage indeed mentioned that "Azamara does not require a negative COVID-19 test prior to boarding "

If that is truly the case, how come the cruise document which came in our email inbox today said JUST THE OPPOSITE.?The document said; "Guests are required to provide a negative COVID-19 test upon embarkation."

So which one is it?  Both of them cannot be right. Now, do you see the confusion? 

We are taking the Azamara Journey from Pireaus to Lisbon on 19th November, 2022, and we are still rather confused whether there is a requirement to take a Covid test prior to embarkation.

According to the cruise documents which arrived today, it appears that it is required.

However, we checked discussions on the CruiseCritic board including a thread with the heading "Testing for Cruises Embarking in Athens"  and some members who were on Azamara cruises which started in Pireaus indicated that Covid test requirement has been dropped.

One of the cruisers, CruiseCritic Board discussion member @Cpristash mentioned : 

"Just received a call from my cruise broker at 5:00 p.m….TESTING NO LONGER REQUIRED!!,!!,!, on the Journey/Athens!

BEST.NEWS.EVER!!!!"

We wish we could have AZAMARA to make it clear to us what is REALLY the current situation. It is confusing.  As we have only very limited time in Athens, we would rather spend the time enjoy doing some sight-seeing than spending time looking for a Covid Test Centre, unless it is absolutely necessary.

We were wondering if @HOST JAZZBEAU , or any AZAMARA official (or indeed anyone else ) who is reading this can help us and let us know please? This information would be so helpful not just to us, but also to other passengers going on future AZ cruises boarding in Pireaus,  and who are reading this thread.

3 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

No.  And there have been no announcements of new arrangements by the authorities for 2023.  So what you are seeing is either optimism or marketing.  Azamara can't know at this time that they can dock in Venice.

They have actually shown and put the name "Venice" on their route map for the cruise on their website.  If it is just "optimism" or "marketing", isn't that somewhat MISLEADING, or worse MIS-SELLING? We hope not as we have very high regard for this company. It would be good if the marketing people at Azamara be a bit more upfront and let potential customers know the situation,so that they can make the decision themselves whether to book cruise with them or not.

59 minutes ago, Belfastman said:

Azamara will not be returning to Venice next year it will either be Ravenna or Trieste.

Thanks.

On 7/7/2022 at 10:46 PM, Scots Caz said:

did this last month, was connecting from Edinburgh via Paris. Paris flight delayed. 5 of us taken in a people carrier rather than a coach, ship was due to sail at 6pm...we got there about 10 past and were rushed through last to board (booked as package)

We are in Edinburgh too. When we learnt that Azamara cruises leaves from Ravenna/Porto Corsini rather then from Venice, and when we checked how awkward it is getting to Ravenna/Porto Corsini from Edinburgh, we decided not to book any cruises with Azamara which starts/ends in Ravenna/Porto Corsini. However, we checked their 2023 cruises and it appears that Azamara cruises may be going back to servicing Venice rather than Ravenna. I know this is not confirmed but I just wondered if this has something to do with their fully breaking off with Royal Caribbean early next year, so Azmara will have the independence of sailing from Venice. After all, the tonnage of their "R" class ships are small enough to qualify using the original port in Venice, aren't they?

We had wanted to book some cruises on Azamara from Venice in 2022, but when we found that  all their cruises which were originally starting from, or ending in,  Venice have been moved to Ravenna, we had decided not to book any.

However, on their website,  I just noticed that Azamara is offering a "7 night Croatia Intensive Voyage"  ( https://www.azamara.co.uk/voyage/jr07m558/7-night-croatia-intensive-voyage ) in April 2023. And this time, it indicates the cruise is starting and ending in Venice. 
 

Does anyone know if Azamara is moving its services back from Ravenna to Venice next year? If so, that would be good news.

17 hours ago, Jimmycruiser said:

Bonnie - can you check this. Voyage Planner says it will be on 8/30 in Dublin starting at 7 PM and it allows me to sign up for it but the calendar says departing Dublin at 6 PM on 8/30. Would make more sense if held on 8/29. Website needs to be corrected.

 

Thanks!!

Bonnie, on a similar note, on the Azamara Persuit, in the calender on the website for

• 10-night Wine & Romance Voyage

it says that the ship is leaves Bilbao at 10.00pm. However, the AzaMazing evening is held between 7.00pm - 10.30pm! Something is not right there somehow, wouldn't you think?

What is more in that same calender, there is no departure time for Bordeaux.

Hope you can help Bonnie.

Thanks.

23 hours ago, Hawaiidan said:

You do have a valid point.....      HAL  =   Horrible Alternative  Line

That was what we had expected from HAL before I took a cruise with them. When we booked our HAL cruise, it was with a bit of "trepidation". But we needn't have been concerned, our HAL cruise was not horrible at all, in fact,  we were pleasantly surprised with it !  Dare we say that the standard of their entertainment and activities on board our HAL cruise was SUPERIOR to what we have experienced on cruises with Oceania.

The food on Oceania, on the whole, may be somewhat better, but then , as most of us know, food is very subjective to the individual. Even for food, the sea food on HAL tasted so fresh it had the "taste of the sea".  The HAL chef told me they got their supplies straight from their visiting ports.  The lobsters on Oceania, sometimes felt as if they had been just a wee bit too long in the fridge . Does anyone know if Oceania ships  take daily seafood supplies from their visiting ports or do they take all their stocks from their base in Miami?

We would now be just as happy going with HAL as well as with Oceania. We love both of them. But then, we also love Viking. Each cruise line have its strengths and qualities, and none is ever "perfect", that's our view.

34 minutes ago, Bloodaxe said:

I know that some people seem to be happy with the included Wines but in my opinion they have definitely deteriorated in recent times along with many other aspects of Azamara.

We have booked on the Azamara Persuit. I am a teetotaller, but my partner is very keen on his wine. I'd like to ask if anyone here knows if it is possible to purchase a Premium Wine Package, or Ultimate Wine Package for only one  persons in the (two persons) cabin? It would be a waste to buy a wine upgrade package for me if I will not be drinking . If we can just buy an upgrade package for my partner, that would at least keep him fairly happy!

It's been a while since we cruised with Azamara  (we have been with others line since, eg, Viking and Oceania). In those days (3-4 years ago?)  my partner was so impressed with the wines included on Azamara, and that  is one of the reasons we booked our next cruise with Azamara. However, from reading the comments here, looks like the  standard of wine offerings have changed.

May I also ask, has the standard of cooking, including in the buffet, come down as well?

Oh dear!

5 hours ago, Silver Sweethearts said:

 

Judging from the questions the writer asked, he/she may have done "some research", but not enough or they would have known more answers.  If they are truly interested  in Silversea, it would be wise to consult with a TA who works regularly with Silversea rather than relying on what one has read or heard.  

Instead of just making comments that my research is "not enough", it would have been more helpful if you could answer some of my queries if you have the information. That is the reason why I am on the discussion board on CruiseCritic, to find more answers. Besides, not every town in every country have a T/A  who works regularly with Silversea. I also prefer to hear it from the users rather than just a T/A.  I am afraid T/A are useful, but they are not the be all and end all in finding information, from my experience. Of course, you have every right to disagree.

9 hours ago, bigmjh said:

 

To @bigmjh, thank you for answering my queries. It's been much appreciated.

1 hour ago, bigmjh said:

I'll have to dispute that. We have 19 'O cruises and have been big fans. Four months ago we were on the Silver Muse (2nd time) for 14 days. Two weeks later we were on the Insignia for 18 days and then on the Sirena in December. We actually found the food, attention to detail and the service on SS to be a notch above what we have recently experienced on O. And, as far as the variety of venues - SS had 8 separate dining venues ... including a small, intimate French DR, a Teppanyaki Grill, a small jazz-style dinner club ... and on and on ... with each venue providing great food, varied and extensive menus (far more variety than O) along with wonderful atmosphere. Yes, it is more formal than O but their food and the variety of venues IMHO surpasses O. I'm still a fan of O but see SS on the horizon as O seems to be "slipping" in a few areas.

As you have obviously been on Silversea, is it true that on that cruise line:

(1) Although they have 8 restaurants, but some, like La Dame, you have to pay extra $60 per person?  Oceania's speciality restaurants, as most of us here know,  do not incur extra charges.

(2) Their meal portions are not generous, ie relatively small (one passenger complained it was "a joke")?

(3) Their menus in all Silversea restaurants remain the same throughout the cruise, and even for many months?

(4) If we remember correctly, there was comment that waiter service is very slow, and wrong meals served to wrong persons are frequent? They are so strict, that if you wish to make a request to slight variation to their restaurant menu, they would not accommodate you? Are these comments true?

(5) There is no buffet dining option in the evenings? So if you wish to have buffet or have a meal without waiting, too bad?

(6) As formality is high on their list, they have a very strict dress code? Not only does it change daily, it changes with different restaurants?

(7) They have more different types of ships than Oceania, so accommodation offerings are different?

(8) They include a butler for all cabins - good for some who wants them, but even if you do not want them, you have paid to have them ( Granted, Oceania is "guilty" in this for some of its higher cabins too!)?

(9) Is it true Silversea adds in your invoice a donation of $18 to their chosen cause, not yours, and without having the courtesy of asking you first?

(10) And do they try to give the impression to passengers that cruises like Oceania/Azamara/Viking are "beneath" them, as they'd prefer to compare themselves to Regent, etc? Are they really so "grand"?

(11) As their fares are generally higher than on Oceania, are they really worth the extra?

We did some research on Silversea, the verdict is still out, but at the moment, we have booked our next cruises with Oceania and with Azamara.  We also like Viking very much. We like luxury, but do not like the idea of living in a silver cage and being told that we should like something because the cruise line says so.

S

1 hour ago, Gourmet Gal said:

If one is a purist then I am sure the SS butlers would not be up to snuff.  But really, they are unobtrusive and there to be helpful to the extent that you desire.  But of course you can just dismiss them and tell them right away that you prefer not to have to subject yourself to their assistance unless called upon.  Don’t call me, I’ll call you and all that.

 

The idea of paid help really seems to be sticking in your craw so perhaps SS really is not for you.

No offence intended but if you don't mind, we can think and decide for ourselves which cruise line we wish to book with or whether SS is for us or not . You do not need to tell us that, thank you.

We came on here because we just wanted to find out some facts and confirm some information  that is all.

Anyway, we think we have learn enough now. Thanks to everyone for all for your time and assistance.

3 hours ago, Mahogany said:

I believe Silversea is the only luxury cruise line offering butler service in all suites, not just the largest.

If you think a butler is pretentious, why are you even considering Silversea?There are other lines where it is not available. I am booked on Spirit this summer and eagerly awaiting my return to one of my favorite cruise lines.

We were considering Silversea because of the attractive special fare offered,.....BUT....after reading/learning that they send their butler to service ALL their suites, and they do not give customers a choice not to have them, that was a big turn off for us.

Yes, we still think "Butlers" on cruise ships are pretentious and waste of resources and money (are they actually trained and certified by the British Butler Institute, or similar, or are they just ex cabin stewards given a Butler costume and put up the pecking order?). However, if you like and appreciate them, that's your prerogative, it's just not everyone's cup of tea.

On 1/7/2020 at 10:00 PM, lem_100 said:

Hello - I’m on Spirit in February cruising from HK to Singapore and I have a query on visas that I wonder if anyone can offer advice.  Do SS manage visas like most of the mega ships do?

 

As a UK citizen, I can get a 15 day visa waiver for Vietnam.  However, does this waiver cover me for several days of entry to the country as we sail down the coast line?  We don’t enter any other country during this part of the trip but we are at sea for 1 day between Chan May and Ho Chi Minh City.

 

 

You might need to double check with Silver Seas.

We have been to Vietnam but that was a land based holiday.

If we remember correctly Vietnam regulations is that UK passport holders can enter Vietnam ONCE , and for no more than 15 days.

However, if you wish to re-enter the country within 6 months (?), you will have to get a visa. We found getting a visa quite tedious, because it was a TWO STEP process, not just applying once.

As you sailed from Ho Chi Minh City to Chan May, you might not be considered to have left the country, but we are not certain about that.

It is best for you to check with Silver Seas.

The other thing is your cruise ship is most likely to dock at Phu My, about 2.5 hours from HCM City. Please take that into account.

For Vietnam, really, a cruise visit does not do it justice.  What is more, we found that central and northern vietnam eg Hue,, Hoi An,  Hanoi and Ha Long Bay, they offer so much more than South Vietnam.

21 hours ago, les37b said:

 

 

Let us know if you booked....

 

 

OK, will let you know if we booked.

There are so many attractive offers on different cruise lines it is hard to choose. 

We read one article that advised to get really good deals, one should book really EARLY However, with all the special LATE deals at specially low fares, we are not sure so that the early booking advice should always be adhered to.

18 minutes ago, les37b said:

Thank you for that, though best to edit as CC don't allow agent details (and why I didn't actually ask).... Good to know though and yes it's there as you've said. Grab it... It's a steal.

 

Oh dear, how would I edit that as my 15-20mins window to edit what I typed has already lapsed ??? If anyone has any suggestions how to do it, I will edit that. I intend to abide with all rules made by CC and do not intentionally wish to break any of those rules.

1 hour ago, les37b said:

 

I just had a look on the Silversea site to view and that cruise is coming up as £4900 for a veranda suite, so not quite sure where that £2850 price is from, but if you can still book, grab it and don't let go.

 

 

 

 

 

I hope it is allowed to say where I got this price. It is through a link via email from 

Travelzoo in the UK, which links to a Silversea"Travelzoo Exclusive Offer" booking site. There are also offers for cruises in the Caribbean, Eastern Med. and to Iceland.

Maybe at these prices, it might tempt you to book yet another cruise!

It just shows that you'd need to shop around for the best prices . Do not just grab the first ones  that come along! Of course, for those fortunate people where money is no object, different prices would not matter to them. For the rest of us, that affects our decision in making a booking.

10 hours ago, Covepointcruiser said:

Is Viking now offering an included Beverage Package.   I have friends who just returned from a Med Cruise and said that wine and beer were only included during meals. There were no shows and no scooters on board.   If this meets your needs definitely switch, they would be happy to have you.

Standard Viking fares offers wine and beer only during meals.  However, they also offer the following which (forgive me and please correct me if I am wrong) which Azamara may or may not offer

• Free Wi-Fi and PC station
• Free speciality restaurants
• Included shore excursion in almost every port
• Complimentary use of spa facilities
• Afternoon tea with finger sandwiches, macarons and pastries with live relaxing music in their Winter Garden restaurant(Azamara's afternoon tea in their buffet restaurant, was a bit of an afterthought on our last cruise some time back. So they might have changed)
• A special "pop up" food bar  called "Mamsens" which offers some of the best and yummiest cakes , pastries and sandwiches on the High Seas!
• Gratuities included (for UK passengers, at least)
• A very classy felt bag for passports, etc. and proper leather(?) baggage tags
• All their cabins have verandahs and there are are no inside cabins or oceanview cabins on any of their ships

Like Azamara , they also offer discounts for future cruises of those passengers who have cruised with them before (through cruise membership club).

From our couple of cruises with Viking, their entertainment was probably one of their weak spots. We had the unfortunate experience of having the same Cruise Director (on Viking) on two cruises, and we were less than impressed with her choice of entertainment or lack of it.  Their senior officers on our Viking cruises were not as friendly as those on Azamara  (although  they were not unfriendly) and there were definitely no Azamazing evenings! On the whole, in spite of the poor performance of their Cruise Director, for us, Viking provided a very good cruise "package", nice spa, food was good, service was good,  accommodation excellent , staff seemed very efficientwarm and helpful, and we would happily cruise with them again.

22 minutes ago, Observer said:

 

I share your dislike of formal nights.  They are not that frequent, and I routinely dine al fresco in Hot Rocks where dress code is always casual.  I have often worn shorts there on formal nights.  On formal nights one can dine in La Terrazza wearing informal clothing (gents: jacket but no necktie required).  And of course one can always have one’s butler bring food from the Restaurant menu to one’s suite (at least on the smaller ships, including Whisper/Shadow).

I am afraid the Butler is also one of the things that puts us off. We would rather pay NOT to have a butler than have one.

On one cruise in the past, we had a butler , we did not appreciate that at all. It felt a bit too pretentious.