Tothesunset

On Shadow 10 years or so ago we asked the galley to prepare a traditional Philippine meal for a table of 8.. We'd already had an Indian meal specially prepared (and excellent it was, too) but struggled to find another cuisine we all enjoyed. So... big gob TTS suggested Philippine. It's fair to say that the suggestion was not universally praised by the group but because nobody had a better idea we went for it. Well, let me say it was one of the best meals we've had on SS; furthermore, the Philippine staff were proud and gratified by our trying their cuisine. Go on, give it a try...

Console yourself with the thought that you have class. Clearly Daisy Duke in her street clothes didn't.

Two British icons: A Jaguar and a Mini

Of course there are 3 possible chromosome combinations: XX - female XY - male YYY - Delilah

Indeed. On our Scandinavian cruise in Sep tables for 2 were so close together as to be effectively sitting on a table for 10!

I must say, if I were the senior officer I'd be very annoyed if the service to other tables was compromised.

Room for 2 more?

Splendid. You are amongst a large number of people who are happy with the direction SS is travelling. Equally, some aren't.

Bidding for upgrades? Who said SS had lost its class?

That's the nub of it. It's not cost that matters, it's value.

Use Google translate to learn a few stock phrases in Tagalog and you'll have friends for life!

Compared to Seabourn you will find the ship a little bigger, the average age of passengers older and, as said before, it's very British. I reckon you get 90% of the Seabourn experience for 50% of the cost.

Arctic Circle? Norway? No, Lincolnshire right now:

And why in the US is the mail carried by the US Postal Service but in the UK we have our post delivered by the Royal Mail?

That's a relief. Shouldn't take more than week or two..

If anyone intending to travel to China holds an Irish passport they don't need a Visa for visits of up to 15 days. This also applies to some other nationalities so if you are not UK or US citizen it's worth checking if you need a visa at all.

Ditto

I always said I thought their steaks were a bit tough.

So that's why the ships seem less full towards the end.

Isn't it wonderful that nobody has got ill-tempered on this thread (yet!)? Clearly, different people have different needs/views/opinions and it's good to hear them expressed without rancour. Our cruise experience is quite limited but comprises: 212 days SS. It is changing in small increments away from the unique experiences in the last decade. It's just too expensive (with the occasional bargain through certain TAs). One 14 day Seabourn in 2013 on their Spirit (no longer sailing under the SB flag). We loved it. Looking at them again. One QM2 TA which was OK, just not our scene. 30 days on Saga in past 2 years. Maybe we've been lucky but we thought it was excellent value. So there are clearly travellers with greater experience or who have different needs/tolerances. So now the Order of Battle is: 1. Saga; 2. Seabourn; 3. SS but only at rates offered by certain TAs. Might also look at Regent, Viking, Ponant and Tui's Mein Schiff (we are French and German speakers so language not an issue). No matter how hard I try I just can't justify spending the SS per diems for what is becoming a higher-end mass-market line. Edit to add: The preceeding post was made while I was typing. Makes a bit of a dent on my first paragraph!

Yep. They've released the program early to draw in the custom then planned it properly. Strange way to do things.

Laundry on Saga works out at about 60% of the price per item on SS. The on board self-service laundries are quiet during port days and overwhelmed on sea days. The included excursions are uninspiring generally comprising a 2-hr coach tour in the company of geriatrics who spend most of that time getting on and off (and insist on being first on and off, the better to hold everyone up). In our experience the food is streets ahead of SS and the menus accurately describe the food rather than strangle the descriptions with superfluous adjectives. It arrives hot, as described and in a timely manner. The suites are smaller. That's an issue if that's an important factor. For us it isn't. I'm told the entertainment is excellent often featuring people you've actually heard of, singers that can sing etc. They also provide transport to/from the ship from anywhere in UK which they organise (forget the stupid Blacklane 50 mile radius, arrange yourself nonsense). For overseas guests they will arrange transport from your arrival and to your departure point. So if you wanted to do a tour of, say, Scotland they could arrange for your travel from Edinburgh-ship-Edinburgh. The biggest downside is the "God's waiting room" vibe at times (if you're under 80 I think they class you as a juvenile!) For us, we love the ebikes which are f-o-c and can be reserved the previous day. Much rather tootle around the town/countryside on our own rather than take the hearse-in-waiting to see the same things but s l o w e r. Their included wines and spirits are fine. 10 year Lahphroaig, for example, is on the included list. And they don't pretend to be some sort of floating Elysium hiding inadequacies under grandiloquent prose. Edit to add: Included excursions don't seem to book up too quickly. They become bookable about 2 months out (and thereafter remain unchanged) and can be booked online.We avoid them. The paid-for excursions are about 50% of the cost of SS for broadly similar things. We only book excursions advertised as "strenuous" - they aren't but it puts off the barely-with-us which expedites the off-the-bus events. Mostly, though, we DIY with the ebikes or take the shuttle into town.

To be fair, on some occasions that could be seen as an upgrade.

When Silversea was Silversea we were quite dedicated to the line. Now that RCCL have control we see many small examples of changes (and one big example). Bear with... The following seem to be reported more frequently on here: Reported problems with air scheduling Bottled water Customer service issues Food issues Internet throttling Poor compensation for deleted itineraries (I know it's not their fault that human tribes can't live in peace but 15% towards a replacement that's way more expensive per diem? Come on) Patchy on board service And any others I've missed. And the big change? Pricing. Some of the pricing is ambitious to the point of being nonsensical. D2D where the "included" elements over P2P have 100%+ mark-up. What's that all about? (Yes, I know, simple profiteering.) Now I shall put the case for the changes that have improved the line: Er... No, I'm out. I notice several posters who have declared dissatisfaction yet have further voyages booked. But for us the cachet has gone. In fact, the most glowing reports seem to be from new guests who might, perhaps, not realise that the line is Silversea in name only? And I guess that suits the new owners just fine. Incidentally, there is absolutely no point to this post other than as a eulogy to what was and a hope for what might be again. In the meanwhile we are enjoying Saga cruises: 95% of the experience for 50%of the cost.

Bit harsh