Silver Shadow Singapore to Singapore: Pirouette's observations

We have spent a quiet day in Phuket. There were no complimentary shore excursions offered here. We considered the tours offered and as we have been to Phuket before, we did not find anything that captured our interest.

Unfortunately we docked at Ao Makham which is in the middle of nowhere. There were taxis available at the port for self directed tours but it is really important to bargain. We were told by the local tourism rep brought on board that we should expect to pay $30-$40 USD each way to travel to downtown Phuket. It is a distance of about 7 km. We were also advised that a taxi to the beach area would be $50-$60 USD each way. Those prices are completely disproportionate and likely reflect the effects of tourism on this region.

By contrast, when we walked outside the port gate this morning, a very nice Australian gentleman, now living in Phuket, gave us some tips on hiring a taxi. He said that the fare from the terminal should be no more than $10. Another couple that we have spent some time with hired a taxi for 5 hours for $50 USD. There are options that are much more reasonable than tours through the ship, or those recommended by the local rep if you are willing to be adventurous.

I am pleased to advise that the wine list issue has been resolved. There was a meeting with the appropriate individual and we now know what is available for the rest of this cruise. That individual was proactive once our concerns were brought to his attention. We discussed some service issues and also the positive aspects of what the Silver Shadow offers. It was a good exchange and our feedback seemed to be appreciated.

We spent a lovely day doing absolutely nothing. Rare for us. The lunch at the pool grill was tasty and light. We even “imported” a pizza from La Terazza to enjoy poolside. The service today throughout the ship is much improved since Sunday.

We are off to the welcome cocktail party for first time Silversea cruisers followed by dinner at the Grill.

More later....

No doubt! I’m squarely in your camp. Hope to cruise together someday so we can share another excellent dessert wine together; Climens Barsac.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

On our last two cruises, Wind and Muse, the lovely Climens has been replaced with a Rieussec Sauternes.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

I'll have one of each, thanks.

I am pleased to advise that the wine list issue has been resolved. There was a meeting with the appropriate individual and we now know what is available for the rest of this cruise. That individual was proactive once our concerns were brought to his attention. We discussed some service issues and also the positive aspects of what the Silver Shadow offers. It was a good exchange and our feedback seemed to be appreciated.

 

We spent a lovely day doing absolutely nothing. Rare for us. The lunch at the pool grill was tasty and light. We even “imported” a pizza from La Terazza to enjoy poolside. The service today throughout the ship is much improved since Sunday.

Keep 'em coming, Pirouette. Glad to hear the wine list issue was resolved to your satisfaction, and that you enjoyed an unexpectedly quiet day. I also appreciate your warning about the knowledge base of the local reps.

A quiet day on the ship sounds quite lovely to me right now :-)

On our last two cruises, Wind and Muse, the lovely Climens has been replaced with a Rieussec Sauternes.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

We found the knowledge base to be excellent with most of the local reps, however some did seem to be keen to help the local economy.

In one Philippine port stop we asked the local rep how much to pay for a Tuk Tuk to take us about 2 miles up the road. They quoted us US$10. Since we were in the Phillipines I asked one of the lovely crew and they told us 50 pisos or 100 pisos $2 if feeling generous.

When we got of the ship the first price was $10 but quickly came down when they realised I knew the right price. We did pay the $2 :).

So my tip if in Asia check with the crew your friendly with, they may know better.

Julie

This cruise is growing on us.

Our dinner at the pool grill last night was excellent as was the service. We did not risk grilling our own meat (who wants to ruin a beautiful filet). The chef was happy to cook and plate it for us. So far we have found the food to be very good. The portions are smaller than on Regent or Oceania and we prefer that. DH thinks that the food is generally better here. I realize that food is subjective, but with the wine issue resolved, he is no longer complaining as much. He says he may even be willing to consider Silversea again.

A note about the included wines. We have found selections that we are happy to drink, but they are limited. The included wines are not the same caliber as this offered on Regent. There are no included wines on Oceania except as part of a purchased beverage package. Those wines are also a higher caliber than the included offerings on Silversea. It is a matter of being aware and knowing what to expect. There is always an option to purchase a superior or preferred bottle. We do not like being steared in that direction given the representations in the cruise brochures and the price that we have paid for this cruise. On a more upbeat note, the champagne is always good!

We are enjoying a true sea day today. There was a very good cooking demonstration and DH has just gone to a martini demonstration. There are a host of activities today and some interesting menu options as the ship prepares for Chinese New Year.

Service in the Restaurant at breakfast was very friendly and attentive though the food was a little slow to arrive. We decided that since we have no appointments or other places to be that this was not a major issue. We often had the same experience at Compass Rose.

The ship is very concerned about guests being satisfied. The supervisors of the housekeeping and butler departments insisted on meeting with us today. We had no complaints about either, other than the paint speckled chairs on our veranda. It makes sitting outside less than inviting. The veranda furniture is being replaced as I type this.

Another formal night tonight. The second in three days. It would have been preferable to space them out, but it is nice to see fellow passengers all “suited and booted”. We really enjoy the more international clientele. It makes for a more interesting cruise experience.

Off to lunch and Pilates!

We are currently cruising into Yangon, Myanmar, the reason many passengers chose this cruise. We have had a series of enrichment lectures, one yesterday and two so far today with two more planned for this afternoon. Myanmar is unknown to most of us and the background information is interesting and helpful.

We were supposed to dock early this afternoon but the time has been changed several times already. It does not appear we will be docked until around 4pm if all goes as planned. There seems to be a degree of uncertainty with the timing. Guests with evening tours have been assured that those tours will proceed as planned.

The ship is also providing a shuttle to the train station in downtown Yangon, about 1 hour to 90 minutes from the port. We have been told that there is nothing in the port and we are not permitted to walk in the port area.

We have been forewarned that there is a lack of tourist infrastructure in Myanmar. It should be quite an adventure.

We are treating today as another sea day and are enjoying the ship. It is really too warm to sit by the pool. It is almost 100’ F and extremely humid. The seas have been very calm throughout and at times I forget that we are at sea: a sharp contrast from the roiling seas of our Panama Canal transit last September. There are many othe scheduled activities this afternoon for those who are so inclined: line dancing, bridge, yoga and bridge.

I agree with the earlier contributor who stated that the ship has “good bones”. We felt very secure on Regent’s Mariner as she navigated some very rough waters, dodging hurricanes Maria and Jose, but her layout is choppy. I really appreciate the design and airiness of this ship. It is smaller but the spaces seem larger and some of the art, the wood and glass throughout are beautiful.

The boutiques are small. The is a large selection of watches and the usual jewelry fare. The jewelry is nice but the designs are very conservative.

Our meals continue to be very good and service has really improved since the first couple of days. It is worth noting that Silversea has a very impressive cheese selection at each meal from a number of countries. This was a pleasant surprise.

The music in all venues is superior to our last Regent cruise, with selections from the 1970’ s to current. The disco was very active again last night. It is nice that Silversea has a live DJ staffing the disco and he has a broad mix of music available on request. The dance floor is large and unobstructed.

We will be off an an all day tour to Bago tomorrow. This is my first cruise where no tote bag has been provided. It is not a deal breaker but I made a conscious decision not to pack one from home believing I would receive on on board. Not! Plan accordingly....

Glad things have picked up for you Pirouette and you've warmed to the Shadow. We take off in 5 weeks today for our Shadow adventure to Vietnam so great the concerns about the ship seem to have cleared up.

Wondering who the senior staff are on board at the moment?

The cruise director is Moss. Louis, the food and beverage manager is leaving at the end of this cruise and Bianca is the guest relations manager.

Moss is great-so approachable and a great sense of humour. It is very nice to not be interrupted by repeated announcements throughout the day. If Moss speaks, it is usually important.

We had quite the welcome on arrival in Myanmar port: local musicians and dancers put on a small display for about 90 minutes. We could watch from the veranda. Very nice!

I'm enjoying your postings very much. We haven't visited this part of the world yet, so I'm looking forward to each installment. So glad that you are enjoying the cruise more, and the initial hiccups have seemingly resolved.

It's nice to hear that you have Moss aboard. We met him on our first SS cruise on the Spirit this past April. As we boarded, he was so welcoming and friendly. It was not what I expected at all. I guess I was thinking "stuffy" which SS is anything but! I also had no idea that he was one of the two men who helped in the evacuation of the Oceanus ship that sunk off of Africa (?) while the captain and officers were first off the ship. It was an "oh WOW" moment as we remember the Oceanus event very well.

Please continue to take us along....enjoying your blog!

Linda and John

We are also on this cruise and I agree about the lack of tote bag. It's not a big deal but it's the first time I've been on a cruise where none was provided. We miss it. The shop is no help at all, like Seabourn it is stuffed with watches and jewellery and nothing much of use at all. No sun hats, tote bags, T shirts, post cards - just a load if jewellery - what is going on? The (very few) toiletries are hidden away in a cupboard.

But yes, she is a lovely ship although the decor could use updating - I haven't seen regency stripe curtains since the dark ages. Think American steakhouse or Motel for the decor! I hope that Silversea spend some money in her, she is worth it.

The cruise director is Moss.

 

Moss is great-so approachable and a great sense of humour. It is very nice to not be interrupted by repeated announcements throughout the day. If Moss speaks, it is usually important.

We thoroughly enjoyed our Silver Spirit New Years 2017 voyage with Moss. He’s such a true pleasure to cruise with and real asset to SS.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The cruise director is Moss.

 

Moss is great-so approachable and a great sense of humour. It is very nice to not be interrupted by repeated announcements throughout the day. If Moss speaks, it is usually important.!

This is interesting. I was recently on a Caribbean cruise with a CD who thought that a lecture from him on Russian art would be apt.

He announced three times a day. Simply repeating what anyone who could read from the newsletter.

I complained and got a voicemail from him saying that Silversea required him to make announcements three times a day. Presumably this was an accomdation for the visually handicapped. Because of him I cancelled next Silversea cruise.

Never experienced that on any cruise I’ve been on. Usually the announcements are too brief and pertinent info you’d want to know missed!

Thanks for the crew Info Pirouette.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I can assure you that we do not hear from Moss (or anyone) three times a day. He usually announces when the ship has cleared and advises about daily activities. Those announcements have been in the morning.

On Regent last fall we heard from the captain regularly, mostly with updates on weather and course changes due to the hurricanes he had to avoid. On Silversea we maybe hear from the captain at noon (sometimes) and once during the day. Very few interruptions here!

We have just enjoyed a long and interesting day in Myanmar. We opted to stay in last night even though there was a shuttle from the ship into downtown Yangon. It is not a quick journey, the roads are rough and it would have been dark.

One of the boutique vendors ventured out and caught the next shuttle back to the ship from downtown. Apparently a truck broke down on the bridge and the shuttle could not pass. He said he ended up pushing the truck (a sort of dump truck) for about a kilometre across the bridge. He was the only non local and the effort was exhausting.

We chose the day tour to Bago, with stops at a number of village markets and pagodas en route. We also visited the War Cemetery. We were fortunate, our bus was modern and the guide was relatively good. Bathroom stops could have been better coordinated, but that is a small thing.

The sites were interesting but equally captivating was the opportunity to observe local life. This is a very poor country. We have travelled extensively and our observations were that life appears more difficult here than in rural India or China. We were struck by the litter that is everywhere. That being said, a smile and greeting will result in the same in return.

There are some lovely woven cottons and wood products. We noticed that the locals coated their faces in sandlewood paste, sometimes in elaborate designs. It is supposed to be a natural sunscreen and also elimates wrinkles and improves skin. For $1, I bought some! We will see if it works....

Shop keepers are very careful about only accepting new bills. They do take $US but only if the bills are unblemished.

We visited a monastery and saw the monks parade by for their last meal of the day. A Chinese tourist allowed me to participate with her in the practice of putting handfuls of rice in the monks’ bowls as they passed by. She had a plate of rice and showed me what to do. It was something I would not otherwise have experienced.

We had a nice lunch of Myanmar Chinese food in Bago. We had the opportunity to meet some of our fellow passengers and share a story or two.

After a 7:30 am departure we returned to the ship around 5:30, ready to do it all again tomorrow.

It is dinner in La Terazza tonight and a morning tour of the Schwendagon pagoda tomorrow. It will likely take more time to get there than is allotted for the actual tour.

On this cruise we have noticed that Silversea does not dock close to town. The ports are industrial and there is nothing nearby. It does not make for a very nice view from the veranda! It may be beneficial to book an included highlights tour in those ports as not all have offered a shuttle.

Off to dinner, more later or tomorrow.

We noticed that the locals coated their faces in sandlewood paste, sometimes in elaborate designs. It is supposed to be a natural sunscreen and also elimates wrinkles and improves skin. For $1, I bought some! We will see if it works....

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I can assure you that we do not hear from Moss (or anyone) three times a day. He usually announces when the ship has cleared and advises about daily activities. Those announcements have been in the morning.

 

On Regent last fall we heard from the captain regularly, mostly with updates on weather and course changes due to the hurricanes he had to avoid. On Silversea we maybe hear from the captain at noon (sometimes) and once during the day. Very few interruptions here!

I am a seasoned Silversea guest. Thus, I was especially put off by these 3x/day announcements that were wholly unnecessary. The voicemail from the CD (in response to my mid-cruise questionnaire) said that he was simply following the Silversea manual for CDs. Perhaps that manual also specified that there should be an enrichment lecture on Russian art during Caribbean cruises.

We left Myanmar late yesterday afternoon and now will have two sea days before reaching Malacca. The tour of Shwendagon Pagoda was interesting if not chaotic. The pagoda site was very busy with locals and tourists alike.

The entrance arrangements for our group were very disorganized. We had to wait for about 25 minutes for the guide’s assistant to arrange entrance tickets and stickers for everyone in the group. There are only two elevators and though they move quickly, queues formed which included others who were not part of the group.

The site itself is spectacular, even more so considering that it is 2600 years old. The group did not stay together. We were free to wander or stay with the guide. It was very hot and everyone has a different tolerance for wandering outdoors in the sun. As for any included tour, there is a certain LCD element and one or two who always seek to monopolize the guide.

We opted to wander and returned to the guide if we had questions. I expect the candlelight option for this tour would be very nice. It did not work with our other selected tours so we chose the daylight option. We finished with a brief drive through the colonial parts of Yangon before returning to the ship for lunch and some pool time. It was a fairly good tour. The bus had good A/C but unfortunately the sound system was awful and it was difficult to hear the guide.

A note about dress in this part of the world. I am no expert, but was astonished at the number of passengers wearing shorts, short pants and revealing clothing on our two tours in Myanmar. One woman leaving the ship looked absolutely lovely in short shorts that revealed legs up to her neck. It would be perfect on board but not in Myanmar!

We had a nice dinner in the Restaurant and then attended Moss Hill’s one man show. What a talent! He is a true rocker! He has quite the story to tell if you have the chance to spend some time with him.

All in all a good day: champagne, shuffleboard at sunset and cruising calm seas. More later.

Great report, Pirouette. One question: what does "LCD" mean?

And ... I know what you mean about inappropriate clothes in cultures with modesty norms. [face palm]

Lowest common denominator

Lowest common denominator

Got it -- and I know exactly what you mean.

enjoying your posts.

I think Moss is one of the best CD's.

you are lucky to have him aboard.