Thoughts About My First Silversea Cruise/SPIRIT August 8, 2017

Hi folks:)....this is not going to be the normal, long, detailed review but I will give you my thoughts/feelings about the cruise.

Boarding was simply marvelous........I got to the ship about 11:15 and was on board about 11:30....I was in the very

first group of people who boarded:D

First Impressions......classic/classy, light and it was really neat, in the sense of exploring the ship and I didn't see 1 other

person....LOL..........I saw the bartender at the pool but no other passengers.

Since it is so much smaller than I normally sail, it was very easy for me to learn the ship and get around.........I enjoyed

the area outside the Panorama Lounge on deck 9 and love the lounge on deck 5. I usually had drinks in there each

night before dinner.

Food......I know it is always a subjective topic but I thought it was DELICIOUS.........lots of choices and very fresh.

The buffet on deck 7..........totally impressed.........everything is kept beautifully with unique presentations. They will

even carry your plate to your table if you desire.

I ate in the main restaurant at least 6 out of 9 nights......really, really lovely. I went to Starz one night with 2

other gals I met.....loved it:D,,,,,,,,went to La Tarrazza one night and ate at the Grille one evening.......all excellent

experiences.

Cabin........unreal:)........a real walk in closet and a BIG bathroom with the most luxurious towels!!! Bathsheets

actually. LOVED THEM. I was on deck 6 mid ship. Very good location.

Staff and crew were all wonderful. Very engaging with passengers and not at all stand offish.....I enjoy meeting people

so it was a lot of fun.

Will continue with more shortly...............

Thanks for your "review" Lois! So very glad you enjoyed the cruise!

Food......I know it is always a subjective topic but I thought it was DELICIOUS.........lots of choices and very fresh.

BIG bathroom with the most luxurious towels!!! Bathsheets actually. LOVED THEM. Will continue with more shortly...............

Appreciate, Lois, this great start with your excellent sharing from your first Silversea cruise. Glad that you agreed on my answer in June to your question on the bath towels and the pictures proving the size of bathroom, etc. Keep it coming!! Fun and interesting reporting.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 218,868 views.

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

So glad you had a great time. Hope our paths cross in the future.

Other thoughts........I went on tours through the cruise line and found them all pretty good:) I have to give Kudos

to Jeanatte, who was our guide in Florence...turned out to be an AWESOME day:D.......my main things were to visit

DAVID at the Accademia Museum and to walk along the Ponte Veccia......anyway, Jeanatte has a daughter who was

leading another tour with another ship and they were on "free time" so both gals got to spend some time together. They

were at the Museum to give me my ticket and ended up with them for part of the afternoon. It was lovely. The 3

of us had lunch together and it was like I had 2 private guides:D.......it was GREAT!!! After lunch we went to the Ponte

Veccia and then strolled around for awhile before going back to the meet the others in our group to go back to the bus.

We arrived in Florence around 10 and got back to the ship around 5:30 so it was a long day but I am so happy I was

able to visit and David is just AMAZING............

And then there was the scene in Ibiza......we had 3 stops and 1 VERY.....I mean VERY rude passenger. In all

my years of cruises I don't recall seeing something like this before. She yelled at the tourguide *who did NOTHING

wrong.......I missed the beginning but saw the young lady almost crying so immediately went over to see if she was ok.

I didn't hear what was said but the girl was VERY upset.....I didn't say anything to the pax at that point because I didn't

hear what was said......but.......we went to the next stop and as we are strolling (there were cafes/shops on both sides)

the guest goes up to the tourguide AGAIN........at that point I did see her and after she yelled at the girl....well, I said to

myself, I have to do something.........(I know sometimes people avoid these things, including me) But I could not believe

what I was seeing:mad:........so I yelled across at the woman and she then stops and turns around and comes 1 inch from

my face.....no, I didn't slap her but I told her she was BEING RUDE and what she was doing was NOT ACCEPTABLE.

She said the tourguide was insulting her.........(she was NOT)......I told her she was the one being insulting and to stop

it.

Anyway, when we got back to the ship, I went to Shore Excursions with the guide so I could make sure they knew it

was the passenger.........come to find out this lady had even gone to the Hotel Director's office to complain about the

cruise.............OMG.............it was surreal.......But I am very glad I helped!!! I felt horrible for our guide.

I may have my ports mixed up on the "bad scene"............but it did happen........

I went on the Helicopter Ride in Mallorca:).........it was great!!!!!!!!

LoisR,

It was good of you to intercede regarding the tour guide, including reporting the situation to onboard folk. People like tour guides can get in real trouble from off-the-wall reports by unreasonable (unhinged?) customers. Your perspective might well have served to spare the tour guide from unwarranted grief.

Hi....I just realized I did not word it correctly.......she was not the actual guide but she was sent on the tour with us....like an added person if we needed anything.........her normal gig is working in the casino. But that part really should not matter. The lady passenger was just plain

MEAN to her. AND she did criticize the guide too.

I went to 3 or 4 shows in the evenings and I don't normally do that but wanted to see some of the entertainment.

Most of the singers were quite good and I enjoyed the music.

Arlee was the singer in Starz and we became friendly over the cruise and her voice is awesome:D.........You could go

and listen and have a drink even if you didn't eat there. It is a lovely venue.

Most days I was off the ship but I did go to the pool sometimes.........the pool area could get quite crowded. Most days

it was hot and sunny outside so we had good weather.

Hi,

Two thumbs up for standing up for the employee. I am also sure that you saved her a lot of trouble, if not her job. Hard to believe how some people behave.

Snorkling Lady

I'm disappointed that you liked Stars so much. It is never very popular so we almost feel that it is our own private dining club. Could you please amend your review to say that it was terrible? We really don't want others to feel they need to visit the wonderful Stars. Oh dear, Ive just given it away!

So pleased you enjoyed your cruise and that the rude woman was called out. There will always be the occasional passenger with an overwhelming sense of entitlement and self-importance - quite how the staff don't end up throwing someone like that overboard in the dead of night escapes me.

I think you have become another happy member of the Silversea family!

Welcome Back Lois 😊

So good to hear how much you enjoyed the cruise.. it's lovely to read about your adventures!

Well done you for standing up to the obnoxious guest....☺️

Lois, glad that you enjoyed the cruise and look forward to attritional comments.

Good for you. I know there are times to stay out of a situation like you had with the rude passenger and that is the easy way out but then there are times that someone needs to speak up and glad it was you and that you also went to the shore excursion desk.

There is a saying. Treat others the way you want to be treated. It's part of the golden rule. The good news is many people do exactly that but some don't regardless of even what cruise line they sail.

Welcome home.

Keith

Welcome home Lois. Good to hear it was mostly an enjoyable experience which was as expected. Good for you for speaking up to the rude individual. I mostly let things pass but will confront when I think it's necessary. Hope there was a happy outcome and their group didn't try to make it awkward afterwards if your paths crossed again. You know what you did was right which was the important part so well done.

Any future cruise plans or thoughts with SS? Shame there was no cruise consultant. I know they are very strict usually on not allowing the 5% discount if you didn't book at the time, but if you were considering, it might be worth pressing for them to give it now you are back. Don't leave it long though. Doesn't hurt to ask. Must be very unusual for there no to be a consultant on the cruise!

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Good morning..........:)......Les, I will call my contact at SS and get the information directly from her and if I cannot get the discount? What was the point of giving them the $?:eek:

I definitely saw the lady throughout the cruise......though I never spoke with her again.

Good morning..........:)......Les, I will call my contact at SS and get the information directly from her and if I cannot get the discount? What was the point of giving them the $?:eek:

 

I definitely saw the lady throughout the cruise......though I never spoke with her again.

Yes, you were disadvantaged by the consultant not being there so press that point hard. I would expect them to honour it. I would :-)

Glad you had no further problems and hope that SS took no action to the poor rep being abused with your help. On my Caribbean cruise I know a complaint was made about a rep about leaving slightly early on a miserable rainy day which everyone wanted to do and they then complained they were pressured to agree! It was like paying for torture! Without nice weather, a beach stay is pointless!

More thoughts.........it was always easy getting on and off the ship. After all, 500 is not 2500;),

My overall experience was simply wonderful. It was more than just one thing.....the ambiance, aesthetically pleasing

feel of the ship, all the crew and staff.....all warm and welcoming. I was invited to eat with the CD one night (6 of us

all together).It was a fun night and I enjoyed Fernando very much. He is a very engaging person.

A few other stand outs.......Bruno, head of Shore Excursions, Damien, Maitr'd D in the main dining room and Vicky,

she was the bartender at the pool and in the lounge on deck 5............I made sure to include them on my survey form.

I hope to sail with SS again:D.........just have to figure out when and where:)

I totally forgot, dress code.......LOL........I felt fine in everything I wore:D......I did see some long gowns and tuxedos but I also saw others and I cannot recall anything "out there" but then again, I probably wasn't looking. I wore a dressy pair of slacks and dressy top on formal night. Did not feel the least bit out of place.:)

I'm disappointed that you liked Stars so much. It is never very popular so we almost feel that it is our own private dining club. Could you please amend your review to say that it was terrible? We really don't want others to feel they need to visit the wonderful Stars. Oh dear, Ive just given it away!

 

So pleased you enjoyed your cruise and that the rude woman was called out. There will always be the occasional passenger with an overwhelming sense of entitlement and self-importance - quite how the staff don't end up throwing someone like that overboard in the dead of night escapes me.

 

I think you have become another happy member of the Silversea family!

Thanks:)

Thank you for posting your post cruise review. John and I tried SS( Spirit) for the first time in April and we were not disappointed. We've been Regent and Crystal "regulars", but decided to try something different. We were extremely impressed by their service, among other things. Our butler was wonderful and did so many things that we never would've thought of, but he did them without even asking. We'll be seriously considering SS for a trip next year!

Now that I am home, I was thinking about giving Crystal a try but not sure now........do you find them on the same level?

I also took a river cruise last year for the first time and LOVED it so I am looking at another one........so many choices,:eek:

.........

Hi....I just realized I did not word it correctly.......she was not the actual guide but she was sent on the tour with us....like an added person if we needed anything.........her normal gig is working in the casino. But that part really should not matter. The lady passenger was just plain

MEAN to her. AND she did criticize the guide too.

First of all kudos for standing up for your escort! (y) I do like that Silversea sends an escort or chaperone or whatever they're officially called with every tour or at least every ship's tour we've been on. Over the probably dozen plus tours we've been on we've had the cruise consultant, the International host, and most often one of the entertainment staff as a chaperone. Typically they just mingle in with the tour group and are fairly transparent but I've noticed several of them taking notes or filling in some kind of information on what I figured was some kind of feedback report. There have been one or two instances where they've become involved in the actual conduct of the tour one dealing with a couple who continually wanted to disrupt the tour and one where the tour was unfortunately just a bad tour. All in all it's been fun and interesting to have the ship's personnel with us and then to see them around the ship during the cruise.

Welcome home Lois. Good to hear it was mostly an enjoyable experience which was as expected. Good for you for speaking up to the rude individual. I mostly let things pass but will confront when I think it's necessary. Hope there was a happy outcome and their group didn't try to make it awkward afterwards if your paths crossed again. You know what you did was right which was the important part so well done.

 

Any future cruise plans or thoughts with SS? Shame there was no cruise consultant. I know they are very strict usually on not allowing the 5% discount if you didn't book at the time, but if you were considering, it might be worth pressing for them to give it now you are back. Don't leave it long though. Doesn't hurt to ask. Must be very unusual for there no to be a consultant on the cruise!

 

 

 

 

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Les, I am re-reading the email confirmation I received concerning the deposit for the open booking and it states there is a 5% discount if I book something within the next 6 months. I will call my friend at SS this week to make sure that is correct:)

Now that I am home, I was thinking about giving Crystal a try but not sure now........do you find them on the same level?

.........

I have sailed a good deal on both lines. Some thoughts:

** Service is comparable on both lines. As is food.

** Standard cabins are larger on Silversea. Crystal's are rather compact.

** Crystal's ocean liners are larger than Silversea's -- in a number of cases more than twice as large. Thus, more passengers on Crystal.

** All Silversea guests get butlers. Only Penthouse guests get them on Crystal

** Crystal offers a broader menu of activities/lectures/classes -- esp. on sea days.

** Crystal is transitioning to open seating in MDR.

** I think Silversea loyalty program is somewhat more generous than Crystal's --e.g., free laundry after 100 nights, 10% off all cruises after 250 nights, etc.

Sailing on neither line is a hardship

Now that I am home, I was thinking about giving Crystal a try but not sure now........do you find them on the same level?

I also took a river cruise last year for the first time and LOVED it so I am looking at another one........so many choices,:eek:

.........

Lois,

Full disclosure which I think you know is that Crystal is my favorite line but I have sailed SIlversea on both Spirit and Shadow. I have also sailed Seabourn. Also have sailed many other lines that are not luxury lines. Our preference when it does come to the luxury lines we sailed is 1. Crystal 2. Seabourn 3. Silversea.

My advice is if you find an itinerary you like to try other luxury lines such as Crystal because in the end you will never know until you try any line yourself. I might like something or not like something and someone might have a different view.

I also believe that just as all cruise lines have changed over the years so have we. There are things that I loved years ago that have no interest to me today and there are things that I love today that I had no interest in years ago. So we continue to evolve.

I'll give you my comparison thought and some is objective but most subjective.

It might be more then you want to know. :):cool:

First several are objective.

Ships on Silversea smaller then those of Crystal and carrying fewer guests.

Larger guest rooms on Silversea ships to comparable ones on Crystal ships.

Higher percentage of public space on Crystal ships versus Silversea ships

More enrichment programs and great number of evening entertainment options on Crystal ships then Silversea Ships

A Movie Theatre on both Crystal ships showing two different movies each day.

Wrap-Around Promenade Deck on Crystal Ships.

Escorts on Crystal ships on all shore excursions.

( am not familiar with Muse but a fancier dining venue for the buffet breakfasts and lunches on Silversea ships with wait service compared to the equivalent Crystal ships.

On demand movies in the rooms on Silversea ships and right now not available on Crystal although that is changing post dry dock.

7x24 hour Fitness Center on Crystal ships.

Now subjective

If you like to spend a lot of time in your room then I give the notch to SIlversea over Crystal because of the size of the rooms on Silversea. They are quite a bit large. Also right now because of the on demand movies.

If you like a ship that will carry about half the size of Crystal ships (some Silversea ships carry one third of the Crystal ships) that is an advantage of the Silversea ships. However if you like a ships that is larger with more choices for lounges and other offerings both inside and outside the ship I give the notch to Crystal.

If you want more evenings with Formal and Informal attire you will find that on many Silversea sailings with Crystal having fewer.

I found that two of the specialty restaurants on selected Silver Spirit to bemore intimate then on the Crystal ships and the dining room is quieter. I'll discuss food later.

Dinner begins on Crystal at 6:00 PM except for one restaurant on Serenity which opens at 6:30 PM.

You can make specialty restaurants ahed of time on both lines. On Serenity though you can confirm your seating time in advance.

Silversea has open seating. Crystal currently has traditional (fixed) seating. That will change after Symphony's dry dock this Fall and after Serenity's dry dock next Fall.

Crystal has ambassador hosts on all voyages who will dance with female guests in the evening.

We find the food to be better on Crystal. Examples include the dining room, Silk Road in comparison to the Silversea equivalent and the Dining Room. I find the Italian Restaurants on both lines to be comparable. Buffet breakfasts on both lines are pretty comparable to me. I find the lunch buffet on Crystal to offer many more choices and they change more of the items daily in comparison to SIlversea.

Service is great on both lines but I give the notch to Crystal because of the little things that they do that I didn't see Silversea doing in the dining room in the evening.

Crystal's entertainment is more elaborate with much more experienced performers both on board and those brought on and a higher quality enrichment program.

Both offer a good amount of shore excursions. Probably because of size I found more choice with Crystal.

In the end, both lines offer you a luxury experience.

Some guests will like both equally. Others will like one over the other. Some of that just comes down to what you like and what your perspective is.

Even within a cruise line some might prefer one ship over the other. In the case of SIlversea I think that is even more so because they have several different sizes of ships in their fleet.

Again you won't know until you sail each one. I would encourage that.

For us we have let Itinerary drive us to trying other lines over the years and/or just wanting to try another line.

We are fortunate to cruise and to have choices.

Keith