Live Silver Spirit Maiden TA Crossing

[PebmarshPete]

I thought that the ceremony was dull.Not much of a show.These things are better done at night with fireworks, normally before the ship makes it's first voyage.

Agreed it was not much of a spectacle and the venue and, therefore, the timing were no doubt dictated by commercial considerations but I thought it was quite effective in showing the involvement of the founding family and the Italian roots of the line. It could also be argued that the relatively low-key approach taken chimed more with the market position that Silversea aspire to.

[Host Dan]

Letter from dougburns to Silversea:

 

Paolo; As discussed, I would appreciate your sending the following letter to Silversea management.

My wife and I would like to express our sincere thanks to Silversea and the officers and crew of Silver Spirit for our most memorable Transatlantic cruise from Lisbon to Fort Lauderdale.

Prior to the actual cruise our travel agent received superb service from Jay in Silversea Special Services at Fort Lauderdale and from Susan Chappelle in the Fort Lauderdale Air Department. Jay coordinated our on board cocktail party and the ship was aware of all the details before we ever arrived. Susan coordinated several changes to our air schedule that were necessitated by airline schedule changes and the impending strike by British Airways cabin attendants. Everything that they were requested to do they did in a very timely manner with a response coming back to our travel agent in less than a day. That is definitely Silversea style service.

As a retired U.S. Navy Captain I know an outstanding ship’s captain when I meet one. Captain Corsaro is the best we’ve met during our many cruises with Silversea and Regent. He is a most knowledgeable and exceptional seaman, navigator and leader who inspires his crew to excellence. He is a true gentleman with an amiable manner and a quick wit, which are combined qualities not often found in any man, let alone a ship’s captain. He takes excellent care of his crew and is very sociable with the passengers such that all who cruise with him look forward to doing it again.

Mauro Mazzola, the Chief Engineer, has done yeoman work in getting the ship’s systems working and keeping them operating. He is the consummate professional and a tireless worker. Silversea can be justly proud of the job he and his department have done. Most of the passengers cannot appreciate their efforts, but I can and I do.

Paolo Percivale, the Hotel Director, and the entire hotel staff have been exceptional in making the cruise a memorable experience for all of the passengers. Although faced with the problems that always come with a new construction, Paolo and his staff have addressed all of the issues in a timely and friendly manner. Along with Paolo himself we want to thank Helmut Huber, the F&B Manager, Fernando de Oliveira, the Cruise Director, Antonio, the Restaurant Manager, Maitre’ds Darlene, Gustavo, Alves, Marcello, and Francisco, and Bar Manager Sanja. All have responded to any and all routine and special requests with smiling faces and a can do attitude.

We have not been the easiest passengers to accommodate, beginning with a large cocktail party in our suite the third evening of the cruise after 2 rough days at sea and then a request to renew our marriage vows with another couple the ninth evening of the cruise. Both events were handled in an above and beyond fashion by the Captain and the crew in the true tradition of Silversea. We could not have hoped for more and we want to express our sincere thanks to the entire crew of Silver Spirit for making both events lifetime memories to cherish.

I was a skeptic when Silversea announced the concept of a butler for all suites. Somehow you have pulled it off in true Silversea style. Oliver, the Butler Manager, Vishal, the Senior Butler, and most certainly our stateroom butler, Karthik with his stewardess assistant, Romelyn have proven me wrong. Though many of the butlers are new to the sea, they are as professional as any we have encountered ashore. We are impressed!

Because the entire crew has worked so hard to improve service while learning this new ship ad how best to operate it, the passengers, overall, are as happy as we have seen on any cruise. The experienced nucleus of the wait staff are bringing the less experienced members up to speed rapidly. With each day we have seen continuous, steady improvement and we believe that the entire staff will be operating like a well oiled machine by the time we reach Fort Lauderdale. There have been smiling faces everywhere and that’s what great cruising is all about!

We have found only a few areas where we would like to see improvement on Silver Spirit. First, as dancers we feel that it would be much better to have the quartet/trio playing in the Panorama Lounge in the evening where the bandstand is somewhat removed from the dance floor. With them playing in the Bar it is much too loud on the dance floor to be comfortable. The piano player could be moved to the Bar in the evening. That is the way it is on Whisper/Shadow and it has worked very well. The added advantage of doing that would be a reduction in the objectionable noise in the staterooms directly above the Bar on deck 6. Some passengers think that two of the staterooms on deck 6 should not be booked because of the objectionable noise. Second, there are several problem areas around the ship with handicap access. That needs to be improved. The Theater is a good example. Third, the Verandah suites need some improvement in the closet area so that women can comfortably hang long dresses. Also, the space between the foot of the bed and the bulkhead is too narrow. He mirror/TV module has greatly reduced that pass through space. We have found nothing that needs to be improved in our Grand suite. In all of the suites we believe that the balcony sliding door latches will not last long and will create problems before long if not reconfigured. The latches are of poor design. Fourth, though the sterling silver room service trays are nice, they are much too heavy. We are of the opinion that Silver Spirit should consider using the lighter trays, such as those used on the other ships in the fleet. The sterling silver trays could easily present a safety hazard for the service staff, especially during rough weather conditions. Fifth, I know that during the maiden cruise from Barcelona-Lisbon the internet was spotty and we expected it to be as bad, or worse during the Transatlantic trip. However, we had full internet service during the entire cruise. I never experienced a drop out or slow operation and I used the internet every day. There are not enough stations though. I would recommend that the number of stations be increased to at least 12. During the period from around 0900 to around 1500 it was more often than not difficult to find an open station with the current 7 stations. Lastly, we have heard rumors that the Panorama Lounge is to be expanded aft, thereby reducing the outdoor verandah space. We would not like to see that happen, since we view that beautiful outdoor lounge to be a major plus for Silver Spirit.

We have just a few comments about the dining venues. The Restaurant and La Terrazza are excellent and should not be changed in any way. The stone grill “Dinner under the Stars” concept on deck 10 is a great success and a favorite of all who have dined there. We understand that it is to be expanded on to the pool deck from Fort Lauderdale onward. That is an excellent idea. We were a bit disappointed with the Stars Supper Club. When we learned about it prior to the cruise we were under the impression that it would be run like a supper club ashore with a full dinner menu, a bar and live entertainment with reservations required and serving only a limited number of guest each evening, much the same as Seshin and Le Champagne. We don’t feel that the current tasting menu concept is working. During our cruise Stars was only lightly utilized most evenings. Perhaps the tasting menu concept need to be reviewed. Seshin offers a pleasant dining experience, but we don’t feel that it warrants being a charge venue. We were also under the impression that bento boxes would be available and they are not. We recommend that Seshin not be a charge venue and that bento boxes be made available for lunch. Le Champagne is a wonderful dining experience and it should remain as is.

Again, we wish to sincerely thank Silversea and all of the crew of Silver Spirit for a most memorable and enjoyable cruise. The ship is beautiful throughout and she rides the seas like a dream under all conditions. We wish you fair seas and following winds as you proceed onward. We look forward to returning soon.

[WesW]

For those of you that are Facebook users, here is a link to our Silver Spirit Maiden Crossing Photo album. Host Dan gave me the thumbs up to post the link. Enjoy please:

 

http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#/photo.php?pid=30734691&id=1039868706

 

ps..special thanks to Cruise Critic for serving as a wonderful enabler that allows us to continuously share cruise information and appropriate

recommendations before we board; morevover, CC is a exceptional enabler of cruise friendships that blossom once on board.

[meow!]

Written by Navy Captain Burns ... First, as dancers we feel that it would be much better to have the quartet/trio playing in the Panorama Lounge in the evening ...

 

... Second, there are several problem areas around the ship with handicap access. That needs to be improved. The Theater is a good example. Third, the Verandah suites need some improvement in the closet area so that women can comfortably hang long dresses. Also, the space between the foot of the bed and the bulkhead is too narrow. He mirror/TV module has greatly reduced that pass through space...

 

... Fourth, though the sterling silver room service trays are nice, they are much too heavy...

 

Seshin offers a pleasant dining experience, but we don’t feel that it warrants being a charge venue. We were also under the impression that bento boxes would be available and they are not...

 

This sounds like a very good, helpful letter. It should be easy and suitable to move the dance floor back to the Panorama Lounge. The very design concept of Silversea ships is to separate the cabin area from the function area (front from back), so why make noise right in the middle of the ship below passenger cabins? Why leave the Panorama Lounge unused?

 

The next two items involve substantial hardware modifications, and may be difficult to implement. These are design considerations which need to be taken care of before the ship plan is finalized.

 

We are surprised to hear that they use genuine sterling silver trays. These are really expensive, and if some passengers would take some items from their cabins ... We haven't heard of public use of sterling silver utensils for a long time, are you sure that they are not just silver plated?

 

Bento boxes will be welcomed by most, especially to take out on an excursion. We hope you get a detailed response from the management. Thank you for your effort.

[dwelsh]

Thanks for the copy of your letter Captain Burns - Not having the pleasure of participating in the cruise it certainly painted an excellent picture with, I am sure very measured criticism.

 

To Wes, thanks for the photos. Again, they illustrated the feeling on board. Nice to see all the smiling faces of folks seemingly really enjoying themselves.

 

Reference the naming ceremony; why couldn't it start on time? I thought it was very self-serving, a little too laid back without much real excitement - that is just IMHO.

[Wellseasoned]

After disembarkation in Ft. Lauderdale, about 70 remained aboard from the crossing. Yesterday about 100 boarded for the full 91 day Grand Inaugural cruise. We moved from the Silver to a midship verandah. Much smaller than Silver, and there really is a bottleneck at the foot of the bed when compared to the verandah suites on the Shadow/Whisper. The bathroom is much better, however, with a great shower and more counter and shelf space than the Silver suite. In the Silver, the double raised sinks occupied nearly all the counter space. The balcony is roomy. Closet is a bit cramped. TV's in mirrors seem fine. Overall, plenty of storage space. We now receive the American Fox News channel.

 

Many officials, travel agents, media, etc. aboard until this afternoon. Yesterday there was a formal gala dinner and performances by singer/pianist Michael Feinstein. He is excellent! This morning, the Christening ceremony was very nice, hope you all saw it on the web. Those of us present really enjoyed it compared to some of the comments posted, so, I guess you had to be there. And thank you, Victoria (emtbsam), for mailing to tell me that you did indeed see Debbie and me on the broadcast! All the Silversea brass, including owner, president, etc. were present and were very friendly and accessible at the post-christening pool deck reception. Then a gala lunch in the restaurant, after which the extra people disembarked and the remaining non-91 day passengers boarded. Dined with yet another retired Navy pilot at lunch, though he was a poor substitute for Doug Burns! It will be nice to get back to "normal" cruising this evening. We will dine in Le Champagne tonight, North American menu at Palamoh's recommendation. Then Burgandy menu in two nights. Many newly aboard are looking forward to the hot stone grill after hearing all the good things said about it. Debbie and I really miss the CC gang, and Emmy says hi to all.

 

Dieter

[WesW]

Thanks Dieter for the nice Spirit update..pls also give our warm regards to

Debbie and Emmy.

[gnld]

I've been absent from posting since boarding the Silver Spirit in Lisbon. I read all the postings early this morning (got up early as we're 3-4 hours out of sync from FL/Caribbean). Carol & I were among the distinct minority of first-time Silversea cruisers on board (they told us about 90+ were first-timers out of 500 on board). We had a first-timers luncheon where about 30+ showed up.

 

We echo most of the comments about the design/decor of the ship; we thought it was very beautiful. For us, the only gripe was lack of space at the end of the bed. The suites could have been 1 foot wider, but that would cut down on the number of suites you can get in a given length of the ship (everything’s a trade-off). We understand some did not like the unisex spa area; we didn’t utilize it, but I can concur with them. I can’t compare the Spirit to the other ships of the line, but all the “regulars” I talked to raved about the Shadow and the Whisper. No one preferred the Spirit over them. Perhaps in time…

 

Knowing these first two sailings were “shakedown cruises”, we did not expect everything to be perfect. There were a couple of minor issues with the suite (that were fixed) – no big deal. And we each experienced some entrees that were not up to snuff. However, the biggest problem we found was service issues. In most of the venues we experienced long waits to receive food and/or drinks, wrong orders, or sometimes it just did not show up. Not all the time, of course, but consistently enough to be bothersome. And as the cruise progressed, matters were not noticeably improving. We did not dine in Seishin (my wife does not like sushi), but our evening in Le Champagne was wonderful. And we greatly enjoyed the Pool Grille at night with the hot rocks; well before the end of the cruise, it was fully booked.

 

The most egregious service issue was the night in The Restaurant where I ordered the Dover sole. I first noticed the waiter took our orders in order going around the table, not ladies first. When my sole arrived, he did not produce a fish knife, nor did he offer to de-bone the fish. And the ladies were not served first. This waiter was not “ready for prime time”! I did talk with Antonio about it (senior staff do look for constructive criticism, as they are trying to improve). Perhaps the most disappointing was with the front desk staff. The Shadow was in St. Martin with us, but on the French side (we were at the Dutch side). Several days before arriving, I asked the front desk if we could board and tour the Shadow; they said they’d send our passenger info and passport data to the Shadow and we’d hear back if it would be allowed. Three days later (and two days out of St. Martin), we had not heard anything, so I asked again of the front desk. I requested a response back in writing, by the following night, whether we would be allowed on the Shadow (we were told it was about a 40-minute drive across the island to Marigot) so we could plan our day on St. Martin. No response at all! So we didn’t get to see the Shadow. I did notice that afternoon that there were many passengers and staff from the Shadow touring the Spirit, however. Just another example of the staff dropping the ball.

 

All that being said, we were assured that the level of service on this Maiden Crossing was not at all indicative of the quality of service on the other Silversea ships. Many of the staff on the Sprit were brand new, never been on a cruise ship before. Yes, they had training before they boarded and they were all trying hard (“A” for effort), but this cruise was very much an “on the job training” experience. I’m sure passengers on the Grand Inaugural sailings will be grousing about the service issues on Cruise Critic also. But give the crew a few months and I imagine they’ll have it all ironed out. We’ve never been on a brand new ship before, so we have learned “we won’t do this again!” We’ve been on relatively new ships twice before (cruising for ~3 months) and did not experience service lapses like we did here. We were thinking of going on one of the early cruises on Oceania’s new Marina when it starts sailing in about a year. Now we’ll wait at least a few months so they can “work the bugs out”.

 

On the “people side” of the equation, we greatly enjoyed making new acquaintances on the cruise. Those acquaintances, and others we made as the cruise progressed, certainly enhanced our cruise experience. Thank you all! Having many days at sea allows much time to be spent on board enjoying the ship and meeting people; that's why we like sea days. The “meet & greet” get-together at the Lisbon Marriott that I suggested turned out to be very beneficial, as we boarded the Silver Spirit already knowing some faces. May we meet one another again on some future cruise!

 

Gary

[meow!]

... but all the “regulars” I talked to raved about the Shadow and the Whisper. No one preferred the Spirit over them. Perhaps in time…

Does anybody know why Silversea did not continue to use Yran & Storbraaten, marine architects of Oslo, who designed the other four Silversea ships?

[Josette03]

Does anybody know why Silversea did not continue to use Yran & Storbraaten, marine architects of Oslo, who designed the other four Silversea ships?

 

Perhaps because "Giacomo Mortola" is easier to pronounce he lives just around the corner.

[WesW]

Gary, thanks for taking the time to share your candid Spirit comments...Ida and I enjoyed

cruising with Carol and you. And thanks again Gary, for loaning me an extra pair of cuff links

when mine broke.

[curlyQ]

Wow, the new Seabourn Odyssey seems to be having the same service issues as the Spirit. Not a good start.

[V8Babe]

Colonel

 

Thanks for the link to your photos - they are great and it's lovely to put 'faces to names'.

 

Thanks again to everyone for sharing your experiences with us all.

[MuseCruiser]

Nice to see you here and read your post; hello Gary & Carol! (Its Wil from Chicago).

 

I can relate to the reception issues you addressed; I thought they were the weakest link in the chain.

 

Also can relate to the restaurant issues--we tended to avoid The Restaurant and instead rely on the alternative venues.

 

As a survivor of the Maiden Voyage of the Queen Mary 2 (Queen's Grill), I can assure you, compared to THAT maiden voyage, this one was beautiful! (I could regale you with stories of the QM2 maiden voyage....)

[7continentKaren]

My husband and I were on an inaugural this year and were told by long time staff that the ships made in Italy have the most difficulty. A prior inaugural which was just about picture perfect was on a ship made in Finland.

[dusababy]

For those of you that are Facebook users, here is a link to our Silver Spirit Maiden Crossing Photo album. Host Dan gave me the thumbs up to post the link. Enjoy please:

 

http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#/photo.php?pid=30734691&id=1039868706

 

ps..special thanks to Cruise Critic for serving as a wonderful enabler that allows us to continuously share cruise information and appropriate

recommendations before we board; morevover, CC is a exceptional enabler of cruise friendships that blossom once on board.

 

Great photos Wes -- thanks for making available to us -- really enjoyed seeing all those smiling faces getting into the Spirit !

 

Dusababy

[DebbieH103]

Host Dan, you asked me to be more specific about my report:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1122996

 

The summary and detail page. I have asked a couple of times to have it added to the member area. That was why I put in the ratings just like are on that page.

[Host Dan]

Host Dan, you asked me to be more specific about my report:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1122996

 

The summary and detail page. I have asked a couple of times to have it added to the member area. That was why I put in the ratings just like are on that page.

If you mean the member review area, I cannot transfer a post or thread to that area. My advice is to fill out the review section and copy and paste your review off the thread. If I do it for you, it will appear that I wrote the review.

 

Host Dan

[WesW]

DWelsh, V6Babe and Dusababy (Mary Ann), you're welcome...only problem Mary Ann is

we did not get a pix of Winnie and you...we will just have to get a pix of you two on a future Silversea cruise.

[DebbieH103]

Personally on our voyage, we saw the dance floor in Panorama used much more for disco than we saw The Restaurant used for ballroom dancing, at least 4 to 1. I would be disappointed if it was moved. The Bar mostly serves as a meeting place and is located appropriately for that. I hope they don't change this. If so, maybe it could be rotated.

 

Piano tunes are played in both Panorama and The Restaurant, but of course a different music and so on. The setup is already there is all I'm saying.

 

I like the outside area of Panorama, though weather was not appropriate in our sailing. Some nice seating is there outside, and it was well-thought out.

 

I was looking forward to the bentos the whole time they were touted and advertised, and also very much so the a la carte. Yes, the manager will work with you to customize, etc. etc., but a la carte makes a lot of sense for those that don't eat raw, and then those without seafood desires could just move on to the other courses without waiting for their companions or having to have a meeting to discuss needs.

 

Regarding the ceremony live stream, there was no mention they had already been sailing a month or any thanks to the people that paid to sail in that month. Also, the pop sound for the christening was a nanosecond, and I barely saw anything at that time. It was great that a lot of people saw it in person, and I am sure it will be a special memory for some time. It was very low key, and mention of Haiti was made, which was touching.

[meow!]

. The Bar mostly serves as a meeting place and is located appropriately for that. .

If the Bar is only a meeting place, there is no need of loud music there. The Colonel mentioned that suites 640 to 646 (does it also include 648 and 650 which are also just above the bar?) were disturbed by the music to midnight every day.

[DebbieH103]

I didn't say that it was only a meeting place, but a lot of people meet there. Whatever they change, people that come back will already like whatever it was like the first time in some cases. Change is not always what 100% of the people want.

 

Gary, thanks for your report.

 

Wes, thanks for your photos.

 

The Restaurant improved by our 3rd visit there, and service became what we are used to on the other ships.

 

My thoughts with reception were just no smiles and a bit of "we are not allowed". Even Paulo used these terms, as did Helmut. How is an F&B manager not allowed to serve hot appetizers? How can someone not be allowed to make change for 100 Euros when she is holding 2 50s in her hand? This is something I think came over from Regent, and I hope the lack of empowerment is short-lived. We had all requests except our additional toiletries eventually met, though.

 

I am anxious to see some grand inaugural reports.

[Wellseasoned]

Just a quick note. Nice sail away yesterday, and the ship is now in pretty normal cruise mode after the hoopla in Ft. Lauderdale. Beautiful sea day today. I've never seen so many people on the pool deck, but all seemed well cared for. Formal night, one of only two on this 9 day segment, though there was one two days ago for the gala. Segment also has two informals and five casuals. No super special entertainment on this segment. Same shows as before, one new singer, Norm Lewis, starts tomorrow. New hotel director, Hubert. Paolo is getting a well-deserved vacation. So far no freebies such as the caps and tote bags we received on the crossing. Sort of surprised that there is very little booking for the dining venues as of yet. Le Champagne, hot stone grill, and Terrazza are currently wide open. Dining in Le Champagne again tomorrow (Burgundy night) to celebrate Debbie's unmentionable "official senior" birthday. Hot rock and Terrazza reservations were no problem at all. Galley brunch tomorrow, pool deck barbecue next Wednesday.

 

We moved to suite 651, which is fine, quiet. But the people in 646 stopped us in the hallway and asked if we had the incredible loud noise from the bar below that they are experiencing. They hear every note and wonder if they should just give up and go down and dance. We told them that this has indeed been a big problem, and they are going to try to be moved.

 

Dieter

[meow!]

651 is across the walkway, and therefore farther away. To better understand the sound proofing between suites, how is 650 and 648? We have read that 640 to 646 are not good.

[NJBelle]

I was on the maiden voyage with Debbie, Craig and Wilfred - and I agree with her that the Panorama is great as is with the piano music there. It is nice to have the live piano music several times during the afternoon/evening/night - and especially with the beautiful outdoor area (where the music is piped to as well), piano music would be much more appreciated than a dance band. As Debbie says, later on the disco time is fun and there is plenty of dancing in Panorama then.

 

Just my two cents.