All things- Silver Spirit!

[harbormaster]

Hi Dieter: Glad to hear you are enjoying your cruise on the Spirit and that it is pretty much back to normal. We definitely think it was an unusual and (for us) badly timed cruise that we experienced.

Please say hello to Zoltan in the dining room (back left area) for us. He's a true professional.

John and Kathy

[Goldens4]

Glad to hear all is well. Hope you have fair weather and calm seas.:) It appears that SS has snuck in an unadvertised kid's program. Does anyone remember the thread from early 2009 started by ducttape in regards to that? I believe about 90% of the CC crowd was against it. Steve Tucker also posted and said this wasn't going to happen. Guess that went down the tubes.

 

If SS is going to do this on the Spirit or any other ship, I would like them to advertise as such so other prospective guests can have an informed choice. I don't think anyone here would have booked the infamous 8/17 cruise with 60 kids on board.:eek:

[ging466]

Hi Wellseasoned

 

Hope u r having a great cruise. I have friends on the same cruise so if u happen to meet George & Una (Scottish), pls say hello from Jennifer in Sydney.

 

Cheers

Jennifer

[wripro]

Goldens4,

 

What is this kids' program you're referring to?

[Goldens4]

Wripro, if you do a search on CC for "children on SS" you will find the thread started by ducttape. Think it was the beginning of 2009. I found it the other day but couldn't link to this discussion. Also, (per Dieter) there is a crew member assigned to the kids on his present cruise.

[Fissy]

108 more days for us

[Wellseasoned]

Aboard the Spirit in the Black Sea.

 

The young lady who deals with the children told me that she is on a short contract, just for the summer, and is leaving at the end of this month. They are using the conference room just outside the theater for their activities at certain times. It seems that SS will continue to use the Spirit for short cruises encouraging families during the summer, since this has been very profitable. We prefer spring and fall travel and longer cruises, so we'll probably avoid the Spirit in the heart of summer unless the itinerary is unique, which is unlikely. If the profit from the Spirit keeps SS prosperous, it is probably good for the rest of us.

 

John and Kathy, I gave your regards to Zoltan. Jennifer, we have not yet met George and Una. Wes, Debbie has given Fernando a hola and a hug from Ida. DGF, we are in 637, starboard mid-ship. It is not a connecting suite. There have been no further noise problems, so I guess that night was an aberration.

 

I again want to emphasize how uniformly good the crew has been. All those we have dealt with, whether old familiar faces or new ones, have been courteous, smiling, friendly, and competent. We have had outstanding treatment from the hotel director, reception, shore concierge, maitre D'. Our butler, Julian, has been outstanding, and I hope that some of you will be able to enjoy his service in the future.

 

The Chronicle on casual dress code days now specifically states "no shorts."

 

The passenger list was just distributed. About 30% are American. The largest group appears to be British. Many other Europeans and Australians, rather few Asians. This cruise is largely Black Sea and Istanbul-Dardanelles. The major focal points include the Crimea and the Canakkale-Gallipoli sites. It will be interesting to see whether the passenger mix changes next week, Athens to Venice.

[billcrooz]

Aboard the Spirit in the Black Sea.

 

The young lady who deals with the children told me that she is on a short contract, just for the summer, and is leaving at the end of this month. They are using the conference room just outside the theater for their activities at certain times. It seems that SS will continue to use the Spirit for short cruises encouraging families during the summer, since this has been very profitable. We prefer spring and fall travel and longer cruises, so we'll probably avoid the Spirit in the heart of summer unless the itinerary is unique, which is unlikely. If the profit from the Spirit keeps SS prosperous, it is probably good for the rest of us.

 

John and Kathy, I gave your regards to Zoltan. Jennifer, we have not yet met George and Una. Wes, Debbie has given Fernando a hola and a hug from Ida. DGF, we are in 637, starboard mid-ship. It is not a connecting suite. There have been no further noise problems, so I guess that night was an aberration.

 

I again want to emphasize how uniformly good the crew has been. All those we have dealt with, whether old familiar faces or new ones, have been courteous, smiling, friendly, and competent. We have had outstanding treatment from the hotel director, reception, shore concierge, maitre D'. Our butler, Julian, has been outstanding, and I hope that some of you will be able to enjoy his service in the future.

 

The Chronicle on casual dress code days now specifically states "no shorts."

 

The passenger list was just distributed. About 30% are American. The largest group appears to be British. Many other Europeans and Australians, rather few Asians. This cruise is largely Black Sea and Istanbul-Dardanelles. The major focal points include the Crimea and the Canakkale-Gallipoli sites. It will be interesting to see whether the passenger mix changes next week, Athens to Venice.

Wellseasoned;we are SO looking forward to the Spirit in Nov. just wondering ; who will be the bar manager and CD on that leg of the cruise ? thanks:)

[WesW]

Thanks Dieter, have Debbie and you had your special "Dom" dinner in The Restaurant yet.

[wripro]

Wes,

 

I left a post for you on some other thread saying I tried to reply to your PM on FT but, for some reason, couldn't. Didn't want you tho think I was ignoring you.

 

Goldens4,

 

Yes, I remember that thread very well. I thought you were referring to some new kids' program since that thread. Apparently SS is doing the same thing as SB by scheduling all seven day cruises during the summer months to attract families. Goodbye luxury lines during the summer!

[turnip eater]

Wes,

 

I left a post for you on some other thread saying I tried to reply to your PM on FT but, for some reason, couldn't. Didn't want you tho think I was ignoring you.

 

Goldens4,

 

Yes, I remember that thread very well. I thought you were referring to some new kids' program since that thread. Apparently SS is doing the same thing as SB by scheduling all seven day cruises during the summer months to attract families. Goodbye luxury lines during the summer!

 

Do you know when 'Summer' ends according to SS?:eek:

[WesW]

Henry no worries, if u prefer u can always use my gmail address below.

[DGF]

Thanks for the info on the cabin- We are in 624 and being light sleepers wanted not to have a noise problem

 

Thanks for your other info

 

Have a great cruise!!

[unfathomable]

Do you know when 'Summer' ends according to SS?:eek:

When the ship heads off to the Caribbean?!

[turnip eater]

When the ship heads off to the Caribbean?!

 

October/November......Time for Half Term holidays!?:eek:

[Goldens4]

December/January? Time for Christmas/New Year's?:eek: March/April? Easter/Spring Break? Anyone know if SS is planning to mark which cruises are family friendly on their website? A good symbol would be a skull and crossbones. LOL! :D

 

And, who and where was this marketed to and why didn't any of us know about it? Was this mentioned to anyone who has booked since the beginning of the year? Will your TA or SS provide you with this information if asked? Just wondering.

[turnip eater]

December/January? Time for Christmas/New Year's?:eek: March/April? Easter/Spring Break? Anyone know if SS is planning to mark which cruises are family friendly on their website? A good symbol would be a skull and crossbones. LOL! :D

 

And, who and where was this marketed to and why didn't any of us know about it? Was this mentioned to anyone who has booked since the beginning of the year? Will your TA or SS provide you with this information if asked? Just wondering.

 

It certainly wasn't mentioned when we booked on board:eek:

[Wellseasoned]

Aboard the Spirit.

 

Yesterday was a sea day. The deck barbecue was held and was done very well. Passengers and crew were all happy and enthusiastic. And despite the fact that it was on deck, NO shorts were worn! There was a lovely Istanbul sail-by at dusk just prior to the barbecue. Very happy deck dancing after the dinner.

 

However, this morning a major disappointment. We were to dock at Canakkale and tour Gallipoli and Troy, but the wind and current were too strong, and one of the assisting tugs broke down. The Captain canceled the port and this is now a sea day, with Athens tomorrow. :( Happily, sea days are not hard to take.

 

Wes, we will dine with the "Dom" this evening. We'll use our son's bottle. He leaves in Athens, and we'll still have our bottle for next week.

 

Billcrooz,, when will you be on in November? I'll check on the bar manager. Fernando is going on vacation fairly soon, then returning, but I don't know just when. I'll find out.

[billcrooz]

Aboard the Spirit.

 

Yesterday was a sea day. The deck barbecue was held and was done very well. Passengers and crew were all happy and enthusiastic. And despite the fact that it was on deck, NO shorts were worn! There was a lovely Istanbul sail-by at dusk just prior to the barbecue. Very happy deck dancing after the dinner.

 

However, this morning a major disappointment. We were to dock at Canakkale and tour Gallipoli and Troy, but the wind and current were too strong, and one of the assisting tugs broke down. The Captain canceled the port and this is now a sea day, with Athens tomorrow. :( Happily, sea days are not hard to take.

 

Wes, we will dine with the "Dom" this evening. We'll use our son's bottle. He leaves in Athens, and we'll still have our bottle for next week.

 

Billcrooz,, when will you be on in November? I'll check on the bar manager. Fernando is going on vacation fairly soon, then returning, but I don't know just when. I'll find out.

 

 

 

sound like you are having a great time; will be on board the 22nd of Nov. I think Oliver (the magician) is the bar mgr. but not sure

[wripro]

Defining summer for me means only when children are out of school, mostly July and August (and holidays, of course.) So from mid September to mid June (again, excepting holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter) should be safe.

 

Love the skull and crossbones symbol for family friendly cruises.

[altiva]

Silver Spirit arrived to Odessa Ukraine, according to the Ministery of transportation in Ukraine. In its brief, the boat was called an

architectural masterpiece under the Bahamian flag, 195,8 meters long,

a creation go a renown architect Giacomo Mortola. The boat was set

afloat in December 12 2009, and it took eight years to build it.

[your1mom]

I read that Spirit's suites' walls are too thin & that it's sometimes hard to fall asleep listening to the t.v. from the next suite or even from the traffic overhead. What experience have others had?

[your1mom]

I read that Spirit's suites' walls are too thin & that it's sometimes hard to fall asleep listening to the t.v. from the next suite or even from the traffic overhead. What experience have others had?

[harbormaster]

We posted about noise in our suite on the Spirit in August. We first had a problem because our midship verandah suite was above the 5th deck bar (cabins 638-648) where a band played until midnight with a very loud bass. We then moved further forward and unfortunately were under a cabin with a large number of people who came in very late and made a great deal of noise. This may not always happen, it depends on the people above you. We could, however, hear the tv from the room next door, but again, perhaps those people had a hearing issue.

In general, we found the sound proofing on the Spirit to be less than on the Wind. But I really think that a lot depends on the passengers around you - if they are courteous as most Silversea passengers are, it won't be a problem. It's much like the smoking issue. If you have people who smoke in cabins all around you, you will smell smoke in the hallways. If not, it is a non-issue.

We ended up using our white noise machine a lot for the sound. It helped.

[Wellseasoned]

Aboard the Spirit

 

Two glorious weeks come to an end tomorrow A.M. We are docked here in Venice, nose to nose with the Seabourn Spirit. The second week of our cruise, Athens to Venice, has been as good as the first week, Istanbul to Athens via the Black Sea. This second week there were about 460 passengers, about 45% Venetian. Americans about 35%. About 15 children and again well-behaved and essentially invisible. The few which we noticed were very sweet and pleasant and very well-supervised by their parents.

 

The only disappointments we had were unavoidable. We had to abandon the port of Canakkale, Turkey (Gallipoli and Troy), which was an anticipated highlight for us and certainly for the many Australians aboard the first week. Currents and wind were too strong to dock, and one of the assisting tugs developed engine failure. That's the way it goes at sea. On the second leg we missed Itea, Greece, because a bridge repair near the harbor made clearance too low for the ship to pass underneath, so no Delphi trip.

But, the Captain rapidly arranged an alternate docking at Katakolon, which allowed a visit to Olympia, which was very nice.

 

Weather was great throughout. There were no dress code problems. The pool deck was not at all overcrowded on this cruise. I understand that SS plans to continue to us the Spirit for seven day Med cruises in the summer and the same in the Caribbean in winter, encouraging families. But they recognize that many long-time SS cruisers don't like this and plan to make it clear well in advance that some of these cruises are different from the

typical SS cruises, so people can make informed choices.

 

These two weeks have been very different from the problems Harbormaster described on the early August cruise, and very like typical SS cruises. Crew and officers have been uniformly excellent. I could give you a number of examples of above and beyond service, but I don't want to bore you with excessive detail (unless prodded). But I do agree that sound insulation needs work. Maybe this varies by exactly where you are on the ship. In January there was no sound problem in 1010 or 651. Here in 637 we have had a few episodes of noise from adjacent or above us (can't tell which) suites. Nothing long-lasting, but occasionally annoying.

 

Food has been very good. Restaurant, Terrazza, and Hot Rock grill have been outstanding. Le Champagne food maybe not quite as good as last January. Seishin is worth a try. The sushi and sashimi were outstanding if you like those items, the other dishes good. I agree with others that it should not have an added cost. Didn't eat at Stars this trip.

 

While on the ship I received a preliminary itinerary for the 2012 World Cruise on the Whisper. Looks interesting.

 

Billcrooz, Oliver is not on the ship. Maybe the Wind? CD Fernando will not be on during your cruise, but neither he nor the hotel manager yet knows who the CD will be.