A HAL'er Goes to Sea

[IRL_Joanie]

Realize this is the HAL board but this is where I "live and play" so I wanted to share that WE'RE OUT OF HERE! Leaving for the airport in a couple of hours and off to Barcelona to catch the Silver Wind. Yes, we're crossing the line and trying a different line. It was a matter of timing and itinerary, not any specific problem with HAL. Will fill you all in on the differences once we return. Take care, keep the faith, and by all means live long and prosper! :)

 

Randy, Cannot wait to read and see your cruise!! Saw a couple of the "Wind" and "Star" ships in ports and Loved their look. Now only need your reviews of a certain topic to tell me if this will be a nice fit for us.

 

Also, can you note any accessibility issues such as wheelchair or scooter users, elevators etc...

 

As an aside, for those nting my larger font size, I am not yelling, I am just trying to be more concious of those with vision problems and their wish to read what is said. I've been told a font side of 4 is better for them/us:)

 

Have a Safe and Happy Cruise Randy and wife!!

 

Joanie

[Randyk47]

Good question Joanie! Obviously the Silver Wind is a smaller ship than anything HAL puts to sea. Even the Prinsendam is, at least by passenger count, considerably larger. Physical size aside I have tried to kind of look at things, the best I can, in terms of access. We actually have a number, maybe half a dozen or so, fellow passengers on scooters, in wheel chairs, or with other types of mobility assistance. While the elevators, etc., are smaller I'd say folks seem to be able and do move around without any difficulty. There are a few cabins that are equipped and provide facilities for passengers needing appropriate accommodation. The staff is what I'd call "Johnnie on the spot" and seem to be everywhere, and still kind of nowhere in the sense of "in your face", to assist and help. This particular ship is some 80 to 90% veranda cabins. The smaller ones seem to be very much like A or B categories on the R and S class ships or the VA to V??? whatever categories on the Vista and Signature class ships. From there on up the verandas just get bigger as they do on HAL. Tell you the truth I was actually very surprised to find our veranda on this ship to be as big as it is. Very, very close to the Deluxe suite size on HAL. Obviously we don't have a little ramp to get in and out but I'll bet they have that if we needed it. I'll ask.... We're about to leave Livorno, our next stop is Civitavecchia and Rome tomorrow.

[kazu]

Really enjoying your posts Randy as this is a ship we haven't been on. Love the comparisons and your insight. Thanks so much for taking the time to do it:D Enjoy Rome:)

[CanadianKate]

I'm enjoying your comparison too, but from the reverse viewpoint. We now only cruise Silversea but it was Holland America that made cruising a possibility for us. After a disastrous first cruise, we swore we'd never cruise again. Then we were given a 10-day cruise on the Volendam and I would have signed on for another 10 days at the end of it.

 

Stuff went wrong on that cruise (including a rough day where some of our group were seasick and our cabins toilets weren't functioning - a bad combination!) but HA handled all problems with aplomb and attention, unlike our first cruise line who had no idea of how to handle bad weather and changes to the schedule.

 

It was still another 10 years before we had the money to cruise again and then it was Silversea's itinerary and timing that attracted us. We've cruising with them annually ever since and have tried 4/6 of the ships (only missing the Cloud which is the sister ship to the Wind and the Expedition ship.) The service, interesting fellow passengers and great itineraries keep drawing us back. Plus, now that we have over 100 days with them, we get free laundry too!

 

My question to you is how does the cost compare to HA?

 

What we like about Silversea is that we can book the cheapest cabin and still get the same service/amenities that the bigger suites get.

 

We always chose a Vista cabin (no veranda and SS lowest cabin offering) but still get everything that you get in your Medallion suite except the coffee maker (same butler service, same linens, same toiletries.) On the Wind you also have one of a few suites with a separate shower, but on the Shadow/Whisper/Spirit, all cabins have showers and bath tubs large enough for dh and I together (and we've returned from long days out to discover our cabin candlelit, rose petal adorned and with a steaming bubble bath just waiting for us.)

 

With only 280 passengers on board, the level of service on SS is comparable to that in the premium cabins on other lines (i.e. Queen/Princess Grill on Cunard) with open seating at dinner, afternoon tea, no long lines for anything because there simply aren't enough people to create a crowd.

 

The smallest cabins on the Wind are still 240 square feet so I have a hard time figuring out what is comparable to HA, since, on the Volendam for instance, the large ocean-view ranges from 140 to 319 sq ft, so how to I compare apples to apples? And space only tells part of the story for value.

 

What we like about Silversea is the lowest category (and thus lowest in the ship and midship so least amount of motion) includes as standard things like binoculars and umbrellas, fridges stocked with our requested drinks, and personalized stationery. To get that on the Volendam would

require me to book a cabin twice as large. Yet for our 29 day cruise that ended just as you boarded, we found the 240 square feet more than enough room so have no interest in paying for the larger suites.

 

My only complaint about the Wind is the bathtub. We got used to the smaller bathroom but the tub was a daily annoyance, and something that isn't a problem on the Shadow/Whisper with their double sinks, separate shower and oversized tub with it's own hand held shower attachment, great for washing off feet after a hot day of touring.

 

One other difference between Silversea's small ships and mainline cruise lines is the shows. For that, you need a larger ship. Silversea offers lovely experiences with musicians and informative lectures (and lots of chances to dine or just chat with these people around the ship and in Africa I ended up spending the day ashore with two of the lecturers as we wandered around the city on foot) but if you go to sea for big entertainment extravaganzas you'll need to choose another line.

[CASHIPman]

Randy/Carey...

I'm glad you're enjoying your Silversea cruise. Now, I don't know if this is possible on HAL but it is on SS...if you want a special meal, (say, Dover Sole) for dinner tomorrow you can ask for it tonight and the SS kitchen will prepare it for you. So, if there's something special that you want for dinner...ask!

Also, pizza by the pool grill is delightful for lunch!

[rojaan19]

Hi Randy

 

I am very interested in your report of your cruise on the Silver Wind and the Medallion suites. We are on the Wind in July and are trying a medallion suite. Which one are you in ?

 

We have had two Silverseas cruises and are hooked :D, just loved the service, staff, food ... everything.

 

Continue to have a great time.

 

 

Ann

[ging466]

Hi Randy

 

I'm really enjoying your comparison. Whilst I haven't been on HAL, I do like reading comparisons written in a down to earth way.

 

Looks like u have a few Silversea CCers following your posts too:D

 

I hope u enjoy the rest of your trip.

 

Cheers

Jennifer

[V8Babe]

Hi Randy

 

Really enjoying your reports, thanks for taking the time. As Jennifer has said, you've got a few curious Silversea CCers following you!

 

Hope you both enjoy the rest of your holiday.

 

Best wishes, Karin

[Masonic Phantom]

Hi Randy

 

Really enjoying your reports, thanks for taking the time. As Jennifer has said, you've got a few curious Silversea CCers following you!

 

Hope you both enjoy the rest of your holiday.

 

Best wishes, Karin

 

And I am another one:)....great reporting

 

Thanks Gary.

[Randyk47]

Finally have time to sit down and type out a few notes. Last few days have been major ports for us and we’ve have a great time visiting Florence, Pisa, Rome, and Naples. The Wind actually docked in Livorno for two days which gave us enough time to jump on a train and head into Florence on our own the first day. I’m really not going to go into a lot of details on the ports, you’ll have to wait until we update our website for that, but I mention Florence because we did it on our own and almost had an adventure. I had mentioned here that the last time I was on an Italian train that the crew had gone on strike and had stopped the train in a farm field half way between Florence and Vicenza. Somebody said that doesn’t happen much anymore so we’d be fine…..guess what…..they went on strike but this time the strike started after they got us back to Livorno. Kind of knew something was up as they pulled into Livorno and literally shut the train down and walked away. The terminal was deserted so obviously the word had gotten out about no more trains that night. Not sure of the count but several passengers and crew members were stranded in Florence pretty much overnight until the strike was over the next morning. Luckily we’d kind of run out of steam in Florence after being on our feet almost all day and had opted for dinner in town and then took an earlier train back to Livorno. If we’d gone with our original plan we’d been stuck too.

 

I thought I might say a bit more about the staff. I think I’d mentioned before that some 30+ countries are represented on the ship. It feels very much like HAL though with obviously more Italian officers and managers, it is an Italian cruise line owned and operated by an Italian family. Anyhow, we’re sitting in the main bar, also aptly called The Bar, a couple of nights ago and one of the beverage managers stops by to visit. She looked awfully familiar and we quickly discovered that Myra had been with us on the Oosterdam years and years ago. Myra was part of the start-up team that HAL had to bring new ships on line and train the regular staff. She’d been part of the Vista class team and had gone from ship to ship as HAL brought them on line. Myra worked mostly in the Ocean and Piano Bars and she sends out a big “hell-o” to any of you who remember her. She left HAL a few years ago as she really wanted to settle down on one ship for awhile and HAL wanted her to bring the Eurodam staff up to speed. She also mentioned Silversea offers six month contracts with two months off in between versus the one year contract on HAL and that works better for her. I haven’t met them yet but Myra says there are several ex-HAL staff throughout the crew. Apparently there’s actually more movement among cruise lines by staff than I knew as we’ve talked to people who have worked for Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, and Seaborne to mention a few. I wouldn’t expect they’d say anything else but they say that Silversea is great to work for and they actually had to apply and wait to get a vacancy.

 

I almost hesitate to mention this but the subject has to come up sooner or later so I’ll cover the dress code on the Wind. They have formal, informal, and casual nights. Formal means at least coat and tie and I’ll say that there is a large of number, like 70-80%, of men wearing tuxes. Women wear gowns or cocktail dresses on formal nights. Informal nights require at least a shirt and coat for men and so far I’d say the majority also wear a tie. Casual is what I’d call business casual and while I’ve seen some jeans are not frequently worn. It’s been cool on the cruise so short sleeves and shorts are not in abundance. The dress code is gently but firmly enforced and you will be asked to leave a bar or restaurant if you’re not dressed appropriately. That’s not to say you’re out of luck if you don’t have or don’t want to comply as there is at least one dining venue and the pool bar that permits more liberal or relaxed dress.

 

Oh yes, somebody asked what Medallion Suite we’re in. We’ve got cabin 804 on the port side and our friends and cruising partners are in 802 just next to us. Sorry if I don't address each and every question as I do my writing off line and then cut and paste here to save Internet time. :)

[RuthC]

Thank you for your ongoing reports, Randy. I'm finding them to be an interesting read.

I'm especially happy to read that Myra is well, and happy. And so accomplished! She's done well getting a position of importance.

I remember her fondly from a couple of cruises on the Rotterdam and Maasdam.

[Randyk47]

This might be a good time to talk about the Wind layout versus HAL’s S class ships. Having never been on the Prinsendam, which is atypical from the rest of the HAL fleet, I can’t draw comparisons on what I perceive would be the closest so I’ll do my best comparing the Maasdam to the Wind. First of all this is a lot smaller ship at just 514 feet in length and 71 feet in width. It obviously doesn’t take long to get anywhere on the ship but that’s not to say it feels cramped or crowded. Passenger capacity is around 296 and 222 staff so just a bit over 500 souls on board. There are eight passenger decks (4 through 9). There are only eight cabin categories on the Wind with the vast majority being Veranda or Midship Veranda Suites. Mrs. K and I have not been in one but just by walking by an open cabin door when it’s being cleaned we’d say that they are very much like the Category A or B cabins on the HAL S class ships. There are no interior cabins on the Wind and a couple dozen Vista Suites which would be comparable to Ocean View Staterooms on HAL. Should say here that I was pleasantly surprised to see our veranda in our Medallion Suite is right up there was a Deluxe Suite and my impression is that the other veranda cabins have verandas very close to if not even a bit larger than an A or B Category cabin.

 

One thing that is strikingly different between the Wind and the Maasdam is the arrangement and location of the public spaces. Most public spaces are located aft of midships on the Wind. Instead of being all, or mostly, on one deck they’re actually stacked vertically with some venue on decks 4 through 8. The main dining room (The Restaurant) is on Deck 4, the main bar (The Bar) is just above on Deck 5 as are the casino and shops. The Show Lounge is on Decks 5 and 6 and is surprisingly large for the size of the ship. We’ve actually gone to two shows in eight nights which is highly unusual for us but the entertainment has been great….more about that in another post. The La Terraza that compares to HAL’s “Lido Café” is on Deck 7. I’ll say more about La Terraza later but suffice to say it’s a blend between a full service restaurant and a buffet so you can both serve yourself, order, or a combination of both. At night it becomes the Italian restaurant on the ship and there is no buffet. On Deck 8 you have the Panorama Lounge. The Wind actually has an equivalent of the Crow’s Nest called the Observation Lounge. It’s not a bar and serves only coffee and tea but it’s the library for the ship. You’ll have to wait for the pictures but it’s a great, cozy space forward and only than location is very different than the Crow’s Nest. I guess that the best thing to say is that it’s all there just in slightly different locations and scaled down to fit the size of the ship and the passenger capacity. All spaces are elegantly decorated though in a slightly understated way and very well maintained.

[PathfinderEss]

Thanks for your great reporting. Really have enjoyed reading about your cruise.

[Wannaknow]

Your review of Silversea sounds wonderful & very much like our Oceania cruise with the exception of formal nites. Loved the atmosphere, food, service & just about everything on Oceania. We felt the general atmosphere to be very different than HAL though in many ways.

 

Will look forward to the rest of your reviews.

[Nigella]

Another one sneaking over from the Silversea board to read your report, which I'm finding very interesting. Great job Randy!

[kazu]

Another one sneaking over from the Silversea board to read your report, which I'm finding very interesting. Great job Randy!

 

The Silversea board is welcome here anytime:):) Randy, really enjoying your posts (as always). :p Very interesting. so glad, you didn't get stuck in Florence. The Gods were smiling on you two I think:D

[Randyk47]

Probably time to talk about food. The taste and presentation of food is highly subjective so my tastes might not be yours and vice versa so I’m not going to dwell on that. I will say so far the food in every venue has been outstanding. The consensus amongst the four of us traveling together, all HAL cruisers, is that we’ve not had a bad dish and it’s been as good if not slightly better than our cruise together last year on the Maasdam which we all considered an outstanding eating experience.

 

As for choices…..there are four eating venues on the Wind. The main dining room is a very nice one deck restaurant aft midships. Since it’s only one deck it’s not quite as dramatic as the main dining room on most HAL ships but it’s still a very nice space and very comfortable. It is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. There is no fixed seating or reservations required. We’ve not eaten breakfast or lunch there but might try now that we’ve gotten past the most port intensive part of the itinerary and have a few sea days coming before we get to Istanbul and the end of the cruise. We have eaten dinner in the main dining room three times and it’s been very good with excellent food and service. Like HAL the menu changes from night to night for dinner but they always offer a fairly extensive menu of “always available” dishes. In fact, the left side of the menu is the items you can order any night, the right side the menu of the evening.

 

Another choice is La Terrazza. La Terrazza is kind of the Wind’s version of the Lido Café. It’s not located on the pool deck but is aft at the stern and offers both indoor and outdoor eating. I say it’s kind of like the Lido Café as it does have a small buffet line with a surprising variety of foods considering its size but, on the other hand, it’s more like a regular restaurant with pretty much full service. It’s a hybrid in that the maitre de greets you when you walk in and escorts you to your table. Might add it’s always the same maitre de morning, lunch, and dinner and he gets to know you very quickly. La Terrazza is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. For dinner it’s repurposed into an Italian cuisine restaurant and dining is by reservation though honestly, because we did it one night, you can usually or at least sometimes get an open table.

 

The third option is the Pool Grill which is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Breakfast is very limited, actually promoted as their Wellness Breakfast with fresh fruit, juices, cereals, and pastries/breads. Lunch is sandwiches, burgers, grilled fish, etc., and you are waited on. Actually should say you’re pretty much waited on or assisted all over the ship. At night the Pool Grill is repurposed into just the Grill which is a very unusual and actually fun experience. You have the choice of several different meats (beef, veal, lamb and maybe more), fish, and shellfish that you cook yourself on a hot rock. These rocks look like five or six inch square bricks that are heated to something like 400 F. Might sound a little daunting but they kind of “teach” you how to use it and actually are willing and ready to do it for you. It’s been a bit cool at night but we did have one evening that wasn’t too bad so we bundled up and had a great meal. Might add they have blankets available for your laps or shoulders and we were actually quite comfortable.

 

The fourth option is the Wind’s version of the Pinnacle Grill called La Champagne. This is a reservations dinner only restaurant with an additional charge. We ate there last night and it really is haute cuisine with a fixed menu that changes every night. La Champagne comes in two slight varieties. The standard dinner charge is $30 per person and there is a paired wine and spirits version for $200 per person. The expensive version is actually quite an experience and we did it to celebrate our anniversary and my birthday which just happen to be the same day…..yes, that’s right we got married on my birthday. It was our 14th wedding anniversary and my 65th birthday so it was a special occasion.

 

Of course there is always room service offering the full range of in-suite breakfast, lunch, and dinner. You can order from a set menu for most meals or from the main dining room menu for dinner.

 

Looking quickly through the thread I noticed somebody asked about cost comparison between Silversea and HAL. I’ll have to admit that in the past I’d pretty much stayed away from the luxury and all inclusive cruise lines as being too expensive. When it came time to research this Med cruise I was initially drawn to a HAL itinerary. We were heavily considering the Prinsendam and probably would have booked it but it had a stop in Egypt that caused my wife an issue with her Federal security clearance because of the then ongoing unrest. It was, and probably still is, kind of an off and on and then off again situation so rather than put the cruise at risk we started focusing on itineraries that stayed away from Egypt and North Africa in general. We discovered the Silversea itinerary and it really interested us and didn’t go to countries or ports we couldn’t visit. So how about cost? Surprisingly, at least to us, was that we actually were able to book a 14-day Silversea cruise in a Medallion Suite, pretty much their version of a HAL Deluxe Suite, for less than a Deluxe Suite on the Prinsendam doing a 12-day Med itinerary. Add in the all inclusive aspect of Silversea and it actually was a much better deal. The advantage might disappear at the lower cabin categories but I don’t have the facts and figures at my finger tips right now to do that comparison. Of course SIlversea doesn’t have quite the number or variety of cabin categories. At least on the Wind the cabin selection doesn’t go below HAL’s ocean view stateroom.

[Wannaknow]

...Looking quickly through the thread I noticed somebody asked about cost comparison between Silversea and HAL. I’ll have to admit that in the past I’d pretty much stayed away from the luxury and all inclusive cruise lines as being too expensive. When it came time to research this Med cruise I was initially drawn to a HAL itinerary. We were heavily considering the Prinsendam and probably would have booked it but it had a stop in Egypt that caused my wife an issue with her Federal security clearance because of the then ongoing unrest. It was, and probably still is, kind of an off and on and then off again situation so rather than put the cruise at risk we started focusing on itineraries that stayed away from Egypt and North Africa in general. We discovered the Silversea itinerary and it really interested us and didn’t go to countries or ports we couldn’t visit. So how about cost? Surprisingly, at least to us, was that we actually were able to book a 14-day Silversea cruise in a Medallion Suite, pretty much their version of a HAL Deluxe Suite, for less than a Deluxe Suite on the Prinsendam doing a 12-day Med itinerary. Add in the all inclusive aspect of Silversea and it actually was a much better deal. The advantage might disappear at the lower cabin categories but I don’t have the facts and figures at my finger tips right now to do that comparison. Of course SIlversea doesn’t have quite the number or variety of cabin categories. At least on the Wind the cabin selection doesn’t go below HAL’s ocean view stateroom.

 

Wow - very surprising! In that case, it's difficult for me to imagine anyone not taking Silversea. Or, at the least, pricing some of the other luxury lines they might want to try.

 

While we haven't traveled on HAL's smaller vessels, we considered our Oosterdam voyage much the same as the other mass travel lines - NCL, Princess (larger ships), Carnival, etc. There was nothing, especially the food on our voyage, to make it stand out. Possibly it's different on the smaller ships...

 

It was the food that caused us to book our next cruise with Oceania. We really didn't compare the cost at that time to a similar trip on HAL, but the Oceania experience was wonderful. Much, much, better food. Wish I could go back & see if the price was close to what HAL would charge for a similar trip. Another advantage of Oceania, was that we spent a full day in each port. Awesome!

[Lizzie1213]

Have a wonderful vacation!

[kazu]

Wow - very surprising! In that case, it's difficult for me to imagine anyone not taking Silversea. Or, at the least, pricing some of the other luxury lines they might want to try.

 

While we haven't traveled on HAL's smaller vessels, we considered our Oosterdam voyage much the same as the other mass travel lines - NCL, Princess (larger ships), Carnival, etc. There was nothing, especially the food on our voyage, to make it stand out. Possibly it's different on the smaller ships...

 

It was the food that caused us to book our next cruise with Oceania. We really didn't compare the cost at that time to a similar trip on HAL, but the Oceania experience was wonderful. Much, much, better food. Wish I could go back & see if the price was close to what HAL would charge for a similar trip. Another advantage of Oceania, was that we spent a full day in each port. Awesome!

 

Just to let you know - it is VERY different on the smaller ships - especially the Prinsendam. Everything on this ship is a 'notch up' so to speak. Lots of touches and definitely a better menu and/or offering than the other ships (although the food on the Maasdam was very good).

 

I had been pricing this cruise line vs Prinsendam and Randy got one heck of a good deal. Ironically, only the Prinsendam offered the itinerary that we are doing next year. so I guess we will be 'forced' to sail on the Elegant Explorer one more time;)

[Wannaknow]

Just to let you know - it is VERY different on the smaller ships - especially the Prinsendam. Everything on this ship is a 'notch up' so to speak. Lots of touches and definitely a better menu and/or offering than the other ships (although the food on the Maasdam was very good).

 

I had been pricing this cruise line vs Prinsendam and Randy got one heck of a good deal. Ironically, only the Prinsendam offered the itinerary that we are doing next year. so I guess we will be 'forced' to sail on the Elegant Explorer one more time;)

 

Thank you Kazu - I appreciate the info. I would imagine the small ship experience would be different. No more big ships for me. Frankly, the Oosterdam, while a lovely ship with very nice personnel, really turned me off. I will investigate the smaller ships of HAl, but if Oceania has a similar offering, I would probably choose Oceania. But you have made me think & it's something to ponder. The best to you on whatever you choose in the future!

[Randyk47]

After a quick read of the last couple of comments on this thread I thought I probably ought to say a bit more about pricing. The path to eventually booking with Silversea actually started in late 2010. We had booked a Med cruise on the Prinsendam for October 2009 but work, actually a lack of it for me due to the downturn in the economy, and demands of my wife’s work forced us to cancel. We actually didn’t cruise at all in 2009 and 2010. Not so far in the back of our minds was the desire to still do a Med cruise so I was kind of looking around at different possibilities.

 

In early 2011 a travel agency friend of ours asked us if we were interested in coming to her agency’s annual cruise fair. She knows we book our own cruises and, in fact, actually asks me questions about HAL as she doesn’t focus on any one line so she doesn’t have the in-depth knowledge. Quite honestly she needed “head count” so just by going to the fair and saying we were her customers she got credit for bringing folks out. So you’re like….”OK Randy….what’s that got to do with Silversea?” She did know we were researching a Med cruise so to entice us to come to the fair she mentioned HAL plus a number of the luxury lines would have representatives there. Silversea did have a representative and we spent some time talking to her. She mentioned they were having a “special” on Med cruises so we might want to check them out. I’ll have to tell you that before then I had looked at the line and the brochure prices were, not to offend my new Silversea CC’ers, borderline ridiculously high. She said to look again as they were having something like a 40% reduction sale. That brought the price closer to HAL but it was still higher. Interestingly within a month or so Silversea further reduced their fare another 5% so now we were getting close enough that the all inclusive aspect came into play. It’s not like we drink a lot but typically have a drink before dinner, wine with dinner, and then a drink after. Bottled water and soda on top of that and it doesn’t take long to run up a pretty good size bill on our typical 10-day or longer cruises so we booked. Subsequent to booking Silversea advertised a further incentive of a large on-board credit, a credit for not using their “free” air, and then eventually another 5% price reduction. Those all came before final payment so Silversea honored their offers. Long story short we actually did indeed get 14 days on the Wind for less than 12 days on the Prinsendam for basically the same cabin category without factoring in the all-inclusive aspect. Not sure you could do that for every cruise every year but it all came together for us. It was one heck of a deal.

[LocoLoco1]

Randyk47,

Hi...and thanks for the info. We too are 'On the Bubble' as regards jumping ship to try something other than HAL. Our 'fave is the PRINSENDAM....least 'fave is anything Mega-ship. A QUESTION: Would it be a challenge on Silversea to find like-minded 'adventurous souls' to Motorcycle...or SCUBA or Kayak/backpack with etc.?? ...or is it a pretty buttoned-down group?? ie What do 65/yr old RollingStones fans cruise on nowadays? We don't do Bingo or bus tours to churches. What say you, Randy? Locomotiveman Tom

[Randyk47]

Randyk47,

Hi...and thanks for the info. We too are 'On the Bubble' as regards jumping ship to try something other than HAL. Our 'fave is the PRINSENDAM....least 'fave is anything Mega-ship. A QUESTION: Would it be a challenge on Silversea to find like-minded 'adventurous souls' to Motorcycle...or SCUBA or Kayak/backpack with etc.?? ...or is it a pretty buttoned-down group?? ie What do 65/yr old RollingStones fans cruise on nowadays? We don't do Bingo or bus tours to churches. What say you, Randy? Locomotiveman Tom

 

I see no reason that would be a problem. While it's true this is a more "formal" cruising format it's far from being buttoned-down. What is available to do is somewhat itinerary driven so our options on a early spring cruise in the Med didn't include too much adventureous stuff that doesn't mean some brave souls didn't venture in that direction. The tour staff on board is helpful and it's not all about booking through them. You want to do something on your own and ask them how you might in a port and they'll point you in the right direction.

[Randyk47]

I guess if I were to subtitle this post I’d call it Things and Stuff as it’s just noting some of the general differences between HAL and Silversea and other observations. This will probably be my last post from the ship as we’re in the last two days of the cruise with today being a sea day and tomorrow a full day and overnight in Istanbul before we disembark Tuesday morning. I’ve managed my Internet minutes pretty well and have about 25 minutes left of the $85 250-minute package I bought on the first day.

 

Safety Drill. We boarded the Wind in Barcelona Tuesday afternoon at 2 PM. We could have boarded earlier but we had breakfast in our hotel and did some early morning touring after storing our luggage with the hotel. Unlike HAL we all met in the Panorama Bar which is located aft on the pool deck. The Safety Drill was conducted at 4:15 PM, was mandatory, and attendance was noted name by name as you entered the lounge. We were required to bring and wear our life jackets. The lifeboats/tenders are located on port and starboard on the pool deck just aft of amidships. We were given a fairly long explanation of horns, where to go, how to go, where to find life jackets, etc. At the end we were split into two groups, half to one side of the ship or the other. They explained what would happen in the event of having to leave the ship but no lifeboat was swung out or lowered. There were a few passengers who were still in transit to the ship or wouldn’t be boarding until the next day….we stayed overnight in Barcelona per the itinerary sailing at 4 PM the next day…and an additional drill was conducted for them before we departed. Have to say people paid close attention and it was as easy and pleasant as one could expect.

 

Passengers. The exact passenger count for this cruise is 249. The notional capacity is 296 passengers though one of the officers said with a little creative use of foldout couches and cots they could accommodate 306 or so. Simple math tells me we’re around 85% full. Another officer told us we sailed with three or four empty cabins which kind of makes sense as we have five or six ladies sailing solo and I don’t think any of them are cruising together or sharing a cabin though I haven’t exactly asked. My impression of the average age of the passengers is slightly lower than my impression of HAL’s average age. The percentage of passengers requiring or using power chairs, wheelchairs, or other mobility aids is lower on than last year on the Maasdam. That doesn’t mean they can’t or don’t accommodate passengers requiring that kind of support, I think it’s more the nature of this itinerary, the travel required to get to the embarkation port, etc. This ship is really not set up or designed for children so it doesn’t have a children’s program or venue. That said there probably are six or so children on board from around eight years old to twelve or thirteen. With so many ports and the cooler weather we’ve really not seen them around much. The vast majority of the passengers are English speaking though I have heard a few couples speaking Germany, French, Russian, or Italian. A very nice international blend but actually not quite as diverse as I might have expected. We’ve met and made friends with a number of couples from New Zealand and Australia so some have traveled significant miles and hours for this cruise.

 

Staff Interaction. Bottom line up front, as we’d say in the Army, a HAL cruiser is going to feel pretty much at home on Silversea. The crew is a bit more diverse with more Europeans, South Americans, and even a few Americans than on HAL but not in an overwhelming kind of way. As I mentioned before there are even ex-HAL staff on our ship. The senior staff mingles a lot more with the passengers than on HAL. You most probably will get invited to join them at their dinner table and that can be either a formal invitation delivered to your cabin or a direct invitation in one of the bars or pool deck. It’s a smaller ship with a smaller crew and they use the crew across a broader range of duties. Of course it helps that the staff and crew are talented enough to do things like having the Cruise Director perform a couple of nights as he was, really still is, a concert pianist. Oh yes….there are two gentlemen hosts on the ship and they’re quite charming. The solo female passengers on this cruise seem very pleased and entertained. They dine, tour, and dance at night with the ladies, and this might sound strange, it actually adds to our cruise to see other passengers enjoying their selves so thoroughly. It’s an ambience kind of thing and a bit of a throwback to what I sometimes consider the “finer” days of cruising.

 

Anyhow, so much for my reports from the Silver Wind and how she compares to HAL. It’s been a great cruise from the itinerary to the ship to the food and the crew. We’ll eventually be doing a review and a more detailed journal with pictures on our website but that’ll probably take several weeks to put together. The salient question probably is would we cruise Silversea again and the answer is a resounding yes.