Live From Silver Spirit - January 7, 2016 Sailing

[spinnaker2]

Glad you safe.

Our weather horrible.

Decompress, relax.

Unpack.

We will be here for your final review.

[Keith1010]

Glad you safe.

Our weather horrible.

Decompress, relax.

Unpack.

We will be here for your final review.

 

 

Thank you again. Tomorrow we have to drive around 2 and 1/2 hours to spend the weekend with our son, daughter in law and grand son for a 30th birthday party for our son with family and friends. It makes tomorrow a little hectic but still a lot of fun. Good news is we've already packed for that trip.

 

Keith

[nowornever]

THANK YOU Keith & Anne Marie for your wonderful posts. I have been following them religiously since we haven't been on Silversea in several years but plan on a long one next year. Can't wait for your review. You are so correct in asserting that we are, indeed a lucky lot who can make that choice for "luxury" lines. 95% of the world doesn't have that option & I will be happy to "wine" instead of "whine."

 

Thank you again for your wonderful posts....will be following your follow ons...and BTW, keep those photos coming too.

 

Safe travels to you both!

[Keith1010]

nowernever, thank you so very much for your very nice comments.

 

Keith

[TLCOhio]

Thank you again. Tomorrow we have to drive around 2 and 1/2 hours to spend the weekend with our son, daughter in law and grand son for a 30th birthday party for our son with family and friends. It makes tomorrow a little hectic but still a lot of fun. Good news is we've already packed for that trip. Keith

 

Great news, Keith, that you and Anne Marie made it safely back to your big home state. AND, although you have a long drive, it is wonderful that your family is doing so well and progressing. We have found our two grandsons, ages five and three, to be so super wonderful to see them grow, learn and evolve in their development. Glad you are able to BOTH . . . sail on nice ships to great locations . . . AND . . . enjoy the time with your family.

 

Appreciate your postings and look forward to reading your summary. Plus, hear about your next adventure. Still need to explore St. Petersburg and other areas in the Baltics/Northern Europe regions. Right?

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Enjoyed a 14-day, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure, getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for more info and many pictures of these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 133,475 views for this posting.

[Keith1010]

Terry, thanks so much.

 

We finally have the cruise with St. Petersburg booked. We will sail one of the Crystal River Cruises, then go to London for a few days and then pick up Crystal Serenity. It's not until 2018 but lots of other things to look forward to.

 

Best to you.

 

Keith

[wripro]

Glad you made it home safely, Keith. As always, the most important thing to pack is a good attitude. With that along, you will have a good time despite any shortcomings. And as we all know, every cruise line has something wrong with it as does every luxury hotel and every three star restaurant.

[Mr Luxury]

Many thanks Keith for taking the time to post another excellent review.

Your pictures of the poor and lack lustre buffet offerings will not get me back on a Silversea ship any time soon.

[TLCOhio]

Terry, thanks so much. We finally have the cruise with St. Petersburg booked. We will sail one of the Crystal River Cruises, then go to London for a few days and then pick up Crystal Serenity. It's not until 2018 but lots of other things to look forward to. Best to you. Keith

 

Great news, Keith, with that booking and your smart planning ahead. Lots of wonderful options for St. Petersburg, Moscow, the Baltics, etc. Will be happy to share more info and encourage you to discover the amazing history, architecture, character, etc., that exists in this scenic part of the world. Hope you do not mind, but below is just one item of my "eye candy" to help you build excitement for doing that future "adventure".

 

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 192,221 views.

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

 

 

As we entered Catherine's Palace in St. Petersburg, here was the welcoming band. This Rococo summer residence of the Russian Czars is located in the town of Pushkin, 15 miles SE of St. Petersburg. The residence originated in 1717, when Catherine I engaged a German architect to construct a summer palace for her pleasure. In 1752, Empress Anna found her mother's residence outdated and had her court architect demolish the old structure and replace it with a much grander edifice in a flamboyant Rococo style. Construction lasted for four years and in 1756 the new 325-meter-long palace amazed courtiers, foreign ambassadors and other visitors. During Elizabeth's lifetime, the palace was famed for its lavish exterior, including more than 100 kilograms of gold used to gild the sophisticated stucco façade and numerous statues erected on the roof.:

 

[vistaman]

Travelcat2;

 

In the "ultra luxury" cruise category (SS calls themselves "ultra luxury" on their website), we could nit-pick each line for what they do or don't do.

 

We find on Seabourn, Regent, Crystal, Seadream and Azamara, each excels in somethings the others may not. And no one cruise line does everything great...but in totality, that group of lines mentioned here, can stand on their own with head held high.

 

All the above cruise lines have flowers and floral arrangements. We find they give a really lovely ambiance and softness to cruise ships which tend to be made of metal and plastics for safety and fire prevention. Allergy to flowers doesn't seem to be an insurmountable problem on those ships.

 

The beach bag is but one small item. We've received them on every cruise line, Regent included. We didn't consider that our suite level may be why others didn't get them on the same ship as we did. SS did not offer them. They're a small item and not a deal killer. We've a supply of them sitting in our car trunks for shopping sorties to the grocery store to do our small part saving a tree instead of taking a disposable paper bag or, saving an oil well instead of those t-shirt style plastic bags. ;)

 

The totality of what SS did not do (e.g.; premium coffee spot, flowers, buffet variety, omelet station, spa healthy menu, deck BBQ, private beach shore party, juice/ice cream/smoothie bar...) or, what SS did poorly in our opinion, left us greatly disappointed as we've expressed.

 

We did post some kudos herein to SS as well, for those points we found they did well.

 

i agree with you on quite some items

i find SS the weakest of the so said "luxury" companies - exception made for the Cloud i did all the SS ships ( not the explorer ships )

the service was always - sometimes extremely - friendly - but lacks finesse

i found the buffets very poor and of course the terrible orange juice ...

it is very kind of mr Keith to start a blog with so many pictures

but that picture of the caviar service is simply illustrating the way it must not be done ( on glass surrounded by condiments )

and that is the only caviar you will receive on board but it is a 40$ sup. served in Le Champagne room only.

i cannot help i am so in gastronomy and details for it

on the other side : SS does have a good wine list with attractive prices for good choice of champagnes and European wines however SS does not have all the big "guns" - Pétrus style as on Crystal and you do receive 10 % when purchasing 3 bottles

we must admit choice of complimentary spirits and bathrooms amenities is very good. but i am not going on a cruise fot those items.

very urgently to improve : food and ingredients .:D

[MrsWaldo]

and that is the only caviar you will receive on board but it is a 40$ sup. served in Le Champagne room only.

 

Nope....

 

not true....

 

on our recent cruise on Shadow there was Caviar no less than 6 times on the menu including at a "Galley Style" buffet.

 

Yes it was a course in Le Champagne (so we had it at least 7 times)

 

and i'd rather have friendly service than no service at all....

 

Kilroy,

 

we had a LOT of fresh flowers come on board part way through our cruise, there were red rose buds in Panorama Lounge on the tables, lilies in the restaurant (refreshed because we sat at the same table for breakfast and the flower definitely was replaced every 2-3 days)

 

There were flowers in the reception area in large arrangement.

 

Yes our room did not have a bouquet it did have a an ornamental orchid.

 

re the bags....

 

IMHO they are a big waste of money... we left our SB ones on board. Perhaps its a societal difference, but I have enough cloth bags given to us via promos or events we have been to which would allow me to to shop for a small army. So many that I have actually thrown some out (well sent them to the clothing bin)

 

I did re use our backpacks from antarctica on SB but IMHO they were of such poor quality the zippers broke, one while we were still on the cruise.

 

If you look at the bottom of the menu they have wellness options (same offering as spa healthy)

 

Ice cream could be ordered at will ( no it wasn't sitting in a freezer in sight, but when temps are hot it doesn't survive all that well in a non air con location)

 

I will agree on the coffee bar BUT coffee was at least consistent throughout the ship, my big gripe on SB was coffee at breakfast, basically i wanted a good one I had to leave and have it not with my toast, unless I was happy with cold dishwater...

 

Yes there are faults with SS (I really miss Seabourn Square) but in the long run the choice is to go OK so x has this and is it a necessity....

[Kilroyshere]

Nope....

 

not true....

 

on our recent cruise on Shadow there was Caviar no less than 6 times on the menu including at a "Galley Style" buffet.

 

Yes it was a course in Le Champagne (so we had it at least 7 times)

 

and i'd rather have friendly service than no service at all....

 

Kilroy,

 

we had a LOT of fresh flowers come on board part way through our cruise, there were red rose buds in Panorama Lounge on the tables, lilies in the restaurant (refreshed because we sat at the same table for breakfast and the flower definitely was replaced every 2-3 days)

 

There were flowers in the reception area in large arrangement.

 

Yes our room did not have a bouquet it did have a an ornamental orchid...

 

...If you look at the bottom of the menu they have wellness options (same offering as spa healthy)

 

Ice cream could be ordered at will ( no it wasn't sitting in a freezer in sight, but when temps are hot it doesn't survive all that well in a non air con location)...

 

...Yes there are faults with SS (I really miss Seabourn Square) but in the long run the choice is to go OK so x has this and is it a necessity....

 

 

On this Spirit 8-day cruise, we saw not a drop of caviar served without up-charge but for the most minimal amount adorning one tuna tartar appetizer. Allegedly caviar was an hors d'oerve at the Capn's greeting, but I was served none and asked to be if it was there...never got any. Caviar was available on separate menu with I believe 5 choices ranging from $40 to $85. I don't recall how many grams the menu stated were sold per serving.

 

There was not a single flower aboard ship but for the odd white orchid in a bar corner or in the Panarama Lounge corner. Not a single flower nor floral arrangement. On some dining tables were a small vase that held what looked like a sprig of sage...not very attractive and way short of the kind of floral touches any good restaurant, hotel or cruise line would certainly have.

 

None of the menus offered 'spa healthy' food...not at the bottom of the menu nor anyplace. The desert menu in the MDR had a single "health conscious" offering, but it listed no nutritional details (e.g.; fat free, sugar free nor cal/carb count).

 

For coffee lovers who've been on SB and experienced Seabourn Square with their ultra extensive pastries and coffee offerings in the a.m. that morphs into luncheon sandwiches, more coffee and then, into a full bar at night, SS's offering is 'JV Squad' in comparison. The Panarama Bar 'Early Riser' 6:30 offering is poor: OJ made from concentrate and a plate of muffins and a few sweets akin to what my secretary would get when execs called a spontaneous meeting and I had her run to the company cafeteria to got something on a plate in a hurry for the table.

 

Not a single entertainer brought aboard for evening entertainment; no guest musician, comedian, dance duo, pianist, vocals, magician, ventriloquist...nada, nothing but the ships on-board singers. What's with that as compared to any luxury cruise line?

 

As for no ice cream bar...not a deal killer. But the totality of no ice cream bar, no smoothie or fresh squeezed fruit/juice bar, no deck BBQ one day, no shore party with BBQ, no fresh fruit in the room unless requested, no cookie trays in bars...it's the totality of all these little luxury cruise things not done on SS that all the other cruise lines do some or all of, which left us feeling no 'wow' nor caring about attention to details on SS, while charging similar prices as the other cruise lines do.

 

And we really disliked the arrogance of SS charging us to donate to some charity that the owners of SS felt is a worthy cause. I don't care how much it was ($2 bucks a day). Midcruise, we found a brochure in the room disclosing this charity charge, that required cruisers fill out a card to opt out in writing, otherwise it was charged to the room. The description of the charity mentioned nothing of specifics where the monies were used nor how many cents on the donated dollar went to charity versus 'management' of the charity. We're all for charity and give generously to many. But we prefer to choose those charitable causes and want to see transparency as to how efficiently the monies are spent (or squandered). Other cruisers who did not find that brochure were allowed to have the charge removed if they noticed the charge and requested the charge removed at the end of their cruise.

 

With what SS charges cruisers and the lack of so many 'wow' items the other cruise lines offer, the owners of SS ought afford funding their charity of choice from their own profits and savings, not serving all those cruising extras we expected and have come to like on other lines.

Edited January 17, 2016 by Kilroyshere

[oregon50]

Kilroy......no mention of facial tissue? Did you notice at all?

I think if the company decides 80% of customers do not give a crap about something, it either disappears or downgraded.

Examples would be OJ, ice cream, 12 yo single malt, facial tissue, quality guest speakers, caviar, qualified sommeliers, flowers. Well, you get the idea.

 

Yes, each segment can be different. But the trend was established long ago. You're risking a lot of money for such inconsistency.

[KaraokeQueen]

Kilroyshere, why leave Seaborne? In your eyes, it seems perfect. Different strokes for different folks. Not a fan myself. Obviously, you ventured out for a reason.

 

SS is a great product and Im very happy they aren't like everybody else.

 

Coffee and dessert are at the bottom of my criteria. I like people but socializing is not my priority.

 

I'm glad Keith enjoyed his cruise. He can be subjective yet appreciate the moment.

 

I'm about to board for 18 days and then return in 5 weeks for another cruise.

 

Depending on the length of the cruise, on board entertainment needs are dictated. I'm sure the locale, along with the per diem comes into play.

 

In other words, you get what you pay for[emoji6]

[vistaman]

dusababy,

i can understand the angry feelings if you returned from a "bad" cruise - SS is not cheap we must agree on it -

if i should spend some 1200 on a one week cruise and it was not good - under such circumstances i am aware that i 'll not expect luxury

SS fares are a lot higher .

so if you spent 4000 and had a bad experience - a disappointment does cause that you become angry.

and everybody is entitled to give his opinion in CC

[Keith1010]

Henry thank you for your nice comments and thank you once again Terry for your comments and for the link to your posts about St. Petersburg.

 

In the end, I know of no cruise line that will appeal to every person. It can't. We all have different preferences and that's life folks. If we all thought the same there would be no buffet, no choices and we would pretty much dine at the same place (oh the old days of cruising) and choices would be limited and there would be a handful of cruise lines and a couple of sizes of ships.

 

I have seen each and every cruise line board praised by those who like it, and seen each cruise line board with those who don't care for it. Some only like some lines. Some dislike most. Some like more than one and actually some like many.

 

In the end, figure out what you like and go forward. Always remember that even though you didn't care for a voyage or a line that many likely did.

 

There is one cruise on another line that didn't work for us. Not bad out of 100 or so cruises on many different lines. There are many people who recommended that line to me and others who still love it. That's life.

 

I saw Star Wars last month. Loved it. Some I am sure on this board have absolutely no interest in seeing it and some if they see it might not like it while others do. That's life.

 

In short. Life is short and if you like something continue to enjoy it. If you don't, figure out what you do like and enjoy that.

 

And in the end the only opinion that matters is your very own.

 

I know for me, that's the case.

 

More soon.

 

Keith

[TLCOhio]

In the end, I know of no cruise line that will appeal to every person. It can't. We all have different preferences and that's life folks. I saw Star Wars last month. Loved it. Some I am sure on this board have absolutely no interest in seeing it and some if they see it might not like it while others do. That's life. In short. Life is short and if you like something continue to enjoy it. If you don't, figure out what you do like and enjoy that. And in the end the only opinion that matters is your very own. Keith

 

Appreciate this super excellent summary and approach for life by Keith. The analogy to people's varied interests/likes on movies is very good. There's an old saying . . . "Different strokes for different folks!". Personally, caviar does not mean much to me. Not my passion. Sorry!! Our priorities are getting varied/interesting destinations and having a good overall "value". Others make the ship or the food as their top needs/interests. As Keith wisely notes, that is why we are fortunate to have so many varied choices.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

From our Jan. 25-Feb. 20, 2015, Amazon River-Caribbean combo sailing over 26 days that started in Barbados, here is the link below to that live/blog. Lots of great visuals from this amazing Brazil river and these various Caribbean Islands (Dutch ABC's, St. Barts, Dominica, Grenada, etc.) that we experienced. Check it out at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2157696

Now at 34,895 views for these postings.

[Tothesunset]

Clearly, SS appeals to many people who return time and again. Therefore I can only deduce that SS provide the appropriate level of services, facilities etc to cater to those repeat cruisers.

 

Similarly, there will be features of SS cruises that others won't appreciate for whatever reason. That is fine; there are plenty of cruise lines to choose from.

 

What I don't understand, though, is the rather childish need to constantly berate a line because one's expectations are different from the experience provided by that cruise line. OK, say it once just so that others can see what might be lacking but, for crying out loud, get back in the playpen and sulk about something else.

Edited January 17, 2016 by Tothesunset

[lincslady]

I agree about saying it only once, otherwise people get bored. Also, make sure that you have any facts completely accurate, or people may wonder if everything you say is accurate.

 

I tried to be very careful after a recent cruise we did not much enjoy to be truthful, and not 'go on' too much about problems; also to praise the things which were good about the ship. Therefore did not get 'flamed' by the cheerleaders.

 

I will be very interested to read Keith's final pronouncements on his Silver sea cruise.

[dusababy]

Dusababy is not unhappy with a cruise.

[Keith1010]

We are now home.

 

I was able to write the review from our voyage.

 

While in business, my focus was to write concisely. That changed when I retired.

 

So it's a bit long but hopefully I've covered a lot of ground.

 

The review can be found on a new thread:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=48802758#post48802758

 

Keith

[NJ Cruiserman]

 

The totality of what SS did not do (e.g.; premium coffee spot, flowers, buffet variety, omelet station, spa healthy menu, deck BBQ, private beach shore party, juice/ice cream/smoothie bar...) or, what SS did poorly in our opinion, left us greatly disappointed as we've expressed.

 

We did post some kudos herein to SS as well, for those points we found they did well.

You are certainly entitled to your opinion, even though statistically, it is an outlier. As I cannot add comments directly to your review, I am glad that your ludicrous assignment of 1* will lead to future cruisers ignoring your review, rather than focusing on some differences between what you want and what you believe you received.

[Silver Spectre]

Clearly, SS appeals to many people who return time and again. Therefore I can only deduce that SS provide the appropriate level of services, facilities etc to cater to those repeat cruisers.

 

Similarly, there will be features of SS cruises that others won't appreciate for whatever reason. That is fine; there are plenty of cruise lines to choose from.

 

What I don't understand, though, is the rather childish need to constantly berate a line because one's expectations are different from the experience provided by that cruise line. OK, say it once just so that others can see what might be lacking but, for crying out loud, get back in the playpen and sulk about something else.

 

You and I are definitely on the same page, allthough if I say what I think I will probably get flamed, yet again.

 

BTW, have so far suffered for 13 months now with quite severe CRPS after having the collagen sliced and diced from my right hand. Have almost become a lefty!

[Keith1010]

For those still checking this live thread should you wish to read my review from our recent sailing please be sure to check it out here.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=48802758#post48802758

 

Also, if I can help with any questions, please let me know.

 

Keith

[Silver Spectre]

Deeply confused. Just how did a post about CRPS and its effects cause offense?