Live From Silver Spirit - January 7, 2016 Sailing

[Keith1010]

We are on the Spirit as well and decided to check into CC to see if others were commenting on this cruise. This is our first time cruising Silversea.

 

 

I am sorry we have not met you. Did you attend the Meet and Mingle Party. If you did then we met.

 

Have you dined at Le Champagne for dinner?

 

If not, try to dine there.

 

If you want a wow. You will get it.

 

It has to be one of the best dining experiences we have ever had at sea or on land.

 

Keith

[Keith1010]

If there are no made to order omelets in La Terraza for breakfast, that is definitely a change. I agree though about the salad bar being basically the same every day at lunch--not that that is a bad thing for me as I chose basically the same salad ingredients every day even if there is some variation--but they could mix it up a bit more.

 

Rachel, you sound like Anne Marie and myself.

 

We always have salad at lunch.

 

We cruised for almost six month starting in late 2014 and through June of 2015.

 

We had salad everyday.

 

The salad was just about the same each day. What changed was the fish or poultry that we added to the salad.

 

Actually we have seen changes each day to the salad. And I will post about this in my final review. I think it can be enhanced with some additional carvings of fish and poultry and beef even tough we don't eat the beef.

 

As to the diversity of the salad and vegetables what we have had on this cruise is the most diverse of items at a salad bar.

 

I do hope you will give Crystal a try.

 

In the end, you will never know whether or not it is for you until you try it.

 

Your post as well as Christie's about Pizza (which I do love) is the catalyst to Anne Marie and I having pizza before we get off Spirit in a few days.

 

As disciplined an eater as I am (and there are very few people who are as disciplined as I am) we did dine at Le Champagne this evening and I have to say it was one of the best meals we have ever had at se or on land.

 

I will post a very detailed review about a week after we return and I think it will be very balanced.

 

If I can help with any questions you might have about Crystal please let me know.

 

So many folks have been very helpful on this board as we prepared for this cruise.

 

Keith

[RachelG]

Le champagne is just too rich for me. I can handle once per cruise because George loves it. But I have to make a conscious effort to order the lightest dishes, which are still way heavier than I am accustomed to eating.

 

TC, don't die of a heart attack. I still love Regent best, but am looking at some lower price point cruises to take with our adult sons and daughter in law and her family. I am thinking we could do a suite of crystal and they could do a smaller cabin to afford it. But I have to work out the money thing in my head. If it is just George and me,it is easy, and we do regent or silver sea and know what we are getting.

 

 

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[Keith1010]

Rachel, I do think once per cruise is sufficient for several reasons including appreciating the experience and for the reason you mentioned. I am also very conscientious about what I eat and was able to order items that largely were not so rich and for those say the starter that came with some rich items I just took a tasting of it rather than eating the entire item.

 

Overall, it was an absolutely wonderful dinner and again it is special and to me that does mean going there once per cruise.

 

With Crystal we go to the Vintage Room which has a fee to dine there that is closer to the fee that La Champagne used to have and actually slightly more per person and it is an amazing experience. But too much of a good thing is usually not good particularly when it comes to food IMHO.

 

Again, choice is good.

 

Keith

[lincslady]

Keith - I apologise if I made you sound like a Silversea cheerleader- your blogs did give me the impression that you knew the line very well.

[Kilroyshere]

Oops-forgot to ask: Are there any NFL playoff games on the big screen onboard ship?

 

No.

 

Several passengers were asking if they might be. They were neither on any screen nor the daily TV offerings in your cabin.

 

Have been on other small ships during NFL, NHL and Soccer playoffs and they were shown as an extra offering to passengers interested in them.

[oregon50]

The games are broadcast if DT is on the ship.

[Keith1010]

Keith - I apologise if I made you sound like a Silversea cheerleader- your blogs did give me the impression that you knew the line very well.

 

No problems.

 

Only second time on Silversea and first on Silver Spirit.

 

We are very well traveled though with over 100 cruises.

 

Keith

[Keith1010]

Enjoyed yesterday afternoon and last evening on board Silver Spirit.

 

As I mentioned, we thoroughly enjoyed the dining experience at La Champagne. Yes, it involves a specialty restaurant fee of $40.00 per person but it was very special. I believe it only sits 24 people and with two waiters and one head waiter service was impeccable and each table is only used once during the entire evening. Food was delicious.

 

In general, when we cruise we try to utilize the ship as one might at a heath spa. We try to eat lots of fruit, vegetables and fish and we also workout when we cruise. We actually increase our workouts knowing that, even though we eat a lot of healthy items, that we increase what we eat and of course splurge a little bit.

 

For me, I ended up working out on the Elliptical Machine for three and one half hours over the course of three separate workouts and if you add up the total miles it was equivalent to running a marathon. This is the most I have ever worked out on the Elliptical Machine in one day. Goes to show, you, that you are never too old to do something for the very first time.

 

With all of the discussion about the buffet, I took a lot of photos of the buffet and will post it on our blog this evening.

 

As I post this we have just docked at Costa Maya, which is located south of Cancun. As I had mentioned this is one of the few cruises ever where we did not book any excursions because the itinerary was not why we chose this sailing. Rather, the schedule fit in a short window we had to get-away and the cruise itself was an opportunity between the cruise and a pre-cruise stay to get away for close to two weeks and also provided the opportunity to sail a cruise ship that we never sailed. We are both not beach people. Anne Marie used to enjoy the beach but the heat gets to her and I get bored at beaches although I do like to walk them but with this port being focused on beach activities none of the excursions offered by Silversea appealed to us and we really were not interested in a private excursion. So, we will just see what is available near the pier. If nothing is, it will be another sea day.

 

Well, as they say that’s all folks.

 

More later.

 

Keith

[NJ Cruiserman]

I've been following your thread with interest as we just disembarked from the 17 day LA to Ft. Lauderdale cruise the day you boarded. This was our fifth Silversea cruise and first on the Spirit. We thought the food was generally excellent, although the tasting menus at Stars was too fussy, and while Le Champagne was excellent we have not seen Lobster Thermidor on a menu in years in New York. Mistakes are made as at any good restaurant - a friend's lamb chops were over cooked, but were immediately replaced with properly done chops.

 

And in the vein of "you can't please everyone" and jaw dropping comments, after a culinary demonstration a woman came up th Chef Chilicott and told him that the food was very good but his soups were terribly bland! (Being a fan of spicy food and enjoying his soups, I believe the lady was on some medication that dulled her tastebuds.)

[Kilroyshere]

I am sorry we have not met you. Did you attend the Meet and Mingle Party. If you did then we met.

 

We did not attend the Meet and Mingle Party and we’ve not met.

 

Have you dined at Le Champagne for dinner? If not, try to dine there. If you want a wow. You will get it. It has to be one of the best dining experiences we have ever had at sea or on land.

 

Cuisine discussion is very debatable and highly subjective. I did not wish to get into a debate about cuisine, but you’ve addressed this to me and I’ll respond.

We have not yet dined at Le Champagne.

Overall in our opinion, the food aboard Spirit has been average to good. But as a premium price point cruise line, food prep, creativity, variety, selection is not comparable in our opinion to other premium cruise lines we’ve been on. I’d rate Spirit and SS a long 4th to say Seabourn, Regent or Crystal regarding cuisine.

Regent’s Prime 7 Steak House is in our opinion, far superior to Spirits poolside evening steak grill with their gimmicky hot rock preparation in front of you. That experience left my wife and me olive oil spattered on our face (my glasses were speckled with oil) and my forearms smelled afterwards as if I had been slinging hash at a diner. And this was despite the dentist-esque apron pinned round my neck by my waiter. The meat was quality, but lacked the finesse and proper handling that a good grill man would know to properly prepare and serve a fine cut of meat.

Other other small cruise line buffets, Breakfast, Lunch and poolside themes change daily with special events such as Tex/Mex, Paella, BBQ’s…). Salads, cold offerings, seafood…are all changed daily, mixing the variety and steamtable offerings. In our opinion, those are far superior to Spirit’s Breakfast, Lunch buffet and poolside offerings which have been nearly identical every day.

Garnishment: As for ‘wow’ factor, garnishment is of note. Just like there isn’t a floral arrangement nor flower aboard ship (sorry, I’m not buying the spin that pollen afflictions are the reason there isn’t a flower to be seen), there are no elaborate nor even simple garnishing of buffets and food presentation to be seen. Not an ice carving, not a carved watermelon, not even decorative kale or parsley adorning a plate, platter of buffet on this ship. It’s these little ‘wows’ that have under-impressed us. They aren’t deal killers for a cruise, but at this price point, it’s another cost cutting or, over-looked ‘wow’ detail SS has made.

For real Italian cuisine with ‘wow’; Regent’s evening aft venue (offhand I cannot recall the name) offers an incredible Antipasto Buffet followed by full menu of authentic and skillfully prepared Florentine and Neapolitan selections. The Regent venue puts the Spirit’s evening La Terrazzo ‘slow dining’ Italian offering to shame. And if I’m not mistaken, SS is Italian family owned…mama mia, what’s with that !

We passed on attending Seishin, Spirit’s ‘Asian Fusion’ venue with $80 upcharge when we saw they offered the same Sushi/Sashimi offerings (tuna, salmon, scallop) generously offered daily on the lunch buffet…and for that lunch sushi offering, we give SS kudos. The rest of the Seishin menu offering a single Waygu beef plate and softshell crab did not move us to want to sample it.

A note about Caviar; This is a regular ‘wow’ offering on Seabourn available anytime and at no charge. On Regent, caviar is not offered anytime, but is generously plentiful over the course of a cruise itinerary. Caviar is M.I.A. on Spirit. I was told at the Spirit Capn’s reception there were hor’doerves with caviar. We were never served any and we did request some when told they were somewhere in the room. Almost no caviar has been seen but for one appetizer that had a minimal amount adorning a tuna tartar dish in MDR and it’s advertised on Seishin’s menu as a “Mousse” app. Caviar is just another of those small ship ‘wows’ that is not here. No wonder we’ve not met any Belgians aboard Spirit…

Entertainment: Spirit has their Silversea singers. A troop of about 5 or 6 who’ve done nightly stage vocals after dinner as a group or Trio. Maybe we missed the guest magician, ventriloquist, impressionist, pianist or vocalist and comedian brought aboard ship? And the ship’s own company of a ballet/ballroom dance duo act, Cirque-esque aerobatic rope artists, poolside ‘Rock the Boat’ evening dance and music…or wait, there are none of those offered here. And yet these are a common ‘wow’ offerings on other small ships.

Some positive Spirit notes: This ship handles the water very well and is engineered for comforts. Doors close quietly…even the terlits’ don’t drop, but are slow closing. We cannot hear our neighbors in their suites and privacy is well afforded to us cruisers. The ship is very clean and seems in very good shape. The health spa trainer is of note; he’s capable, attentive and projects that ‘I want to be here and help you’ attitude teaching yoga, Pilates and classes in an open air venue on the aft ship section. The health spa is well appointed with exercise equipment that is all in working order. And that is something often other ships health spas suffer from with broken devices. The ship’s crew is very polite. Cabin stewards/butlers are attentive and friendly.

[nfcu]

As someone else has mentioned, Silversea is not a "premium" cruise line; it is a luxury line. Celebrity, Holland American, Oceania, Disney, etc. are premium lines.

 

And count me as one who could care less about flowers on board or "coffee bars" or elaborate stage entertainment. I cruise Silversea because of its low key atmosphere. As Keith states, everyone has different tastes.

[Keith1010]

Caviar is only available when it is on the menu. You can also order it but for a fee. It's been like that for many years and definitely when we sailed the Silver Shadow in 2009.

 

My favorite lines is Crystal Cruises. It used to be that you could order Caviar anytime you wanted but it was abused. Some people (and I saw this on Seabourn) too would have it every night and a big bowl to their room. That is extremely costly and in the end we as passengers pay for it when it is abused.

 

My two cents. It is very easy to cherry pick. I see people do that all the time. Each cruise line has attributes but each cruise line decides where to spend their money. I can remember someone who sails Regent on a cruise with us a few years ago on Crystal saying that they couldn't believe that laundry was not free because it was free on Regent. But then we said how about if Crystal reduces the number of lecturers on board the ship as they have the most of anyone we sail and use the rooms for revenue and then provide free laundry. Would you like that? Answer was no.

 

Thank goodness all of the luxury lines have differences because what is important to one person (say dancing with Ambassador Hosts on Crystal), or having larger rooms (say on Silversea) or having complimentary Caviar (on Seabourn) if that is a driver they can select the cruise line accordingly.

 

We did have Caviar in La Champagne last night.

 

Speaking of Caviar, when Crystal eliminated unlimited Caviar which I personally applaud what they did do is serve a higher brand of caviar when it was on the menu.

 

Oh well. It is hard to make everyone happy all of the time.

 

Keith

[Keith1010]

I've been following your thread with interest as we just disembarked from the 17 day LA to Ft. Lauderdale cruise the day you boarded. This was our fifth Silversea cruise and first on the Spirit. We thought the food was generally excellent, although the tasting menus at Stars was too fussy, and while Le Champagne was excellent we have not seen Lobster Thermidor on a menu in years in New York. Mistakes are made as at any good restaurant - a friend's lamb chops were over cooked, but were immediately replaced with properly done chops.

 

And in the vein of "you can't please everyone" and jaw dropping comments, after a culinary demonstration a woman came up th Chef Chilicott and told him that the food was very good but his soups were terribly bland! (Being a fan of spicy food and enjoying his soups, I believe the lady was on some medication that dulled her tastebuds.)

 

You think the way we do. Things happen. I am reminded that on land where we used to live we had a favorite restaurant that we visited by ourselves, family and friends and who also catered a few special events for us. Most times it was terrific but once it was not and if that was our first visit there we might not have returned. In Miami, we have a few favorite restaurants and one of them one time the service was slow and the food so so but all the other times it had been fantastic. Things happen. Even when we cook at home a recipe that we love and might have cooked dozens of times one or two times might not be as good as all of the other times.

 

You are not going to starve on the ship and overall we have really enjoyed the food. Sometimes, something might not be as good but I chaulk that up to making the wrong choice and that can happen at sea and on land. The issue when it happens at sea is that you can easily order something else instead. LOL, but true.

 

We are having a lovely time. While Crystal continues to be our favorite cruise line I spend no time trying to compare the two while on board the ship nor with Seabourn either or for that matter any other cruise line we've taken. There is a lot for us to enjoy on board the ship.

 

I guess we've figured out how to enjoy our time each and everyday whether cruising or just at home.

 

Life is short. And almost the entire world population will never experience anything comparable to luxury cruising.

 

Best to you.

 

Keith

[Kilroyshere]

As someone else has mentioned, Silversea is not a "premium" cruise line; it is a luxury line. Celebrity, Holland American, Oceania, Disney, etc. are premium lines.

 

And count me as one who could care less about flowers on board or "coffee bars" or elaborate stage entertainment. I cruise Silversea because of its low key atmosphere. As Keith states, everyone has different tastes.

 

You find ‘low key;’ SS’s jewelry ‘trunk show’ rep, the antique estate jewelry rep, the sandal maker selling footwear on the pool deck, the shipboard diamond and jewelry purchasing consultant and nearly every piece of art in public areas tagged for sale, priced and with the art dealer aboard discussing the ship’s art?

Never saw these kind of ‘low key’ salesfolks hawking their wares on other similarly priced cruise ship lines.

As for “Premium” versus “Luxury” labels; when ya pay for a Rolex, you ought not settle for a Timex.

[WesW]

Tastes are subjective, but will only weigh in on the Italian venue's on both Regent and Silversea. We have over 100 nites on Regent and have eaten at least a dozen meals in the Italian venue Setti Mari. Absolutely, 100 nights out of 100 nights would take La Terraza over Setti Mari; cuisine, ambiance, service in La Terraza, far, far exceeds any of on our multiple experiences in Setti Mari (waiting in line to get in, service problematic, self-service at the anti pasta buffet--for us, absolutely no comparison with the wonderful dining experiences we have had at La Terraza (plus La Terraza changes their menu every four nites)

Edited January 12, 2016 by WesW

[Keith1010]

Kilroyshere, when you mentioned the positives, surprised you didn't mentioned the internet. LOL.

 

Sounds like you won't be sailing Silversea again. Hope your next cruise is better.

 

Keith

[NJ Cruiserman]

You find ‘low key;’ SS’s jewelry ‘trunk show’ rep, the antique estate jewelry rep, the sandal maker selling footwear on the pool deck, the shipboard diamond and jewelry purchasing consultant and nearly every piece of art in public areas tagged for sale, priced and with the art dealer aboard discussing the ship’s art?

Never saw these kind of ‘low key’ salesfolks hawking their wares on other similarly priced cruise ship lines.

As for “Premium” versus “Luxury” labels; when ya pay for a Rolex, you ought not settle for a Timex.

None of these things bothered me in the least. I did not see the first two, we were happy to each buy a pair of custom made sandals but had to go to an unobtrusive corner of the pool deck to do so, the jewelry consultant was entertaining (and actually recommended a well priced men's clothing store in port) as was looking at jewelry we were not going to buy in one of the shops he recommended, a friend bought an interesting piece of art at a good negotiated price, and no one was required to go to any lectures by the art dealer - instead I just had another drink at the pool bar. I did attend several wonderful lectures by Dr. Herb Keyser who is an expert on Broadway composers, lyricists and entertainers and two lectures by ABC news reporter Lynn Sherr.

 

It all depends on your perspective, and the way you live when not cruising. I am still very actively working and commuting and live in an urban environment. I ignore things that are not relevant to me, else I would never get anything accomplished. I'd have to say I did get a Rolex and ignored the wrappings.

[Travelcat2]

Tastes are subjective, but will only weigh in on the Italian venue's on both Regent and Silversea. We have over 100 nites on Regent and have eaten at least a dozen meals in the Italian venue Setti Mari. Absolutely, 100 nights out of 100 nights would take La Terraza over Setti Mari; cuisine, ambiance, service in La Terraza, far, far exceeds any of on our multiple experiences in Setti Mari (waiting in line to get in, service problematic, self-service at the anti pasta buffet--for us, absolutely no comparison with the wonderful dining experiences we have had at La Terraza (plus La Terraza changes their menu every four nites)

 

Wes - definitely agree that food is subjective. You have spent many more nights on Silversea than we have but on our three Silversea cruises, we did enjoy La Terraza very much. However, we also really like Setti Mari on Regent (which no longer has the long lines that it had when it was new -- the service is also greatly improved but I do remember issues a couple of years ago). Setti Mari is a partial buffet/partial sit-down menu as you mentioned. We really enjoy that aspect of Setti Mari - sometimes we only have the antipasti and soup and that's it (well, wine of course).

 

Keith - okay, I'll bite....... how is the internet on the Spirit in the area of the world you are in? Regent continues to suffer from slow internet but is going to have a major upgrade soon. When the upgrade is complete, everyone will get unlimited, free internet (I'm not saying this with a smile on my face for many reasons - one of which is that we already get unlimited, free internet).

 

Really enjoying your blog and posts :)

Edited January 12, 2016 by Travelcat2

[Kilroyshere]

Kilroyshere, when you mentioned the positives, surprised you didn't mentioned the internet. LOL.

 

Sounds like you won't be sailing Silversea again. Hope your next cruise is better.

 

Keith

 

What's there to mention regarding the internet on SS? I believe it's the same service provider used by other cruise lines. It's been no faster, nor slower than recent cruises we've taken elsewhere. Each cruise line offers internet service at various prices and/or comp'd packages depending on loyalty and days at sea.

 

No, we won't be cruising SS again.

 

Thank you for your well wishes and we're glad you're enjoying your cruise.

Edited January 12, 2016 by Kilroyshere

[Keith1010]

Wes - definitely agree that food is subjective. You have spent many more nights on Silversea than we have but on our three Silversea cruises, we did enjoy La Terraza very much. However, we also really like Setti Mari on Regent (which no longer has the long lines that it had when it was new -- the service is also greatly improved but I do remember issues a couple of years ago). Setti Mari is a partial buffet/partial sit-down menu as you mentioned. We really enjoy that aspect of Setti Mari - sometimes we only have the antipasti and soup and that's it (well, wine of course).

 

Keith - okay, I'll bite....... how is the internet on the Spirit in the area of the world you are in? Regent continues to suffer from slow internet but is going to have a major upgrade soon. When the upgrade is complete, everyone will get unlimited, free internet (I'm not saying this with a smile on my face for many reasons - one of which is that we already get unlimited, free internet).

 

Really enjoying your blog and posts :)

 

The internet has been fantastic.

 

If you said I was at home the speed is awfully close to land.

 

Best to you.

 

Keith

[Keith1010]

Good morning from Silver Spirit.

 

I wanted to just note that late yesterday I posted numerous photos of the luncheon buffet at La Terazza since this seemed to be a much discussed item.

 

We enjoyed another nice evening on the Silver Spirit.

 

Before dinner, we enjoyed a pre-dinner drink at The Bar lounge. Personally, I think this is one of the most beautiful lounges that I have ever been to on land and at sea. I imagine they refer to it as The Bar because it has a beautiful bar. The room is large but yet very cozy and never seems loud no matter how many people are there and there is also music, which begins at 6:15 PM when the trio plays pre-dinner music. It’s a great lounge for just the two of us or to visit with others.

 

Afterwards, we dined at The Restaurant. This is our third and final dinner here as on the final two nights we plan to dine at La Terrazza and then on the final night in our room.

 

We should arrive to Cozumel in the next couple of hours.

 

Keith

[specialcruisegirl]

You find ‘low key;’ SS’s jewelry ‘trunk show’ rep, the antique estate jewelry rep, the sandal maker selling footwear on the pool deck, the shipboard diamond and jewelry purchasing consultant and nearly every piece of art in public areas tagged for sale, priced and with the art dealer aboard discussing the ship’s art?

Never saw these kind of ‘low key’ salesfolks hawking their wares on other similarly priced cruise ship lines.

As for “Premium” versus “Luxury” labels; when ya pay for a Rolex, you ought not settle for a Timex.

 

 

 

 

 

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[specialcruisegirl]

If you want real tacky flea market type displays along with hard selling art work on board ship then Queen Mary 2 is hard to beat!

 

Sophia [emoji5]

 

 

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[specialcruisegirl]

Really enjoying your live reports Keith and good to know you are having an enjoyable voyage on the Spirit.

 

Sophia [emoji4]

 

 

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