Questions from new to Silverseas Cruiser.

[sacarr]

Wife and I are veteran cruisers.  Usually Crystal and also Oceania.  We have decided to try Silver Seas. We are on a 14 day round trip Ft. Lauderdale cruise beginning Jan 4 on Silver Spirit.  

I have read info on the website, the "Journal " we were sent and have read posts on cruise critic to get an idea of life on board.  I could not find a roll call for this cruise. 

 

The Journal says there are 3 formal, 7 informal and 4 casual nights.  For formal nights the official line is tux or dark suit for men.  Do many men wear tuxes? Should I bother to bring one?   We will be driving to Ft Lauderdale. (The proximity of the port was a big factor in choosing this cruise.) So with out the hassle of flying we can kinda bring whatever we want.  

 

Also since we will be driving, does anyone have a suggestion for parking in Ft Lauderdale?  Sometimes hotels offer free parking with a night's stay,  Or maybe there is a reasonable and safe place to park near the cruise terminal.  

 

Any other suggestions for someone new to Silver Seas would be appreciated 

Thanks. 

 

[Stumblefoot]

48 minutes ago, sacarr said:

Do many men wear tuxes? Should I bother to bring one?

I'd say on formal nights men are split into thirds between tux, dark suit, and informal/casual attire.  While I certainly enjoy bringing and wearing my tuxedo, one certainly doesn't have to if they don't want.

[wripro]

Especially on what appears to be a Caribbean cruise.

[DCCruiser57]

Just google Stay and Cruise Fort Lauderdale and you will find lots of hotels that allow you to leave you car (many for a small price per day) if you stay the night before.  Parking at Port Everglades is $15 per day.

[Silver Spectre]

Depends on whether you enjoy dressing up, if you do take a tux.

[Silver Sweethearts]

We just got off the Spirit earlier this week (a 13-night eastern Caribbean cruise) and can report that, at least on our cruise, quite a number of men were in tuxedos.  It was so nice to see men in either tuxes or coat and tie. There are always a few who don't care to dress, but they really weren't apparent this time.  

[brimary]

Agree with the helpful comments provided.Depending on who the Maitre d is you may or may not be allowed in the MDR for dinner if not dressed in accordance with the stated dress code for the evening.Most Silversea regulars comply.

[Observer]

 There is, of course, no MDR on Spirit on which OP will be sailing. It is enormously frustrating  to see maitre d’s permit many men in sport shirts into restaurants  for which a jacket is required on informal nights.   A bit more enforcement is necessary here. Perhaps Silversea could rent jackets to passengers who say they did not bring one. 

[les37b]

15 hours ago, Observer said:

 It is enormously frustrating  to see maitre d’s permit many men in sport shirts into restaurants  for which a jacket is required on informal nights.  

 

On the Shadow in April an exceptionally large gentleman who was accompanied by his family and nannies, was allowed in the MDR on formal night wearing a luminous green Hawaiian shirt.

 

It looked hideous regardless of the fact it was formal night.

 

ive seen people turned away previously for not wearing a jacket, so I thought it was a little strange such an outrageous disregard for the dress code was tolerated...... until you realised this group (and another party who ignored rules about smoking cigars) were guests of the owner. I very much doubt it was done with his blessing and expect he would have been as embarrassed for him as I was for such an awful taste in clothing!

 

Good point about the refurb change of restaurants.

 

OP my advice / thoughts would be if you like to dress up, go for it (as you say, you are not limited in your situation).

 

if you don’t want to wear a tux, dark suits are absolutely fine. You won’t be turned away from Atlantide if you are wearing a jacket and tie, but it’s probable you would if you are not. (Unless you are personal friends of the owner of course,). I have seen the Maitre’D “loan” guests a jacket and tie on a couple of occasions. On formal nights, it’s fine not to follow the dress code in La Terrazza and deck restaurants.

 

Welcome to Silversea btw.... I’m sure you’ll love it and will certainly hope you share your thoughts on your cruise upon your return.

Edited December 16, 2018 by les37b

[hypercafe]

I have no problem dressing up, its trying to keep my luggage under 50 lbs. that stumps me. I bring a dinner jacket and wear it with no tie on informal nights and a tie on formal nights and of course a dress shirt. I never had a problem or felt out of place. Have a great trip!!

[philw1776]

5 hours ago, hypercafe said:

I have no problem dressing up, its trying to keep my luggage under 50 lbs. that stumps me. I bring a dinner jacket and wear it with no tie on informal nights and a tie on formal nights and of course a dress shirt. I never had a problem or felt out of place. Have a great trip!!

Worked for me too. I did see someone turned away on the Silver Spirit restaurant when it had one for no dinner jacket.
My understanding is that my upcoming Alaska cruise on the Muse has no formal nights, correct?

[Unibok]

7 hours ago, philw1776 said:

My understanding is that my upcoming Alaska cruise on the Muse has no formal nights, correct?

 

Hi Phil,

I think it is too early for the formal nights to be set for next year's Alaska cruises. The first Alaska sailing leaves on May 27, so we are still significantly outside the 120 days mark -- the date by which SS usually indicates in MySilversea which nights will be formal. We are on that 10-day May 27 sailing, and are anticipating 2 formal nights.

 

As in all things, I could be totally wrong here. That said, my SS guy has not indicated that Alaska is a formal-free sailing. For now, I'm assuming the second night onboard will be a formal night, particularly since we cruise Hubbard Glacier that day. For northbound cruises from Vancouver, the second night onboard would be Inside Passage day, so also a good candidate for formal night.

 

When are you sailing?

[worldtraveller99]

We don't sail to Alaska until 2020, so look forward to hearing from you how it goes. I understood that there would only be 1 formal night on our 7 night cruise, and if we go to La Terrazza that night then we can stay informal - jacket no tie for men?

[Observer]

There is also the option of The Grill on the pool deck, where no jacket is required.  I am fairly certain that the outdoor pizza restaurant on deck 10 if Spirit is also always casual.

[Unibok]

5 hours ago, worldtraveller99 said:

We don't sail to Alaska until 2020, so look forward to hearing from you how it goes. I understood that there would only be 1 formal night on our 7 night cruise, and if we go to La Terrazza that night then we can stay informal - jacket no tie for men?

 

Correct. That option, plus the others mentioned by Observer, are available on all ships: La Terrazza is always informal, The Grill is always casual. On Muse and Spirit, the pizza place (Spaccanopoli?) is always casual, and I think Silver Note might always be informal.

 

So, really, it's possible to have a formal-free experience on any Silversea ship. If that is what you seek, I suggest booking La Terrazza as soon as the reservation window opens 120 days out. As I said above, the second night is a safe bet, and you may look for other glacier days as well. I'll post more when I see the specifics for the May 27 sailing.

Edited December 17, 2018 by Unibok

[Unibok]

Update: My Silversea now indicates two formal nights for a 10-day southbound Alaska Muse cruise, on night 3 (Sitka) and night 7 (Wrangell). There are no formal nights on glacier-only days.

 

So the second-night-rule is not in effect, probably because we are scheduled for a late visit to Hubbard Glacier which likely conflicts with preparations for formal night.

 

I hope this helps with your planning and anticipation,

 

 

Edited December 17, 2018 by Unibok

[sacarr]

Thanks to all for the information. A Tux is no more bother to bring than a dark suit so I might as well go for it. I suppose I would be wise to bring a couple of blazers/sport coats also.  

 

I have have checked out the parking and believe we have figured that out also.  

 

We we are looking forward to our cruise.  Thanks again for the responses. 

Steve

[philw1776]

8 nights aboard 15 Aug 2019 starting in Seward heading South to Vancouver.

[Lois R]

Good morning, there is a FLORIDA FORUM on here with lots and lots (and lots) of good information about parking, hotels, restaurants, etc...…..you might check it out.