Silver Wind - liveish - March 24-March 31, 2019

[UpstateJan]

Greetings cruisers!  We're reporting in from the lovely Silver Wind on day 3 of our cruise.  Too much going on the first couple of days, so I apologize.   This is our second SilverSea cruise, and the first time on the Wind.

 

Let me start with Sunday, gorgeous day in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico.  We were up early, watching the ships coming in from the pool deck.  There was a ginormous NCL, RCL, and Carnival, but no sign of the Wind.  Suddenly, I see this gorgeous little lady pop around the corner and there she was, the Silver Wind.   And pulling in at the pier closest to us (very thoughtful of them).  We had some other hotel guests watching the ships and a gentleman from Minnesota (traveling with 200 high school band kids) points to the Carnival and said "we'll be boarding around 5."   We pointed to the Wind and said "We'll be boarding around noon".   His eyes flew open and said "wow, that's tiny, how many people on that ship, 1000?"    Not quite......

 

At 11:30 we went down to check out of the hotel, and proceed our several hundred steps to checkin (btw, I had my 10,000 steps in before we got on the ship).  We're out on the pier chatting with two lovely Silver Sea people when a man appeared, perhaps a bit closer than normal.  I looked up, shading my eyes and found a familiar face from last year's Shadow cruise - Keegan from the entertainment troop.  I love Keegan, he's charming, funny, talented, and well, just a great guy.   He had seen us coming in from the street and said "I remember them!!!".  I am touched, and have to say this is another thing that makes the SilverSea line special.

 

Check in went so smooth, so quick, that we were the first table seated in the Restaurant for lunch, which was AMAZING.  Please understand, we were not starving, excellent food all over OSJ, but wow, it certainly felt like vacation being on the ship.  As people starting flowing into the Restaurant, lots of smiling friendly faces.  There was a couple seated near us, very friendly, and it happened to be a couple from the RollCall!!!  Yay, CC people!  After a great lunch, we were able to take our bags to our room and start exploring.  First impressions of the Wind - she is not the Shadow.  We did notice the size difference a bit, not a negative, just different.  The most noticable difference is the Panarama lounge, much smaller, very light and bright.  The Bar is also smaller, still that nice darker wood paneled feel.  Color scheme throughout the ship is nice, tan & blue, just a little lighter and brighter.   For the people really looking for the RCL influence ... I'm still trying to find the water slide and climbing wall 😜  Just kidding   I will say this is a younger crowd with about 7 souls under the age of 18.  Then again, it's 1 week and probably during a school break.  No issues, they are quiet, and the bigger ones did seem to be enjoying themselves on yesterday's shore excursion to the Baths.

 

Sunday night ended with a great dinner in the Restaurant with a family (Mom, Dad, adult son).  They are extremely well traveled, and more than happy to give out suggestions and recommendations of "oh, you have to see ...".   I appreciate that, it helps us decide where to go next.  We crashed early since we tend to still get up at 4am, even on vacation.   Monday morning, sure enough ... 4am came and we were out and about.  Jeremy hit the gym, I hit the shower.   OH, yes, the other difference we noticed between the Wind and Shadow - bathroom is smaller, and it has a tub/shower, not separate.  I did something incredibly silly to my knee in December, so I have to admit, that's a big step getting into the tub for my shower, but I shall survive!   The bathroom is VERY pretty, dark marble, bowl sink .... Jeremy wimpered quietly, he knows what's coming when we get home.

 

Monday, our stop is Virgin Gorda, and we are anchored, so that means tenders.  This was one of the quickest, smoothest and civilized group departure anywhere.  My favorite, Keegan, was upstairs directing, and sent us on our way with a smile.  The weather couldn't be better, I got a bit crispy to offset my glowing winter white complexion.   Jeremy, on the other hand, did battle with the waves, and lost.  My story is, he was beaten up by a Virgin!   It was very rough seas, it was "red flag", so we heard the snorkeling trip had been cancelled.  I ventured out, leaned up against a rock and within 5 minutes found myself spluttering and several feet from where I started ... someone on the beach came running to my rescue, and was much relieved to see me get up laughing, bare in mind I can not swim and am terrified of water, but this was a risk I was willing to take.  Jeremy went out a bit further, and was thrown against the rocks, knocked down, and shook down for anything that may have been in his pockets.  He's much sturdier than I, but came out with a bleeding knee and a bruised pride - this morning, it's all forgotten as he was going thru the picture.

 

Tuesday is Dominica - we're not in port yet.  He is at the gym, while I have some time to catch up on emails and post the Wind update.  We're planning on wandering around town this morning, and a whale/dolphin watch later today.  So, yes, internet has been great, no problems, delays, or interruptions that we've noticed.  I need to get going, get my shower and start the day.   Oh, for those wondering, the Captain is a very charming Chavdar Georgiev; Hotel Director is Marius Sima; Cruise Director is Colin Barbiere-Brown.  Please let me know if there is any other info you want me to scout out.   Have a great day!!!

[jpalbny]

Glad you are enjoying our favorite Wind!

 

By the way, it was about 22 degrees here in Albany this morning - I bet you really miss that...

[spinnaker2]

Enjoy!!!

it sure sounds like you are!

[brimary]

Upstate Jan...Thanks for your excellent resume of your first few days on our favourite Wind which is helpful and reassuring as we start our 52 days on the Wind in mid May.. We shall be following your journey with interest and hope you enjoy.Only one question who is in the key position of Maitre d?

[nowornever]

Thank you Jan for such a entertaining synopsis of your trip so far.  What do you think of the restaurants & food so far?  Tried Terrzza & the Grill yet?  Do they have the "Hot Rocks" DIY concept like the Spirit/Muse?  

 

Keep looking for the waterslide & giant movie screen.  If you find them, please advise asap so we can beg off the 30 Apr sailing !

 

Please keep your thoughts coming...most enjoyable & informative.

[TLCOhio]

8 hours ago, UpstateJan said:

Greetings cruisers!  We're reporting in from the lovely Silver Wind on day 3 of our cruise. Tuesday is Dominica - we're not in port yet.   We're planning on wandering around town this morning, and a whale/dolphin watch later today.  So, yes, internet has been great, no problems, delays, or interruptions that we've noticed.  Please let me know if there is any other info you want me to scout out.   Have a great day!!!

 

Appreciate your great post and look forward to all of these follow-ups/added info. Yes, very interested in any information related to Dominica.  From our 2015 Silver Cloud sailing, we super enjoyed our visit to this "green" island.  They have a poor and challenged population, but we discovered wonderful people/culture.  Then, the hurricane hit them so hard about a year and a half ago.  Look forward to hearing your impressions and details from visiting Dominica, etc.   Keep up the great sharing!! 

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Amazon River-Caribbean 2015 adventure live/blog starting in Barbados. Many visuals from this amazing river and Caribbean Islands (Dutch ABC's, St. Barts, Dominica, Grenada, San Juan, etc.).  Now at 63,316 views:

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

[les37b]

Looks like same ship choice but a week or two apart again! Don't drink all the booze! lol

 

You are right about being the same ship just a bit smaller. I think the more significant difference for me, was the fact you could walk completely around the upper deck and running track on the wind, but had change decks on the Shadow. Obviously not a major thing, but something most useful when you like to watch (and video /take photos.) 

 

Just had a quick look to see your ports of call. Noticed St Barts on your list - you just missed the annual regatta which we saw 2 years ago and had a great view anchored on the Wind.

 

Have a great time..... 

[Sunprince]

UpstateJan, thanks for posting while on board and glad to hear you are enjoying the Wind.

 

We disembarked the Wind on March 17 and I haven't had time to compose my thoughts (too many and I keep remember/forgetting some, so need to write it down). Internet was way to slow while on board to post (took 30 mins to send a text with a single picture).

 

When we left, the ship had been chartered by a US company (medical related) and a few of the crew had mentioned to us that they needed to "get mentally ready" for the charter as they find them demanding (quiet during the day but crazy in the late afternoon/evenings). Hopefully the crew survived! I also see that CD has changed, we had the Scottish guy. I'll post more comments separately on my observations, but overall the Wind is in good shape (some areas of improvement evident) but I can say the crew was excellent (some of the best service at sea) and food very good (by comparison I would say a slight edge to SS on variety and quality over our past Seabourn experience. 

 

Say hi to my friend Emman in La Terrazza...he is teriffic!

Edited March 26, 2019 by Sunprince

[Stumblefoot]

Kudos UpstateJan!  It's great to hear your voyage is off to a great start, regardless of a little blood and bruises.  Looking forward to following along as we've never been on the Wind.  And, while I've never heard of your captain or hotel director before, your cruise director is legendary.  Enjoy!

@JPAlbany, we're 70 degrees today at altitude and heading to the mid-70's tomorrow.  Hopefully, our warmth will reach you soon in upstate New York.  I see my crocuses starting to peak through the ground today.

[UpstateJan]

9 hours ago, jpalbny said:

Glad you are enjoying our favorite Wind!

 

By the way, it was about 22 degrees here in Albany this morning - I bet you really miss that...

oh dear, we left with snow & black ice, no sign of that here.  Weather has been exceptional.

[jpalbny]

5 hours ago, nowornever said:

Do they have the "Hot Rocks" DIY concept like the Spirit/Muse?  

 

Absolutely! We have never been on a ship larger than Wind/Cloud and they most definitely have Hot Rocks on Silver Wind. We ate there twice last September. Love it.

 

2 hours ago, UpstateJan said:

we left with snow & black ice, no sign of that here.  Weather has been exceptional.

 

None here now either - today was dry and sunny with an afternoon high of about 45. Could be worse I guess... We were really lucky to have missed the nasty Saturday weather!

 

2 hours ago, Stumblefoot said:

@JPAlbany, we're 70 degrees today at altitude and heading to the mid-70's tomorrow. 

 

Thanks for the description of July in Upstate New York!

[nowornever]

Jan, can you tell me about the locations of the electrical outlets?  110 & 220?  That info. will be very much appreciated!

 

Thanks.

[UpstateJan]

15 hours ago, nowornever said:

Thank you Jan for such a entertaining synopsis of your trip so far.  What do you think of the restaurants & food so far?  Tried Terrzza & the Grill yet?  Do they have the "Hot Rocks" DIY concept like the Spirit/Muse?  

 

Keep looking for the waterslide & giant movie screen.  If you find them, please advise asap so we can beg off the 30 Apr sailing !

 

Please keep your thoughts coming...most enjoyable & informative.

Thank you Nowornever!  We've enjoyed all the dining options except La Dame.  On Sunday, we had both lunch and dinner in the Restaurant, which was really great, nice selections.  On Monday, we had lunch in La Terrazza (a cold seafood selection with crab and shrimp) and dinner at The Grill - which we positively love.  On Tuesday, we had lunch at La Terrazza, which perhaps wasn't as exciting as Monday, but some interesting items like a bamboo shoot and chorizo salad.  Dinner was at the Restaurant with an amazing tiger prawn in green curry and a roast pear and parm salad.  We're going to be having dinner at La Terrazza either tonight or Thursday, but I'm not sure when our darling butler John & my honeybunny decided on.   Someone tells me when to go eat where, and I always do what I'm told .... not!

[UpstateJan]

14 hours ago, TLCOhio said:

 

Appreciate your great post and look forward to all of these follow-ups/added info. Yes, very interested in any information related to Dominica.  From our 2015 Silver Cloud sailing, we super enjoyed our visit to this "green" island.  They have a poor and challenged population, but we discovered wonderful people/culture.  Then, the hurricane hit them so hard about a year and a half ago.  Look forward to hearing your impressions and details from visiting Dominica, etc.   Keep up the great sharing!! 

 

 

Thank you Terry for the kind words.  The devastation in both Virgin Gorda and Dominica is heartbreaking.  I had been to VG about 30 years ago, so I'm seeing how much it had grown - and most of it was destroyed.  The recovery effort is extremely slow.  Dominica is very sad, granted there wasn't the amount of infrastructure there compared to many islands, but to see partial buildings with little shacks or tents next to them, the number of structures with no roofs, you really feel for the souls of Dominica.  The sound track of Dominica yesterday was hammering and sawing.  We were off the ship first thing in the am, and proceeded across the street to the visitors bureau - an extremely charming yet slightly intense driver/guide approached Jeremy almost begging to give us a tour.  My hubby is not the most trusting person, and when he said "Sure, what can you show us in 2 hours", I honestly thought the man was going to cry.

 

We followed Kurt "Fam" to his van, and had one of the best tours we've ever had.  First off, the price was far less than what we were offered on the ship, and far below what he should have offered.  We got to see more in 2 1/2 hours than any of the ship's options, got to meet many locals, sample some of the fresh fruit from his cousin's stand while we walked up to Trafalgar Falls.  He pointed out birds, land crabs, plants, etc ... he was the PERFECT guide for us.   He was holding my hand or arm most of the way up, and turned to me and said "When I seen you cross the street, I knew you were my couple, you are my princess and prince, you love my island and nature as much as I do".  What a beautiful soul.  We hit the sulfur baths, a jaw dropping overlook of the mountains/valley and sea (LOTS of amazing pictures), botanical garden, Morne Bruce, the city tour, and corny jokes about the cemetary.   It was so sad when our time was over, I wish we could have had more time with him.   We paid our small fee, and Jeremy tipped him equal to the tour fee - Kurt had lost everything but his family during the hurricane, and they were in the process of rebuilding their home.

 

Unfortunately, we returned to the ship to find our afternoon whale watch had been cancelled due to rough seas.  Had we known, we would have loved to spend more time with Kurt.  We opted to do a little relaxing, a load of laundry, and socialize and meet more people.  One of the couples we had met (also scheduled on the whale watch) had ventured out to see if they could find their "Kurt", but returned shortly after as they did not get a positive vibe.   I would say, things are dire in Dominica, but the people are warm and friendly, they really need help right now, monetary and boots on the ground reconstruction.  It's been 18 months since the storms and there are so many with nothing.

 

Ok, sorry, but I feel for these folks.  We knew this trip was going to be hard since 6 of the 7 stops had been affected by 2017 hurricane season, but yikes  it really makes you feel like you have nothing to complain about when you see what these folks are living thru, and still a smile on their faces.

[UpstateJan]

14 hours ago, les37b said:

Looks like same ship choice but a week or two apart again! Don't drink all the booze! lol

 

 

Les, I can't promise you .... a girl has to keep herself hydrated ....🤣

 

We're limiting ourselves to a couple glasses of wine each day, and then Jeremy found Pomegranate Mojitos....  Too hot for me to drink very much except water.  With the seas as rough as they have been, balance has been an issue with out the extra added fun of inebriation.   

 

The Wind is a really cute ship, and you are correct about the Shadow being split up.  Our room last year was located that we had to go up one deck to get to the other side.   On the Wind, there is none of the "you can't get there from here" moments.  We'll warn the crew you are coming!😀

 

[UpstateJan]

14 hours ago, Sunprince said:

 

Say hi to my friend Emman in La Terrazza...he is teriffic!

Sunprince, we will certainly look for him!  Honestly, we haven't found a subpar crew member yet.    The CD Colin is probably the same one you had, he is from Scotland, older man, lovely and funny.

 

We heard last night at dinner that there was a company group onboard, 30 pax from a sales quota reward.  They seem to be well behaved and blending in, so no issues there.  Now that you mention it, we had drifted past the Wind on Sunday morning before boarding to see everyone getting off the ship, and it was a much younger crowd - we thought it was perhaps because it was the Caribbean.  Our sailing is a terrific mix, we've been very pleased,

[UpstateJan]

13 hours ago, Stumblefoot said:

Kudos UpstateJan!  It's great to hear your voyage is off to a great start, regardless of a little blood and bruises.  Looking forward to following along as we've never been on the Wind.  And, while I've never heard of your captain or hotel director before, your cruise director is legendary.  Enjoy!
 

Stumble, when folks were asking my hubby what happened, he invoked his best Monty Python "It's just a flesh wound".  The front desk was kind enough to give him some bandaids when we got back on board.  There was a variety pack in our suite when we returned from dinner, so they are monitoring the situation closely!   It really is such a nice crew...

 

Our captain is a young man, and I believe his wife and itty bitty baby girl are on board.  He was chasing around a 18 month old yesterday.  Very sweet to see.  He is from Bulgaria, son of a captain, and graduate of a Maritime College.  The CD Colin is really great, we've had a chance to chat with him a bit, I really don't know how he can keep up the schedule he does, and I swear he was in two places at the same time yesterday.  Absolutely amazing!

[Lois R]

Hi Jan, enjoying your "Live From"

[UpstateJan]

19 hours ago, brimary said:

Upstate Jan...Thanks for your excellent resume of your first few days on our favourite Wind which is helpful and reassuring as we start our 52 days on the Wind in mid May.. We shall be following your journey with interest and hope you enjoy.Only one question who is in the key position of Maitre d?

Sorry for the delay in this info .... Roberto Gonzales!

[UpstateJan]

8 hours ago, nowornever said:

Jan, can you tell me about the locations of the electrical outlets?  110 & 220?  That info. will be very much appreciated!

 

Thanks.

There are several outlets at the desk area, one set at the vanity area, one by the bedside (not where the phone is), and a shaver only in the bathroom.   If I can convince honeybunny to download the photos so I can upload later today, I will post.   We have the lowest level suite, which is fine as we aren't in here that much.   One thing we do to accomodate our tech needs is to use usb charges, so laptop is plugged in, we can charge phones, camera from the laptop.  Plus, Mr. IT also as a portable charger that he uses on long flights to keep him working.

[UpstateJan]

47 minutes ago, Lois R said:

Hi Jan, enjoying your "Live From"

Thanks Lois, looking forward to your posts in 2 weeks!  Hope things are going a bit better for you.

[UpstateJan]

Just got back from a beautiful docking in Antigua whilst enjoying breakfast on the outer deck at La Terrazza.    Today will be a bit longer day, we booked an excursion with a local provider - Catamaran tour with snorkeling, hiking, and an Antigua lunch hosted by an Antiguan olympian!   Have oodles of sunblock &  sunscreen, cameras charged, and we're almost ready to do cartwheels off the ship .... well, perhaps not cartwheels, I am wearing a swimdress....

 

Still looking for the water slide, and imax movie screen ..  still the elegance that Silverseas had prior to the acquisition.   Oh, I did run into a "status snob"!!!!!!   It is their first Sliverseas cruise, and well "on Princess, blah blah blah blah blah"   I smiled and said "Yeah, our only Princess cruise was the worst, far worse than our only RCL ... it was a floating roach coach, glad you enjoy that".   Conversation ended abruptly.   I did get a little squeeze from an octogenarian who said "Bravo my girl, all delivered with the most angelic smile"  I curtsied and went on my way.

 

Have a good day all, we are off!

[jpalbny]

Oh Jan. That story is hysterical! Thanks so much for brightening my otherwise blah day at work. 😄

 

[TLCOhio]

2 hours ago, UpstateJan said:

Thank you Terry for the kind words.  The devastation in both Virgin Gorda and Dominica is heartbreaking.  I had been to VG about 30 years ago, so I'm seeing how much it had grown - and most of it was destroyed.  The recovery effort is extremely slow.  Dominica is very sad, granted there wasn't the amount of infrastructure there compared to many islands, but to see partial buildings with little shacks or tents next to them, the number of structures with no roofs, you really feel for the souls of Dominica.  The sound track of Dominica yesterday was hammering and sawing.  We were off the ship first thing in the am, and proceeded across the street to the visitors bureau.   We followed Kurt "Fam" to his van, and had one of the best tours we've ever had.  We knew this trip was going to be hard since 6 of the 7 stops had been affected by 2017 hurricane season, but yikes  it really makes you feel like you have nothing to complain about when you see what these folks are living thru, and still a smile on their faces.

 

Super appreciate ALL of the details above from Jan about Dominica and her other excellent reporting for this Silver Wind sailing.  Clearly it's sad for Dominica and the other affected islands.  Loved the cute and telling comment about the "sound track of Dominica yesterday was hammering and sawing".  It is fun following along for your "adventure" in these parts of the Caribbean.  

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

For “Dominica Love: Our Experience, Pictures”, check out this posting:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2253384

 

[Unibok]

3 hours ago, UpstateJan said:

  We knew this trip was going to be hard since 6 of the 7 stops had been affected by 2017 hurricane season, but yikes  it really makes you feel like you have nothing to complain about when you see what these folks are living thru, and still a smile on their faces.

 

Thank you, UpstateJan, for this sensitive and beautifully written trip report. I did a similar itinerary on the Wind last year, and I would have hoped for more visible progress since then. I love your story of Kurt, and hope fervently for continued restoration.