LIVE FROM THE NOVA-Fort Lauderdale to Vancouver

[flyers]

We boarded the ship on Tuesday at about 1:30 and found out that the ship was in Sanitizing Mode and were unable to access our suite until approximately 4:40 which we later found out was due to the fact that the ship had a late disembarkation because 30+passangers had experienced Noro Virus symptoms.

I will not go into any details as Jolly Jones has already elaborated on this topic. Last night we ate in Atlantide and had probably the best meal that we have ever had in our 200+days on Silverseas.Today we had a wonderful breakfast at the Marque on deck 10 in the open air and if our experiences so far are any guide we shall be enjoying very good and very high-quality meals on this Cruise.

I see that Jolly Jones from Bermuda is on board and would love to meet her as we have Relatives in Bermuda, and it is one of our favourite places to visit. Maybe we can arrange to meet on board?

hopefully we shall be reporting positive insights as this Cruise progress😍es.

D.D.

 

[Elizabethbea]

 Very interesting-I have a friend onboard who sais there is NO proper sparkling water and getting Pommery is a nightmare. Just shows it is very subjective.

[Gourmet Gal]

6 minutes ago, Elizabethbea said:

NO proper sparkling water and getting Pommery is a nightmare.

Can’t resist…what a First World problem! 😱

[Elizabethbea]

Of course . But I would not expect not to be able to get sparkling water on a ship that purports to be Luxury and when one is paying over AUD 1000 a night.

[Host Jazzbeau]

3 minutes ago, Elizabethbea said:

Of course . But I would not expect not to be able to get sparkling water on a ship that purports to be Luxury and when one is paying over AUD 1000 a night.

I suspect your friend means they have sparkling water (made onboard), but not branded sparkling water [or maybe not the particular brand they prefer].  

 

BTW I agree with your friend: ship-made sparkling water isn't 'proper.'  Thankfully our Butler and the Restaurant waiters on Whisper were able to get us San Pellegrino once we knew to ask.

[Elizabethbea]

Correct. She was offered a Club Soda.

[Host Jazzbeau]

11 minutes ago, Elizabethbea said:

Correct. She was offered a Club Soda.

Wow.  The salt ruins the taste for me.

[sea bright]

On our Nova cruise we were told by the HD that they do not stock Pellegrino, Perrier, etc. for environmental reasons. I said I thought that should be made clear, in advance, to long time cruisers who expect it. He repeated the policy. However, the next day our butler told us she had "permission" to give us Pellegrino in the room. She kept our fridge stocked for the rest of the cruise, in part by "hiding" extra bottles in our bar cabinet.

When we asked for Pellegrino in the dining rooms or bars we were told the house made sparkling water was the only option.

Hopefully, on our upcoming Muse cruise Pellegrino will be available.

[Host Jazzbeau]

14 minutes ago, sea bright said:

On our Nova cruise we were told by the HD that they do not stock Pellegrino, Perrier, etc. for environmental reasons. I said I thought that should be made clear, in advance, to long time cruisers who expect it. He repeated the policy. However, the next day our butler told us she had "permission" to give us Pellegrino in the room. She kept our fridge stocked for the rest of the cruise, in part by "hiding" extra bottles in our bar cabinet.

When we asked for Pellegrino in the dining rooms or bars we were told the house made sparkling water was the only option.

Hopefully, on our upcoming Muse cruise Pellegrino will be available.

If not "stocked" in the dining room, bring a bottle from your cabin.  When others see it, there will be a clamor.  [That's how I realized they had it on Whisper.]

[JSR]

When we were on the Nova (Jan 2- March 15) Pommery was flowed freely in all restaurants and bars. Maybe we drank it all 😂 Also saw other cruisers enjoying Pelegrino at dinner. 
 

@flyers. I’m so glad you’re enjoying your cruise and thank you for taking us along for the journey. Happy sailing. 

[irvington]

I'm following this since I'm going to be on Nova this fall and hoping it will be okay.

[flyers]

Another day at sea, slightly rough with 25-30 kts of wind on our port side but this ship sofar is riding as if it on rails and extremely quiet. If you don`t look out the windows it's hard to tell that the ship is even moving.

Had dinner again last night at Atlantide and the Chateaubriand was to die for......definitely no complaints so far with the food. As far as sparkling water the ship made substitute, we have found to be quite acceptable maybe not a SanPellegrino but perfectably acceptable, nevertheless.

So far the only area of possible complaint is the Spa and fitness center which on a scale seems very small for the size of ship and the number of passengers. On a sea day like this the gym and facilities are crowded.

Well, the Cavier and Pommery has arrived so must stop for now. 

[flyers]

Well last night was La Terrazza and our first disappointment for the four of us from St.Lucia I really did not enjoy the food and the famous P.dish with Duck was a bit tasteless so maybe this is best left as a lunch spot as the ambience seems a bit lacking of the Italian atmosphere that I remember from the Classic ships.

We are still wondering around trying to establish our favourite spots and still in wonderment at how well and how quiet this ship is, as we move through the water at close to 16 kts. She seems very long but not very wide of beam which could explain the apparent ease which she travels through the water.

Jolly is doing a really good job of describing more of the ship so I shall only fill in where I see differences or can fill in other details.

[flyers]

Well missed a couple of nights but in the interim we have been to Silver Note and had a very enjoyable meal amid the excellent music from the pianist and singer. I was not sure what to expect with the Tapas style courses but in fact each dish, while small was very good and the ambience was muted but comfortable.

Next came the Marque for lunch while in Cartagena for an overnight and a day followed by dinner in Atlantide with two of the ships Officers whom we knew from previous cruises. The Prime Rib last night was excellent in fact the meat on board continues to excel and so far the overall quality of the food in Atlantide continues to be the best on the ship with the least good being La Terrazza especially in the evenings although lunch in L.T. has also not excelled! and since there are so many other areas to eat on board we now just give L.T. a miss.

Yesterday in Cartagena there was a crew drill with the whole crew ending up on the dock outside the ship needless to say there was some confusion...... those of us on board and especially in the Gym and Spa were party to a very confused Spa attendants who insisted that we had to evacuate and leave the area including myself in the Sauna, in a somewhat state of undress!......I will leave it to your imagination as to how that got handled..... 😒

Today we are at sea enroute to the Panama Canal which tomorrow we will be going through starting at 6am and tonight will be our first dinner at Salt so will report on that tomorrow.

[flyers]

Sunday night at sea between Cartagena and the Panama Canal we were in Salt and had a good meal. The Fish Ceviche was excellent and the Grilled shrimp was very tasty although a little over cooked. A very pleasant atmosphere in Salt reflective of the reviews from others.

Monday early we lined up at the first lock, Gatun, I think it`s called, Then the Skies opened up with heavy rain and considerable Thunder as we made our way through the lakes and canals that comprise the Panama Canal. While it has been reported that the Canal and Panama has a rainfall deficit and thus a water shortage for the efficient operation of the Canal,there was no evidence of this that I could see.

Monday evening, we had dinner at the Marque Grill with hot rocks being the proffered choice. The prawns and steaks were superb although because of the rain earlier we had to sit under the overhead cover and the resulting smoke from the Hot Rocks cooking made it hard to breathe. 

Today Tuesday we are slowly (9 kts) making our way up the Panamian Coast towards our Port of Golfito, Costa Rica tomorrow and tonight its Kaiseki our first sampling of the Asian Cuisine aboard.

We are still amazed at how well this ship handles the seas....not only is she incredibly quiet but there is no evidence of any smoke from the stacks and no black soot which we still see so often on some of the older ships. Our movement through the water seems so effortless that its obvious that this style of long slim ship is designed for environmental cruising and efficiency. One of our friends in an 8 deck Medallion suite in the stern report that they have not experienced any noise or vibration.

Is she perfect NO and later I will report on where I feel the designers have been delinquent and what could be improved at least in my estimation. 

 

[fdnycruiser]

The Silver Nova is powered by LNG, thus no black soot! Definitely very pleasant without it.  Sorry to hear about the rain, hopefully it’s finished for the remainder of the cruise. Enjoy the rest of your cruise,and thanks for the updates.

[ak1004]

On 4/17/2024 at 7:07 PM, Host Jazzbeau said:

I suspect your friend means they have sparkling water (made onboard), but not branded sparkling water [or maybe not the particular brand they prefer].  

 

BTW I agree with your friend: ship-made sparkling water isn't 'proper.'  Thankfully our Butler and the Restaurant waiters on Whisper were able to get us San Pellegrino once we knew to ask.

Exactly.

 

On our recent cruise on the Dawn it took them forever to get Perrier or Pellegrino, and around mid cruise our butler informed us that they ran out of both, and also most diet drinks.

 

For some people having good wine is a big issue. For others it’s sparkling water.

[jollyjones]

14 hours ago, ak1004 said:

 

 

For some people having good wine is a big issue. For others it’s sparkling water.

 

And for some neither is an issue.

I find the still water and the pour-of-the-day wines to be plenty good enough quality for me. 

[flyers]

And if the Ships sparkling water is not sparkly enough the Royal Club canned soda water is always available.

[ak1004]

12 minutes ago, flyers said:

And if the Ships sparkling water is not sparkly enough the Royal Club canned soda water is always available.

 

It's not about sparkly. It's about the taste. Not having premium sparkling water on a luxury line is unacceptable and speaks volume. 

[RetiredandTravel]

9 minutes ago, ak1004 said:

 

It's not about sparkly. It's about the taste. Not having premium sparkling water on a luxury line is unacceptable and speaks volume. 

 

 

We put in a special request for still Panna water in the room every day.  Thanks Stumblefoot.  Couldn't you do the same for Perrier or equivalent.  Take it do dinner if its important to you.

 

 

Edited April 24 by RetiredandTravel

[Lois R]

6 minutes ago, ak1004 said:

 

It's not about sparkly. It's about the taste. Not having premium sparkling water on a luxury line is unacceptable and speaks volume. 

Really? I guess we all come from different backgrounds and we all have different priorities in life ( and on a cruise). You might want to say " in your opinion" it is unacceptable because it does not have any affect on my sailings and doesn't speak to me at all.

[ak1004]

1 minute ago, Lois R said:

Really? I guess we all come from different backgrounds and we all have different priorities in life ( and on a cruise). You might want to say " in your opinion" it is unacceptable because it does not have any affect on my sailings and doesn't speak to me at all.

 

Everything is our opinions and our priorities and preferences.

 

If someone mentions that a line doesn't have enough premium wines and it's unacceptable, and their opinion. I couldn't care less because I don't drink. Same for premium sparkling water.

 

Does it have a major effect on my sailings? No. I will manage. But I think it's matter of principle. Same as a line calling itself all inclusive but charging extra for 2 out of 8 restaurants, "premium" internet etc. Are those things a deal breaker to me? No, but they are part of the overall experience. 

 

Anyway, we will be sailing on the Spirit soon, and unless the prices change, this will be probably our last SS cruise for a while. Just cannot justify those prices for what you get. Lack of premium sparkling water is just a symptom. 

[ak1004]

12 minutes ago, RetiredandTravel said:

 

 

We put in a special request for still Panna water in the room every day.  Thanks Stumblefoot.  Couldn't you do the same for Perrier or equivalent.  Take it do dinner if its important to you.

 

 

 

Do you do it in advance or while on board? If in advance, is it possible to do it online or you have to contact the TA to put a request?

[RetiredandTravel]

We contacted our TA prior .  Seems very easy.  Its our first SS cruise so I'll tell you in 5 weeks if it worked. 😁