PaulaJK

Florence is magnificent. However, if you are seeking another venue, Lucca is a lovely, small Tuscan town w an interesting square. Pisa did not capture our hearts.

No idea…over the years I have used a tailor on Crystal and Regent..always very pleased. 

If you purchase here/ there, the ship’s tailor is good with quick turn around and extremely reasonable fees.

I will follow these excellent suggestions.  Thank you.

Arriving BCN via Silver Moon. posted as 7am. Need to debark early for flight. Is 8 am likely?

taxis readily availabke or book car service? Weekday travel to airport ,time needed? 
thank you
 

We are sailing Rome to Barcelona. Would appreciate any updates re: onboard Moon or reports of recent experiences.

16 hours ago, Silver Spectre said:

The biggest issue on here, SS Shadow WC, is the major cut backs of premium brand liquor and beers. The cheese paring and penny pinching has gone way too far. Many WC’ers will not be returning to SS in its current form.

Have menu offerings and quality of cuisine continued to decline. We ‘shared’ the Feb 24 SSpirit cruise. I don’t recall liquor brand cutbacks…is that new? Is a anything  else new since Feb.?

No thoughts on this itinerary?

Kudos to CD and to staff members who responded….. would be interested about burgers served on next segment. I have no problem with addressing one ( vs many) issue/shortfall.

Fir example, I spoke w the restaurant manager about the very brown pineapple on the La Terrazza buffet. He said that it shouldn’t be served…but it was the following  day also..perhaps because they had run out of so many fruits ( not just delicate berries). 
We chose not to address the several hard to chew meats (eg duck in Silver Note and La Dame)  as we didn’t envision a change and didn’t wish to spoil our meal/ cruise w complaining. Interestingly, when the entree’s were returned no staff inquired.

i just think that those of us who have embraced SS were rather shocked by the many shortfalls on one cruise.

Reading across this board, it is no longer one amusing story but rather a plethora of misses with cuisine complaints almost ubiquitous. Trimming the burnt portion of eggs is attitudinal; not a home cook but a chef thought that this was okay. We, like so many here, sailed SS when it was a luxury experience and hope that those days return. 

JMO. Regent surpasses current SS offerings in variety, quality and preparation and attention to presentation. ( Their downfall  is lukewarm food.) Regent buffet ( La Veranda) surpasses La Terrazza in food and ambiance. I drink simpler wines so in that category they might be equal, however SS has been running out of several wines during your

cruise ( across the line per posts) .

Will check

Thanks for tips re: info on HL.

SSpirit held this party in its Venetian Lounge w its fixed seats. No drinks, so no champagne. No canapes. Captain and CD present, no other brass.

will now avoid Brussels aur like the plague!

We are in the boat w Vistaman again. Envious that you rec’d towelS…Our cabin had 1@ bath,hand,face..thin and gray..like nothing ever rec’d in a good hotel! 

Ovener may be boarding our boat…Advice here is to be careful about choosing port-port 

for w the change of itinerary ( to get Spirit to Athens for Med season), they just dumped us in Mahe to provide own hotel and over 6 k in new air tickets.

we are in the never again group.

I do wish that cruise critic would add Hapag L so that I could learn people's’ experiences.

Terrific feature which aids packing.

We have begun to consider the above. We are rather surprised at the itinerary which dedicates only  one day to major ports such as Luxor, Cairo, Saudi Arabia, Athens, Honolulu and several others. Also shortened ..roughly 1.5 days…in some ports that formerly garnered 3 days.  eg HongKong. A day in L. Chabang makes the trip into Bangkok mostly impossible…meanwhile 3 days are dedicated to Papeete.

Does anyone have information addressing these issues? Hopefully on a WC there is sufficient time in port to see/sample/ visit the world!

I am in the boat w Vince. I do not eat in cafeterias at home and don’t understand why I should embrace them as a daily occurrence during a ‘luxury’ vacation. Like Vistaman it

was a strong factor in our abandoning SB. Like others I do appreciate Regent’s offering of lunch in either Chartreuse or Prime ..and SS also offers diningroom and Japanese restaurant offerings. 
While the buffet in Waterside is nice, the peeking behind panels to find an open table ( & trying to find it again on your return from the buffet!), trying to capture the attention of a staff member to acquire a drink, plates building up on the table and lukewarm food are definitely not my idea of a luxury offering…lots of hustle and bustle…not v satisfying. We have not been able to groove w Tastes and limit our burger ordering to a late return to the ship.

Silver Spirit. feb 2024.  No

I do not consider SS equivalent to the Four Seasons or Ritz…... And certainly recent downgrades in cuisine and provision quality remove it from a high end restaurant group. After our recent experience on Spirit, we will avoid SS.

Please share your upcoming experiences. Safe travels.

You will love this fabulous ‘dock’. Residents utilize the plaza for skateboarding and other activities…fun to watch. Also folks come out to enjoy seeing the ship. There is a nearby tram line to aide your explorations/ take euros.

BBWC has given you v good direction. When debarking I suspect that your cruise line will send all luggage to the cruise terminal, to be claimed. So you do not have to walk w it from your R bus from the port. However, you will have it in your possession as you seek transportation to Marco Polo. It is worth checking to see whether R will also offer a bus from the cruise terminal to the airport. If you seek the romance of a canal ride, there is a water taxi station near the cruise terminal.

3 hours ago, labonnevie said:

Having done this once, we would be very hesitant to do so again. 

As we are pondering a WC we would appreciate what formed your thoughts/ hesitation.

I suspect that crew is reticent to enforce these rules lest they be verbally battered. I am an early riser and sometimes read out on deck before going to breakfast. I have seen some ‘chair hogs’ place their holders, point them out to a crew member as they slip him a tip.  Regent needs to address both of these issues. Perhaps a junior officer’s presence at ( some) times during the day would help mitigate these issues.