Gourmet Gal

Quite a bit of speculation here.  Does anyone really have the scoop?  All that matters now is that SS is clearly not what it used to be and future actions by the company will determine if it is a blip or the new reality.  I’m on Spirit right now and while it’s not a disaster, things do feel different.  I have a few more days to go and I want to digest it all and will write a review or post some observations soon after.  I am planning to try RC or FS on my next cruise, though.

3 hours ago, Margaretealexander said:

I noticed several posters saying they will be in Tome in April of 2025. We are taking the transatlantic ship from Tampa to Rome and then intend to visit Rome for a few days. Never been to Rome and would love recommendations for all things Rome… hotels, sights, restaurants. We prefer budget friendly. Tia.

You might do a further search here in the Ports of Call forum.  There are many threads.

On 5/19/2024 at 9:13 PM, Silver Spectre said:

The Pommery will probably last into June/July and then be gone.

Supposedly none onboard Spirit now.

On 5/18/2024 at 11:39 PM, paul21 said:

I recently took a river cruise on Uniworld in France, and it seems French labor law is being fully enforced now:

 

• Crew can only work 8 hours each day, 6 days a week or 48 hours per 7 days
• Crew get one day off per week
• Some cruise lines were caught violating, so now there is strict timekeeping with a badge in/out that takes a photo (saw it on the progressive dinner)

 

There were also some other oddities, like the captain was French and the cruise director was also French which is probably another requirement but I'm not sure. 

 

I asked a crewmember about other rivers, and the standard Uniworld contract was:

• Crew work 10 hour days, 7 days a week
• Crew get one day off every 2 weeks
• Contract rate is the same fixed pay per week
  • France has a 2 year limit now because of is desirability (hours vs pay)
  • Half the crew are new with half veterans

 

If I compare these two options, with 59 crew on two ships, the available crew hours are:

• Europe: 59 * (7 days a week * 10 hours a day - 5 working hours off per week on average)
  • Total: 3,835 man hours per week
• France: 59 * (6 days a week * 8 hours a day)
  • Total: 2,832 man hours per week

 

This means France has 74% of the available hours as Europe for the same crew count. Since I've only been on one Uniworld cruise in France, and my comparison is Scenic, there were a few service oddities that I'm looking for some opinion on:

• The bar and sun deck were not or understaffed until 5PM with no one checking for drinks; no one welcomed us from morning until 5PM
• Dinner service was a bit slow sometimes, with empty plates sitting for 5 minutes or more on occasion
• Drink refills were pretty slow at dinner and lunch, but breakfast was fine
• Only one butler was provisioned for 6 occupied suites, and he took a day off with no replacement and didn't answer during the day from 9am until 4pm

 

Overall the cruise was enjoyable, but I'm wondering if anyone has compared France and Europe on the same line to know if there is a service level difference? The crew were always busy when they were working, so I have no complaints about that. 

You would definitely need more sampling to determine if French labor laws are creating a deficit in service.  You may also be making some assumptions.  Staffing levels may vary by ship and the hotel managers may be more creative with covering each venue.  And personally, I don’t care if there’s no staff to “greet” me nor does 5 minutes seem like a long time for a plate to be cleared.  

The new champagne is nothing special. 

Welcome to SS.  The Moon is a lovely ship.  My must do can be done on most ships and that’s a visit to the observation lounge during the morning sail-in.  The SALT cooking classes are a nice activity as well.
 

Th excursion groups seem to be at least 20 on my current voyage on Spirit and yesterday 2 bus groups converged on a winery for a tasting with about 50 people.  Honestly, the excursions are hit or miss.  You may want to read the descriptions carefully and perhaps choose a few and then book a few on your own.  The ships are small so the Roll Calls are usually rather limited so you may not get the chance to share an excursion.

Enjoy your cruise!

The point about timing and distances is valid.  We’re on Spirit right now and I have a feeling that in most ports we’ll not be docked so departure times are 30-45 minutes in advance of the published tour times.  So far after 2 ports there seems to be poor logistics.  Everything is running late related to included excursions.  If you book independently you will not be able to catch the tender until the first excursions have departed.  You’ll have to just bully yourself onto the tender.  With the new pricing structure it’s tempting to just book without excursions.

2 hours ago, Carolfay said:

And they ran out of pisco on Nova when we were in Peru and Chile - yikes.

Just wow.  How can that happen!?

Happy 50th.  How wonderful!

As for your questions someone else can chime in on the spa question.  
 

Excursions can be booked as soon as you make final payment and they are charged to your ship account.  Be aware of any cancellation windows for penalties.

Restaurants can be booked 120 days out from sail date at 12:01 AM EST.  Sometimes even slightly before.  So you can go online at 9:00 PM 121 days in advance.  Only 2 restaurants have an upcharge and most can be reserved in advance.

There are several threads in this SS forum with details about Nova and there are some reviews in the CC review section.

I never heard of nor experienced any food or drink item being depleted onboard SS.  Seems like a bad sign - either mismanagement or penny pinching.

17 minutes ago, shipsmail said:

For me the current Pommery was/is superior to this new choice.

In what way?

You’ve been sailing for so long home will feel like an exotic port!

2 hours ago, vistaman said:

I found it appropriate to write a full review of the S Dawn. 

It is published in reviews  -  sorry for the typing mistakes - my computer suffered a keyboard problem 😆   

Thanks for taking the time to post a very sad review.  I’m increasingly disturbed to read the many negative observations from recent cruisers.  It’s becoming a doom loop with very few bright spots - the opposite of years past.  Hope someone in charge is reading this forum and not thinking they can still get away with treating a very loyal clientele in this manner.  I guess they think they can somehow impress a less sophisticated but wealth-off market segment.  
 

I’m boarding Spirit next week and will have to try to forget all I’ve been reading here and embark with a positive attitude and expectation.  Hoping I won’t have to contribute to this sad saga that’s playing out here on this forum.

3 minutes ago, bohaiboy said:

Both  pre and post .  Atlantide overwhelmed by customer at 700.  Then customers sit around chatting   We arrived at 835 pm tonight. Not seated until 905 pm. Missed 930 show.  We just booked a SB cruise.  Fed up with SS and the RCL management

I thought you were on Muse?

Stickman, thanks for posting so much detail, especially the entertainment.  We’ll be on Nova on a similar itinerary in 2026 and I’m just hoping the bean counters don’t nix the local onboard entertainment and the port send-offs by then.  Whoops, maybe I shouldn’t give’em any ideas…

32 minutes ago, wineasmusic said:

There is a nice padded bench for use when working at the desk.  If the weather is good, it would be great on the balcony.  They need 2 chairs though, plain and simple.  It would fit.

Sounds like they’re discouraging having meals in the stateroom.  They really expect you to sit on a bench for dinner?  What could be the reasoning?

2 hours ago, ak1004 said:

We are on the Spirit now. I must say that the level of service improved significantly compared to our previous two cruises. But the menus in Atlantide shrank. And black caviar is not in the menu anymore, although it is still available on demand. But overall a better experience due to better service.

Good to know.  We embark next week in Civitavecchia.  Any other feedback would we welcome.

So if there is only one chair in the stateroom then how does a meal for 2 work?

Thanks for the feedback.  Just wondering, is there a sofa in the standard staterooms?

Can you order meals from the restaurants to be delivered by the course to your stateroom?

Did you take any of the ships excursions and how did you find the value, pricing?

3 hours ago, NCteacherlovescruising said:

We’re booked at Albergo Del Senato. I don’t recall, do they have an elevator?  They do have A/C, right?  No pool but does have a roof top bar, I believe. 

Amazing little view from the rooftop.

2 hours ago, Lookingtocruise42 said:

What are “jeans” though?

in all honesty, I have one pair of dress pants that belong to a suit, and the rest are things like this:

https://www.paige.com/p/lennox--m653f91-7882?scroll=true
 

Where I live, pretty much any place that requires formal would accept pants like that or like this: https://www.paige.com/p/lennox--m653901-6657 with a jacket (or without a jacket if no jacket is needed).

 

Will I be turned away at the restaurants with this? 

The light colored jeans would be fine on any non-formal night, especially with a jacket.  The black jeans might be too casual but perhaps choose one of the more casual eateries on that formal night. Keep in mind that just because others really like to dress up doesn’t mean you’re the one who will feel uncomfortable.  SS doesn’t do anything to make a formal night special so it seems burdensome to me that there is this expectation to dress so formally.  So glad the suggested attire has been relaxed.

No jeans probably does mean no jeans but the reality differs.  My DH wore black Zegna jeans with a Bruno Cucinelli jacket without a problem on multiple formal nights. Dress shirts, no tie.  This was on Moon before the revised suggested dress code.

Correct on jackets at all times in La Dame.

Yes.  You can transfer within 30 days.

There’s a great thread in Ports of Call here on CC that has all kinds of airport transport info with responses from a local.

Good question.  I’ve been wondering if the rapid rate of ships being added to RCL has impacted how well staff can be trained and “onboarded”.