mcshane

I’m so concerned and disappointed to hear this. We have done 3 Celebrity cruises and have always been offered the standard vegan menu in the MDR on the first night.

We are considering the whale-watching tour that lasts from 6-9pm in Victoria on our upcoming Alaska cruise. As far as I can see, the buffet only opens from 6-9.30pm (with a limited selection available after 10pm). I know we will miss MDR opening times. Has anyone done this or a similar excursion in the evening? What were your dining options? Thanks!

This is very interesting. I received the email this week (I’m outside the US) and assumed it was a scam, as the address looked dodgy (infocc@moecker-crystal.com, rather than moecker.com) and I didn’t think a reputable company would expect me to provide bank details in such a manner. Everyone here seems to think it’s legit, am I right?

We returned from an amazing trip on Venture in Antarctica last week. I noticed that my credit card was charged slightly more than I expected, and when I checked, it mentions “Promo credits” as a $24 charge. I will obviously call on Monday when they reopen to check what this is, but has anybody any experience of this? We did not buy or sign up to anything like this! Thanks.

I really think Seabourn should communicate with those of us who have upcoming trips on Venture. I really don’t want to cross the Drake Passage on a compromised ship, particularly at the price paid, and we travel in February. Can anyone on board update us informally?

Gosh, this is really worrying. An item labelled as vegan which has honey in it? How can I trust the menu if the chefs don’t understand what vegan means?

Very excited to hear that there will be formal nights. We like to dress up on vacation and especially after being in expedition gear all day! Great news.

I would love to know the pricing - I haven’t been able to find any details online.

This is fantastic - thank you! We are on board in February and I am so excited to see photos and hear how it is! What is the entertainment like, apart from the expedition team? Any live musicians in the evenings? Thank you!

Transatlantics for the win! 😂

I totally accept that cultural differences can alter perception. We are in our 40s and prefer an adult-orientated experience. It was our first Silversea cruise, so we had no prior experience. Hopefully this thread may help to inform others with either worldview!

Yes, we were on the 7-19-22 sailing. It goes to show that it just depends! I am trying very hard not to let us be dissuaded from the many positives of Silversea as a result of that experience. I think it’s worth being aware of at this time of year, though - I would not choose the summer months again, just in case.

Granted, the DJ is not live music, but it added atmosphere and ambience - and a presence.

On our sailings, the DJ would typically play a set around the pool in the afternoon, adding atmosphere. We loved the Crystal quartet, too, in the early afternoon. Avenue Saloon was also a big draw after dinner!

Totally reasonable to ask - I meant to include our background. Our favourite lines would be Crystal (soon to be resurrected, we hope!) and Regent. We have also sailed with Celebrity and Disney and would view them as different, so would not compare either, meaningfully, to Silversea or the others. We enjoy musical theatre and popular music revue shows (brilliantly executed by Silversea) and live music around the ship, both in the daytime and before and after dinner, which was less of a strength for them.

We don’t have children and so never sail during those times, deliberately - but lesson learned! We would totally agree re restrictions. Perhaps as time goes on and the world changes, they will have sufficient numbers to have to implement rules (I feel sorry for the passengers who have to be the guinea pigs on the meantime!). Nonetheless, we are reverting to longer itineraries outside of school holidays!

Not yet - I’ve been a bit apprehensive about the potential vitriol from those who don’t like to hear anything critical! Briefly, and with the usual disclaimer of it being our opinion, we found that the layout didn’t flow. The individual spaces were lovely, but there was no wandering about he ship, happening on live music, or an atmospheric lounge etc. You very much had to head with intent to your destination. We found many spaces to be very empty and lacking atmosphere, but the contrast to that was a ship that had 30ish children who were allowed to run riot (taking over the dancefloor in Panorama Lounge at midnight with giant plush toys; wearing pyjamas at trivia in the afternoon, with feet on the tables in Dolce Vita; dive-bombing into hot tubs; wandering barefoot through the ship...), so perhaps it was just the passenger mix. I understand that this is luck of the draw. We were on a summer sailing, so I expected perhaps a handful of well-behaved children, but this was outrageous. We were told that there was little that Silversea could do if they were with their parents. Clearly it’s not a situation they encounter frequently and so have few protocols (even family-orientated lines like Disney have rules against children in lounges after 9pm), but it definitely changed the atmosphere of the ship and significantly detracted from our enjoyment. On the plus side, the service was largely very good, the fitness centre was excellent, the shows were absolutely fantastic and the suites are beautiful. I will say that the decor is very subtle and not lavish, so that is down to personal taste. I think that you will most likely have a wonderful time, and the energy on every cruise is obviously different!

We recently disembarked the Moon and we did not care for the layout and consequent atmosphere. We saw many positives in our experience, however, and would consider one of the new ships (Nova/Ray). The deck plans don’t seem to allow for a running track, however, and I’m wondering if anyone has any further information? This would be a deal-breaker for me. Perhaps someone has seen a presentation that clarified the situation. I also note that the deck plans do not identify a fitness centre, which I’m sure will be there, but I need to run outdoors, and can’t see where it might even be planned, given the unorthodox design of the upper decks. Any help welcome!

Also fascinated - Aer Lingus is our national carrier and doesn’t fly to Iceland - please satisfy all our curiosities!

You might enjoy Gary Bembridge’s Tips for Travellers YouTube video and podcast explaining the different categories - very informative!

We are on the following sailing of the Moon and they had run out of Coke Zero by day 4! Day 5 now, with a port-intensive itinerary, we are certainly hoping it will reappear. I am an optimist and trying to maintain a positive attitude and have a great time, but this cruise (bar the friendliness of crew) is not what we were accustomed to with Crystal and Regent. I doubt we will be back.

Great to know - thank you!

Thank you for the detailed review! We have avoided walking tours for just that reason, but I am heartened by your description of the gym. I have three questions: 1) What type of exercise classes were available on board? 2) Was the jogging track busy or easy to navigate? 3) Which dining venues were available for lunch after your boarded? Thanks again!

Apologies for the delay in replying - I am happy to report that we had a wonderful experience! In contrast to the frequently cited $9 per drink, on our cruise, at least, it was $11 per drink or less that was covered by the classic package. In any event, it wasn’t an issue, and we simply asked for “the Sauvignon Blanc on the classic package” or whatever alternative we desired, and were furnished with a drink without any questions. This applied to every bar and also the main dining room. If my husband wanted a mixed drink (eg vodka and Diet Coke), we asked for that and stated that we were on the classic package. I was pleasantly surprised at the ease of ordering. If we had wanted fancy cocktails, it would have been an issue, but we adjusted our needs as necessary. I hope this is helpful to others who may be concerned. Thanks to everyone who provided reassurance!

Very helpful and reassuring - thank you! Bo, as a fellow vegan, I have enjoyed and learned from your posts - we are hoping we can find some great options next week!