ShotsnCruises

No apologies for a shot similar to the last one I posted. Yesterday we found ourselves tied up at the sleaze pit/Gatlinburg/ Blackpool of the Caribbean - St Maarten. We should have been in St Barts but the port was closed due to freakish weather which has plagued this cruise from the start. Today we are in St Kitts when we should have been in Nevis. And our ship has zodiacs. Anyway, yesterday we were the filling in a mega-ship sandwich. On the left the 3600 pax Celebrity Reflection, then the Serenissima, then the 6000 pax Oasis of the Seas.

 

UGH, I hope St. Barths doesn't get replaced on my itinerary, especially not with St. Maarten!! Not even a close replacement.

Beautiful pictures. I would love to cruise Asia in the future, if only I had the time away from work!

Nigel, like most people who seeks to stem freedom of movement and control boarders, is labelled racist. Ironic really given he is married to a German and isnt against migration - just the notion we take whoever chooses to move here! Love him or loathe him, he's a clever and articulate guy.

 

It may well be the out voters are the outspoken ones and people who are actively talking about their intended vote, but baring dirty tricks, I really cannot see anything other than Brexit. All the threats from Euro leaders like France saying they will just put all migrants on boats for Dover to set up camps here, or Germans threatening to sack British employees working there are simply fueling Brexit. We Brits dont like being threatened and it will usually have the opposite desired effect. No doubt dirty tricks will include Brits living abroad (and threats of passports removed) or to include migrants in the UK (and threats they will be expelled if the Out side wins). Unfortunately thats the problem when you now have such high immigration and the feelings of "true Brits" get lost in the watered down vote.

 

When talk of a referendum first came about, I was firmly in the remain side. Sure, Migration was an issue, but the bigger picture was the adverse effect to the city and uncertainties about trade to Europe, the US and rest of the world. Now, what Merkel and Hollande have said and done, have swivelled my vote to the polar opposite. And I think thats just the beginning. Czechs and Dutch will be next. But its OK, Merkel is replacing us with the Turks! Bye Merkel!

 

As for trip..... Nah, We depart on the 12th April, so I'd guess packing will start around the 9th/10th. 4 Large suitcases and 2 cabin cases to be filled for the two of us! ;-)

It is so refreshing to read about politics other than the mess going on in the US (where I live), and read about it so rationally!!

Okay, so another random question I thought of while reading through the booking information...

What toiletries are included? Do I still need toothpaste, floss, mouthwash? I know to expect shampoo, conditioner, and lotion, but what else is included?

Reassuring news re Wind as we have upcoming cruises on the ship.Concerned to read the last few Reviews on the CC Members Review section which were awful.

I was reading these last night, and they are terrible. It sounds like they forgot the ship was refurbished in 2013??

I don't know how you know there will be 3 formal nights on cruise a year from now. We are going on an 11 night Caribbean cruise on Spirit this month and just recently received our Voyage Planner which states there will be 2 formal nights, 6 informal, and 3 casual.

I am just repeating what the cruise planner from SilverSea told me on the phone when I booked. Maybe he is mistaken. Two formal nights would be much better given the itinerary.

Hi

 

Once you go on Silver Sea or any other luxury all inclusive cruise line you will have a hard time going back to main stream . First time we did Silver Sea and then went back on a Celebrity we where shocked at the difference. We sailed Celebrity 4 months before Silver Seas. Even when we where on Oceania was a big difference to Silver Seas or Seabourn which we have been on also.

 

You will have a great time :)

I am planning on it being the vacation of a life time. :D

Shore excursions can be booked on line (under My Silversea tab), no sooner than 120 days before sailing (pricing will then be shown) and no later than 7 day before getting on the ship. You can also book onboard also. At the end of the cruise you need to settle your account and that's when you would pay for all excursions. If that's a problem with your credit card, I have heard of people making deposits on their credit card so they have a credit when needed, to make big purchases. Seabourn charges your credit card as soon as you select an excursion on their website. Personally I prefer to pay at the end, so no need to ask for credits back if you didn't go on one or more excursions.

It wouldn't be the need for credit on the card (My God, the limit is insane as it is!!), but I prefer to pay for the cruise as much as possible (excursions included), before we sail.

DH and I are booked for 11 nights in the Caribbean on the Wind next February. I am a bit surprised to see 3 formal nights on this sailing, especially given the Caribbean. itinerary with no sea days.

Don't get me wrong, I love dressing up, and always follow the dress code, even though the previous ships I have sailed on haven't done one bit of enforcing! However, I believe this cruise DH and I will have one or two formal nights, and perhaps enjoy the room service for the other night(s). We have pretty adventurous excursions planned for every day, and I'm not sure we will have the energy or desire to put on the tux and ball gown. By the way, I am 31, and therefore probably a much younger demographic that usual on SS....

I was told I could pre-book, but I cannot pre-pay? I find this odd, as I would not want to have all of the excursions billed all at once on my credit card. Is the SilverSea representative incorrect in giving me this information? He was touting it as a perk, but I don't see it that way.

I think that you are going to fall in love with Silversea. :) I am looking forward to my second cruise with them. I sailed Silversea in 2014, then went back to Royal Caribbean and NCL in 2015, but it just was not the same, even as a suite guest on those lines.

 

One huge difference that you will find is there is no added pressure on Silversea to part with your money by trying to get a passenger to spend $20 on a bingo card, then $5.00 for water when you leave the ship, then $100 for a photo package, etc.

 

Regarding the ship shore excursions, one thing I liked is that Silversea seems to have a staff member accompany each tour. That way they can monitor what happens and attempt to take immediate action if something unexpected happens. On my ship tour to Virgin Gorda, there was a mix up in the land part of the tour with not enough seating for all passengers. The Silversea rep was on the phone and another vehicle arrived in less than 10 minutes. Granted this should not have happened in the first place, but it was corrected immediately.

 

I have a mixture of private and ship tours booked for my upcoming cruise. On Barbados there was only a choice of 2 different ship tours offered, so they almost force you to go private there. Some of the tours offered on other islands are tours typical of other lines, but there are less people, as you asked in your initial post. Some ship tours do seem unique to Silversea in the Caribbean islands. For instance, in Dominica they offer a different snorkeling trip that I do not remember as being an option with Princess, NCL, or Royal Caribbean.

 

Happy sailing with Silversea. :) I hope it turns out to be the trip of a lifetime for you.

 

Denise

Thank you so much for this information. I have used private tours almost exclusively on past cruises, mostly to avoid the large crowds. I wanted to give SilverSea the benefit of the doubt, but I wish they would post prices on the website for the tours.

I am hoping to fall in love with SilverSea!

As you can see from my signature, I have cruised on mainstream lines for many years, but am finally making the wonderful jump to SilverSea next Winter. I have read through these boards as best I can, and done many searches of the threads, but I still feel like Silversea is an unknown for me. I guess the excitement of a new line makes vacation planning even more fun, but I would appreciate any tips or advice.

I am going on an 11 night Caribbean aboard the Wind, from San Juan to San Juan.

General questions:

Can I get on board the ship early enough for lunch the day we board?

Do the excursions through the line generally have fewer people than booking with the mainstream cruise lines? I really don't want to be with 50+ people on the tours, and usually book independent tours. Is this necessary on SilverSea?

Any other tips or advice?

Thanks again for all the replies. My husband always carries a Swiss army knife with him, less than an 3 inch blade. It has a screw driver, bottle opener, corkscrew, etc... more like a multi-tool. We know better than to bring it on the plane, but were mainly inquiring as for bring it on and off the ship when in port.

I am a bit concerned to hear that the x-ray machines are not always running. Granted, I am cruising in the Caribbean, but security and safety should still be at the top of the list in my opinion.

Thank you for the replies. Has anyone ever had a problem bringing a small pocket knife (Swiss Army) on board? I don't think my husband could live without his!

My husband and I will be going on our first SS cruise next February. My husband is retired law-enforcement, and very security conscious. I have looked throughout the entire SS website, and I can find nothing that speaks specifically to what is or isn't allowed on board, getting on and off the ship, metal detectors, xray of baggage, etc.

My only experience has been on RC and Celebrity, which lay out very specific "what not to pack" details in the literature.

Can someone speak to how Silver Sea handles security?

Also, the non-luxury lines are very picky about not bringing purchased liquor back to your Suite. Is this the same on SS? We prefer to bring some of our favorite rums back home to enjoy throughout the year, and I have always loathed the other lines taking it until the end of the cruise.

Thank you

Would some kind soul, please answer MR BAD ATTITUDE'S question?

 

There are similiar people on this board....

Maybe he won't be heard from again.

One can hope...

There were days when these boards provided specific answers from experienced cruisers. Now, people don't even bother to read a full post before responding.

Some of us want specific information.

Guess I'll contact Eli personally.

And I am a She And won't be gotten rid of so easily. Is it really too much to ask a specific question and not have to read generic answers? It's not like I didn't read and do a search through the millions of reviews on these boards before I posted....

I have taken all of Eli's tours many times as well, HOWEVER, if people might actually take the time to read my question:

It has been YEARS since I have been on one of these tours, and it appears from the website that the Eco Tour no longer visits Sting Ray City. Is it true that in order to go to Sting Ray City with Eli's tours, one must book the X-Treme Cat???

i just looked at this and saw that stingray city is included on the 2nd option. The 1st one doesn't stop at the Stingray City. Looking at this as a option for in Oct.

So, it is confirmed that the X-treme circumnav has the sting ray city, and the Eco tour does not.....?

I can't recommend Adventure Antigua enough! My wife and I went last year and it takes you around the entire island and shows you Shirley Heights, Devil's Bridge and the historical harbor. It also includes snorkeling, a trip to stingray city and a stop on a private beach only accessible by swim! (They dropped a floating cooler in the water and we all swam to shore and enjoyed rum punch on the untouched beach, it was amazing!)

 

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g147243-d254411-Reviews-Adventure_Antigua-St_John_s_Saint_John_Parish_Antigua_Antigua_and_Barbuda.html

How recently did you do the tour? I have been on it, and it was great. However, the website no longer seems to indicate stingray city as a part of the tour.

It has been many years, but when I did the eco-tour, Stingray City was included. When I am searching the website, it seems like that is no longer part of the tour, only the x-treme Circumnav. I wouldn't enjoy a day of bumps and flying on the speedboat with no shade, so.... Can anyone chime in and let me know if I could do Eco-tour OR something similar that includes Stingray City?