RetiredandTravel

Cannonball !!!!!!!!!!

13 minutes ago, highplanesdrifters said:

 

Their embrace and doling of free cabins to Tic Tok influencers is one way the luxury lines are connecting. Appealing is another issue.  Expedition trips are an easier sell.

 

At what point do luxury cruise lines market and cater to the multi-generational market. Grandparents want to spend time with kids and grandchildren. They finance these trips as a sort of bribe. Resorts and larger cruise lines are on it. Will families with hoards of children and mopey teenagers be a turn off for their loyal clientele?

We pick dates where it is very improbable there will be school age children or young working folk on board.  When you look at SS newer schedules there are many 7 day itineraries in the summer, directly targeting a younger demographic.

Last year we were at a Caribbean resort with quite a few younger couples (probably married). They were all very nice and respectful to us older people but I found it amazing that at dinner (two at a table)  they were on social media on their phones and when they found something of interest they would show the other person (often laugh).  Thats how they communicate, nose in the phone for almost the entire dinner.

Viking markets itself as very focused on excursions and enrichment which is a big positive for us.  The other issues I've mentioned are a deal killer for us.

1 hour ago, Mahogany said:

The night I went to Lutece, Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward were there. Shows how long ago that was!

I proposed to my wife in Lutece (1985).  Lutece was THE top restaurant in NYC for many many years.  Andre Soltner was a true pioneer of French cuisine in NY.  One of the first celebrity chefs. He seemed like a decent humble person also.

5 hours ago, drron29 said:

Hey Le Bernadin was the best before 11 Madison Park even existed. The year 11Madison opened Eric Ripert was aclaimed the best chef in New York. Our son worked in NYC for 7 years and between 2002 and 2018 we went to Le Bernadin nearly 20 times. Not bad for an Australian.

Your son has great taste.  If I were to recommend one restaurant in NYC it would be Le Bernardin.  Truly magnificent.  Looks like dinner is only $210, a relative value these days  Thats only $50 more expensive than La Dame on the Nova 🙄(no wine of course). 

https://www.le-bernardin.com/menus/dining-room/dinner

Thank You.  We are going to Vancouver in a couple weeks.  Do you think we will have issues getting an Uber at the airport to hotel downtown?

1 hour ago, highplanesdrifters said:

 

$9 for a shot of Titos? If that's what they're getting it should up the stock valuation.

 

G&T victim here.  Might be a bit snobby about the options though. Should I be, been ages since I've tasted them?

 

 

I loved Beefeaters (Tanqueray more) in the 80's/90's.  Went to Hendrick's somewhere along the line.  Why? Probably to be snobby.  Beefeater IMO is a very good Gin.  Gordon's I drank in the '70's. I think.

47 minutes ago, jpalbny said:

 

And here I thought that the perks of aging included more time to sip G&Ts! If that is the case I'm asking for a refund. In all seriousness, the case fatality rate for malaria rises sharply with age, so I don't think it's wise to take chances. Even in Albany!

Wisdom is one (there aren't many) advantage of aging.

5 hours ago, Aussieflyer said:

I have been reading with interest this discussion thread. We have cruised SS a few times and have always enjoyed the experience - we have had few complaints about the service, food or amenities. It seems most businesses (and cruise lines) have made cutbacks over the past few years.

 

My question is - when does this become a deal breaker for you? Is there a 'line in the sand' that once crossed means that SS is off the table and you will look for alternative ship experiences? 

When they farm the food & service at Atlantide to "Applebee's" I'm out.

3 hours ago, TLCOhio said:

 

Appreciate from R&T and highplanesdrifters these great follow-ups and comments.  Agree that Viking will be worth watching and considering.  For us, it is all about itineraries, interesting port stops/options, etc.  From friends who have done Viking Ocean, there are various pro/con factors to consider.  As Viking adds more Ocean ships with that 900-passenger size, we will be watching with interest.  Plus, checking as to what reasonable "value" in pricing will be offered.  Lots of variables!!   

 

Thanks Terry.  I don't want to be misinterpreted on my comments.  I'm only discussing our own preferences and joking some.  We've looked at Viking many times and although Viking has some exellent characteristics have decided that it doesn't offer what we are looking for.  My comments weren't intended to be condescending towards anyone or Viking. 

1 hour ago, highplanesdrifters said:

 

Oh, the humanity. 

 

🤣😂 🤣- made my day

Looks like they wine choices are white, red & rose.  The pay wine list does look good & reasonable IMO. If that doesn't hit home the Gin choices according to attached are Beefeater or Gordons.  We loved Gin & Tonic's, they are another casualty of aging for us.  

https://docs.vikingcruises.com/MVJ/onboardbeveragemenu_oceans.pdf

45 minutes ago, highplanesdrifters said:

 

Cans in the backyard, brilliant.  I've been putting my spare change into those Crypto machines at the Grocery store.

 

This article says Cathie Wood just took her price target up to $3.8 million for Crypto.   Not sure how she arrived at that number.  🙃

CC wouldn't let me attach the article.

Terry I think Viking is closer to SS than the large ships, not sure about the river component.  We don't care for Viking's food & wine offering (NO Champagne😡except for seperate purchase is my understanding).  They do have an expedition cruise to the Great Lakes we have on our radar.  If I recall one analyst felt NCLH was more recession resistant because of the high mix of premium/luxury ships.  It will be interesting to see how Viking trades vs its rivals.  Not sure.

1 hour ago, highplanesdrifters said:

 

Me likey the ride too.   Money on the sideline getting 5%.  Yessir!  Don't tell the market police.

Probably a good idea.  I have most of mine buried in cans in the back yard. 😬 IMO the biggest concern is the US National Debt.  Heaven forbid there is a time where they have problems selling the hundereds of billions they issue every week.  Neither the Red guy or the Blue guy seem to have a viable solution.  So cocktails on the veranda sounds good to me.

1 hour ago, highplanesdrifters said:

 

Hmmmm, still a little frothy out there.

 

Speaking of shoes, I keep expecting one to drop.  Inflation, a plethora of geopolitical risks, etc., etc, etc, and yet here we are. A parabolic market and all we get is a 5% correction.  I would have though the Stimmie money should have worked it's way through the system. Perhaps not.   Can the Boomer spending and kid gifting be adding more than I thought?

 

Range trade through the summer and cocktails on the veranda!

Hard to say.  My opinion is that much depends on the true impact of AI.  The return of inflation probably would not be good.  Just enjoying the ride, I sell periodically because my equity % gets higher than I'd like.

I found the Viking Prospectus to have some interesting information.  Viking may be a decent proxy for the luxury market.   Its not what I call true "luxury" but from a laymans perspective I guess it is..  My calculations show ocean being ~44% in 2023 of total revenue (p35) and it looks like they intend to add 6 more ocean ships this decade.  

https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1745201/000119312524087969/d496227df1.htm

Cheers!!

Upsized and maybe the shoe right?

https://www.renaissancecapital.com/IPO-Center/News/104435/Cruise-operator-Viking-increases-proposed-deal-size-by-20-percent-ahead-of-

https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/equities/overallotment-greenshoe-option-ipo/

Ocean Cruise - Looks like a jacket is required at La Dame

Regardless of the daily dress code:

• After 6 pm, indoor spaces prohibit jeans, shorts, sneakers, or flip-flop-type footwear.
• Casual wear is always suitable in outdoor venues.
• Gentlemen dining at La Dame restaurants are required to wear a jacket.

14 hours ago, ak1004 said:

 

But if eating in any outdoor venue, even jackets are not required.

 

Also, I believe outside of the restaurants (theater, bars etc) they don't enforce jackets even on formal nights.

This is a little vague.  Elegant casual doesn't require a jacket.   I'll probably wear a jacket and tie on formal night so not a big deal for me.

"Alternatively, adhering to Elegant Casual dress code is welcomed, but a jacket is still required for gentlemen in all indoor spaces."

13 hours ago, ak1004 said:

I didn't sail on SS pre Covid so cannot compare.

 

But when comparing service on SS and O, I would say that general service on both was between very good and excellent, with some issues that I would consider relatively minor.

 

But the problem is that since SS is significantly more expensive, you would expect it to be much better. To me, I would say they were comparable.

 

Excursions were mixed bag on both. Both squeezed around 40 people into buses, on both the guides were not consistent.

I always compare a veranda on SS vs PH on Oceania and when I include a drink pakage , excursions etc I often find the price to be close to the same.  Full disclosure I've only compared a few cruises.  I'm actually looking at a South America cruise right now.

The main complaint I've read about Oceania is the food & service in the main dining room.  Comments?

Here is the dress code after May 26.  I think its a little different for the Nova.  I think La Dame always requires a jacket.

Evening wear falls into two categories:

• Elegant Casual: On casual evenings, ladies may opt for trousers, a blouse, a skirt, or a casual dress, while gentlemen may wear an open-collar shirt and slacks. A jacket is optional.
• Formal Optional: May choose a more formal attire, such as an evening gown or cocktail dress for ladies and a tuxedo, dinner jacket, or dark suit with a tie for gentlemen. Alternatively, adhering to Elegant Casual dress code is welcomed, but a jacket is still required for gentlemen in all indoor spaces.

Qantas Wi-fi 

https://onemileatatime.com/news/qantas-free-wi-fi/

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-13336495/Qantas-wifi-international.html

4 minutes ago, drron29 said:

DFW-MEL 

Thanks.  Thats me.  

On 3/16/2024 at 5:40 PM, Host Jazzbeau said:

This is a review of the Jazzbeaux trip to New Zealand and Australia from Jan. 21 to Feb. 17, 2024, including a 16-night cruise on Silver Whisper, from Jan. 29 to Feb. 14, 2024.

 

Since this is being published on Cruise Critic, the review will focus on the cruise portion.  The day by day blog, including the land days before and after the cruise and lots of pictures, will follow in subsequent posts.

 

I went on this cruise thinking “all Silversea has to be is Azamara with better ships.”  At the end of the cruise, I’m not sure it hit that level.  Certain things were better than Azamara, but others were worse.  Depending on which of those things you value most, one or the other may be the better line – but the difference isn’t dramatic.

 

We loved everything about this cruise with the exception of the food, which was only ok.  But that was a big fail!  And that is very important to us.

 

•  We were on Silver Whisper, which is one of the older ships in this line, built in 2001 (roughly the same as the Azamara R-ships, built from 1999-2001).  The ship fits our style, and while showing its age in a few aspects is still in excellent condition and has a classic nautical feel which we love.

•  Our cabin (a Deluxe Veranda, 285sf + 60sf balcony) had plenty of room, plenty of storage, and a good layout.  [By comparison, on Azamara we book either a Club Continent suite with 232sf + 57sf or a CW Owner’s suite with 603sf + 213sf – all three choices are fine; the DV and CC are comparable in size and price, while the CW is often available as a last-minute upgrade at a reasonable price.]

•  The combination of Butler and Cabin Attendant gave us an elevated level of service which was welcome (even though we are low maintenance).  [Azamara CC and CW suites also get a Butler plus a Cabin Attendant.]

 

•  The Restaurant had plenty of room every night (since many guests chose to dine elsewhere) and was practically empty for breakfast and lunch every day, had plenty of staffing at all times, and all the waiters were both professional and personable.  [The main dining room on Azamara does get more crowded and noise levels can be high.]

   •  There were two nights when the servers were at sixes and sevens:  the first was blamed on a printer failure in the kitchen, so the orders were not being transmitted from the waiters’ iPads; the problems on the final night were apologized for but not explained.

   •  The menu is more extensive than on any cruise we have been on, and varied from day to day (not completely different each day, but with a good rhythm that allowed us to bank something in the main section for a future night).  [We had no trouble finding good choices in the MDR on Azamara.]

   •  Our dining experience improved throughout the cruise as we learned to avoid Silversea’s weak areas (like fish) and to interpret their menu language.

•  La Terrazza is a nice step up at dinner, if you order the right things (again fish is a weakness, but Saltimbocca Romana was terrific and pasta is always reliably good) – the wines here are also available throughout the ship, and it was good to learn about some availabilities like the Valpolicella.  [The specialty restaurants on Azamara – which are free for suite passengers – were better.  Maybe the newer SS ships, with more restaurant choices, are better than on Whisper.]

•  La Dame is not worth $60 – many of the menu items are not really different from offerings in The Restaurant, and all of the wines poured there are also available throughout the ship (I think an extra-cost restaurant should pour better wines) – I will be monitoring this forum for reports from Nova and Ray about what they are doing to elevate the experience to justify the new $160 price.  [The Chef’s Table on Azamara, at $95 with special wine pairings in 2022 (now $125 or 3 for $295) was much better than on Whisper, and is cheaper than on Nova.]

•  Boulangerie and Patisserie were not good – not up to land cafés or even to other cruise ships.  And coffee was always weak – even a latte in the Panorama Lounge.  The contrast was especially striking when we got to Sydney and I had the most wonderful croissants and lattes at Guylian’s on Circular Quay.

•  Breakfast was just ok, whether in The Restaurant or La Terrazza.  [On Azamara, suite passengers have a much elevated breakfast in the Aqualina specialty restaurant.]

•  The bottom line is that while the served meals were always beautifully presented and certainly edible, they rarely delighted – certainly not above the level on Azamara (if even that good) and well below our ‘old’ Crystal cruise in 2014.

 

•  Entertainment was very good – the 2 singers and 4 dancers put on a show about every other night and all were good; we would have preferred dancers with more grace at the expense of the obvious athleticism of our pairs, but the Cruise Director announced that this staffing was done “from Monaco” and the cast pairs change when their contracts are up.  He did say we had the best of all the groups – and they did seem to fit the song selection and choreography of the shows.  It’s just that we would have preferred less energy and more familiar (to boomers) tunes.  [The shows on Azamara were more to our liking, and the range of performances was increased because the Cruise Director and Assistant Cruise Director each did their own shows.  We were surprised that the CD on Whisper doesn’t perform.]

   •  There were also two Guest Artists – an Australian woman who is in love with the American 1960s folk era and the earlier female pop singers (Peggy Lee, Doris Day); and an Australian violinist who is a great cruise ship showman.  The two lead singers each did a personal show, which highlighted their strengths (and weaknesses).

   •  The Show Band was terrific, although it was only a rhythm section (keyboards, guitar, bass guitar and drums).

   •  The Lecturer was good (many presentations, good coverage of the culture and wildlife of New Zealand and Australia, no selling of shore excursions), but he was somewhat hard to follow because it seemed like he was condensing 90-minute lectures into 45 minutes, and he often got confused about the terminology he had earlier established (maybe he needs to consult his notes more often...).

   •  Trivia was excellent – good tough questions (and the B2Bers were assured that they would have all new questions on their upcoming segment), points liberally awarded to many teams (3rd place got 1 point; 2nd got 3 points; and 1st got 5 points – and in the case of ties all teams at each level got their points).  [This was similar to how Azamara handles trivia, and so were the crappy prizes.  But it’s not about the prizes – it’s about the fun and keeping it non-competitive!]

   •  Bingo was apparently the same deal – no money involved, a friendly atmosphere for the near-meaningless points.

   •  At the end of the cruise they had a display of logo merchandise to redeem your points (with great luck at trivia and the daily contest we had accumulated a total of 76 points, which was enough for a t-shirt but way short of a baseball cap) or you could turn in your points in for a certificate to bring on your next Silversea cruise (which they rounded up to 90 for us – good deal!).  [This was better than Azamara, where you had to ‘use it or lose it’ – we ended up giving our points to a honeymoon couple who were thrilled to be able to select higher end stuff.]

   •  We never visited the casino, spa or fitness areas, and rarely heard the guitarist or pianist in the bars or the DJ.  [It was the same for us on Azamara; this isn’t our thing.]

 

•  We book cruises primarily for Itinerary, and this delivered – there were two changes between the original listing and the final reality, but we felt that both actually improved our experience (an overnight in Melbourne was cancelled because of port congestion but replaced with calls at Geelong and Eden; and later the short evening stop at Phillip Island was replaced by a later departure from the overnight at Hobart).  [Azamara also has terrific itineraries, and is good about making last-minute changes to make the best of it.]

   •  Unfortunately they didn’t make good use of the extra time on the second day at Hobart, so when our arrival was delayed by a port workers’ strike we had to choose between our included tour to Port Arthur and our extra-cost evening tour to Bonarong.  They should have added more excursions on the second day, so we could have done Port Arthur then.

   •  Other than that, the included tour offerings were extensive and interesting.  We did book several extra-cost excursions, which were all excellent and worth the cost – but there were good choices among the included tours every day of the cruise.  This makes Silversea’s move to included excursions an okay change for us (except for the recent reports that tours initially listed as included are being cancelled and reinstated as extra cost – that’s dirty pool and should stop).  [Azamara often offers mega-OBC discounts for early bookers and for early payment, which then allows you to purchase their shore excursions and keep the onboard bill down.  Our onboard bill on this Silversea cruise was $1,154 for 16 nts vs. $1,004 for 12 nts on Azamara in 2022 – comparable.  I was just able to book our excursions for the Silver Ray cruise in 2026 – I chose all included tours, so the onboard bill is shaping up to be $0 which puts that cruise high on the value spectrum.]

 

At the beginning of this review I said, “all Silversea has to be is Azamara with better ships.”  At the end of the cruise, after reviewing my notes from Azamara in 2022, my conclusion is that they are more similar than different.  Silversea ships are certainly better, especially if you book veranda cabins.  We were happy with Whisper, and would be even more so when the coming dry dock adds the Arts Café, and we are really looking forward to our upcoming cruises on Endeavour (in Svalbard) and Ray (in the Caribbean, with a relaxed dress code that fits that area and our style).  But Silversea needs to raise the level of food in the main restaurant, the buffet, and especially the specialty restaurants to match its claim to be a level above Azamara.

 

Silversea is on our short list for future cruise planning (along with Azamara, Crystal, Noble Caledonia, and Windstar).  Choice is good!

I'm sober now. 🤠 Great review thanks.  We lived in Southern Westchester for many years btw.   We have some reservations about these older ships.  Its just our own preference.  The Whisper restaurant configuration is much different than the Muse & Nova.  I gather from your review that the Whisper main resturant has a large variety of selections and we wouldn't get bored on a 22 day cruise.(?) The most recent youtube I could find of a veranda room is from 2107 and the room looks fine.  I think it has a refresh coming up.

2 Questions

1) Would you take the Whisper on a 22 day cruise to South America that includes many sea days and possibly chppy seas?  

https://www.silversea.com/destinations/south-america-cruise/buenos-aires-to-valparaiso-wh260109022.html

2) We are on a 18 hr Qantas flight in November.  Do they have wi-fi now?  Sorry if I missed it in your comments.

ty

13 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

 

The review is post #1 in this thread.

 

The Four Seasons in Sydney was very nice and very well located [main entrance leads directly to Circular Quay, back entrance to The Rocks], but a little cold compared to boutique hotels.  The hotel restaurants are very pricey [breakfast is $60AUS per person], but luckily there are lots of good restaurants in The Rocks and Circular Quay areas and uber is cheap and reliable to any other restaurant you fancy.

Thanks.  I shouldn't post after a couple glasses of wine (duh).  AMEX - P includes breakfast.  I'll check to see if the Shangri-La is in the program.

Thanks Host Jazz

We are considering a South America cruise on the Whisper.  Although we like the small ship concept we do have concerns about the dining (limited menu?) and room quality on the Whisper.   Did you write a final review?

How did you like the Four Seasons in Sydney?

Thanks Again.

They changed it in the system for me.  Its now zero.  In my opinion the current excursion seelction system needs to be much more robust, its very basic.

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

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.

Viking IPO

https://www.renaissancecapital.com/Profile/VIK/Viking/IPO