elmaexec

I just made reservations for my September trip on Silver Muse and Silver Note did not have any early dinner options - only the regular and late seatings. Maybe this varies by ship?  I believe agape01 is reserving for the Nova?

On 5/12/2024 at 11:26 PM, BBGrace273 said:

Soooooo, I thought it was London GMT too, but my, My Silversea keeps changing the "days to sail" at midnight EST. I'm Central, so it's at 11pm for me. It's not updating at 6pm, which is what I thought would happen. And it's on 2 different devices, so it's not my clock setting either. 

 

I can clarify the time confusion because I just successfully made dinner reservations for my September cruise. The day before my eligibility I went on sight to watch when it showed the change from 122 to 121 days and you are correct that it changed at midnight Eastern time. However, after being assured by experienced cruisers that I could select dining at midnight GMT, I went right to the dining selection menu at 7pm CDT (midnight GMT) the following day and the “RESERVE” button became active as soon as the time turned over. So, your reservation may still say 121 days between midnight GMT and midnight Eastern time, but you WILL be able to select restaurants at exactly midnight GMT. 

3 hours ago, imcpa said:

Steam room and sauna are open to everyone.

Hot tub on back of deck 10 open to all.  Spa hot tub is not.

Thank you!

I’ll be on the Muse in September!

I have a question for you:  Are the steam room, sauna, and whirlpool that are located in the spa area available for use by all passengers or are they only available for booked spa services?

I'm wondering if use of the steam room, sauna, and whirlpool in the spa is free of charge.  From what I've seen it appears the steam room and sauna may be available FOC, but I can't find any reference to that big whirlpool located behind the Thermal Suite.  Also, to use these facilities if they are offered free, can one simply show up?  It doesn't require reserving a time or anything like that, does it?

1 hour ago, machotspur said:

 

Last week on Silver Dawn the range of beer was even worse than ever.

They do half a dozen mainsteam 'lager' beers ie Stella. Apart from that they only had Guiness and Newcastle Brown (!!). They used to have Old Speckled Hen, which is an OK ale, but that seems to have disappeared. 

 

Thank you!  Glad to hear they at least carry Guinness.  I don't understand why cruise companies, particularly the luxury lines, don't offer more craft beer options.  There's certainly a market for them.

New Silversea cruiser here.  I'm a big fan of stouts and I'm wondering if Silversea carries any.  I'm hoping they have Guinness at least?  What other beers are offered?

38 minutes ago, cruzeluver said:

A whole lot of hyperbole but the only evidence of horrible food was runny eggs (not new, for as long as I can recall they have used the pre-scrambled eggs in a carton, this can be avoided by going to the omlete station and asking for fresh scrambled) and one menu item not being available.

You can’t avoid the runny eggs if you’re an early riser. The only eggs available when the buffet opens are those eggs. 

There may be a difference in plans, but the plan I was on allowed up to three divices but could not be used simultaneously. One had to be signed off before another could be signed on.  

The difference is that with multiple devices for one person, you can only use one device at a time. So if you’re trying to share it, one device has to sign out before the next device can be signed on. With multiple people, each with one device, they can be using them at the same time. 

I’m not sure. Possibly shown with “shore excursions” for that day. Someone told us they arranged a driver with the tourist office in Ravenna so that may be worth looking into. 

No!  And be warned: there are very few taxis available at the port. Arrange a shuttle or private driver. The line was a couple of hours long for cabs when we disembarked forcing us to trek a half mile on city streets with all our baggage and pack in to a city bus loaded with Celebrity passengers and their luggage. I would have appreciated a warning about this situation ahead of time. I heard rumor that Royal Caribbean warned their passengers. Lucky for us, it wasn’t raining that day. 
 

Edit:  I should be clearer, they do offer a pre paid shuttle, not a free shuttle. Pay ahead for the shuttle or arrange a private driver. Don’t depend on cab service. 

14 minutes ago, EPTCB said:

We are spending the day with Janou in Huahine for the first time in June (and for the second time in September).

Awesome!  She gave us a great tour!

We did the tour with Ato on Fakarava as recommended above. Frankly the communication wasn’t great and we didn’t know if the tour was confirmed right up to the moment we got off the dock because he needed a total of 8 participants and didn’t get that until the last minute. Also, Ato’s son ran our tour and didn’t have great English. Nevertheless, it was an amazing trip to one of the most breathtaking locations I’ve ever seen. As a diver, you might prefer the South Pass, famous for the wall of sharks but that’s a long boat trip. 
 

In both Bora Bora and Moorea we rented our own boat on one of our two days. No license is needed, prices are very reasonable and it’s lovely to have the freedom to come and go to various snorkel spots on your own time and without anyone crowding you. We used Tip Nautic in Moorea and La Plage in Bora Bora. On our first day in Bora Bora we did a snorkel tour around the island, then rented the boat on the second day. In Moorea, I’d suggest an interior tour on one of the days, seeing the pineapple fields, marae, and Belvedere lookout. 
 

In Huahine, we used Janou with Huahine-private tours. Her price was reasonable for a private tour around the island and you can make your own itinerary. She provides a list of suggestions. 
 

In Rangiroa, drift snorkeling (or diving) one of the passes is a great experience!

30 minutes ago, mermaid 285 said:

That's really great to know!  I was starting to get worried.  Do you remember what time the last tender was back to the ship on the second day in Bora Bora and Moorea?  We are hoping it's 16:30.  

I’m sorry, but I don’t recall. We were usually more concerned with our tour start times than the end times. I would think 16:30 is reasonable. 

3 hours ago, mermaid 285 said:

So, will the second tender get us off the ship for 9 am latest?

Tahitianbigkahuna has much more experience than I do with Paul Gauguin, but since I started this thread, I thought I’d relay my experience on our October cruise. 
 

We had all private tours booked except for the Tahaa drift snorkel.  After the first day, we no longer bothered going to the Piano Bar prior to heading down to the tender boarding area. We just showed up at the boarding area early and waited as the line formed. People using Gauguin excursions were brought down in a line and proceeded onto the tender, then the rest of us were boarded. We did have a full ship on that cruise, but we still got on the first tender every time. At that time, they were not restricting the number of people on the tenders as we had no Covid spread and the tenders hold a remarkable number of people when filled.
 

The reason we no longer bothered with the Piano Bar is this: on that first day, we were left to follow out behind the line of Gauguin tour people, but as they passed the boarding area, others who had been waiting there filled in behind them and we ended up being behind those who had lined up at the boarding area. 

Don’t rush off the ship if you can swing the extra two days in French Polynesia!  You can take the ferry across for a day or two in Moorea or just enjoy the time exploring Tahiti - black sand beaches, the drive across the center of the island, waterfalls, giant surf waves, etc. 

10 hours ago, jelayne said:

 

App is very convenient when on the ship and you can message those you are traveling with w/o wi-fi package.

 

 

 

Are you saying it’s possible to message other guests through the app?  That’s very convenient!

We’re on the 10 day trip right now, so different itinerary, but we also left port at 5pm and the last tender to the ship was at 3:30pm. IMO, best to plan that excursion for the first day. 

14 hours ago, Retired2016Cruiser said:

Thank you! I saw that in the Roll Call and considered it, but not sure we want to be on that long of a snorkel tour (or a particularly long boat ride).  But it does sound like a great tour, so haven't ruled it out.  A couple of questions: Which Paul Guaguin tour does this compare to?  I didn't see the "blue lagoon" specifically mentioned (but may have missed it),  Also, do you know how long of a boat ride it would be to the blue lagoon (e.g.,, how much time on boat vs. snorkeling)?  I apologize if the answers are obvious, but I had trouble finding the details. Looking forward to meeting you on the ship!

Oh, and looking forward to meeting you too!  We’re Jenny and Alvin Meyer traveling with our adult daughter. 

14 hours ago, Retired2016Cruiser said:

Thank you! I saw that in the Roll Call and considered it, but not sure we want to be on that long of a snorkel tour (or a particularly long boat ride).  But it does sound like a great tour, so haven't ruled it out.  A couple of questions: Which Paul Guaguin tour does this compare to?  I didn't see the "blue lagoon" specifically mentioned (but may have missed it),  Also, do you know how long of a boat ride it would be to the blue lagoon (e.g.,, how much time on boat vs. snorkeling)?  I apologize if the answers are obvious, but I had trouble finding the details. Looking forward to meeting you on the ship!

PG calls it by its official name, which escapes me right now - something with a “T”?  But it’s the blue lagoon. Essentially, Ato’s tour combines that one together with the snorkel tour. The boat ride to the blue lagoon isn’t that long. I believe it’s 30-40 minutes. 

2 hours ago, Retired2016Cruiser said:

Great!  You were smart to  get your request in early (after 2 previously scheduled cruises were cancelled due to covid, I guess I didn't really believe we were going to get to go...so waited too long to  reserve this excursion.  But, I plan to check once we board) We are on 10/19 🙂 Can't wait!!!

 

We have a tentative tour with Ato Lissant in Fakarava. It’s us$120/person and it’s all day including Blue Lagoon, snorkel locations in the lagoon, and lunch. We need three more for the tour to go. If you’re interested, contact Ato at fakaravaexplorer@hotmail.com

edit: should have made clear we are on the 10/19 cruise as well. 

You’re both on the 10/19 cruise?  Can you tell me what tour you’re doing on Fakarava, if any?  I want both the Blue Lagoon and coral head snorkeling. The boat offers either/or so I was trying to work out a trip with Ato Alissa t. Unfortunately, I’m worried he won’t have enough people for the tour so we’re looking at our options. 

1 hour ago, EPTCB said:

If the first tender is at 8:30, there is still a way that you might make 8:15 time but it is in no way guaranteed. There is actually a first tender to bring supplies to the tender pier before the first official passenger tender. In the past, we have had luck going to the person running cards at the tender station a day or so before the tour, explaining that we had an early tour time and politely asking if we could get on the unadvertised first tender. This was in pre-Ponant times but we were allowed to do this.

Thank you!  It’s worth a try. 

18 hours ago, Tahitianbigkahuna said:

 

They won't let you board the tender before the ship excursions no matter if your there 20 minutes early. 

I have a follow up question because my pickup says they can’t do it any earlier than 10am if I can’t make the 8:15.  
 

How late do the tenders run back to the boat on departure day?