CJANDH

Not on our cruise. Never opened until 1 PM.

But not many. On a recent Regent cruise our lunch options were: Buffet, Chartreuse or Prime 7 (alternating daily) and pool grill that opened at 11:30AM.

If you don't like sushi your lunch options on Encore are very limited. The main dining room did not open for lunch once on our recent 14 day Greek Isles cruise. The pool grill did not open until 1PM (very strange). So we were stuck with the buffet every day. The menu changed each day and was generally good; but the venue became boring.

What could be the rationale for not offering shareholder credits to Silversea cruisers? They are offered on Celebrity. Why not the whole group?

Read the post already discussing this subject.

Does anyone know who the CD is currently on Silver Dawn? Also, does anyone know if Ricco has rejoined Silversea? He is one of our favorite CDs.

Looking forward to your reviews. I hope that the fit is perfect!

Just disembarked from Seabourn; one obnoxious 5/6 year old that screamed all the time. It doesn't take many to spoil a cruise.

We sail on Encore on April 23. We received our first (and so far only) boarding time notification on April 14. A little more than a week out.

Does anyone know if Explora has set up a department to handle air and hotel reservations? While not always competitive on pricing, most cruise lines offer this service, along with transfers, so everything is handled in one place.

Well, it seems that NCL is going back to the e-muster. Hopefully this will be across all brands.

Over on the Norwegian and Regent boards there is a lot of discussion on the move back to in person muster drills on their cruises. I would be interested in hearing how the emuster on Silverseas has evolved and how well it works to get everyone (Passengers and Crew) trained.

My question to each of the CEOs relates to the decision to either stay with the E muster or return to the mass mustering. Based on my experience on four cruises over the past year, the E muster has evolved to a point where the training of passengers in safety procedures, life vest use and the location of muster stations is far more effective than the mass muster where it is often hard to see the demonstration or hear the presentation over a poor PA system. I recognise that there is also an important need to provide crew training for emergencies that historically has been combined with the mass muster. My question is: Is there a middle ground where passengers can be trained in small groups immediately on boarding the ship and a separate crew training program can be developed? Thank you.

I would say that the majority of posters agree that the e muster, as it has evolved over time, is at least as good a way to train the passengers, if not better. I was suggesting that a better way to train the crew might be worth pursuing.

Amen. Surely the bright minds running the cruise lines can find a way to train the crew without the passengers. The interaction with the passengers in an in-person muster is not a very good simulation of the crowd control issues the crew will face in a real emergency with panicked passengers. Also, why do the crew need to train on this process every week (or less on 3/4 day cruises)?

But that is just what the evolved Emuster does. You go to your muster station; sit with a small group and have a crew member explain the safety drill in a way you can hear it and ask questions. Then you leave and enjoy your cruise with, in my opinion, a much clearer understanding of what will happen in an emergency.

Note that the statement is "including mustering". It does not say that everyone has to muster at the same time. The Emuster rules still ensure that everyone has to go to their muster station; just not all at once. I would suggest that the Emuster meets the requirements of the SOLAS rule.

Royal and Carnival also found ways to avoid the lack of mustering by making sure pax visited their muster stations as soon as they boarded. They also looked for creative ways to incentivize people to comply; like no drinks until mustered. Norwegian took the easy way out and will suffer from the bad customer response.

How was the muster drill?

Only Disney and the NCL Group have switched back to the old style muster. Royal and Carnival brands say they are staying with the E-Muster that is strongly preferred by most cruisers. Sorry to see Regent has regressed.

Just out of interest, how did the muster drill go for you now that they have gone back to the in-person altogether procedure?

And I bet that deciding between two versions of the muster drill on cruise ships is high on their priority list.

Where did you find this globe. I have one I purchased on a Regent ship a few years ago and want another. Current cruises don't seem to carry them any more.

If you read the article you will see that the author did contact Norwegian and was given a "we did it because we did" answer.

Well, at least for now the choice is: book Regent and enjoy a mass muster or book Silversea or Seabourn and E-muster. Time will tell where it all finishes up.