Mayflower1

Good Morning Maureenh - I too have been watching the comments from the early Guests on The Muse but have not picked up on such extreme comments as you record regarding Quality & Choice of Food - there clearly are some Issues regarding Dining Reservations which I understand from a Silversea Executive are in course of being addressed.

We are also on the same Cruise as you and have many hundreds of days on Silversea, so will be looking to replicate the usual standards. The Ship looks beautiful and no doubt the wonderful Crew will do all in their power to make our Cruise memorable. We know the concept on The Muse is different but are going with an open mind and the intention of having a fantastic time. I hope you also have a great time.

Thank you for your Superb Cruise Reports and it was a pleasure to meet you both and enjoy your company at the Bridge Sessions - You are right that Sally & Geoff were a great Team.

As you say it was another fine experience on The Wind with the Staff again displaying what makes Silversea such a joy. I agree that the Food has been excellent with the added bonus of David being around.

Especially for BriMary I am pleased to say that this Cruise was nothing like our adventure last Year - back to what we expect from Silversea.

May I join others in thanking you ' Straightupwithatwist ' for producing just the type of analysis that we who are travelling on the Muse soon have been waiting for - well done.

It is unfortunate that Silversea Management always seem to take a long time to grasp those aspects that makes their Product so successful - they conduct numerous Venetian Surveys and seldom take on board the answers given. It cannot take a genius to understand that Guests like to meet during the Day and then Dine together - a true example of ' Silversea Luxury '. The new Multi Choice Restaurant Offering will only be attractive if it is indeed Multi Choice on The Day, not 4 months prior to a Cruise.

I also must reflect back and agree with the comment made by Jeff that a Company who does not know where their Ship starts a Cruise and sends out completely rubbish Documents ( as has been the Case in our upcoming Wind Cruise ) has Issues at the Centre.

We are still looking forward to our Muse Cruise in August and I am sure that, as with all Silversea Cruises, The On Board Staff will produce wonderful Service in spite of the Directives from above.

Thank you Mr Silver for sharing this sad News. We have come to know Susan & Joe well over the Years and we are much saddened to have lost such a character. She cared so much about the Silversea Family and in particular the wonderful Crew who she wholeheartedly supported in many ways.

The Photograph published by Terry of a Breakfast on the Norway Cruise is an example of her generosity of spirit in that she organised the Event for CC Members including ourselves. It is so fitting that this shot should include her great Friend Gianni Dotti who also passed away not so long ago.

We send our condolences and fondest wishes to Joe and her Family at this difficult time - Susan is a Lady who will be deeply missed by her many Friends throughout the World.

Good Morning Brimary - Thank you for your good wishes for our forthcoming Muse Adventure - You may be assured that I will provide a concise ' Personal ' view on my return. Prior to that we are returning to The Wind for a Norway Trip ( hoping to achieve a better standard than last Year !!! - recent Reports seem very good ).

It is pleasing to hear that you are venturing to The Spirit - it only shows that long standing Venetians are prepared to experiment !!!!! ( sometimes it takes us a little longer than others !!! ). Have Fun and we look forward to your own ' Reliable ' Report.

Thank you mjnvoyager for posting your On Board experience of The Muse. It is so good to read that you are having a great time and reacting well to the new Ship.

I am sure that those of us who have many hundreds of ' Days ' on Silversea are wishing this new venture every success but that is not to say that we should not be critical of poor communication. I agree with UKJeff that to merely see everything through Rose Coloured Glasses is unhelpful and a balanced discussion often results in constructive Feedback to Silversea Management.

Lets hope that these Administrative Issues quickly settle and we can relish the new approach being introduced on The Muse.

Regrettably this latest ' Input ' from a SS Executive merely adds to the confusion. I am travelling on The Muse in August and have reluctantly made Reservations for all the Restaurants in accordance with the original instructions. Whilst I understand that specific Issues will be adapted following ' Experience ' this whole Dining episode seems to have been a complete mess from the start and SS have done themselves no favours in this regard. Now for another Exec to wade in with more confusing Information shows a lack of Corporate Strategy at the very least. By the way I have not received any E Mail !!!!!!

Now that it seems that the very specific Dress Codes are also being ignored leads me to wonder who is in charge ? - Very disappointing.

Good Afternoon Duct tape - We are missing your Postings - we hope all is well with you and hope that The Muse is so good that you are pre-occupied ?. Many of us would welcome your observations on this exciting new Ship.

Thank you Les 37b - I have tried Internet Explorer and it is better but not fully operational. Hopefully someone from SS will get to grips with their Website before too long - all other websites are functioning well.

Many thanks for your response.

Can anyone help ? - The problem seems to be getting worse on Google Chrome in that no Cruise Schedule seems to be available. I have tried numerous ways to get in but their is no response. Are Others having the same problem ?

Good Morning Duct tape & J. Many thanks for your early observations which are most welcome and support what Master Echo has said already. We hope that you both have a great time and welcome your further input.

We hope to catch up with you again before too long.

Thank you so much for your positive comments on The Wind. With all the attention placed on The Muse at present it is pleasing to hear that our much loved Wind is still performing well. We will be on her again in June for a Norwegian Cruise which we are greatly looking forward to. No doubt the Crew are as wonderful as always ?

I thank you Master Echo for clarifying the ' Formal ' Dress Code. I was not trying to upset either you or Silver Spectre but merely attempting to find out the true position from someone on board the early Sailings. Silversea London indicated that ' Formal ' meant Dinner Jacket for both Atlantide & La Dame.

Good morning Beaujolais & madame Beaujolais - I am so pleased that you have quickly drilled down to the nub of the new Ship and are concerned about the Condiment Holders !!!!!! - as you know we too have wondered how a Luxury Line could have bought such rubbish - as you say they never work and require a Degree in Engineering by Staff Members to achieve any success.

The early information coming out from Guests is interesting ( I am still confused as to what constitutes ' Formal ' i.e. Dinner Jacket or just a Jacket/Tie but no doubt Duct tape will respond once she is on board ). The Decor looks very ' Cool ' but without any Carpeting in Terazza it is likely to be even noisier than on current ships.

We are looking forward to our trip in Aug/Sept - are you hooked yet ???

Best wishes to you both.

Thank you Duct tape - we know that we can always rely upon you to get matters sorted !!!!

We hope you are both in good Form and wish you a wonderful time on The Muse - we too hope that the actual experience matches expectations. We are really looking forward to our trip in August/Sept.

I spoke to Silversea UK yesterday and they confirm that at present they have no definitive answer to the Dress Code Issue and are as frustrated as Guests with the lack of precise Information. The BELIEVE that 2 Restaurants will be Formal every Evening as a previous Poster has indicated but they are not at all sure that Formal means Dinner Jacket etc ( They feel that Formal means Jacket but maybe no Tie for Men - this I thought was currently Informal ? ). They say that that there will be no Daily Dress Code as on the existing ships but that each Dining Unit will have its own permanent Code. If this is the case one assumes that the other Dining Areas will be Casual ?

Silversea London indicate that the above is likely to be ' Trailed ' for the first few Cruises and SS will assess Guests reactions - maybe things will then be amended.

I hope this does'nt confuse even more but its the up to date Information this side of the Pond.

It will be interesting to hear the thoughts of the early Cruisers !!!!

I agree with your view entirely MJNVoyager that the subject of Food is very subjective and often leads to unnecessary arguments - my intention was only to provide a personal and balanced viewpoint.

As you are going to experience The Muse at a very early stage it would be most appreciated if you are willing to share your overall impressions of the Ship - we are not due to sail on her until August so would be most grateful to hear your thoughts.

Such strong comments regarding the expertise of Chef Ann Marie - we have sailed with her many times and would entirely disagree with your analysis. However maybe you are yourself a culinary expert which we do not profess to be. In our opinion she runs a tight and excellent department for the overall delight of her guests. We do not share your blanket view of the Seabourn culinary product.

I am sorry Master Echo for my perceived 'attitude' for which I apologise.

I do however think matters have progressed since the first Reports in that it is now clear from the ' My Silversea ' Site that it is currently necessary to Book all Restaurants on The Muse - this was certainly not made clear in my opinion at the start.

I hope that all those Guests who are travelling on the initial Cruises will Report back with their faithful impressions of how this topic is working on board. I have been in contact with Silversea but as usual their comment was ' confused ' and I suspect they too believe it to be an ' Ongoing ' Issue ?

Apologies again for my approach.

The ' Dining ' Section of the Activities List shown on the ' My Silversea ' Web Page, clearly indicates that both Atlantide & Indochine are subject to Reservation, like all other Restaurants on The Muse including the new Pizza Restaurant.

This would seem to indicate that any wish to dine ' on a whim ' will only be possible if your chosen Restaurant has spare ' Non Reserved ' Tables at the time.

I am sorry to have raised this Hornets Nest but it is only the sparsity of Information from Silversea that is creating uncertainty - I am sure things will develop over time but those on the early Sailings should be given quality information as befits a ' Luxury Experience '

Thank you for your 'Contribution ' Master Echo and I agree entirely that no one is forcing anyone to book on The Muse.

Your comment regarding ' Ill-Informed ' complaint is I feel rather harsh as I would suggest that you have completely missed the main point - Uniquely for Silversea, The Muse will be the first ship to appear not to offer a Reservation Free Restaurant. This may not be an issue for you but there are many who will find this a feature that will take some getting used to - maybe not a gamechanger but initially a very different concept.

Like you I agree we are not being forced to accept this concept but surely a topic that warrants debate. Maybe the Silversea Officials would do well to monitor such comments ?

Good morning Duct tape - ' How bad could it be' ? - In my opinion quite bad and frustrating if every Restaurant is Pre-Bookable as it shows on the ' My Silversea ' Part of the Website.

Such a policy will be both very irritating for the Guests and mighty problematical for the various Restaurant Managers on board. My only hope is that you will be travelling ahead of me and hopefully will get it sorted when you are on board - if you cant do it no-one can !!!!

Seriously I echo previous thoughts that part of the Silversea experience is that one has the possibility to dine with ' New ' Friends when required - to have every Restaurant potentially ' Booked ' will then necessitate running around the ship to find somewhere which is not fully booked - not a very luxurious experience ?

Now it appears that 2 Restaurants will carry a surcharge of $60 per person - again somewhat of a lessening of the ' Inclusive ' approach.

I hope that Silversea are better organised than it so far appears.

Straightupwithatwist - Good morning and thank you for the update, which frankly does not surprise me. Yet another example of the shocking way in which the various Shoreside Offices treat ' Valued ' Guests expecting the 5 Star Service so elaborately advertised and paid for.

Please be good enough to keep us posted of the ongoing saga.

There seems to be a lack of specific information from Silversea regarding ' Bookings ' for Dining on The Muse, especially relating to The Atlantide.

I imagine that those lucky enough to be sailing in early May will by now be able to make Reservations On Line ? - would it be possible for anyone involved to provide an update. There seems to be a suggestion from speaking to an Officer on board an existing ship that Atlantide & Indochine will share a Menu but no mention of if they will be ' Open Sitting '.

Any Information will be of interest to those of us who are sailing later in the Year. Many thanks in anticipation.

Good morning Brimary - The quick answer is no !!!! - We are going to The Muse in August ( Monte Carlo to Southampton ) so are, like you, travelling in hope !!! - I will Report on our findings.