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Host Dan

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    Silversea Host Dan comments on his first Silversea cruise! (It's about time!)

    in Silversea

    Posted

    Silversea Host Dan comments on his first Silversea cruise!

    (It's about time!)

     

    Having had the privilege of Hosting the luxury cruise line forums, (Silversea, Seabourn, Regent, Crystal and SeaDream) for the last 21 years, it was time to finally experience, first hand, what Silversea was all about!

     

    I boarded the Silver Spirit December 9, 2021 in Ft. Lauderdale Florida for a 12 day Caribbean cruise.

     

    EMBARKATION

     

    The pre-cruise documents stated that the time for embarkation, at the pier was between 2PM and 4PM. I arrived promptly at 2PM to find that most of the 300 plus passengers had arrived, and were being processed. Before the primary check-in, each passenger was tested for COVID, waited approximately 15 minutes for the (negative) results, then summoned to the check-in desk for embarkation processing. If it hadn't been for the COVID test requirement, embarkation would have taken a mere 10 to 15 minutes!

     

    THE SHIP

     

    The ship is very well maintained. Spotless, I should say! The layout of the ship was a bit confusing. It took me a few days to figure out what elevators led to what venue, how to get from one end of the ship to the other without getting wind blown (my suite was on deck 9, adjacent to the pool area.) One of the most dis-functional aspect of the ship was the 2 doors on deck 9, leading to the center interior stairwell. The exterior door opened in, wheras the interior adjacent door opened out, creating a cramped vestibule. The worst functional obsolescence I've ever experienced on a ship.

     

    THE RESTAURANTS

     

    There are 8 restaurants to choose from, in the evening. For your dining pleasure. I tried all but 2, and was blown away, (mostly) by the taste and quality of the food. Atlantide is the “main” dining room. No reservations required, and the offerings were delicious, and consistently excellent. The sushi restaurant, Seishin, had the very best sushi and sashimi I had ever had in my life! (that's saying a lot!) It is complementary for lunch (when I went) and a $40 sur-charge in the evening. I only at there for lunch, so I can't comment on the dinner experience. Indochine, the Indian inspired restaurant was a great choice, as I love Indian cuisine. Hearty curry dishes, and Nann bread punctuated the Indochine experience. The first night, and a few nights later, I experienced the outdoor grill “Hot Rocks”. An individual hot plate is given to each diner. Fresh steaks, veal, pork, etc. are delivered to the table, and each passenger cooks their own entree. By far, the best filet mignon I'd ever had, on land or sea! La Terazza is a popular indoor / outdoor venue, (much like the Seabourn Collonade.) A great spot for breakfast and lunch. In the evening it offers Italian inspired offerings. I very much enjoyed this venue as well. If pizza is your thing, Spaccanapoli is the place to go! Made to order pizzas, outdoor on deck 10, with an impressive pizza oven. Very enjoyable. I didn't have a chance to try Silver Note, a jazz inspired restaurant. Not my thing. Finally, La Dame. This is a French inspired restaurant that has a sur-charge of $60 per guest. Being of french descent, I was so looking forward to trying this venue out. Unfortunately the many comments from other guests were not positive, so I decided to cancel the reservation.

     

    Overall, I was extremely impressed with the quality and taste of the food on board!

     

    THE BARS

     

    There is no shortage of bars on Spirit! From the outdoor Pool Bar, the Observation / Library Bar, Le Dolce Vita Bar (trivia venue, my favorite!), and The Panorama Lounge (great nightlife venue), just to name a few. It seemd like all the bar staff (actually most all staff) knew my name, and what I preferred to drink, by day 3. Fun is not an issue!

     

    CRUISECRITIC.COM - MEET AND MINGLE

     

    Before the pandemic, cruisecritic.com and Silversea partnered to offer a special Meet and Mingle celebration to its cruisecritic.com members. For the time being, this has been paused, but hopefully back in full swing soon. This, however, didn't stop me! I posted on the Silversea roll call on the cruisecritic.com site, and arranged for a grass roots mingle! The turn out was terrific, and I had the opportunity to meet some terrific cruisecritic members. SWAG gifts were auctioned, great conversation, and a grand time was had by all!

     

    SERVICE

     

    As I stated before, service through out the ships venues were outstanding! It was special that so many service members, called me by name within the first 3 days of arrival. The bartenders were mind readers, (although no Tito's or Clamato juice were available?) The Cruise Director Aimee Lake, was one of the best I've ever encountered. She was extremely approachable and made each guest feel like they were the only guest on the ship! Her singing was also quite a treat! This young woman is going far, in my book!

    The only glitch, service wise, was my Butler. A very nice woman, happy to offer a nod and a smile, and always searching for me to take my daily temperature. (a COVID daily requirement.) Towards the end of the cruise, there was a mist-step that I couldn't ignore.

    After dancing under the stars, my suite mate returned to the suite to take a much needed shower. The suite had been turned down, but there wasn't a towel to be had. No bath sheets, hand towels, or face cloths. Not only would this affect my mates shower, but our morning clean-ups as well. The Butler was contacted twice through the special butler telephone button, with no response. After a half hour, reception was called, and fresh towels were delivered. The next morning, the suite stewardess apologized for her error. This should not have happened. I feel the Butler is responsible for the stewardess' work, and should have caught this error before we arrived back that evening, or at least responded to the 2 direct calls. All was forgiven, but sadly we had another issue. We did not receive a final cruise survey. The Butler was asked once, then twice for a survey to be delivered to the suite. I never got one. I know I should have gone to the reception desk, but it was the last day, and reception was very busy. The Butler should be available to contact reception, make reservations. These are things that take time from having a pleasant vacation. It almost seemed like the Butler didn't want to get me a survey, in fear of getting a marginal rating.

     

    DISEMBARKATION

     

    This was the easiest by far. 5 minutes to collect my passport, gather luggage and leave the terminal. There was no immigration on this voyage.

     

    RANDOM, PARTING THOUGHTS

     

    I could go on and on about other experiences I had on this voyage, but believe I've hit the important notes. (my experience only, of course). I loved playing trivia, although there wasn't an apparent winning team. On the last day you could turn in points, for Silversea merchandise. We received a Silversea hat, visor, bag(s), t-shirt and coveted apron! With all that swag, I declare my team the winners! The music by the pool, at lunch, was too loud. The premium wine list was lacking, and the WiFi was not at all on par.

     

    I did not partake in any shore excursions, and did not leave the ship. After 70 or more cruises under my belt, the ship is my vacation destination!

     

    A cruise line can only do so much to make your vacation a special one. I believe the most important part of my cruise vacation is the people that I met / traveled with. The people aspect is what makes the difference from a good cruise and a great cruise.

     

    This was a great cruise!

     

    HOST DAN

    Host / Moderator of the luxury lines at Cruisecritic.com

     

     

     

    • Like 2
    • Thanks 6

    Sailing SD as a single.

    in SeaDream Yacht Club

    Posted

    I can't believe its been 20 years since I was on board!  (Was Seabourn Goddess 2 at the time).  My partner passed away 2 years ago, then covid..I'm ready to cruise again!  My go to line was always Seabourn, but ready for a more intimate experience.  Question...  it looks like I would be sailing as a single passenger.  Would I be totally bored being alone?  I've always made friends fast on Seabourn, but wonder what SD would be like.   Any tips, suggestions or advice would be great.  I'm hoping for some honest answers.

     

    Thanks folks!

    Do we need a "Watercooler" Thread

    in Regent Seven Seas Cruises

    Posted

    I'm here!  If anyone has tried to contact me, I apologize for not answering.  The problem is that my CC email has been down for weeks, so I can't get my CC mail.  In the meantime, my alternate email is prs68@aol.com.

     

    I've decided that during this worldwide mess, a Watercooler thread might be fun!  Lets give it a try!

    • Like 1
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