gismo1554

Not sure when cancellation emails will go out but all December cruises aren't on the website any more. Cruises are set from January now so expect the cancellation any time now! I was on the Christmas Shadow cruise and as of this morning can't book excursions then spotted around 11:30 it disappeared off the Silversea website. Still showing on MySilversea but I know its gone. As from the UK we still can't travel part of me is relieved but part of me is still a little sad.

From last time i sailed it was just the dress code

I tend to try and buy gifts for family in all honesty (perfume etc) as I believe you can’t give to crew fund but if you can that would be great to know. I also buy things like batteries and toiletries as always useful

9 hours ago, janecambridge said:

Having never been on silverseas before,can we arrange this on our cruise next year occasionally in our cabin with the bottle of sparkling Rose (post Covid restrictions not applying) .? Is it complimentary?

Just to say last December we were told the sparkling rose wasn’t complimentary but champagne was 😄 I’m sure it went better anyway! 

With the caviar i tend tend to put the egg chives and caviar on the Bellini but to be honest never sure if it’s all meant to go or you eat with each bit at a time so nice to see others takes on it 

Brimary - thanks! That’s what I was hoping 

observer - I agree it would seem weird them being identical so was hoping someone had experience of it

carefreecruise - Wasn’t really expecting shade for asking but thank you for the response. At the moment planning for this holiday is what’s keeping me sane and I was curious that’s all. Restuarant booking day opens this week which was why it came to mind. Hope your cruise goes ahead too

Hi. So the plan currently is to sail on the Shadow over Christmas. We were on the same cruise last year but we realised we never actually checked something and are now curious. When we were organising a special meal onboard they told us that the three festive days (Christmas Eve, Day and Boxing Day) had a special menu. We never actually thought to check if this meant that there was one menu in all four restaurants (main, la Teresa, la dame and even maybe the grill) or if they each has a special menu for the day? I didn’t overly like any of them which is why we were thinking of going to one of the other restaurants instead but if the menus are the same then it’s probably not worth it. Does anyone know? 

As said by others it really doesn't get boring entertainment wise. They have lots of extra stuff you just don't get on the shorter cruises. They also have different menus which helps with this.

Thanks I hadn't noticed the wider thing but now looking again I think you are right so I guess sq ft is the same just slightly different dimensions

Just wondering if anyone knows if this room is shorter than normal B3 rooms or if its the same dimensions? On the plan it looks like it could be shorter. If so is it noticeable?

The new itinerary is showing under my.silversea.com as we are also on this cruise. Haven't had any official information but this is what is showing:

6th Dec - depart 6pm

7th Dec - St George's Grenada 8am to 11pm

8th Dec - Bequia 8am to 7pm - Formal night

9th Dec - Martinique 8am to 6pm

10th Dec - St Barts 10am to 11pm

11th Dec - Antiqua 8am to 6pm

12th Dec - St Thomas 8am to 6pm - Formal night

13th Dec - Samana 12pm to 7pm

14th Dec - Grand Turks 9am to 4pm

15th Dec - Day at sea

16th Dec - Fort Lauderdale 9am debarkation

And for quick reference was:

6th Dec - depart 10pm

7th Dec - Bequia 8am to 10pm

8th Dec - Roseau 8am to 6pm

9th Dec - St Kitts 8am to 7pm

10th Dec - St Maarten 8am overnight til 6am next day

11th Dec - St Barts 9am to 11pm

12th Dec - Tortola 8am to 4pm

13th Dec - Samana 12pm to 7pm

14th Dec - Grand Turks 9am to 4pm

15th Dec - Day at sea

16th Dec - Fort Laurderdale 9am debarkation

Just wanted to mention it isn't so much a discount as a larger beer for the price of a pint.

Thanks for the replies. I'll monitor the boards for when the TA's are released for the dates that work; probably the September Westbound. I'm planning for 2019.

 

Are you able to carry on alcohol; whether it be wine or wine/liquor? Thanks again!

So you are looking at next May approx for release of the Westbound TA for 2019.

You can take on 2 bottles of wine per each adult (over 21) in the room or 6 beers at each port including the embarkation port. Anything over that will be confiscated and any hard liquor will also

St Kitts there are shops right outside the port that sell rum definitely (I know that doesn't help with the online alcohol programme) and I think wine.

Last year Eastbound 2017 was released on 12th April this year so you may have a bit of a wait just depends what Disney decides to do. In previous years the EBTA was always included with the Spring release in October but the 2017 one just wasn't it was the first Magic cruise for the Summer releases. I guess the answer is it could be soon or it could be a few more months I'm afraid.

Interestingly enough, they were a full six pages on the Magic this past cruise.

From what I've read the trial may be over but whether it has just reverted while they evaluate it I guess only time will tell.

"Boucanier"- ABSOLUTELY the best dish all night next to lamb. It was confusing to understand what it was from the descriptor and I don't really like sausage, but it turned out to basically be a savory bread pudding (sort of) with a slice of sausage on top, easily removed. So. Good.

Oh now that's interesting! I thought maybe it was like a meat & cheese plate but that sounds really interesting! I might have to try it. Its the sausage that would put me off

Or just bundle it in the fare like they do here.

Very true!

so i know they add the preferred tips to the bill is this correct? how do you pay for these add it on the credit card?

They will automatically go on what ever payment method you have for the cruise so credit card or cash.

also if you get a soda or something do you tip the bar tender cash or does it go on a receipt and you pay at the end?

18% grat is automatically added and then this gets charged to your stateroom account. You can however get soda free from the drinks station at the pool deck.

how much cash do you bring and how much are you spending approximately? we would only be getting soda or juice no alcoholic drinks.

Depends on if you are charging to a credit card or actually topping your stateroom account up with cash. You don't pay cash anywhere on the ship directly. Soft drinks (and juice) are free in the restaurants. Soda station on pool deck has soft drinks, teas and coffees for free too. Only if you order from a bar do you get charged. I try to budget based on one alcoholic drink a day ($10) and a $25 gift for the 4 people I tend to shop for plus maybe $50 for something for me and then any tours etc I am doing.

i know you tip the room service people appx 2 bucks per item?? is this cash or do you add it on the receipt?

I tend to do a few bucks per tray rather than $2 per item depending on the size. I always tip in cash but you can ask to add to the room charge if you want.

i have never cruised so i am wondering how much money to plan on spending?:confused:

Definitely look at the tours you want to do as this is probably the largest price you will pay out (especially if you are not drinking). Sodas if you are buying them are around the $5 mark I think. Most food is included apart from like cinema snack things which are charged. Also speciality meals in Palo or Remy are at a supplement.

It was funny. Rumor is that DCL talked to the guy about how he could dress however he chose' date=' but he couldn't "pretend" to be a character!?! I mean, if kids want to have their picture taken with another guest, why is that a bad thing?

 

Oh yeah, because if mummy takes your photo with another guest, you might not buy the one taken by the Shutters crew.[/quote']

 

If its who I think you are on about then yes they did. I think DCL were concerned he was causing confusion especially when he went to the theatre but agree the majority has to be because of the loss of revenue! He was very realistic though and a lot better than the DCL one.

I come from Australia where tipping is far from the norm.

 

Took a couple of cruises to get used to it.

 

I love the auto tip system, leave it in place and I know I'm doing the right thing, staff who make my cruise "special" will get a bit extra.

 

And special isn't about service per se, it's about being friendly make my fun get away, fun, and I guess knowing when to just leave me alone.

I agree. From the UK and its not normal to tip anything that isn't outstanding but once you understand that this is factored into their wage level it helps. I still think it should be automatically on there and shouldn't be called a tip but a service charge as I think less people would have issues with paying if they saw it as a "charge" rather than a tip but that's just me.

I always do the preset but then add where service has been fab. If service has just been what I expect then I tend to keep it at the preset amount.

DCL with special needs and the lifeboat drill is totally inconsistent even on the same ship. The first time I traveled with an elderly' date=' handicapped friend (since childhood has needed braces and crutches or wheelchair), I called GS to ask about how the drill would be handled. Person who took the call said she was exempt. OK.....until AFTER the 7 horns sounded and they then called to see if she would need assistance. Ummmmm....make up your mind, guys! And it would have been a whole lot easier to go down 5 minutes before the crowds rather than in the middle of them.[/quote']

 

You would think with the amount of passengers they would have got their act together by now!

 

well i can't say whether RCCL is good across the board..

this was our experience on the Radiance of the Seas...

i took her to alaska - her bucket list was to go on the glass domed train in mainland alaska...

so while she was still able to see something, we did..

 

the crew on the Radiance of the Seas was wonderful....

i don't know if they're equally good on all their ships or not..

i've been on the Allure, but i didn't take my mom...so while the allure was fantastic, i don't know if they're also good with low vision or not..

i didn't take my mom..

but they definitely have a company wide policy in place....as to whether it's executed equally well on all ships, that i can't say...

 

Fab! Thanks! At least they seem to have a policy. DCL seems to just do what ever they feel like at the time.

What I took for snacks was boxes of Cereals from the buffett as these are sealed. Rice Krispies work well. Also chips/crisps are available at some places (on Castaway and I saw some at Pete's Boiler Grill place) and these are presealed.

Thanks! Very useful

Does DCL have a special navigator for the visually impaired?

RCCL has one (what they call their cruise compass) they have a special very very very large print version for the visually impaired...

On previous cruises they do a large print version of the schedule but not the main pages. This gives a bit but not everything (some things have very odd names) hence I always take the magnifier to use on the main pages to work out what things are. Its A3 size the one I got last time.

i notified them in advance that she's legally blind....

when we walked up to the check in desk, we were directed to the handicapped desk....since i had her in a wheelchair - not that she normally uses one, but it allowed us to get around more quickly in certain situations...she normally walks with a cane - not because she has a physical disability, but just to add to her stability issues that result from the low vision.... i bought the wheelchair just for the alaska trip....just in case....she didn't use it much, but every now and then....

 

anyway, the moment we began the check in process they saw the indication about her low vision..

they told us that someone would meet us on board to take her on a complete tour of the ship - to give her the lay of the land...

and that a low vision cruise compass would be waiting for her in the room and she would get one every day..

 

it's pretty amazing - super large print, on very very large sheets of paper...

i've never seen anything like it...

she couldn't use it as her vision is too far gone...

but a lot of people would be able to...

very impressive..

 

also, the moment we boarded, i went up to guest services to ask about reserving the front row for her in the theater, and they did...

it was reserved every night for the 4 of us....the front row...

amazing...

i didn't get any assistance at all from DCL when i took my mom on the disney dream....even when i begged them for help (both guest services and the concierge staff)....if she's not in the front row she can't see anything....but with the masses of people that wait to get into the theater and maneuvering her and my sister (who also needs help due to ovarian cancer)...there was absolutely no way for me to fight the crowds to get into the theater on the disney dream.....so we ended up several rows back where she can't see at all....so she stopped coming after the second night...it was too depressing for her to not be able to see at all...so in that sense, DCL was a major disappointment for me.....

 

getting back to RCCL, when we boarded, the officer found her right away - gave her a little gift (an RCCL lanyard for her keycard) - and took us on a tour of the ship...

and checked on her every day....

 

so say what you will about RCCL, but they were absolutely amazing with her..

 

oh...and they offered to have someone with her at dinner to read the menu to her....but i said it wasn't necessary as i was there for her..

 

but that's one of the other things they offer low vision passengers...

This is amazing! DCL with me (I traveled solo) didn't do much of anything. At dinner they printed large menus for me as I still have quite a lot of vision its just not great at reading things especially on colored or pictured backgrounds. They also sent someone to get me for the lifeboat drill the one year but not last year so not 100% sure this is consistent. Sounds like they are fairly rubbish with visual disabilities and RCCL sound amazing! I may try these in the future! I've tried a few cruise lines but most just ignore the note on file completely hence I tend to carry my magnifier. If DCL do go down the one page route I may have to start taking my iPad on holiday with me just to be able to work out whats going on.