Perfectionistcruiser

We also are on The Muse since Ft Lauderdale and have to say this entire cruise in every respect has been outstanding. We have not had a poor meal anywhere including lunch in Kasieki, never had to wait at Atlantide or Indochine , Ann Marie rejoined the ship in Barbados, always good to see her again.

The Crew have all been great, the laundry possibly the best we have ever had on SS and the WIFI Premium which they gave us in a larger suite is certainly the best we have ever had at sea.

Their is in our view, nothing at all to dislike on this trip, indeed the free tours have also been good to excellent.

The Ship is stunning in terms of decor and comfort, I could only give this trip 10/10.

We love The Butler’s and no way would it be the same without them, especially like that they sort all the shore excursions bookings, maps etc, always get us on the first bus, they are well connected !!

We find their attention to our Suite and Wardrobe excellent, and we sure miss them, when we get home.

They are an integral part of S S and that is why we enjoy it so much. :D

Pier 66 is no longer managed by Hyatt and has some really bad recent comments on Tripadvisor, this was/ is the S S hotel but believe they may consider changeing it now.

The Ritz Carlton is good or there is a W Hotel.

Yes they do have pre-organised bridge visits from time to time, advertised in the Chronicle, sign up that morning at Reception for pre assigned meeting time.

Gone are the days of the open bridge policy that used to exist on The then Prince Albert ( now Silver Explorer) which had its true devotees.

And indeed Silver Sea has at least one excellent female Captain in Capt Maggie in the Expedition Ships whom we have sailed with several times.

I am enjoying a few days at The Ritz Carlton in Toronto, and note form their in house magazine that they will launch three new small luxury ships, each 149 Suites, all with balcony, in Spring 2019.

Reservations will open in Spring 2018.

Information is limited but imagine they will be cranking up the P R machine in early 2018.

Just checked with London Office and they confirm rates as correct.

By 2020 there will be a further 18-20 new Expedition Ships sailing, so maybe a realisation of supply v demand !

I understand from a friend on board that yesterday’s sailing was delayed till 4.00 pm today, local time, for safety reasons.

Given that Captain Adam is the Master, I would have full confidence in his decision to delay the departure, we have sailed with him very many times in Arctic and Antarctic seas . Sad for those on board which is only a ten day cruise, but as we all know safety must come first.

With respect it says LATE 2018, there is no mention of early !

Sorry mis type, dry dock late 2018.

Thank you all for your comments, the carpet laying with 35 contractors/fitters is clearly going to cause considerable disruption.

Firstly those contractors have to be accommodated , I don’t think they can do that in the crew area, so that’s a good few cabins.

The carpet I was told ( by the H D) is to be similar/ same as that now on The Muse. So it really is a massive transformation from the present and includes every public space on the Ship.

My understanding was no dry dock till late 2019.

I recently disembarked the Whisper Montreal-New York Cruise (that was storm delayed and missed four ports), and whilst in the circumstances it was a good cruise, I was disappointed and am surprised that no other guests have mentioned the permanent three tents erected on the Pool Deck to provide shelter for workers conducting repairs to timber decking, which was dusty, noisy and highly disruptive to anyone wishing to sit in the pool area.

It is my belief that S S should manage these issues during dry docks or empty passage, we do not pay to travel on a construction site !!

And there is more to come, for the poor souls taking the next voyage from Barbados up to Manaus and back to Barbados, they are to be joined by 35 contractors/carpet layers and 50 plus roles of carpet in three containers, and all the public area carpets will be replaced during the cruise.

This will necessitate dining rooms and other public spaces out of use for periods of time and all manner of other disruption, why would guests pay to be disrupted in this way ?

A real shame when S S are doing so well on many fronts now, that this work whilst guests on board will further alienate many others.

Whisper halted by storm in Halifax:

We docked here yesterday (Sunday) morning for a scheduled stop with a 4.00 pm departure time. Due to storm this has now been extended to Tuesday morning at a departure time still TBC.

This means we miss calls at Portland, Boston and Newport and will sail directly to NYC where we ‘may’ arrive on Wednesday afternoon, slightly ahead of our planned Thursday morning arrival and conclusion of this cruise.

However, this is of little if any benefit as the Cruise Director has already advised us there will be no Customs, hence no disembarkation till Thursday morning.

I understand Marius Sima is Hotel Director and Sivi Pahis is Maitre'D.

Those are the only ones I know.:p

Last night's special event at the Peninsula Hotel proved to be rather shambolic because there were way too many people for the size of the venue.

 

Early arrivals naturally gravitated to the open air terrace on the 34th floor. From here, in the near foreground, stood the Trump Tower, with the now permanent fixture of barriers round the entrance, Even more entrancing was the view right along Fifth Avenue, with the lights twinkling brightly from the high vantage point.

 

Later arrivals appeared to be directed to a large enclosed lounge which worked well for them, when the food was served in this area. This proved to be a buffet and they had the advantage of chairs and tables.

 

By the time those in the terrace area were aware that food was being served, there was a long line in the narrow interlinking corridor, to collect a plate of food. This wait took in excess of ten minutes. Returning to the outdoor terrace, the only option was to perch plates and drink on the ledge. The upshot was about half those present here, decided it was just too much effort and opted out of "dinner" altogether. Some people said they would come back to the ship and find somewhere to to eat onboard.

 

At the noon announcement the Captain announced that the ship would not now call at Savannah, a great disappointment to most passengers. Seemingly precedence is given to cargo ships! I booked this cruise specifically for the calls at Charleston and Savannah. The former was cancelled several months ago, and now the latter. I will not be rebooking a sailing that includes these ports in case the same thing happens again. We are therefore going straight to Port Canaveral for a two day stay.

 

Kindest regards

 

From a Very Sad Master Echo

 

PS seating capacity expansion in Atlantide commenced this morning, so breakfast and lunch in Indochine for the next three days.

Dear Master Echo

Thank you so much for the advice of missing the Southern US Ports, we had originally booked this Muse Cruise , then thought it would be a ' travel agent show off' so moved to the Wind similar itinerary next year, well sounds like we best get of that as well, as we like you wanted to see Charlestown and Savanna.

You are kind to post all information and it is truly appreciated.

Peter - the easiest is by using Forums on an ipad! Other methods are now more complex with the withdrawel of upload function for users on photobucket.

Jeff what is the Forums app called please ?

Thanks

Jolly jones thanks so much for the excellent recommendation of Marine Traffic I think it's great and have downloaded all the S S fleet onto it. How else would,I have known that the Cloud is undergoing her transformation to expedition ship in Malta. :p

Had a great Dinner last evening on board The Cloud at Tower Bridge in La Terrazza, really super food, the favourite pasta dish was as good as ever, great service from a very polished and professional crew.

Last time we shall see the Cloud before she is converted to what will be the most Luxurious Expedition Ship, works starting in August.

Cloud sails at 2.00 pm today and the Wind takes over the mooring alongside HMS Belfast at 4.45 pm, so the twin sisters will pass on The Thames this afternoon, perhaps somewhere around Greenwich, that would make a great picture.

London Today

Purposely went into the West End Today for a pre arranged Lunch at The Ivy, clearly so did everyone else that was booked, it was full, as ever. Afterwards a stroll through Piccadilly Circus and down Jermyn Street to Fortnums and on past The Ritz to Green Park. A beautiful sunny day to be in this wonderful city where we will NOT be defeated .

Simply appalling treatment, how can a company that for the most part does so well, look at the The Muse Launch, completely stuff up on what should be a fairly strait forward excercise.

They should have refused to accept the Ship from the Yard and cancelled the entire cruise earliar IMO, and advised the passengers accordingly. The crew would have been so upset, we all know what high standards they strive for and achieve all the time, my sympathies for them.

:loudcry:

have just disembarked in Venice after eighteen days and must say the Wind delivered well beyond and after nearly three hundred days with S S I would say this was as good as it gets.

Every single department was firing on all cylinders simply nothing to criticise or complain about. They really have got a great team there and it truly shows.:)

We are on the Silver Wind now, full ship and I would say average is 60. There are a lot of active walkers, some multi generational families and some groups of 4/6 traveling together. The bar apparently keeps going till 1.00 am most nights so Albert tells me.

Thank you for this picture of the Muse we saw from our Chronicle here on the Silver Wind (in Dubrovnik today) that you would both be together today in Sorrento, expect Spirit crew are very anxious to visit the Muse.

Life continues to be very good here, food and crew truly outstanding.

The wifi is good now on the wind, they installed a new satellite dish last Saturday and it's now much quicker. You get one hour free maybe more for premium suites and then there are a variety of packages you can purchase.

We are just concluding the first nine days of Monaco to Rome and it has been an excellent cruise in every way.

A full ship for this Easter Cruise and I understand also for the next cruise, which we are staying on for, from Rome to Venice.

Crew,food and weather have all been outstanding, finally chilly today, but full sun in Sorrento.

A big highlight for many of the Crew was a visit from Captain ( now retired) Corsaro for lunch on board when we were in Sicily on Wednesday, and he was well entertained in La Terrazza for Luncheon by Captain Rota and a large compliment of the Ships Officers.

So very good to see him and see the respect with which he is held by all at Silversea.

Who is the Hotel Director on board he/she should certainly have written to all guests at the very least:(