Peanutbrittle56

12 hours ago, les37b said:

 

Another vote for arriving at least the day before the cruise.

 

We embarked and disembarked in Barbados 6 months ago. The airport is small and a little chaotic and when the planes arrive at the same time, expect a wait unless you book a speedy exit pass. 
 

Make sure you fill out your arrival paperwork, though if you forget, there are machines there for you to do it on arrival. Ironically I think that actually looked the quicker option as 95% had their paperwork.

 

Boarding the ship is also a bit of a mare, as you will be registered and then wait for a bus to go inside the small port. They probably will give you a board time of 2pm, but the process will start at 1pm if you were to make your own way.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

Thank you for this reply; invaluable information!  So appreciate it.

I so appreciate all those who replied to my post. We will ask our TA to arrange arrival the day before in Barbados. Has anyone had any experience with BGI airport?  Easy to navigate/crowded?   And now to choose a hotel in Barbados - any further suggestions?

Hello Fellow Cruisers, we are thrilled to finally return to cruising after 5 years. We are booked on Silversea Silver Dawn in January for a Barbados to Ft. Lauderdale cruise. We live on the west coast so an overnight stay will be necessary before cruise.  My question is this:  Would you be more inclined to travel straight through to Barbados for the overnight then board ship the next morning?  Or, would you fly to Miami or Ft. Lauderdale for overnight stay then fly to Barbados next morning to board ship by afternoon? How is the airport in Barbados?  Easy to navigate through customs?  I'm sure all of you seasoned travelers have tips or tricks you might want to share with us. We have never flown into or cruised out of Barbados before so this is all new to us. We have cruised out of Ft. Lauderdale many times and Miami a few times; this is not our first cruise. Thank you in advance!

We had Room 507. It's a very small room, but we loved having the terrace with small table and 2 chairs (and a retractable awning) directly on the Grand Canal. We sat out there quite a bit. I actually hadn't remembered the room number from our first visit many years before, but I emailed the hotel and they were able to locate it. In fact I would suggest emailing the hotel to discuss rooms and your desires. They are very helpful, and I expect would be able to help with your room choice.

Thank you so much, I think I will take your suggestion and email them directly.

I can't speak to booking this hotel through Silversea, but I have stayed twice at the Bauer Il Palazzo in Venice -- most recently last year after a Silversea cruise. My husband and I love this hotel. We booked the same room both times -- it was overlooking the Grand Canal with a lovely terrace right on the canal. The location is fantastic -- easy walking distance to St. Mark's Square, and walking distance to many other sights. Good breakfast provided in a room that also has beautiful views. I would highly recommend this hotel. Be sure that you are booking the Il Palazzo side of the hotel -- it is the older side in what was originally a palazzo, and not on the newer side of the Bauer, which I think doesn't really have a lot of charm.

Lovely, Sweetpea, thank you for this! Would you care to share the room number that you have booked twice? I didn't know there was such a difference between the two sides of the hotel.

As always, these are very valid suggestions. We have only one week every year to make the most of a vacation and your suggestions will help me to do just that. Thank you to all who took the time to reply.

I am staying at The Bauer in July pre-cruise.........:D......I will be happy to give you my opinion of it after I return home. I booked it directly through the hotel's website.

I would so welcome your review/opinion of The Bauer. I would love to know about size of rooms and overall ambiance. Also interested in the concierge and suggestions for special tours.

Thank you!

Hello All,

We will be taking a highly anticipated cruise on Silver Muse in August from Rome to Venice. My question is: Has anyone used Silversea for the post-cruise Hotel option? Particularly the Grande Hotel Bauer Il Palazzo in Venice? What are your thoughts on the reliability of Silversea with this transfer option. Do you have any thoughts on the Bauer Palazzo? This cruise will hopefully replace our less than favorable memory of our Silver Cloud cruise 4 years ago.

Thanks in advance to all of you who are so kind to reply.

Peanutbrittle

Dear Nina, you are still able to use our referral if you are a first time cruiser. That is the BONUS. Just let me know.

Dear Libby and Mark,

I called Seabourn directly and was told we could not use referral OBC.

Nina

Dear Libby and Mark, thank you for your information, however our OBC was a booking promotion through Seabourn and sadly we couldn't even combine Amex credits. Looks like we are not eligible for this. Happy sailing!

Nina

We are first time cruisers to Seabourn, sailing on July 1, 2017 on Encore. We would love to share in the OBC coupon with anyone who is able. Please reply and we can exchange email addresses.

Does anyone know if these credits can be used in addition to any Seabourn OBC?

Thank you,

Nina

The Tour Department on the Cloud would be a good place to start.

Oh, no, I was planning on using the tour department once onboard for a private tour. Are you suggesting I should set that up before we sail? May I ask,did you use the tour department for scheduled excursion or a private tour?

Getting a wee bit of movement on the ship, did not feel that so much on the Spirit, but both times we were in the med. generally, things have been very good, already settled in, the cabin is similar to the Spirit, but feels wider and a bit more plush, bathroom, rather shower room is smaller, but hey ho, tv system was far better on the spirit, but we are not here to watch TV, Muster was something you just have to do, especially in the current climate, but quick and informative, sailing away party on pool dec was fine.

First comment on smoking, I love my cigars, BUT if my smoking interferes with one other guest, their gone, We found a quiet corner, ash trays on the table, a few other smokers, NOT BOTHERING OTHER guests, so first cigar, a wee nub, I'm happy, and not interfering with anyone else.

Sorry back to the service A 1 ... Very attentive, canopies were plentiful and delicious.

Further to follow ( as long as someone is interested)

PS.. Internet package was very easy to enlist to, 16$ a day for 11 days, I paid $14.95 in the Hilton (never again and I mean the hotel) for 1 night,,,

Can you tell me which cruise you are on? Which islands do you mention?

Thanks

Thank you for this report; it is so helpful as we will be boarding the Cloud in March for our Caribbean cruise. Still a little hesitant of all the negative comments, but we are going in with a positive attitude. :)

This has me very concerned as my husband and I are scheduled to sail aboard Cloud in March to Caribbean. We are spending quite a bit of money to sail aboard what I thought was a 5 star line, however, after reading messages for quite some time it looks like we may have to look to Seabourn after all.

Peanutbrittle56

If you find it noisy, from the above pool deck in the morning, talk to the pool guys, and the delivery guys from the galley, and ask them to use the other doors. Also ask the pool guys to start setting up from the opposite side. Usually helps. Of course, the folks on the other side aren't thrilled but you don't need to tell them!

Thank you for this suggestion, I never would have thought of this! I covet my sleep on vacations and this will definitely help me out. My husband can sleep through anything! After taking into consideration everyone's helpful suggestions I will be depositing this week on the Owner's Suite for our 35th Anniversary Cruise! Thanks all!

It was my intention to question the long term (5 years or more) future of the Cloud and to highlight some of the issues that appeared on our cruise. I was not predicting the Cloud's imminent demise.

 

With regard to the Owners v Silver Suites on the Cloud I was only reporting the problems that beset the occupants of the Owners Suite on that voyage.

 

None of the above should stop you having a great cruise on the Cloud, hopefully it helps inform your decision of which suite to take.

Thank you for this clarification; I suppose there will be minor problems with any cruise line. "Demise" may have been a strong word to use as I was only worried that the ship was getting older without some major rehab taking place. I'm trying to take all information into consideration. Thank you for replying.

The Grand Suite can be noisy due to the anchor, so the Owner's Suite is preferable if cost is not an issue. However, the Owner's Suite is below the pool deck and if the crew is sliding deck chairs around early in the morning, there might be some noise. Personally, I would opt for the Silver suite. Great location and plenty big enough.

Thank you Cool Cruiser for this reply, however after reading another post by Silver Spectre re: Silver Cloud's demise, I may have to re-think this trip and find another ship altogether :(

I am looking for information on the Silver Cloud Suites; to be exact the Silver Suite vs. the Owner's Suite 1 bedroom. My husband and I are thinking of taking the cruise from Puerto Rico to Caribbean next March 2015 on Silver Cloud for our 35th anniversary and I am deciding on the accommodations. Silver Suite fare is much less than the Owner's Suite, but we like spacious cabins. Seems to be only a difference of about 40sq. ft. between the two. I like the mid-ship location of both, but still thinking of the Grand Suite; over 1,000sq. ft., but it's at the front of the ship. Any comments on the ship motion on this size ship in March in Caribbean waters would be helpful.