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S-t-r-e-t-c-h! First impressions from Silver Spirit


unfathomable
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Here we are in Barcelona. Background: we’ve been on a fair few SS cruises, but only once on the (old) Spirit. And we’re here sorta-kinda by accident, having switched when a planned cruise on another ship was cancelled; and a couple of weeks after the switch, the stretch was announced. SoI start out slightly apprehensive. I’ll try not to duplicate news from last week’s cruisers. As the title implies, all of this is first impressions from a few hours aboard.

 

Things that have changed (and how I feel about the changes)

 

The observation lounge, now renamed Tor’s observation library, still has a bar. But now it’s only for coffee. We went there most nights for pre-dinner drinks on the earlier trip, and now we can’t. Hmm.

 

The pool grill and the pizza area (which my OH calls Spannacottily) above it have taken a big chunk (most?) of the extra space on that deck. Lots of the pool grill area is under cover, and as you move away from the pool it gets a bit dark and it starts to feel not-very-outside. Not sure.

 

Dolce Vita (new name for the central lobby bar) has been enlarged, and separated by a wide arch from reception and the shore concierge desk. This feels like an improvement.

 

The Arts Café is a cosy indoor/outdoor venue that makes good use of a previously almost-wasted space at the back of deck 8. There’s not much art in evidence yet, but it’s in a good spot and the all-day snack idea is overdue. Excellent; I hope it doesn’t get overcrowded.

 

We had lunch in Atlantide and enjoyed it. I’m not sure that the bar will survive: it has just nine stools. I suspect more dining covers would be a better use of the space. I didn’t think that the old main Restaurant was too barn-like, so it will be interesting to see how it works out.

 

I’m speculating here, but with Atlantide and Indochine, the slower-changing, longer menu may make it easier for the kitchen to produce consistently high-quality results. I suspect that a cook who specialises for a few days in a particular dish will become an expert at it, and when that menu comes around again, those skills won’t be lost.

 

The Terrace Café (sorry, force of habit, I mean “La Terrazza”) has added internal seating where the old Stars Supper Club used to be. I hope this won’t mean longer buffet lines/queues.

 

In our (veranda) suite, the dressing table at the foot of the bed has gone, so there is a clear (approx. 3 feet / 1 metre) corridor to the sitting area and veranda. Good. So the desk now has to do double duty as the dressing table. OK. And there’s now a stool under the desk and only one chair in the seating area, plus the sofa and the small table. The one chair could be used as a desk chair, but it’s a slightly clumsy arrangement. Not so good.

 

The muddy behind-the-mirror TVs have gone. Instead there isa conventional flat screen, maybe 40 inches, driven by an interactive (presumably networked) box. Pretty good.

 

Basic always-on wi-fi is working fine so far for one device at a time per person. Slowish, but acceptable.

 

It’s hard to be 100% sure, but all or most of the furniture, inside and out, seems to have been replaced, not just refurbished. Good. I think somebody said that the total cost of the stretch and the refurb was close to $70m. It feels like, well, a million dollars.

 

Room service doesn’t seem to be a priority and there seems to be no plan to serve restaurant meals in the suites. This is a downgrade. Not great.

 

And one of the largest ships in the fleet is making do with a trio for a band. Another downgrade. Really poor.

 

Décor has changed to a greyer, more neutral palette. People who like this sort of thing (including me) will find this the sort of thing they like. I wasn’t a great fan of the walnut/mahogany woodwork and chocolate marble.

 

It’s too early to say how the extra guest load will feel. I think we have about 70-100 fewer guests than full capacity, despite the advertised waitlist. And I’m biased: the old Spirit was already the biggest ship we had ever sailed on, and pre-expedition Cloud was my favourite ship.

 

After only one meal, it’s too early to say much about food. Seishin and La Dame are still windowless boxes on deck 4 and since I didn’t like them before, I’m prejudiced. I probably won’t try them this trip.

 

Things that haven’t changed

 

The crew are great. They seem uniformly proud of the changes and want to show them off. The attitude, as always, starts at the top. Somebody else said that Spirit has got the A Team and I agree. Captain Pontillo, HD Lester, CD Moss, Restaurant Manager Hedi and Exec Chef Edgar. We’ve sailed with all of them before and all of them are professionals.

 

We’ve been playing “spot the join” and so far we could not do it. Our suite is right on a cut line and so far we can’t see any signs of it. Everything in the suite works, though we did find a big lump of metalwork on the floor of the walk-in closet, apparently a stray shelf leg.

 

I’m not planning daily updates to this, but I might come back if there’s more to say.

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Thank you for this most interesting and helpful report. I do hope they go back to having a bartender in the Obs (Tors) Bar since that was where we always went for pre-dinner drinks.

 

Second the motion, here. It was our go to spot for pre-dinner cocktails.....I'll be REALLY disappointed if it will remain only a coffee bar.......

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Thank you for sharing your first impressions Unfathomable. Much appreciated! Hope you’ll check back in and share your final impressions at the end of your voyage. In the meantime, have a fantastic voyage!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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Thanks!

I was wrong about pre-dinner drinks in the observation lounge. Apologies. The Chronicles say that there is bar service in Tor’s in the evening. Good!

 

Dinner was good overall: food quality was well up to the usual standards in Atlantide. There seem to be many more 2-tops, but we like to share and meet people. Maybe we will have to arrive earlier than usual. Service was OK, with a couple of minor lapses. The cheese menu is still available. The overall impression is like a medium upgrade to the old main Restaurant. Good.

 

In the suite, the bathroom seems to be unchanged: the dark wood and chocolate marble are still there. The safe may have been changed, or perhaps the Spirit safes were always bigger? Anyway, if it matters to you, the safe will take a medium laptop.

 

The bed was very comfortable; quite firm. The butler says the new mattresses don’t have a soft side and a firm side, but “we can make it softer” if it’s too firm.

 

There was no (nautical) weather to speak of overnight, so we had a smooth ride. It’s too early to say how the new ship will handle in rougher seas.

The overall feel is still of a brand-new ship: squishy carpets, pristine surfaces, some crew (and most guests) still finding their feet. Despite my preference for the smaller ships, I think I might enjoy this!

 

The pilot has just boarded, off Valencia, so breakfast is next.

Edited by unfathomable
remove surplus line breaks
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Regarding Dolce Vita, or what used to be The Bar, have they enlarged the bar itself or does it still have only six stools at the bar?
Not sure whether the Dolce Vita bar has been enlarged. It's in the same area. There are tall upholstered chairs at the bar. And there are nine of them.

 

An unrelated update: the deck one level above the pool deck (not actually the jogging track, but on the same level) has been unobtrusively glazed to more than head height. I think that's new. Anyway, it provides extra shelter from wind at the pool deck level.

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Did they replace those counter top sinks with set-in ones?

 

To all of you who posted from the first cruises post stretch, THANK YOU.. Not only for being guinea pigs & handling the inevitable growing pains with humor & patience, but for giving the rest of us your thoughts & answering our questions.

 

Keep those posts coming & safe travels.

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Did they replace those counter top sinks with set-in ones?

 

To all of you who posted from the first cruises post stretch, THANK YOU.. Not only for being guinea pigs & handling the inevitable growing pains with humor & patience, but for giving the rest of us your thoughts & answering our questions.

 

Keep those posts coming & safe travels.

 

Agreed—thanks to all who have posted this past week and shared their voyage and experiences. Any idea if those most effected were next to the new section or in the new section?

 

We have probably sailed on the Spirit ten times and are looking forward to her “new look and makeover”—and joining the ship in Lisbon on the 22nd.

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Not sure whether the Dolce Vita bar has been enlarged. It's in the same area. There are tall upholstered chairs at the bar. And there are nine of them.

 

An unrelated update: the deck one level above the pool deck (not actually the jogging track, but on the same level) has been unobtrusively glazed to more than head height. I think that's new. Anyway, it provides extra shelter from wind at the pool deck level.

 

Thanks, that is exactly what I wanted to know.

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That is indeed good news about Tors. By any chance, did they add a lavatory on deck 11?
Nope. I overheard the bartender telling a guest that the nearest is on deck 9. Also, there is still a launderette on deck 11 -- where all suites are Silver and get free laundry!
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...[in] the Dolce Vita bar... [t]here are tall upholstered chairs at the bar. And there are nine of them.
I noticed last night that there are also three tall tables with the same tall bar chairs, very close to the DV bar. Nine further bar-style seats, making 18 in total.
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Unfathomable gave a great description, but I'll add some more, as I am also on the Spirit now until Tuesday in Lisbon. This is my first time on the Spirit, so I can only compare to the Whisper.

 

1) Size - Obviously bigger, but I haven't felt that onboard. No lines, places aren't crowded...it feels the same to me, which is good.

 

2) Restaurants - Had great meals at Seishen and Atlantide. Extremely disappointed in La Dame. We quite liked Le Chapagne on the Whisper, but this was a mockery of fine dining.

a) appears I could only get the house wine without paying extra?? What?? We had many options on the Whisper, considering we were already paying extra for the meal.

b) need to use a knife for the Lobstet Bisque? Really?

c) Souffle was like a heavy eggy pudding. Very poorly executed.

d) My husband's Beef Bourguignon had cilantro instead of parsley in it. Enough said.

 

Also, not allowing ordering from the restaurant menu in the rooms is a HUGE step back.

 

3) Tours - We normally like to do our own thing, but will sometimes take an offered tour. But the tour should be as offered. Don't just stroll me through shops when the tour was supposed to be about the history.

 

4) After "stretch" issues - Our room is still missing wall plates for electrical sockets and the button on the phone to call our butler doesn't ring anywhere. Not major issues for us.

 

5 ) Art/ Arts Cafe - The Arts Cafe is a lovely place to grab a morning or afternoon snack. While I didn't see any art in here (lots of art books) , I am very pleased with the diverse and interesting collection of art throughout the ship.

 

So, overall, a great trip. My experience on the Whisper was much better (it has double sinks in the bathroom), but this has been fine.

 

I'm just thinking with the premium we've paid for luxury, some of these things shouldn't have happened.

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Thank you everyone for your reports and first impressions. We’re booked for April 2019, and already looking forward to it. Any pictures/videos would be great, especially of the suites. We sailed on the Wind last month and it was our first Silversea experience. I’d love to see pics of the Spirit’s Veranda Suite to compare. It looks like Silversea has pictures of the Muse’s Suites on their website for illustration purposes when looking at the Spirit.

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I’d love to see pics of the Spirit’s Veranda Suite to compare. It looks like Silversea has pictures of the Muse’s Suites on their website for illustration purposes when looking at the Spirit.
Yes, the pic at https://www.silversea.com/ships/silver-spirit.html is not an exact match for our Spirit (veranda) suite. But the only difference that I can see is lighting. Spirit has wall lights instead of table lamps. The decor, furnishings, drapes/curtains and carpet look identical. I don't know for sure, because I have not seen a Muse suite, but the bathroom may be different. Ours has the same dark-wood-and-chocolate-marble design as when we were last on Spirit.
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...I'll add some more, as I am also on the Spirit now until Tuesday in Lisbon.
We too have been pleasantly surprised that nowhere has felt crowded and there are no lines. Well, the Terrazza has been a bit of a zoo on mornings with early tour departures, but the staff have stepped up a gear to cope. We haven't tried La Dame: don't like the windowless box and a bit bored with the menu. Agree about the absence of course-by-course dining in the suite. We've only done one tour, but it was excellent. Our suite has all its wall plates and everything works, but I know others have had problems. Aircon was a bit weak to start with, but in the last few days it has picked up. We think the Arts Cafe is a great addition. The art around the ship is a bit chacun à son goût, but art's always that way! There have been occasional service lapses, a bit more than a regular SS cruise. I guess this is staff getting into the groove in new roles, but it hasn't spoiled the trip. So far, expectations have been exceeded.
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Question (first Silversea Cruise), is there room service? Other suite class cruises have included room service. We particularly love ordering a full breakfast (eggs, coffee, fruit) en suite before morning excursions.

Thank you for these comments and information.

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Question (first Silversea Cruise), is there room service? Other suite class cruises have included room service. We particularly love ordering a full breakfast (eggs, coffee, fruit) en suite before morning excursions.

Thank you for these comments and information.

 

Yes, there is room service at no additional charge. The menu is generous (hot and cold dishes. Of course a full breakfast is possible).

 

The issue is that apparently one must now order from the room service menu. It is apparently no longer possible (on Muse and Spirit) to order dishes featured on the Main Dining Room menu for that evening. That's partly because there is no longer an MDR. The MDR space has been divided into two restaurants with different culinary orientations.

Edited by Observer
To add "additional" before charge.
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