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Thoughts on Whisper Cruise


Lois R
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Hello friends, I haven't done a "full fledged review" in many years but I thought I would give some thoughts on my recent cruise after getting back into the swing of things. (work, etc.).

 

I flew to Venice 2 days early and stayed at the Bauer Palazzo. Lovely hotel with a great breakfast, good size rooms, lovely lobby, great location and excellent staff too. This was my first time visiting Venice and I loved it.:)

I took a private tour with a gal named Nadia who owns a company called "A Friend in Venice". She was recommended and I give her a thumbs up. I wrote a review on Trip Advisor about it too.

She took me to quite a few places "off the beaten path". It was a 3.5 hour tour on my 2nd day. My first day I just walked around on my own.

Had dinner at a neat little place recommended by the Concierge at the hotel.....it was within a 3 minute walk from the hotel called VINO VINO and was very good.

The 2nd night I ate another café but can't remember the name...….it was good too.

 

I love Venice.....all the history, architecture, food, wine, did I mention food? LOL...….found everything really

good.

 

Silversea has a private water taxi that works with my hotel so they picked me up on embarkation morning (along with 3 other couples) and we were off.

We got to the docking area and checked into the terminal. They had a shuttle that took you to the ship but I chose to walk it instead. (it was HOT outside), actually the temps on this trip were all hot......every day. Sunny

and HOT.

So got to the ship and went to bar at the pool:D……..I had walked around a bit to explore the ship. It is smaller

than SPIRIT (I sailed her last year) but it is very comfortable. I met a really nice couple at the pool bar from Australia who were taking their very first cruise. We ended up hanging out a lot together over the next 10 days.:) Aussies are fun!!!

 

I found the food and service excellent throughout the cruise. And as a solo cruiser, I felt the same as last year,

very welcomed and staff/crew very engaging.

 

I had dinner multiple times with different staff...…...each one was terrific. Most guests were also very friendly.

 

More later...….guess this will be bit longer than I originally intended.

Edited by Lois R
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Looking forward to more, Lois! The Whisper is bigger than any of the SS ships that we've sailed on so I'm interested in your perspective on this "big" ship - even though to you, it's a "small" ship. :D

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Can you share the cost of the tour in Venice? Also, your impression of food/drink prices overall. We have our sight visits pre-booked and paid. We are trying to plan for our upcoming 3 days before our Whisper cruise in September.

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Hi JP:), the ship was full, 380 guests but it never felt crowded, although there were a few times all the loungers at the pool were filled and finding a spot in the shade was a bit difficult but not too, too bad.

Speaking of the pool, they had a buffet at lunch, along with the menu.

 

And for the food, it was delicious. I ate in the main dining room for dinner 7 out of 10 nights. 2 nights I ate in

La Tarraza and 1 night in La Dame. I must admit, the main dining room was really, really good and although

there were a couple of dishes in La Dame I loved, I was not blown away. I have to say they have a cream of mushroom soup that absolutely was the best I have ever eaten anywhere:)

Terraza was very, very good and of course the views are lovely. And their breakfast and lunches are always fresh......who has lamb chops on a lunch buffet?:D……..YUMMY!

 

Entertainment......they had 6 singers and they were quite good. I went to several shows and enjoyed them.

 

Cruise director was Vickie Van Tassel...…..she is a hoot:D very fun person.

 

Next part will be ports.

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Can you share the cost of the tour in Venice? Also, your impression of food/drink prices overall. We have our sight visits pre-booked and paid. We are trying to plan for our upcoming 3 days before our Whisper cruise in September.

 

Hi, it was pricey.....but well worth it (for me). It was 180 Euros. The impression of food and drink? On the ship or in Venice?

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Who was your Captain and HD on the Whisper, please?

 

Captain Louigi……..he disembarked the same day I did so he is on vacation now.......and HD Ken Feller(or Fell) I can't remember.

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Looking forward to more, Lois! The Whisper is bigger than any of the SS ships that we've sailed on so I'm interested in your perspective on this "big" ship - even though to you, it's a "small" ship. :D

 

JP -- Whisper is my favorite ship, and has been ever since she came out. Just so darned comfortable.....:)

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Hello again,

 

I want to say there is one spot I really missed on WHISPER that is on SPIRIT...…...STARZ...….the restaurant with the tasting menu and music......I love that place and it would have been really nice to have been able to go there. So I give that extra point to Spirit.

 

Now, for excursions...…..this itinerary (in my opinion) was fantastic. I had a couple of issues with tours (will get to that ) but the places/cities/ports were simply awesome:D…...all but 2 places were new for me.

Dubrovnik...…...weather was VERY HOT. Took a tour that went to a mill (saw a demo on how corn got milled into a fine grain) and then went to shop which got mixed reviews......it was about silk/embroidery and the silk worm and the different embroidery on women's clothes and the messages they meant (going back many years). Many folks found it not very interesting but I didn't know many of the things about a silk worm and it may have been a bit long (of the person talking to us) but I enjoyed it.

 

Before I go on, I want to mention the weather..it was VERY hot in all the places......sunny and hot.

 

Malta, one of the places I (along with others) had tour issues......first, my original tour was cancelled due to

"lack of participation"...….I was disappointed but went on another one called "Hidden Gems"...….it was not

hidden and not a gem...…..first, we had at least 25 on the tour and the guide did not have any audio devices.

It is VERY hard to hear a guide with so many people without the device. And I would have thought a "hidden gem" would be something off the beaten path where maybe it would not be so touristy......wrong. We went downtown and went into a couple of churches and a theater....downtown is a mixture of shops and restaurants....big deal. Then we had some free time and 3 other folks and I went to another magnificent church

ST JOHN.....that should have been on the tour...….nope. Anyway, it was 7 Euros and it actually had audio devices. So we went through there for about 45 minutes and then went back to the starting point and went back to the ship (it was a 1/2 day tour). That church is awesome if anyone is interested.

 

Upon returning to the ship I went to Shore excursions and tried to give my thoughts, especially about the lack of audio devices...….the guy in charge was quite rude to me. I ended up speaking with the Hotel Director the next morning.

 

My days are getting mixed up but we went to Sicily...….. 1 stop in Siracusa and 1 in Trapani. Both of those days were excellent...….Siracusa went on a tour and then free time....went with another couple and found a wonderful restaurant on a side street and had a great lunch together:) oh, went to 2 churches as well.

 

Trapani......went to winery...for MARASALA wine only. LOVED IT...….we had a tasting and they served a fabulous lunch. Not just a little bit of appetizers but a LARGE table...….spinach pie, the fried rice balls that are sooo good, a Ratatoullie (sp) dish......and if you wanted some sandwiches they offered those as well. Red/white wine and of course some Marsala wine with dessert......oh yes, trays of Italian desserts...….YUM!!!

 

Rome, I took a tour called "Etruscan Countryside and Olive Oil Tasting"...….it was up into the countryside....

beautiful......then went to what looked like a beautiful mansion (found out is also a B&B)……..they have lots of Olive trees...….we had samples and lunch there too.....I enjoyed it very much.

 

Sorrento...…...this was the 2nd port that my tour got cancelled. I didn't book anything else. It was a tender port so I just decided to go into town (there was a really nice couple on my same tender who I had met on the ship) and so we just walked around for a couple of hours and had a gelato and sat eating it and looked over the Med…….what a view:)

 

And Cinque Terre...…...probably one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen...….took a tour on a ferry. We stopped at 2 ports (passed by 5 in total) and this was the 2 tour with Audio Device issues...…..it was working fine the ferry ride over but once we landed the guide's microphone BROKE...…...she tried a new battery and calling someone for help but nothing worked...…..this group tried to stay together so we could hear her.…..

Anyway, the area is beautiful and I really did enjoy it.

 

Whewww……...more later.

 

COMMUNITY MANAGER'S NOTE: Edited at request of OP to remove employee identifying information

Edited by LauraS
Edited at request of OP to remove employee identifying information
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In Venice.

 

I had 2 dinners there...….my breakfast was included in the price of my room at the hotel.

 

I thought my dinners were reasonable in price.…the food was very, very good:D…...I think price is sort of subjective. What I think is reasonable someone else may think is expensive.....

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I had 2 dinners there...….my breakfast was included in the price of my room at the hotel.

 

I thought my dinners were reasonable in price.…the food was very, very good:D…...I think price is sort of subjective. What I think is reasonable someone else may think is expensive.....

 

We don't blink at a $125-$150 night out for a good meal and a few drinks or a bottle of wine at home. Hoping that we can spend about that per day or a little less. We plan to avoid the main touristy areas and stick to the wonderful cecchetti with an Aperol Spritz or Umbra....

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We don't blink at a $125-$150 night out for a good meal and a few drinks or a bottle of wine at home. Hoping that we can spend about that per day or a little less. We plan to avoid the main touristy areas and stick to the wonderful cecchetti with an Aperol Spritz or Umbra....

 

Hi, you should be fine on that budget for dinner:D

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I had a cabin on deck 6...….good location and love the size of it:)…...had a nice butler although I am very low maintenance and don't need much......a clean cabin is about it and it was always that way:D

 

Overall, I had a wonderful cruise...…..I love the interaction with Silversea folks......they had 2 International hostesses who were lovely and I had dinner with them both multiple times. For any of you going on Whisper, both Soraya and Ebru are 2 of the most terrific people! Soraya has been working for SS for 9 years and Ebru was on her first contract. If you have a chance to say hello to them, it will be well worth it.:)

Oh...I also saw a bartender who was on my Spirit cruise last year! Victoria from Ukrane…...we saw each other early in the cruise and realized we remembered each other. It was pretty cool!!

 

Overall, I will give this cruise a 9 out of 10......nothing is ever perfect but it came pretty close!

 

If you have any questions I will try to answer them.

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Hi friends, I am back....just a follow up on what I think SS could be doing....since they are a 6 star line, I think they could do a better job on their tours.....after all, we are paying $$$$$ for the cruise. I say make the tours smaller in size or if they are going to be larger that Audio devices are always used...….it would make things a lot easier for everyone.

I have booked tours on my own but when traveling solo (depending on the port) I normally go with the cruise line.

 

I just think with everything else they do so well, they could step up with their tours.

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Nice to hear that you had Soraya with you on your cruise, she is a real sweetie.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

Yes, she is a beautiful person and Ebru is as well. It is so nice to meet people from around the world:)

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I certainly agree that the listening devices would be a wonderful addition. They were standard issue on the river Cruises I have taken.

On SS, I always have avoided museum excursions because I either couldn’t hear, or was embarrassed by the guide’s loud voice.

I hope others will join in. This an excellent idea, and shouldn’t be a big deal to have it on offer.

Glad you are “ back” Lois. Your reviews have been upbeat and helpful.

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I certainly agree that the listening devices would be a wonderful addition. They were standard issue on the river Cruises I have taken.

On SS, I always have avoided museum excursions because I either couldn’t hear, or was embarrassed by the guide’s loud voice.

I hope others will join in. This an excellent idea, and shouldn’t be a big deal to have it on offer.

Glad you are “ back” Lois. Your reviews have been upbeat and helpful.

 

Good morning, thanks and I agree it should be no big deal. I was told it is "up to the tour operator" but my answer is, SS is representing me, as their guest. I would think audio devices would be mandatory (almost). I guess they cannot force a company to have them but it would just seem so much more efficient!

 

They used them on my AMA River cruise too:)

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I had a cabin on deck 6...….good location and love the size of it:)…...had a nice butler although I am very low maintenance and don't need much......a clean cabin is about it and it was always that way:D

 

Overall, I had a wonderful cruise...…..I love the interaction with Silversea folks......they had 2 International hostesses who were lovely and I had dinner with them both multiple times. For any of you going on Whisper, both Soraya and Ebru are 2 of the most terrific people! Soraya has been working for SS for 9 years and Ebru was on her first contract. If you have a chance to say hello to them, it will be well worth it.:)

Oh...I also saw a bartender who was on my Spirit cruise last year! Victoria from Ukrane…...we saw each other early in the cruise and realized we remembered each other. It was pretty cool!!

 

Overall, I will give this cruise a 9 out of 10......nothing is ever perfect but it came pretty close!

 

If you have any questions I will try to answer them.

 

Hi Lois

Your review has made me feel less anxious about my first solo cruise ... I embark SS Whisper on 28 August .... I'll try and prepare myself for some very hot weather!! There's one formal night on my cruise, do you think a black cocktail dress will be OK? I'm trying to pack sensibly and limit my clothes, shoes to what I need rather than taking extras 'just in case' ....

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Appreciate seeing these great details, comments and follow-ups from Lois. YES!!, for totally loving Venice, Spirit's Starz, etc. Keep up the wonderful sharing and posting. Glad things got "fixed" and fine-tuned. Nice to see these details and specifics.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Lisbon, NWSpain, Bordeaux/Brittany: Finished June 2017 sailing on the Silver Spirit from Portugal to France along the scenic Atlantic Coast, plus great pre- and post-cruise experiences. Now at 22,780 views. Many interesting pictures and details on history, food, culture, etc., from my live/blog at:

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2511358

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Hi Lois

Your review has made me feel less anxious about my first solo cruise ... I embark SS Whisper on 28 August .... I'll try and prepare myself for some very hot weather!! There's one formal night on my cruise, do you think a black cocktail dress will be OK? I'm trying to pack sensibly and limit my clothes, shoes to what I need rather than taking extras 'just in case' ....

 

Good morning, glad my review has eased your mind:)…...they are very good about how they treat everyone...…solos as well as not solo;)

 

As for the cocktail dress, you will be just fine. I am not a "dress" gal and wore some wide leg pants (black, of course LOL) they have a lovely floral print going down the leg out the outside and a black lace top. I felt totally appropriate. Yes, there were women in long dresses/gowns and men in tuxes but there were others in suits and cocktail dresses.

 

Make a note for me, if you can remember...…...if you see Ebru and Soroya, tell them Lois says thank you and a big hello...…:D……..I had dinner with them a few different times...….just wonderful people.:)

 

Have a great cruise...…….what is your itinerary?

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I want to post something else about Venice...….I went to a Museum that was really awesome. I wish I could remember the name of it but it had musical instruments in it going back hundreds of years. It is really an amazing place if anyone is interested.:)…….most were string instruments but they did have some woodwinds......and I found something on line but we did not pay anything to go in so not sure if it "donations" or not.

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