Live Silver Spirit Maiden TA Crossing

[duct tape]

Thanx, palamoh, for your take on the ship. I always avoid maiden voyages for many of the same reasons. We did try the SB Odyssey when she had beeen out a few months and it still was not time to go. Some of us need to give new ships "maturing time". Maybe in a few years. For now, I will stick with the "old" SS ships.

[MuseCruiser]

Interesting review by Loralai--Marie. So sorry you've had this experience. I know you recently hosted a grand party in your suite which we had been invited to but only found out later. We heard you threw a great party and we're sorry to have missed it. Our friends (Eric and Terry) who went said they had a great time.

 

On the last part of the cruise (the first part--Barcelona to Lisbon) my Blackjack partner had that suite. Her only complaint was that it did not have a wrap around balcony (as do the other Grand Suites) and had a partially obstructed view. (Part of the ship's anchor assembly). She was unhappy with 701 because of that but didn't mention any other issues with the suite.

 

So sorry Marie you're having a bad time onboard! I guess we're lucky--everything works in our suite and we're having a lot of fun. Going to the stone grill again tonight!

[Goofyisme]

Doug,

Thanks for putting things into perspective. I hope you and Wes et al are able to tear yourselves away in FLL although it sounds like it will be difficult.

Thank you all for your wonderful commentary.

[DebbieH103]

I'm glad to see other cruisers post and hope people will continue to do so in spite of not always being well received by 100% of the people here.

[Goldens4]

I am in complete agreement with duct tape. I'll give the Spirit some time to mature and stick to the "seasoned" SS fleet. And, if they don't fit into our vacation time frame, so be it. We will do something else. SS is a wonderful experince but it is not a "must have" in our life.

[duct tape]

Goldens4, I AM WITH YOU!

[spook1]

I am in complete agreement with duct tape. I'll give the Spirit some time to mature and stick to the "seasoned" SS fleet. And, if they don't fit into our vacation time frame, so be it. We will do something else. SS is a wonderful experince but it is not a "must have" in our life.

New ships will have bugs. But old ships do too...AC won't work, toilets back up, door to balcony won't close/open, no hot water, and on it goes.

Get on with life...it's the only one you'll have...land or sea.

Enjoy!:):)

[DebbieH103]

I've chosen to just take a sailing not over Christmas/New Year's this year. We have a command performance with Todd's dad's 8oth birthday in Florida, anyway. His dad's birthday is the week before Christmas. I like the pricing on all the Caribbean sailings, not just the Spirit.

[WesW]

Yesterday Silversea dining team hit a grandslam for the few of us who were very fortunate to enjoy the traditional english lunch and steak diane/crepe suzzettes doug mentioned above.

 

The SS culinary team clearly went far above & beyond in food preparation, presentation and taste. Carl, (backstory, last Thursday Carl, Diane, Lynn/Doug, Ida and I were having dinner in Le Champagne when Carl was challenged to put on a real English Lunch) worked very closely with the Hotel Director and Food and Beverager Manager to coordinate our memorable lunch. The magnificent English pie was almost one foot by two feet. Executive Chef Richard and his team of chefs in the kitchen simply worked magic. Our Pie, English Truffle (shaved chocolate, pudding, sponge cake, whipped

cream) and our dinner of steak diane and crepe suzzettes, along with sharing these meals with our terrific new crusie critic crossing friends (Doug/Lynn, Dave/Patsy, Carl/Diane)..made our dining onboard the Spirit yesterday our favoritie of all our cruises. Antonio (Restaurant Manager) and Alves (Asst RM)

and their serving team operate in the highest band of cruise cuisine excellence. They welcome special dinner or lunch requests (we are having Dover

Sole again today for our last lunch on board)..most significantly, the servers (Carl, Joey, Ace, and many many others) wine sommeliers smile and meet every dining need (often it seems they are telepathic--sense what you want before your ask) you have---they have succeeded and provided the best dining experience we have had at sea.

 

We capped the evening off listening and dancing to Alfreda (glorious smoky voice) and Vladimir in Starrs.

[dougburns]

I spelled the name incorrectly and was corrected by the lovely "Miss Lynn". The lady's name is Maria, not Marie. Oh well, life ain't perfect! This morning we're cruising along at 17.5 kts in very calm sea conditions with wind only @7 kts and basically clear skies. Ruby Princess is still with us. The ships are probably starting to line up for the parade arrival at FLL. Luggage tags arrived last night and today is packing day. What a bummer! Last night's dinner of steak Diane finished off with crepe suzette was another culinary masterpiece. Tonight we'll finish off the cruise in La Terrazza with Wes, Ida and Emmy. The only complaint I have is that there hasn't been much dancing this cruise. Have a great day!

[lord of the seas]

A complaint Doug.You are human after all.:)

 

Wes has provided the best factual report whilst onboard.

Doug has provided the best weather report whilst onboard.

 

Thanks Gentlemen.

[Emtbsam]

Were the crepes suzettes flambeed at the table? That is something I remember fondly from Cunard Line in the 1950's (as a young child). The last time we had crepes suzettes, they were brought out from the kitchen fully prepared.

[MuseCruiser]

We had a great evening last night--enjoyed the Grill restaurant over the pool. A nice touch--a week or so ago when we last dined there, I asked if the sommelier could have a bottle of Conundrum and a bottle of La Flor wines from the complimentary list sent there, which she did. Last night, without me asking, they remembered my preferences and had two new bottles there--the Conundrum and the La Flor. Nice touch. We had actually brought a 1989 Ch. Montrose so we didn't have the La Flor but I thought it was good they had remembered our preferences. Then we went to Stars to hear Alfreda and Vladimir.

 

Last day today--we're all sad. We'll ask the butler to pack for us at dinner and begin the "back to reality" re-entry into regular, non-sea life after almost a month at sea.

[JoAnne B]

Well, it'[s packing day and we have to face the reality that on Wednesday morning, nobody will bring coffee or make the bed or clean the bathroom. This is our first Silversea cruise, but I came on board with the realization that all is never perfect on a new ship and kept reminding myself of that when minor problems arose. At the same time, I kind of expected a Wow! moment somewhere along the line. But it never happened.

 

It was a good cruise, yes. But not great. And there were areas of real disappointment, and there is time to talk about that in a full review. But one star shone above all others. The service staff was flawless in their committment to provide excellent service. Sometimes waiters tend to look over the heads of the diners not really "seeing" them at all. Not on this ship. Service staff across the board was there to anticipate needs or ways they could create a positive experience. Be it opening a door, moving a chair, stepping up to take or bring my walker at mealtime, noticing a dropped fork, and on and on, they were there. Yes, service in the dining room was sometimes painfully slow, but our wineglasses were always full even when people arrived at the last minute, they were greeted with a smile. I don't think I ever saw a frown or a distracted crew member. The smiles were contagious. I don't think a crew member ever passed us in the hallway without a greeting. Yes,our butler will need a lot more training before she has the confidence to do the job well. But it is obvious that she is really trying and the improvement even over the last week has been amazing.

 

So for now, I will start packing. And reality will be waiting for us at the dock...at least until our next cruise.

[Wellseasoned]

It will be sad to see so many new friends depart tomorrow. Debbie and I will remain aboard for the next cruise to Barbados. We may be the only remaining posters, so I'll try to provide more info and compare the upcoming Grand Inaugural to the maiden crossing. Sadly, my reports will pale compared to those of Wes, Doug, Craig, Will, etc.

 

One comment on that subject of DVD's. There are no players, and I don't know if there are plans to provide them, but there are some 240 movies readily available on the TV's. And we've been too busy to watch any of them.

 

We have been in a Silver Suite, and everything works. We are moving to a midship verandah for the next segment, so comparison should be interesting.

 

Dieter

[wripro]

Thank you all again (even those who don't respond) for your incredible reports. You made the Spirit come alive for us and probably assured several bookings for Silversea. Whatever little problems occurred will surely soon be ironed out. Safe travels home.

[DebbieH103]

Wellseasoned, thanks for the update on the movies. There were only 56 when we were onboard, so I am glad they have added more. We look forward to hearing more about the Grand Inaugural

 

Joanna, thanks for the insights in your posts.

 

I hope those departing have a safe trip home.

[palamoh]

Deiter, I did not know you and your lovely bride were staying on for another leg. You will be one of the few who will be at the ignaugral ceremony. Good for the both of you. We look forward to your continued comments about the Spirit. With all the bad weather in Ohio you made a good choice. Save some wine for the rest of us.

[dougburns]

We're all packed and ready to close up after dinner. Captain Corsaro asked to join us in La Terrazza for dinner. He has a bunch of the brass aboard and I think he just wants a break. They've really been huddled the last 2 day, probably discussing the arrival and the naming ceremony. Andre, SS VP, indicated to Emmy that the additional stones for the grill was just a rumor and not true. However, I just asked Francisco, the grill maitre'd and he said they are getting them and that the stone grill will be expanded onto the pool deck beginning with FLL. Weather and seas are still good and the weather for FLL looks ideal for tomorrow with temp when we arrive at @ 60 deg. We're all looking forward to seeing the fireboats and all the news helicopters as we come thru the breakwater. Some of us are going to watch it from our front porch. Will post the letter I sent to SS management once I get home. Too much to type here.

[Goldens4]

Sounds to be a great, once in a lifetime experience. Toast it with a nice Mimosa from your balcony.

[beverlysuetwo@aol.com]

I'm a new Cruise Critic junky as I just joined in Deember and want to thank all of you who have posted your Silver Spirit experience. My husband and I have sailed over 200 days with them and will be joining the ship in Barbados to Buenos Aires. I'm very devoted to Silverseas but last summer we cheated on Silversea and sailed for 14 days on the new Seabourn Odyssey (since they finally having verandas). It was our first Seabourn experience and although it was strange not knowing any of the staff like the Silverseas staff that we have grown to adore and also not getting the usual VIP treatment on Seabourn that we've become accustomed to on Silverseas, the ship was still fantastic and incredibly beautiful. I must say, that by our 2nd week, everyone knew our name and made us feel very much at home. It did have some kinks to iron out as we were only on the 3rd segment of the ship but we understood all that and still appreciated everything they did. I suspect we will encounter some glitches on this trip but it's no big deal. I'm just grateful that I have the opportunity to enjoy these experiences. It will be interesting to see how the two ships compare. The Seabourn was a constant party and a much younger crowd but in all fairness, it was during July. A couple that we had met on a previous Silverseas trip joined us on the Seabourn and just toured the Spirit while in San Martin on the Shadow. They emailed us and said we are going to love it. I'm sure I will see many familiar guests when we board

and can't wait to meet new friends. Our Silverseas experiences and the friendships we've established over all over the world are priceless.

 

Thanks again to all of you contributors for making the days to our journey filled with great anticipation. Reading your blogs have been a vicarious thrill.

 

Travel safe everyone and God Bless.

[spook1]

So happy you enjoyed Seabourn Oyssey as I will be touring her myself next week. I note you live in Pacific Palisades. I once lived across from Will Rodgers Park at 14400 Sunset Blvd.. This was in the fifties. I graduated from Uni.

[MuseCruiser]

Lovely evening--like Doug and Wes, we ate in La Terrazza but not with the Captain. Had a lovely dinner with a couple of terrific wines--a grand cru Chablis and a 2004 Ch. Beychevelle. The Beychevelle was drinking very nicely, I must say. The wines had been decanted as per my instruction about an hour and a half before our dinner.

 

Although the 19th is Craig's and my anniversary we decided to celebrate it on the 18th as we're traveling on the 19th with me going to NYC for work and Craig going to our home in Chicago. After dinner we came back to a beautiful room service table type set up with candles, a bottle of Drappier champagne on ice, champagne flutes lying intertwined, an orchid, and a "Happy Anniversary" chocolate cake. On the side was a happy anniversary note from the Captain and also the butler's card. Romantic and lovely gesture!

 

The butler did a great job of packing and we appreciated that very much. Luggage is out in the hallway; its now a bit after midnight and time to go to bed!

[meow!]

A month ago, there were many questions about the butlers. Now it seems most people are satisfied. Good show.

[V8Babe]

Thank you so much to everyone who has taken time out to share their Spirit experience with us. I really have felt like I was part of the family. I wish everyone a safe journey home. Your adventure has been quite an emotional one and again, thanks for letting us be a part of it.