LIVE FROM SILVERSEA SPIRIT- October 23, 2010- Lisbon to Barbados

[Oceans&Rivers]

There are a couple of cruisers on Cruise Critic who take great care to measure and or photograph staterooms in great detail, and it is very helpful for all the rest of us.

 

I have always appreciated meow!'s measurements, and always check to see if meow! has measured any room or ship in which I have an interest.

 

I found a nice photo on the Internet which reminds me of meow!, and here it is:

 

 

 

 

Sorry, I don't mean to suggest meow! resembles a mummy, and do hope she understands that it was the cat and the measuring tape that caught my eye.

[meow!]

Thank you for your appreciation .. meow!

[Oceans&Rivers]

purr....:)

[duct tape]

please...

[oregon50]

Wiping tears of laughter from my eyes. Post #71....can we nominate for CC hall of fame?

[wripro]

Double please!!!

[umtali]

The portion of deck 12 accessible to passengers is forward, essentially the roof of the observation lounge, reached via an outside staircase at the port side of the observation lounge. It is bare, no chairs or other furniture. Fine views, but extremely windy when the ship is underway. Not at all suitable for comfortable sunning.

 

I think you will be just fine on your longer cruise. We have been on the Spirit twice this year, for 27 days and 14 days respectively, and it is well-suited for longer cruises: spacious outdoor areas, more dining options, etc. If you want a great place to sun and lounge, deck 8 aft is the place. It is only reachable by outside stairs from the decks above and below, so it tends to be uncrowded and peaceful. Have a great cruise!

 

Dieter

 

Also be advised the deck is only painted metal, therefore can be rather treacherous when wet and there is any movement of the vessel.

[billcrooz]

:)DGf; nice postings; will be on in 16 more days; who is the CD onboard?

[Emtbsam]

Bob and Victoria......where art thou?

Really anxious to hear about this much maligned vessel! I know you'll tell us like it is!!!!

Did you get your Dimple???:eek:

M and M

 

We arrived home 2 am this morning! Great trip. Will write more when we surface. Wonderful group of passengers including 28 cc'ers. Saw many familiar faces among passengers and crew!

 

According to an officer on board, Charlie got out of intensive care several days ago and is spending some time in Tenerife in order to be fully recovered before heading home. He is a true gentleman and a very interesting man. We look forward to traveling with him some time in the future.

[DGF]

Message # 8- Wednesday, November 3

Weather continues to be warm, sunny with calm seas

While at sea we had three new experiences:

· A barbecue on the deck followed by the Spirit Dance & Singer Group, which although they put a tremendous effort into their performance, we have seen much better on other cruises. One of the two times we had to line up for meals, likely caused by the confinement of space available for set up on deck

· The Restaurant (Main Dining Room) Galley lunch where the buffet was available in the galley; a first for us, and well done, notwithstanding the line up for food

· The Restaurant (Main Dining Room), our last experience unfortunately, being slow, inattentive service and the first time on board the Spirit where a request was turned down (for a special tea available elsewhere onboard). Given the exemplary service up to this event, we drew it to the person in charge, advising we did not want to get anyone in trouble, but he may wish to monitor future service by the staff at table 17

Thursday, November 4, 2010- Antigua

Hired a car from Hertz ($46.00 + $20 driver’s license + $12.00 gas). Pick up and drop off at Pier

Headed out with our friend Phillip Baldwin, assisting in navigation. Our excellent weather we encountered to date did not last today, with light and tropical rains throughout the day broken with sunshine. We toured the island’s beaches clockwise (we skipped Nelson Dockyards as we had all seen before), stopping off at the following beaches for a short walk unless otherwise noted and sites:

- Deep Bay and on same peninsular is Galley Beach

- Runaway Beach

- Dickensen Bay (Beach)

- Longbay (Beach)

- Betty’s Hope (17th century Plantation mainly in ruins)

- Half Moon Bay

- Fig Tree Drive Beach (scenic drive through the forest)

- Turner’s Beach

Some notes on each beach and our activities

Deep Bay- Is an arched beach that's great for a swim as it is well protected from the rough seas. Reportedly also a great beach for snorkeling- a wreck lies in the middle of the bay, the Andes, a that sank nearly 100 years ago when its cargo of pitch caught fire. Its mast pokes out of the water at times and you can snorkel round it pretty easily

Galley Bay Beach- beautiful white sand and crystal clear water, reportedly the surfing hot spot on the island, with the bonus of being just down the hill from Chez Pascal restaurant.

Runaway beach- a longer white sand beach. Reportedly home to many popular resorts, restaurants and bars.

Dickenson Bay-crystal clear turquoise water. Is the place to go for those who want the fully-loaded resort beach experience, with a string of bars strung along the beach.

- Long Bay Beach- Fine white sand & turquoise waters, is located about 5 minutes from the village of Willikies at Long Bay on the east coast of Antigua. This beach we found quiet and peaceful and we decided to take an enjoyable short swim in the rain and slow down the pace with a refreshing and relaxing cold local beer at the one bar on the beach overlooking the beautiful view of the beach and water. Also located just off the beach are six brightly coloured small buildings, with merchandise for a quick view if you wished (We pushed on with no shopping).

- Half Moon Bay-has fine pink sand, and reportedly is considered by many to be the most the beautiful beach on the island.

- Crab Hill Beach (Turner’s Beach)- is located at the village of Crab Hill on the south west coast of Antigua with a pink sand beach and frequented by many tour companies. We stopped off here for a light snack and another local beer enjoying the view.

And then headed back for St, John’s to drop off the car at the pier and Gayle and Dean doing a short walk thru some of the shops near the pier, many of which we closing at 5:00 PM

This evening we had another meal at Le Champagne with impeccable service, gourmet presentation, and tasty food and meeting again the French Chef Julie Le Gallie who visited all of the tables at the end of the meal, which added a personal touch

Our conclusion after the benefit of a second night, was that notwithstanding the room’s ambience and impeccable service (best on the ship), if we cruise again with Silversea, we do not believe this restaurant nor the Seishin restaurant justify the extra charge and would likely forego, eating in The Restaurant (main dining room)

 

 

Friday, November 5, 2010- Dominica, not St. Lucia as planned

Hurricane Thomas caused sufficient damage to the island that Captain Angelo A. Corsaro decided to land in Dominica rather than St. Lucia, arriving at 8:00 AM and departing at 4:00 PM.

Another day of a cloudy day with light and heavy rainbs.

Not being able to plan before hand, we elected to take the Silversea excursion “Dominica’s Favourites, which featured a complete tour of the islands, seeing the highlights of Morne Bruce Gardens, Trafalgar Falls and Emerald Pool. Tour departed at 8:30 AM and returned around 1:30 PM. We enjoyed.

Being the last night on board, we decided (had pre-booked which was absolutely necessary) to finish off the trip with dinner at the Hot Stone Grill, having excellent fillet mignons with prawns, starting with New York/ Caesar salads and finishing off with apple pie (again different, made into individual pans) and ice cream

Off to pack and get our luggage in the hallway by 11:00 PM (normal practice on all cruise lines) the night before.

The seas have become rough and the ship at times moved around a lot this evening

Saturday, November 6, 2010- Barbados Disembarkation- L

Our Plan- dress for the cold weather we were returning to in Toronto, have a relaxing four hours in the Barbados Airport with Dean doing catch up on the computer, using the airport free wireless, and Gayle doing last minute shopping

Reality- Breakfast could be arranged in your cabin (a first for us), out of the cabin by 8:00 AM (normal practice of all cruise lines other than Holland America where they allow you to remain in the cabin until your departure is called)

The good Silversea idea which due to poor planning and communications resulted in an unpleasant closing experience for our cruise- The night before, after we packed, we received a notice that our call time had been changed to 9:00 AM and we would be transported to Savannah Hotel and then on to the airport. No information on the hotel and what was available/ in store for us. When we arrived at the hotel we were directed to a conference room with circular tables and chairs (insufficient tables for all guests). Beach towels were provided and we were encouraged to use the beach and musical entertainment. The problem for close to 90 plus percent was we had not dressed for such an event; but wished we had

Fruit, hot pastries and drinks (tea, coffee, juices) were provided; and we set around for 2 hrs for the Silversea transportation and staff to arrive.

After an hour some of us had enough and arranged for a taxi to the airport at a cost of $20.00/ cab and then hit the second problem, which with proper communications from Silversea, we could have been prepared for:

- Check in at the airport was outside the building in the heat and humidity that we were not dressed for

- American Airlines did not help the situation, being inadequately staffed with the check in taking a good 45 minutes. Oh, how we wished we had of realized that AC had a direct flight as had some of our fellow Canadians and arranged thru Silversea this alternative carrier (Another problem with flying AA thru Miami Airport, for some unknown reason all passengers had to pick up their checked luggage and take it to another point nearby to AA staff. This was a first for us, having recently returned from South America on LAN who checked the bags thru to Toronto on AA. Explanation by one of the friendliest immigration officers we have encountered at Miami, was not a government regulation but AA policy),

A further note on the Silversea disembarkation if we might. When we were on a Crystal cruise, several of the elderly guests were escorted/ helped by Crystal staff onto the bus, assistance with the luggage off the bus, taken to the check in, and only left when turned over to the Airline at the security line. This service was not provided by Silversea, which was urgently needed, as we had 14 wheel chairs boarding the AA flight to Miami, many of which were from the Silversea Spirit.

Next submission from home, with comments on the ship, and our conclusions. Please give us a few days for this as Dean is back at the office on Monday with some critical business to attend to

[Goldens4]

Thanks Bob and Victoria for the update. I'll pass it on to those on our 2009 Thanksgiving cruise. .

 

Thanks DGF for your factual reports.

[Emtbsam]

We were terribly disappointed with the disembarkation process. We had been told that we would be disembarking at 9 am. At 9:30, when we had not heard any announcement, we got off the ship concerned that we would miss the bus to the hotel. We did locate our baggage in the terminal, but we noticed that the dark blue tags with flight information on them had been lost on two of our three suitcases. It would have eased our minds if someone on the pier had had blank tags that we could have filled out. We received conflicting information on how our baggage would be handled - either we would see it again at the Savannah Hotel or we would not see it until the airport. Given some of the horror stories we've read about stolen luggage in Barbados, we were very concerned. Furthermore, there was no one who knew definitively what was going on.

 

The Savannah Hotel, although pleasant, was not ideal since there were many stairs to navigate. The Silversea local representative did her best to keep us informed, but she did not really know what was going on. We decided to take an earlier bus to the airport to give us time to locate our luggage, if in fact it ever showed up. Fortunately, the men unloading the luggage trucks had the best information, and our luggage did arrive on the last truck.

 

We are loyal Silversea patrons, but we feel that this experience was unpleasant and unnecessarily stressful at the end of a lovely vacation. It was surprising that Silversea doesn't have its act together better in Barbados since they do many turnarounds in that port.

 

We will be writing to Silversea and will report if we hear anything of interest.

[BILLP1]

This sounds like our experience when we departed the Whisper in The Barbados in October. The difference being that we had to take the shuttle bus from the ship to the building where our luggage was being held, find some one there to tell them this is our luggage, they put a blue sticker on them and told us we could go back to the ship and be back by noon to be taken to the airport. Back at noon and found the person who now lead us through customs then to a waiting van which we waited in for fifteen minutes for more people to arrive and then driven to the airport to the outside check in at American for a 30 minute wait in line to check in .

 

At each point no one from Silversea seemed to know what they were doing. Why we had to go to the pier twice to identify our luggage is still a mystery to me.

[Goldens4]

Something must have changed for the worse. When we disembarked in Barbados in 2008, there were SS reps. available, picked up our luggage, went through immigration, flagged down a SkyCap who found us a taxi and off to the Marriott. We were out of there in less than a 1/2 hr. Don't know what's up with SS now, but it isn't good. I'm just sorry y'all had to be inconvenienced and be uncomfortable.

[DGF]

Also be advised the deck is only painted metal, therefore can be rather treacherous when wet and there is any movement of the vessel.

 

I also found Deck 12 and concur with all of the observations- no furniture, metal painted white, slippery when wet, and only found several crew ladies lying on the metal deck getting a sun tan

 

Seems to me that this area could be renovated and be a comfortable location with great views

 

DEAN

[DGF]

:)DGf; nice postings; will be on in 16 more days; who is the CD onboard?

 

Cruise Director is Mike (Sorry can't find his last name in my pile of material) and he does a suberb job, being a perfect match for the clientel onboard; and one of the best CD we have encountered

 

DEAN

[duct tape]

I think Deck 12 is the Crew Deck and that should be honored!

[duct tape]

oops, wrong ship! I have not been on the Spirit and therefore have no knowledge of what I am saying!

[dougburns]

You may have the wrong ship, but I think you are correct.

[Emtbsam]

The forward portion of Deck 12 on the Spirit is for passenger use. There is a rope marking off the crew area on the aft portion of the deck. I agree that SS should make it a safer and more enjoyable place if they really intend it for passenger use. It can be slippery when wet, and the white paint is blinding in the sun. Deck 12 is accessed through a stairway on the port side of the Observation Lounge.

[Emtbsam]

Cruise Director is Mike (Sorry can't find his last name in my pile of material) and he does a suberb job, being a perfect match for the clientel onboard; and one of the best CD we have encountered

 

DEAN

 

Mike's last name is Witte. It is nice to see that someone thinks highly of him.

[DebbieH103]

I find Mike to be a bit crisp for my tastes, and he doesn't have much patience, that is for sure.

[DGF]

You may have the wrong ship, but I think you are correct.

 

Doug

 

I had no problem with access to Deck 10. There are chains across the deck designating which area is for passengers and which area is for crew.

 

Seems to me is a great area for Silversea to do something special, making it true sun/ observation deck

 

DEAN

[DGF]

Our last submission. We hope the info provided and the following has been helpful on your planning for a cruise with Silversea.

The Ship Common Areas, Excl Dining (for photos, please contact us at deangayle@rogers.com)

General observation- The ship’s facilities, furniture, décor, and finishing are of a high quality, as expected in a luxury cruise ship. The movement of “traffic” (guests) has been well thought out with sufficient elevators and stairwells to cause only nominal waits. Washrooms at time were difficult to find and undersized for the ladies. Some of the entertainment rooms and gym would appear to be too small but the reality is that they have been properly sized for demand. We never found any area overly crowded except for one time at La Terrazzo for lunch where the overflow had to use the Star’s Lounge; and as previously noted no common room was large enough to hold the Captains Welcome Reception. Notwithstanding the Captain Reception problem, we consider the Silversea Ship met the bar of being a luxury ship.

Deck 12- Observation Deck- Top deck located at the bow of the ship was to Dean's surprise an unfinished area- no lounge chairs, metal painted white; but with great vistas. If you wished to proceed to the stern of the ship not possible as this area chained off. Great location for star gazing at night.

Deck 11- Observation Lounge- located Bow of the ship

- Outside- deck is open wrapping around the full length of the Observation Room. No furniture, good vista.

- Inside- attractively furnished with comfortable chairs/sofas with oval coffee tables, orchid flowers, a screen mounted in a stand as you enter the room showing the ships position and directions, map of the islands/ countries in vicinity by name, and technical info- wind speed and direction, boat speed; library books, brass telescope, and of course an attended bar; all with spectacular views. This is a great room to meet your friends and have your favourite drink other than when friends of William B meetings are held in the late afternoon. Also an excellent room for port departures when weather is not conducive to being on deck

Deck 10

- Hot Rock Grill- on open deck (shaded) overlooking the pool deck with comfortable wicker chairs and dining tables which can be used at all times other than in the evening when used as the Hot Rock Grill.

- Sunning deck- Next to this area is an open deck, running the full length of the pool deck on both sides, on which are located padded lounge chairs for sunning.

- Pool Area- smallish swimming pool, with three hot tubs and two showers with padded lounge chairs in the sun. Under the overhang of Deck 10, are dining tables with wicker chairs, used by bathers wishing to be out of the sun, sitting reading a book or having your favourite drink; and principally used for dining with food from Pool Grill and your refreshments from the Pool Bar. At the beginning of the cruise, hot tubs could have been warmer. This area seemed to be crowded during our sunny days; but we did not use since we used our balcony on the Port Side which had sun for a good part of the day. The pool, unlike other cruise ships is not covered to keep out the elements.

- Card Room- which was intended mainly for bridge but from the Bridge players we met, since the room did not have any windows, they moved their bridge games to other locations onboard the ship.

- Panorama Lounge- Inside- at the stern of the ship, very attractively decorated/ furnished lounge, with living room type comfortable cloth and leather furniture and sofas, oval coffee tables for drinks, small entertainment area, small dance floor and of course bar with bar stools. Room, among others, is used for language lessons, coffee chat with production staff, dance classes, canopies, trivia, bingo, pre music dinner with pianist, pre dinner solo get together cocktail for guests, and after dinner pianist Amedeo playing music for listening and dancing pleasure, and ½ of the Captains Welcome Reception with the problems as previously noted. For some the best was the nightly disco by DJ Adam where certain cruise critic members kicked up a storm. There have been some threads indicating a problem with the air circulation and with smokers. We did not find this to be a problem (perhaps they have fixed the air circulation problem)

- Panorama Lounge- Outside- four wonderful circular “Ponderosa” (?) loungers which hold two guests, with retractable side and overhead shade. Are excellent for lounging in the shade or sunshine watching the ship’s ocean wake, sipping your favourite drink; and when windy keeping the breeze off you (We thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend). Under shade in front of the Panorama Lounge are rectangular wicker chairs with comfortable cushions (seat and back) laid out in U shape creating seating for 6-7 with two square cocktail tables in each. Great place to have an afternoon drink with your friends or read a book/ newspaper

Deck 8

- Boutiques- We found the merchandise high end but very limited. The shops are very attractive from the passage way. Expect we are spoiled by the larger ships we have been on which have many many shops and a wide price range.

- Casino- small by comparison to other larger ships we have been on. Persons sensitive to smoke may have a problem.

- Connoisseurs Lounge- very attractively done with leather furniture, coffee tables etc; being used by those quests who enjoy fine cigars and cognac

- Outside deck- an outside deck area, at the stern of the ship, adjacent to the Casino, Boutique and Connoisseurs Lounge, is an area with comfortable chairs, and is not found by many guests. Quiet retreat for some to read a book, or just relax in peaceful ocean breeze

Deck 7

La Terrazza-

- Outside- an outside dining area for the La Terrazza restaurant, with seating and tables in the sun or in the shade and when the restaurant is not in use, another quiet retreat, where you can read and enjoy the sea breeze

- Inside- No surcharge Dining area for buffet breakfast and lunch and Italian evening restaurant with full service. Please refer to previous notes.

Stars Supper club- no surcharge. Please refer to previous notes. Often used by the Bridge Players in the day. Used for any overflow from La Terrazza for lunch.

Library/ Internet Room- Insufficient number of internet computers for the passenger demand, which Dean visually noted when in the area getting assistance on his wireless laptop.

Deck 6

- Fitness Centre- as previously noted Dean was surprised at the size, believing it to be too small for the demand. However, Dean did his work outs around 5:00 PM and the room had only one or two other guests. Due to size, certain typical gym exercise equipment not available

- Thermal Suite- consist of loungers and whirlpool for the users of the spa guests; although we believe it was possible to get a day pass to use. Whether there was a charge we do not know

- Steam Room facilities- We did not use but Col Wes who did use, in several threads advises the experience was less than satisfactory- too small, coed, no hanging hooks

- Spa- Did not use, although Dean had a free consultation on acupuncture, and found the discussions insufficient and prices way out of line to be swayed to use

- Beauty Salon- Gayle used and found satisfactory

Deck 5

- Show Lounge- please refer to previous notes in Message 4

- The Bar- a very attractive and comfortable furnished large room with an entertainment area, small dance floor, and of course a bar. A great meeting place with your friends for pre dinner cocktails, enjoying background music with Eric O’Bach on the piano. For the evening the Silversea Trio plays dance music and Eric comes back with further melodies on the piano. The area was also used for the Captain’s Welcome Reception.

- Reception, Shore Excursions, Cruise Consultant and Concierge Room- are located mid ship, the only one we used was the Reception which at all times was staffed by persons who could answer all of our questions

Deck 4

- The Restaurant (main dining room) under the careful eye of Antonio Mendes. The Main Dining Room does not have sufficient seats to accommodate all of the guests at one time, which on our cruise was not a problem. There was also a table for us. However, if we knew then, what we know now, we would do one thing different- We would arrive when the restaurant opened and ask for the same table each night, which would allow us to get to know the same wait staff and vice versa. For other comments on The Restaurant, please refer to previous notes

- The Seishin and Champagne Restaurants- both surcharge restaurants. Please refer to previous notes. We do not believe that on a luxury cruise ship, these two restaurants should have a surcharge for the meal. If one wants to do the special wine or sacki paring, a surcharge would be in order. On our recent cruise on board the Oceania Insignia, both specialty restaurants did not have a surcharge

Hope we have not missed any common areas but if so please add your experiences.

If you have any questions on the Ship, tours we took, etc we would only be too pleased to answer by contacting us at deangayle@rogers.com

CONCLUSIONS

Did Silversea, in our opinion, meet the high standards/ bar they have set for themselves- “Silversea one aim, excellence”

1. Flight Arrangement- Silversea were very helpful, providing at their expense (included in our fare) our requested day flight on AC to London, leaving with us, at our expense, arranging an inexpensive flight from London Heathrow to Lisbon. It was our error, not theirs, that we did not ask for the direct AC flight from Barbados to Toronto which other Canadians thought of arranging at no additional cost.

2. Documentation- The Silver Box and the leather (?) enclosure was the best documentation presentation we have ever experienced, even surpassing our Queen’s Grill experience on board Queen Mary 2.

3. Boarding- smooth, fast and greeted with Champagne; and without the forced picture taking. Our cabins were ready on boarding (just after noon) and luggage arrived by 2:00 PM

4. Cabin 624- Other than for the annoying design problem (distance between the bed and Ladies’ Make Up Area), we found the cabin first class and only exceeded (in size only) by our experience in Cunard Queen’s Grill cabins. The Cabin had the finest quality bed linens, duvets, towels, and choice of high quality toiletries. The bathroom was of the highest quality, worked well (other than for the strange location for the toilet roll), and the best soaker tub on any cruise ship to date for Dean’s 6' 2" body. Gayle found the extra length challenging.

5. Dining- The Restaurant. We received impeccable service, other than for the one exception but noted slowness on delivery of food during some breakfast and lunches; Gourmet presentation; and very very good to Gourmet food, creative and different cuisine, many of which we found new to us on cruise ships. The meat, in particular, was of the highest quality we have experienced on any cruise ship, even surpassing the Oceania Grill which was our former top grill. Special orders are never a problem, if requested in advance.

6. Service- throughout the ship is very attentive but not obtrusive. Any request received a positive response even if it meant having to go elsewhere on the ship to get for you. No/ impossible does not appear to be part of the staff’s vocabulary; with the one exception previously noted.

7. Staff- one never passes a crew member without being greeted; and a real effort made to know your name. We also noted this rubbed off on the passengers. Resulted in a great ship atmosphere other than at trivia where Gayle found some Gentlemen “know it all”, over competitive, and unfriendly.

8. Entertainment- is expected to be of prime quality and variety. In our opinion the ship does not meet this standard. Three “Broadway type” show we have seen, two in The Theatre and one outside at the barbecue are not in the same league as other Broadway shows we have experienced on other cruise ships (Cunard, Crystal, Star Princess, Oceania to mention a few).

However the feature entertainment in the Theatre- Mickki Brown and Eric Niessner, Mark Donoghue to mention a few, and the entertainment in the lounges, did meet the standard- Mickki Brown and Eric Niessner, Crystal Trio to mention a few

9. All inclusive, no chit writing- Was all inclusive with exception of excursions with extensive good alcohol and wine selections included in the fare, served in proper glassware (one for red and one for white) and nice/ interesting/attractive water glasses at breakfast and lunch with three classes of water served at all meals- sparkling, still, and ice water. We are not wine connoisseurs, but enjoyed the varied selection and the ability to change from the staff recommendations, even where it meant staff had to go to another restaurant/ location to obtain. We found Simone, one of the wine sommeliers (spelling?) excellent.

10. Our Butler- Andung, provided excellent attentive service, always available on call. Other butlers on other cruise ships often arrived unannounced into the cabin. Not the case with Andung.

11. Ratios- A high space to passenger ratio (on Spirit 36,000 tons, 540 guests; 6700 cubic feet space per guest- Other than for the Captains Welcome Party, outdoor barbecue, and sometimes around the small pool, we never felt the ship was crowded) and a high Crew to passenger ratio (on Spirit 376 crew, 540 guests).

12. Bus Service- free bus service provided to Town centre

13. Announcements- Limited

14. Disembarkation- as previously noted our experience was less than satisfactory, but with the proper information to allow us to prepare would have been a home run (a nice two hour break lounging on the beach, listening to entertainment and at our cost sipping our favourite cooler)

We did however, missed the following items onboard:

1. No camera or computer courses

2. A third lecture series

3. Afternoon Tea scones were not up to standards of Cunard

4. For persons who like to dance, dance floor areas are lacking

5. Pool is small

6. Fitness- Outdoor track is small, no promenade deck around the total ship, and gym is small. We did not use the spa facilities but from comments on other Cruise Critics these facilities are also small

7. Entertainment- more than one venue in an evening allowing one to see multiple Broadway shows. I guess we have been spoiled with Star Princess and Queen Mary 2

8. Map/deck plan of the ship of a size that fits in your shirt pocket

Happy and Safe Cruising to All!!!

[cechase]

Jennifer advises that our fellow Cruise Critic Charlie had to leave the ship in the Canary islands

 

Charlie- hope this e-mail finds you in good health

 

For Jennifer and all of those other lovely passengers whom I miss, including but not limited to Michael and Katie, Philip, Anne & Neal, the General's wife, and our entire cruise critic group - I am finally home as of midnight Wednesday night.

 

I am a good example of why it is important to purchase insurance, which I always do. On, Wednesday, October 27th. I had been ill all day, and had a bite to eat in my suite. Michael called to see if I was alright and I explained to him what was going on, and he suggested calling the doctor which I did. I was taken to the infirmary and after some blood work and examination was diagnosed with bronchial pneumonia and was told that if I remained on the ship I would die, because they did not have the facilities to treat me during a 6 day crossing of the Atlantic. So, I was taken by ambulance first thing when Silver Spirit docked in Tenerife to a hospital and spent 4 or five days in their intensive care unit, and then in an individual room. Experience is really different, no language comprehension, very sick, scared and wondering if anyone knew that I was stuck on a remote island off the coast of Morocco and only 8,000 miles away from home.

 

My youngest son, Jeff advised of the situation by Silversea was great, as was the repatriation firm used by SS's insurance carrier [travel insurance]. Early in the morning of yesterday morning, I was picked up by an ambulance and taken to the airport on Tenerife. I was placed on a small Falcon One jet ambulance with doctor and nurse and flown to Madrid. There, I was picked up by another ambulance and they took me to the Madrid airport and meet my nurse Maureen. We flew in business class to JFK, and there met my nurse Karyn and flew first class to San Francisco. Then was driven by limousine with Karyn to my home in Sparks, NV and arrived there about midnight Wednesday.

 

What an adventure! Scary, but good to know that there are people out there who know how to get you home safely from remote places. Had the right and good treatment from the doctors, and am now on the bend although still weak.

 

Miss that great CC'er group. Did Bernard get married?