DebbieH103's Spirit Review is in SS Member Area

[DebbieH103]

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=75146

 

I do want to correct an error where it mentions in St. Kitts that Todd didn't get to the ship. He did not get off the ship.

 

Also, I did not say much abou the wines. We are chardonnay people, and they seemed the be doing a Clarksburg wine, The Crusher as the house plus an Italian one up at La Terraza. Our favorite one was a South African one that we were able to get twice. They seemed to do a lot of savignon blancs for the white wine of the meal, but we are not big on those. We did not see as big of a variety as usual, but we certainly were able to enjoy wine. The reds I tasted were good, but nothing stands out. A couple of times on the pool deck when we ordered chardonnay, we clearly received something else, so we just tried to be there when it was poured the first time or order something else.

[wripro]

Thanks for your efforts with this comprehensive review, Debbie. Hope your finger is better.

[DebbieH103]

Wripro, thanks for reading the report and sending a reply. It means a lot.

 

I have no nerve endings in the end of my finger and may not get them back for the rest of my life. I am learning to compensate for it and am thankful I did not lose it, as it was terrifying.

 

I hope for those that aren't as fond of long reviews that they will just read the sections they find interesting because I get asked a lot of things and like to be able to refer back.

[Travelcat2]

I sooooooo appreciated your long, detailed review! Do wish I had your writing skills.

 

Hopefully, in time you will get the feeling back in your fingertip. Every time we walked out of the heavy door we thought about you. I cannot imagine how bad the pain must have been.

 

As you know from my "comparison/review" on the Regent board, our arrival and embarkation was similiar to yours inasmuch as it was really a poor way to start a cruise. We did not have traffic to contend with but certainly could not find a SS representative upon arrival and had to schlep our luggage all over the place and then had to wait over 4 hours for the luggage to reach our suite.

 

Our experience in La Terazza is a bit different than yours, probably due to the fact that we were always there within 5 minutes of when they opened (my DH's theory is that we need to eat breakfast early or else we won't be hungry for lunch. . . . .etc.) In the morning, we were escorted to a table by a server who immediately asked if we wanted to order eggs, waffles, toast or anything that needed to be prepared by the cook. We did not have difficulty getting our wine at lunch. By our 2nd day, Jose (works in both La Terazza and The Restaurant) knew us and would make a point to guide us to a table in his section. The fact that he learned our preferences quickly made our experience in La Terazza as good as it was. We also found this to be our favorite place for lunch (and dinner as well). Also, probably due to dining early, our plates were carried to the table approximately 80% of the time.

 

We did not see any shows. I wanted to see Dawn of Aquarius, but, my DH wasn't feeling well (ended up getting a cold). The one time we were in the theater (for a cooking competition), we were served champagne.

 

Differences in our perceptions are probably due to the number of cruises you have taken -- both with SS and other cruise lines as well as your professional expertise as a TA. You are able to "see" things that I would not even be looking for. As a couple new to Silversea, we found it to be an overall excellent experience. As a Regent cheerleader, we found some areas on Silversea that were superior to Regent and others that were not.

 

When is your next SS cruise? Will it be your 50th birthday cruise?

[DebbieH103]

Yes, the doors are quite heavy. I asked them to do a safety inspection. Well, they took photos, but I don't know what they are going to do with them. Honestly, I can't imagine them even thinking this was possible.

 

We had great service at breakfast. Other cruises we had OK breakfast service, it is just on other cruises that they didn't offer eggs or waffles unless asked.

 

We also have not had great wine service on eithe Regent or SS, but we usually make it a point to sit near a service area. We were just always showing up a half hour before closing when both inside and out were full, and since we did not order necessarily what they were serving, we did wait sometimes. It was never a big deal. Anything I am noticing is from just what was still fine to good vs. what might have been a cut above on other Silversea sailings. While it is our second sailing on Spirit, and we've been on Regent, service doesn't get as good as the smaller ships. I know you don't want to sail those, but they have their pluses.

 

It does bother me that you had a not so great embarkation because I spent an hour speaking to the Hotel Director and Guest Services Manager trying to prevent that from happening.

 

Lots of what I look at comes from my QA/Ops manager background. I don't obsess with it but do usually make an inspection session of my own to note things needing repair. I have not bothered on Spirit since everything is new.

 

I may have mentioned it in my live reports but not in my final report, but when we sailed the first time on Spirit, the back elevators almost never worked (also reported by others), and there was a ghastly odor. We had no odors, and the elevators always worked. I can't think of much operations-wise that I know of that anyone reported on the first few voyages that is not fixed.

 

At the cooking demo I did, they served champagne, and at several other things, they offered red and white wine, champagne, and vodka martinis. A few people asked for other things, and requests were accomodated when possible from what I saw.

 

Right now, we are booked for March 22 on Whisper, another Caribbean sailing. My 50th is October 3, and I was thinking of moving this to the September 24 sailing of Wind that would end just before my birthday, but it ends in Venice. We may end up on a land trip for my birthday. I don't know. I guess we will decide soon when final is due on the March 22. We also have considered moving to the March 4 sailing on Whisper since it has onboard credit.

 

I'd like to get back on Voyager if I continue to see good reviews.

[Robroy]

Debbie and Travelcat, I must thank you both for such comprehensive reviews of your Spirit voyages. My wife and I were on with T/C for the November 13-22nd cruise and found it thoroughly enjoyable. This was our first Silversea experience and our only other luxury trip was on the Voyageur in December 2007 - previously we have travelled extensively with Princess and once on Celebrity. The Voyageur trip opened our eyes to the world of luxury travel and Silversea was a natural followup.

I would agree with a great many points you both have made regarding the Spirit. It's a beautiful ship and service was top-notch in our opinion. The personalized service was perhaps a touch moreso than we experienced with Regent although by a slim margin. The welcome aboard (had a nice visit with Sonia the bar manager once we settled into the Bar on arrival) as well as our first lunch in the Restaurant both were a terrific way to start our vacation. Our first waiter (Arcadio - had been with Silversea ten years) made a point of asking our names and throughout the week, addressed us by name wherever we met with a genuine friendly greeting) and we found this with many other waiters as well, although there seemed to be many on their first contract - one who had just joined from Seabourne and found the stress levels on Silversea to be much lower due to more staff and an opportunity to spend more time with pax.

We thoroughly enjoyed the entertainment and found the cast to be very energetic and talented. Given the small theatre venue, we were quite impressed overall and enjoyed the fact that they congregated at the entrance to the theatre after performances to meet guests on the way out. The duo on pool deck were impressive, as well as both pianists in Panorama and the Bar. We didn't see the trio - never visited Stars as we're not really jazz fans.

I must comment about the cabin - we were mid-ship verandah 653 (also had Nolan and Diana Debbie!) and absolutely loved it. Yes - it's narrow between the dressing table and bed, but that wasn't much of an issue for us. The quality of bedding linen and towels was likely the best we've ever encountered, as were the toiletries (we stuck with Bulgari). I was really impressed with ventilation in the bathroom, as the mirror never fogged up while the shower was in use. A small point, but obviously well-thought out.

The itinerary was quite interesting - we only did two tours (the Segway tour in Antigua - small group of nine accompanied by Eric of the excursion staff and the Virgin Gorda Baths in Tortola) but we found both to be excellent. Groups were a manageable size - ran on-time and returned on-time as expected. The Segway tour was terrific - we all had a really good time and the tour operators were excellent - friendly and accomodating. I'd recommend it to anyone!

The only concern we had was the food. Overall, it was very good and the presentation was absolutely gorgeous - edible art, as evidenced by Terry from Ohio's photographs on other threads. Unfortunately, we found the dinners (in both La Terraza and The Restaurant) to be rather limited in choice - particularly if you don't eat seafood, which my wife does not. We had also expected more Italian dishes, in view of the fact this is an Italian line. La Terraza breakfast & lunches were excellent, with lots of selection for everyone and we found food quality and service in the pool area to be excellent as well. I enjoyed most mornings at breakfast in The Restaurant with a good book and great service as well. In comparing our experience on the Voyageur to the Spirit, this was the only area where we felt the Voyageur clearly was superior based on what we enjoy in terms of food, although I recognize this was three years ago and things may have changed.

Just a few observations from a first-timer - overall, really impressive and would agree with most of the points which you both have already made. I think our next cruise will be back on the Voyageur though if the food situation has remained consistent. We were both very glad we had done this trip though - service like this is a real treat!

[CruisinPashmina]

Dear Debbie, thanks so very much for your detailed review of your recent Spirit voyage. We, too, were on the Spirit for the pre-inaugural first 2 sailings, so a lot of what you wrote was very familiar.Sorry we never met up. We had a good time, but definitely prefer the other four silvers.

If you decide to move your next SS cruise to Sept. you might consider staying in Venice. We rented a marvelous little apt directly on the Grand Canal. We used a company called Views on Venice, and they have a wide variety of apts all over the city.There are probably many other good rental agencies; hopefully other CCs will have some input.

Our experience was terrific...such a luxury to be able to cook if you're tired from touring. Every evening dozens of gondolas would go by, usually with a singer warbling away. We can sing Volare backwards! For my money,(and you have to bring a boat load) living like a local in exotic Venice would be a fabulous birthday present. Combined with a cruise on the Wind....sublime!

Again, thanks for your reviews, and so sorry about your awful accident.

[duct tape]

Debbie, hope your finger is better. Agree with cruisingpasmina that viewsonvenice.com has the BEST apartments in Venice after/before you embark/disembark!

[DebbieH103]

Thanks, Robroy for the review. I enjoyed your commentary immensely. We still love Voyager, no question, but techincal problems seem to sometimes be routine there. I really enjoyed the osso bucco in La Terraza, but then they had it the next night at the main dining room, and I did not order it again.

 

We like the cabin better on Spirit than the other ships but do note that with each step up in size, there is a small downgrade in intimate service overall. It is very small but expected.

 

All of you are getting me excited about Venice. We've both done Italy, various places separately. Todd has been to Milano a number of times in the recent past, but he saved Venice to go with me.The number of times I have stayed in the Caribbean is well in the triple digits, but we are also considering renting a villa on an island with our own boat and golf cart in the Out Islands. I think it will be windy there, though at that time.

[DebbieH103]

Duct tape, I am trying to force myself to stop and type a little with that finger now, but it has no feeling and makes me make a lot of mistakes.I can't even tell how hard it is hitting the keys, but it makes a thunk sound. That is an improvement over yesterday, as then it could not be done.

 

Those apartments look interesting.

[DebbieH103]

I wish I had met those of you on the maiden voyages.. It was fun to discover everything for the first time.