Could someone please take an educated/informed guess ..

[Nigella]

We are taking the 7 day Spirit sailing from Barcelona on 26/5/11.

Our itinerary is port intensive, we have no sea days.

We are going to be off the ship for at least one evening in either Marseille which is day 2 of the cruise, or Monaco where we are in port for two full days. We have friends who live in the south of France and they want to take us out to dinner one evening whilst we are there.

 

My dilemma is that I don't know which evening is likely to be the Formal night. I dont want to miss it, and I certainly don't want to haul a gown that will never get worn if we inadvertently arrange dinner with our friends on that evening. That said, our friends are very busy people and I want to firm up a date with them asap and not leave them hanging, certainly not until we have boarded the ship.

I have looked through the documents and I actually can't even find a reference to how many formal nights there are. It's a 7 day cruise so I'm guessing it will be just one.

So - any clues as to which night of the cruise it will be? I realise that none of you can say with absolute certainty when it will be but I'm willing to take a chance on your advice!

 

 

 

I'm now worked into a frenzy as a first time cruiser with various anxieties and concerns and need to BREATHE ! :D

[Emtbsam]

What is the worst thing that could happen? You take formal clothing and don't wear it! I know you must be very excited about the cruise, but I fear that you are worrying way too much. My guess, and it is only a guess, is that there might even be two formal nights. On our 7-day cruise several years ago on the Cloud in the Med, we had two formal nights on day 2 and day 5.

 

Since you're going to be overnight in Monte Carlo, it might make sense to have dinner with your friends that evening so you don't have to rush back to the ship before sailing.

 

I know you're going to love your cruise. Bon Voyage!

[wripro]

First, why not have your TA call SS to see if he/she can find out for you which, if any, nights will be formal. Second, for a seven day cruise why bother hauling a gown period? You can be perfectly dressed with something that you ca also wear to dinner in Monte Carlo.

[MJN1]

And if you are really desperate call the Spirit (001 870 76 504 0067) and ask the Hotel or Cruise Director. Hope they know 10 days ahead....

[WinWin]

I'm with everyone else - why bother with a gown at all? Something sparkly on top and satin slacks - you're good to go for whatever! I'd bet it will be the second night, but Frank Sansone in the corporate offices will know which night it will be - call him!

[Tinkerbell1963]

Hello :)

 

We are on the same cruise - can't wait!

 

I too was confused as to how many formal nights there would be so checked with Silversea who told me one formal, three informal and three casual. I don't know which night the formal night will be but I did think that perhaps it will be when we are in Monaco overnight.

 

I will be taking an evening gown as it's not very often I get the chance to dress up.

 

Hope you manage to sort out your arrangements with your friends and have a lovely time.

[dougburns]

If it's an overnight in a port it will most likely not be a formal night. Your TA should be able to get a definite answer at the 60 day prior point.

[Nigella]

Thanks to everyone for your replies!

Our friends have instead invited us to join them at their hospitality suite for the Monaco Grand Prix,for breakfast and lunch, leaving us free for dinner.

 

I have been looking forward to the formal evening especially,we rarely have the opportunity to dress up these days. Maybe two times a year. So this plan suits us much better.

 

Tinkerbell1963 - It's good to 'meet' someone else on the cruise! It is our first cruise, I am both anxious and excited now! Also, nice to hear I wasn't the only one who didnt find a clear answer in the cruise documents, I read everything about three times but still couldn't know for sure, so thanks for the information.

[Tinkerbell1963]

Tinkerbell1963 - It's good to 'meet' someone else on the cruise! It is our first cruise, I am both anxious and excited now! Also, nice to hear I wasn't the only one who didnt find a clear answer in the cruise documents, I read everything about three times but still couldn't know for sure, so thanks for the information.

 

 

Hello Nigella.

 

We have been on a number of cruises but this is our first with Silversea, so we are very excited! I'm sure you will have a wonderful time. Glad you managed to get the arrangements with your friends sorted and will be able to enjoy the formal evening.

 

We are flying out to Barcelona on Saturday so we can also go to the Barcelona Grand Prix. Have you been to Monaco before? We have once and walked the route that the Grand Prix takes. It is an amazing place.

 

Have a safe journey.

 

Helen

[Nigella]

Hello Nigella.

 

We have been on a number of cruises but this is our first with Silversea, so we are very excited! I'm sure you will have a wonderful time. Glad you managed to get the arrangements with your friends sorted and will be able to enjoy the formal evening.

 

We are flying out to Barcelona on Saturday so we can also go to the Barcelona Grand Prix. Have you been to Monaco before? We have once and walked the route that the Grand Prix takes. It is an amazing place.

 

Have a safe journey.

 

Helen

 

Hi Tinkerbell

 

I see you're in Barcelona now, hope you're having fun - writing this in case you're online at any point.

 

Yes, we've been to Monaco before, but never to Grand Prix. My partner is French, and he's visited all of our first three ports over the years! All of the ports except Monaco are new to me though, so I'm looking forward to them.

 

How was the Barcelona Grand Prix yesterday? And how loud is it? Our friends are supplying ear plugs for us but I'm thinking more I may need those huge ear defenders that builders etc wear!

[Tinkerbell1963]

Hello Nigella :)

 

Yes we are now enjoying Barcelona and the nice sunny weather.

 

The Grand Prix was absolutely amazing! We had fantastic seats in the upper level of the main grandstand, just on the finish line. Even better was that we were directly opposite the podium. We are huge McLaren fans so when they finished 2nd and 3rd it made our day. We hung a huge Union Jack flag over the barrier which Lewis and Jenson spotted, giving us a huge grin and a wave. We came back to the hotel and celebrated the wonderful day with a bottle of champagne.

 

The noise is immense so you will definately need ear plugs of some description. We just had the foam type which was fine. If you are particularly sensitive to noise you may want to get something more substantial!

 

Helen