Report - Cloud 1126A & 1126B Lisbon to Athens

[Mayflower1]

We have recently returned from the above Cruise and would like to Report generally about The Cloud. She remains our favourite ship ( albeit we have not yet sailed on Wind or Spirit ) and is in very good overall condition for her age. The anticipated Refit, set for Spring 2012 has now been delayed until Autumn 2012(?) but this is not a serious concern. The Staff are wonderful and we had the good fortune to have both Jimmy & Judy as CDs on respective legs and Gianni & Helmut as Hotel Directors. Jorge remains Maitre D and does a fantastic job. Anne Marie was the Executive Chef and we feel the food was as good as we have ever experienced on our 14 Cruises on Cloud.

We were extremely fortunate to have almost wall to wall sunshine for 18 days which added to the joy - the Ports of call were excellent and captain Pontillo even changed the itinerary to ensure that we expereinced Santorini with less Ships in Port - superb job.

 

We had the opportunity to view Spirit whilst in Civitaveccia on a changeover day - a good experience and one which may change our view as to Cruise on her in the future. In our opinion she is beautiful in her decoration but some aspects appear lacking for the numbers involved - especially the Show Lounge, Panaorama Lounge, Stars & Le Champagne, all of which seem rather cramped. The overall impression is that the dark tones are not to our taste and some areas seem depressing - more like a quality hotel than a ship - for instance The Card Room is windowless. We will probably give her a try, for the right itinerary ( not 7 days in the Med ).

 

All in all we had another wonderful trip and arrived home safely inspite of the best efforts of the Athens Taxi drivers Strike and the Air traffic Controllers Work to Rule - cant wait to join Wind for our first Cruise on her at the end of April.

[duct tape]

Glad you had such a good trip! We said we wouldn't go on the Spirit also but opportunity has knocked and will report more next month. Hi to all.

[Mayflower1]

Hi Duct tape - glad to hear that you are well and that you are taking the Spirit plunge - look forward to your Report - hope to catch up with you both before too long.

[Ithaca]

We have recently returned from the above Cruise and would like to Report generally about The Cloud. She remains our favourite ship ( albeit we have not yet sailed on Wind or Spirit ) and is in very good overall condition for her age. The anticipated Refit, set for Spring 2012 has now been delayed until Autumn 2012(?) but this is not a serious concern. The Staff are wonderful and we had the good fortune to have both Jimmy & Judy as CDs on respective legs and Gianni & Helmut as Hotel Directors. Jorge remains Maitre D and does a fantastic job. Anne Marie was the Executive Chef and we feel the food was as good as we have ever experienced on our 14 Cruises on Cloud.

We were extremely fortunate to have almost wall to wall sunshine for 18 days which added to the joy - the Ports of call were excellent and captain Pontillo even changed the itinerary to ensure that we expereinced Santorini with less Ships in Port - superb job.

 

We had the opportunity to view Spirit whilst in Civitaveccia on a changeover day - a good experience and one which may change our view as to Cruise on her in the future. In our opinion she is beautiful in her decoration but some aspects appear lacking for the numbers involved - especially the Show Lounge, Panaorama Lounge, Stars & Le Champagne, all of which seem rather cramped. The overall impression is that the dark tones are not to our taste and some areas seem depressing - more like a quality hotel than a ship - for instance The Card Room is windowless. We will probably give her a try, for the right itinerary ( not 7 days in the Med ).

 

All in all we had another wonderful trip and arrived home safely inspite of the best efforts of the Athens Taxi drivers Strike and the Air traffic Controllers Work to Rule - cant wait to join Wind for our first Cruise on her at the end of April.

 

 

I was on the Rome-Athens leg of this trip. I agree that the Cloud is a fine ship, and the refurbishing will make it it even nicer. My experience, however, falls short of a previous experience in the Wind. This time the crew seemed stressed, and I did not receive the pampering and attentiveness I received two years ago on the Wind. Breakfast and lunch at La Terraza were chaotic and uneven in service. Also, the complimentary wines at the MDR were below par (again comparing to the Wind experience). Now, I have to give compliments to our butler, Naia, who excelled in her responsibilities towards us. George, the Maitre D' at dinner time, was also very attentive and pleasant. The Le Champagne experience was good, but not memorable. Silversea should be prudent while cutting costs; it should remain a deluxe experience to guests. Should the experience turn mediocre, people will expect to pay lower prices, and this is not what we cc'rs expect of this cruise line.

[Mayflower1]

Good morning Ithaca - What a pity we did not meet up on the recent Cloud Cruise - glad you had a good time and hopefully got home without too much hassle. Your comments regarding the overall experience against a past Wind Cruise are interesting and will make us even more keen to test her in April. I agree that the Terazza Lunch was very busy at times but I would suggest this coincided with the return of Tours on this Port intensive Cruise. I also agree that the Silversea Wines are far below what we experienced several years ago and have been getting gradually worse - we found it necessary to be quite firm with the Sommeliers in order to get Reds that we found acceptable and seldom took the Wine of the Day on offer. To be fair the Wines we did drink were fine and we were always accommodated with good grace. I feel this is a Management Cost Cutting issue and not restricted to The Cloud.

 

I totally agree with your comments that standards need to be maintained as there is plenty of competition out there.

[Ithaca]

Good morning Ithaca - What a pity we did not meet up on the recent Cloud Cruise - glad you had a good time and hopefully got home without too much hassle. Your comments regarding the overall experience against a past Wind Cruise are interesting and will make us even more keen to test her in April. I agree that the Terazza Lunch was very busy at times but I would suggest this coincided with the return of Tours on this Port intensive Cruise. I also agree that the Silversea Wines are far below what we experienced several years ago and have been getting gradually worse - we found it necessary to be quite firm with the Sommeliers in order to get Reds that we found acceptable and seldom took the Wine of the Day on offer. To be fair the Wines we did drink were fine and we were always accommodated with good grace. I feel this is a Management Cost Cutting issue and not restricted to The Cloud.

 

I totally agree with your comments that standards need to be maintained as there is plenty of competition out there.

 

Hello Mayflower1: I am also sorry we didn't meet...or maybe we did and now cannot tell! The Wind is more elegant; we always had white glove service at tea, and each table was served with an assortment of goodies. You may remember that in our trip a tray was just passed around, or left in a buffet for people to server themselves (the horror!) Just kidding. One feature of the Cloud that I personally miss in the Wind is the jogging/walking trail. I sincerely hope your next experience in the Wind is as wonderful as ours was two years ago! I will not necessarily give up on Silversea, but I do not plan on compromising. Bon voyage! Virginia and Roberto from Ithaca, New York.

[CanadianKate]

One feature of the Cloud that I personally miss in the Wind is the jogging/walking trail.

 

In our viewing of the Wind's deck plans, deck 9 is designated as the jogging track. Is this not the case?

 

(Slight panic here - our next cruise is sea day heavy and we walk on the deck for miles each day on sea days.)

[Ithaca]

In our viewing of the Wind's deck plans, deck 9 is designated as the jogging track. Is this not the case?

 

(Slight panic here - our next cruise is sea day heavy and we walk on the deck for miles each day on sea days.)

 

Not to panic; there is a trail, but quite smaller than the one in the Cloud. I am sure you will enjoy the Wind! V.

[brimary]

Glad you had such a good trip! We said we wouldn't go on the Spirit also but opportunity has knocked and will report more next month. Hi to all.

Best of luck.Await your report with interest.Hope you are both well ....enjoy the Spirit.