Silver Cloud - Vista Suites

[megfla]

I have booked my first SS cruise for July 2012 (16 night Northern Europe) on the Silver Cloud and am booked in a Vista Suite. Would greatly appreciate any feedback from folks recently traveling in the Cloud's Vista suites on their experience. We have never taken a cruise greater than 8 nights and ususally in nothing more than a typical balcony room. The recent posts on the deferred refurbishment (to Oct 2012) and the recent A/C issues have me somewhat anxious. Thanks for your input.

[Ithaca]

I have booked my first SS cruise for July 2012 (16 night Northern Europe) on the Silver Cloud and am booked in a Vista Suite. Would greatly appreciate any feedback from folks recently traveling in the Cloud's Vista suites on their experience. We have never taken a cruise greater than 8 nights and ususally in nothing more than a typical balcony room. The recent posts on the deferred refurbishment (to Oct 2012) and the recent A/C issues have me somewhat anxious. Thanks for your input.

 

We cruised the Med on the Cloud last October and stayed in Vista Suite 420. It was very pleasant, but for the location of the electric outlet to use the hair dryer in the bathroom. I had to use the dryer in the vanity outside the bathroom. The room was near the self service launderette, and that was a convenience! I could scoot in several times to catch empty washers and dryers. We had no A/C problems during our cruise, but I encourage you to verify all is well now before you book. Happy sailing! Ithacans,, from NY

[megfla]

Thanks, we are booked but have until March to make final payment. We are super excited about the itinerary and the anticipation of "stepping up" to SS, just reading some of the concerns make you paranoid about 16 nights if there are issues. With the 240 sq ft in the VIsta suite I would expect it to feel like you have a little more elbow room than the typical R.C. or H.A. balcony cabin.

[Older Party]

Thanks, we are booked but have until March to make final payment. We are super excited about the itinerary and the anticipation of "stepping up" to SS, just reading some of the concerns make you paranoid about 16 nights if there are issues. With the 240 sq ft in the VIsta suite I would expect it to feel like you have a little more elbow room than the typical R.C. or H.A. balcony cabin.

 

I have stayed in Vista Suites on both Cloud and Wind and they are very comfortable. I have also cruised RC and let me tell you, only when you step into your CLOSET on the Silver Cloud, will you feel like you're on a Royal Caribbean cruise! :-)

[megfla]

Beautiful! I hope we will not miss the balcony/verandah too much. I figure it would be pretty cool on the water (even in July) on a Northern European sailing that the extra $2,000pp for the veranda would not be warranted.

[dusababy]

Megfla no one has mentioned the abundance of public open spaces on the ships.

The action is not on your verandah (or maybe it is......;)) but you'll want to meet people/friends in the various public spaces, which are so comfortable.

I've never felt crowded on a Silversea ship, and have been sailing all SS ships since 1997.

Also fjords - northern Europe - can't rely on weather. The ONLY time we popped for a verandah was on Mexican Riviera, just to try it. In my opinion not worth the extra $$$ on most itineraries.

But -- that's just my opinion.

Whatever you choose -- I"m sure it will be a fabulous voyage.

[megfla]

Megfla no one has mentioned the abundance of public open spaces on the ships.

The action is not on your verandah (or maybe it is......;)) but you'll want to meet people/friends in the various public spaces, which are so comfortable.

I've never felt crowded on a Silversea ship, and have been sailing all SS ships since 1997.

Also fjords - northern Europe - can't rely on weather. The ONLY time we popped for a verandah was on Mexican Riviera, just to try it. In my opinion not worth the extra $$$ on most itineraries.

But -- that's just my opinion.

Whatever you choose -- I"m sure it will be a fabulous voyage.

 

Not quite sure what action you refer too? :D

 

Thanks for the information - the positive feedback certainly helps!!

[ging466]

I have booked my first SS cruise for July 2012 (16 night Northern Europe) on the Silver Cloud and am booked in a Vista Suite. Would greatly appreciate any feedback from folks recently traveling in the Cloud's Vista suites on their experience. We have never taken a cruise greater than 8 nights and ususally in nothing more than a typical balcony room. The recent posts on the deferred refurbishment (to Oct 2012) and the recent A/C issues have me somewhat anxious. Thanks for your input.

 

Hi megfla

 

U will walk into your vista suite and say "Wow!" U will then wonder why u have never been on SS before and u will NOT want to disembark after 16 nights.

 

Get the picture? :D:D

 

Enjoy!

 

Cheers

Jennifer

[megfla]

Hi megfla

 

U will walk into your vista suite and say "Wow!" U will then wonder why u have never been on SS before and u will NOT want to disembark after 16 nights.

 

Get the picture? :D:D

 

Enjoy!

 

Cheers

Jennifer

 

 

That's great! Only problem is we are still 210 days away!

[CanadianKate]

We now only book Vista suites on SS.

 

Our first cruise was an Atlantic crossing in May and we had a verandah suite. Aside from peeking out every once in a while, we didn't really sit out there, we preferred to sit out on the public decks (where we could control if we were in the sun or shade, pick our view, and have someone wandering by to offer us drinks.)

 

For us, the biggest advantage to the Vista suite is that is seems like you have more room because you don't have to leave the space in front of the sliding door clear. We are still running our company so we set up the table in front of the window and leave the laptops up all the time and have a wonderful view while we work.

 

In the Verandah suite we couldn't do that so the laptops took up all the desk space, and we felt really cramped all the time.

 

As for hair dryer in the bathroom - that is a safety issue. I do find I'm 'in the way', especially on the Spirit, when I'm using the vanity to style my hair and my dh is also dressing but in the future we are going to try my using the desk area as the vanity, which is something we could only do if we were in a Vista suite. It has taken 80 days on board to finally figure that out!

 

I will recommend traveling with a power bar, though, because even though all my things are dual voltage so can be plugged into any outlet, there still doesn't seem to be enough plugs. Most importantly, there is no bedside table electrical (which became an issue once my dh started to use his smart phone as his clock and wanted to charge it overnight by his bedside.) We solved that problem by having a long extension cord run under the bed and plugged into the vanity plug when we went to sleep and unplugged in the morning and tucked back under the bed so it won't be a trip hazard.

 

The biggest shift in thinking comes from the fact that you don't want to spend time in your suite, you want to be out enjoying all the ship and crew have to offer. I find I often have to schedule 'alone time' in order to balance all the sensory overload (views, socializing, tastes, sounds, movement of the ship) and do that by curling up on the couch with light reading or just watching a junky movie. That's my 'shy' personality, my 'gregarious' dh is on the go all the time and so wouldn't hang on the verandah because he likes being out and about so he can run into people or just people watch.

[megfla]

We now only book Vista suites on SS.

 

Our first cruise was an Atlantic crossing in May and we had a verandah suite. Aside from peeking out every once in a while, we didn't really sit out there, we preferred to sit out on the public decks (where we could control if we were in the sun or shade, pick our view, and have someone wandering by to offer us drinks.)

 

For us, the biggest advantage to the Vista suite is that is seems like you have more room because you don't have to leave the space in front of the sliding door clear. We are still running our company so we set up the table in front of the window and leave the laptops up all the time and have a wonderful view while we work.

 

In the Verandah suite we couldn't do that so the laptops took up all the desk space, and we felt really cramped all the time.

 

As for hair dryer in the bathroom - that is a safety issue. I do find I'm 'in the way', especially on the Spirit, when I'm using the vanity to style my hair and my dh is also dressing but in the future we are going to try my using the desk area as the vanity, which is something we could only do if we were in a Vista suite. It has taken 80 days on board to finally figure that out!

 

I will recommend traveling with a power bar, though, because even though all my things are dual voltage so can be plugged into any outlet, there still doesn't seem to be enough plugs. Most importantly, there is no bedside table electrical (which became an issue once my dh started to use his smart phone as his clock and wanted to charge it overnight by his bedside.) We solved that problem by having a long extension cord run under the bed and plugged into the vanity plug when we went to sleep and unplugged in the morning and tucked back under the bed so it won't be a trip hazard.

 

The biggest shift in thinking comes from the fact that you don't want to spend time in your suite, you want to be out enjoying all the ship and crew have to offer. I find I often have to schedule 'alone time' in order to balance all the sensory overload (views, socializing, tastes, sounds, movement of the ship) and do that by curling up on the couch with light reading or just watching a junky movie. That's my 'shy' personality, my 'gregarious' dh is on the go all the time and so wouldn't hang on the verandah because he likes being out and about so he can run into people or just people watch.

 

Excellent point on the space savings.

[weintime]

We were on our first Silver Sea cruise this year on "The Wind" 7nights Rome to Athens.....JUST AMAZING. We were in room 431...great location..centre ship...same level as main dining room. We loved it so much we booked the Baltic 16days/10July 2012...vista again, cabin 431. There was plenty of room, the window is huge and like you could not see the point in paying $2000 for the veranda when we could sit anywhere on the ship and virtually be by ourselves, as "The wind" was full and only had 260 pax. Silver Sea , the meals were just like a "top hat" restaurant meal at every sitting. I agree a power board is very handy. I used the hairdryer from the dressing table in the lounge room. I am also counting down the days....we are doing the Norwegian Coast for 7nights on "The Whisper" 2-9July before we do "The Cloud".

You wont be disappointed...I am not worried about the A/C as I am sure that Silver Sea will have it sorted by the time of our departure.

Our 7night trip was certainly too short....but know that this time I will have to lose more weight before I go on this longer trip.

[megfla]

We were on our first Silver Sea cruise this year on "The Wind" 7nights Rome to Athens.....JUST AMAZING. We were in room 431...great location..centre ship...same level as main dining room. We loved it so much we booked the Baltic 16days/10July 2012...vista again, cabin 431. There was plenty of room, the window is huge and like you could not see the point in paying $2000 for the veranda when we could sit anywhere on the ship and virtually be by ourselves, as "The wind" was full and only had 260 pax. Silver Sea , the meals were just like a "top hat" restaurant meal at every sitting. I agree a power board is very handy. I used the hairdryer from the dressing table in the lounge room. I am also counting down the days....we are doing the Norwegian Coast for 7nights on "The Whisper" 2-9July before we do "The Cloud".

You wont be disappointed...I am not worried about the A/C as I am sure that Silver Sea will have it sorted by the time of our departure.

Our 7night trip was certainly too short....but know that this time I will have to lose more weight before I go on this longer trip.

 

Hello Weintime -

 

Too funny! I just replied to your posting on the "roll call" thread. My wife and I are booked in Cabin #429 - RIGHT NEXT DOOR! I guess it is really a small world!

 

Seems as though you will be quite the SS expert by then. This will be our first SS experience.

[weintime]

I am sure you will be very happy with your first SS experience and room 429. This year we met a lovely couple from Windemere UK who were next to us in cabin 429 on "The Wind" and they have asked us to come a visit them there on our way through the UK to Copenhagen. Would be great to share a tour in St Petersberg with you and others...we are from the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia, in our late 50,s and early 60's...where are you from and do you know any of the other cruises on our cruise? Also I looked at the 3 day tour with Alla Tours US$420pp which will get you back to the ship by 1700 for 1800 departure. If you are interested perhaps we could chat by email.

[megfla]

I am sure you will be very happy with your first SS experience and room 429. This year we met a lovely couple from Windemere UK who were next to us in cabin 429 on "The Wind" and they have asked us to come a visit them there on our way through the UK to Copenhagen. Would be great to share a tour in St Petersberg with you and others...we are from the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia, in our late 50,s and early 60's...where are you from and do you know any of the other cruises on our cruise? Also I looked at the 3 day tour with Alla Tours US$420pp which will get you back to the ship by 1700 for 1800 departure. If you are interested perhaps we could chat by email.

 

Sounds good. We are from the Tampa, Florida area. I am mid 40's and my wife is mid 50's (don't tell her I told you). I did send you a "friend" invite, I don't know if that will allow you to see my e-mail address or send an e-mail or not. If not, will need to find secure way to do so. I am new to this. Thanks.

[weintime]

I tried to enter your friend site but it said you have no friends registered. I have registered you as my friend so perhaps you could go into weintime and look to see re email address. Otherwise perhaps someone else reading this could advise us what to do...I am new to this also.:rolleyes:

[megfla]

I tried to enter your friend site but it said you have no friends registered. I have registered you as my friend so perhaps you could go into weintime and look to see re email address. Otherwise perhaps someone else reading this could advise us what to do...I am new to this also.:rolleyes:

 

I contacted the administrator, they have apparently removed the ability to share e-mail address. They must have have problems in the past. They recommended I set up a temporary address and comminucate it as follows - cruiseeurope66 at gmail dot com. So please send me a note when you have an opportunity.

 

I see that the "friend" setup looks successful on my end.

[scapel]

Does a Vista Suite have a Veranda ?

[CASHIPman]

Does a Vista Suite have a Veranda ?

 

No. Internally Vistas and Veranda suites are identical however. The difference is between a Vista and a Veranda suite is the lack of a Veranda for the Vistas.

[scapel]

Is there a picture window or large window? If it is cold or hot you get a nice view with temperature control.

[megfla]

According to the tour on the SS website the window appears to be quite large. An earlier post commented on a positive that the window offer more space in the cabin rather than having to leave the area in front of the door open.

[Goldens4]

It does have a large picture window. You will enjoy and have a great view.

[mortgagemaster]

Is there a picture window or large window? If it is cold or hot you get a nice view with temperature control.

It's a large window...we had one on the Whisper 7 years ago (until we were moved to a Veranda because our A/C was not cooling). It's much better than what you would have on a more moderate line (HAL, Princess).