2017 New Year Holiday Cruise, Spirit, BGI-FLL

[Stumblefoot]

We boarded the Silver Spirit yesterday in blustery Barbados.

 

Unfortunately, the La Terrazza Mgr. would not allow outdoor dining for lunch or dinner. It was a bit strange because we were sitting in port until 9:00p and the CD (Miles Moss) held a staff reception outside at 6:45p and The Grill served outside all evening without fail. Regardless, we had a lovely evening and I wonder how many can guess the dish below that both DW and I enjoyed?

We also enjoyed a lovely red from Italy and a nice Chardonnay from France.

 

 

Our only disappointments thus far are threefold; (1) There are two formal nights on this 7-night Caribbean voyage and we didn't pack properly since neither SS or our TA let us know; (2) No mention of when our Cruise Critic Mix & Mingle will occur (which probably means it won't); and (3) Our online reservations for Le Champagne and the Spa were not honored. Quite frankly, in this technological day and age, I can't figure out for the life of me why SS Operations are so poor in this arena.

 

Anyway, the weather is absolutely delightful and we're looking forward to great adventures!

 

 

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[spinnaker2]

Happy New Year and enjoy your cruise.

The wine and paparadelle look delicious.

yummy.

[Ithaca]

 

My guess, duck ragout, delicious!! If Francesco at the helm of La Terraza, I'm sure he knows you would not have enjoyed your dinner outside. With regards to the Meet & Greet, I almost missed one because the invitation was placed under the desk writing mat. Please look there, you may find it. If not, ask at guest services and they will be able to let you know. We so much enjoyed the 2016 Transatlantic on the Spirit! Great ship. We will be on the Whisper (first time) in May. Enjoy your cruise!

[easyboy]

Good food paired with nice drinks, enjoy!

Happy New Year!

 

 

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[WesW]

Brian, Fair Winds and Following seas for your Spirit New Years voyage....look forward to following your wine selections too.

 

 

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[Silver Spectre]

Have a great trip.

[nowornever]

every moment & THANK you for posting photos & thoughts.

 

Happy New Year - to everyone !

[duct tape]

I don't imagine there are many on this board who do NOT know what you ate for dinner! Everyone I know, it is their go-to dish.[emoji4][emoji492]. Have a great trip. We are currently on the Wind but I have' posted yet...I keep waiting for something to write about. My spa reservations were also lost in space. Instead of a good lie...geez, I am sorry that happened, let's see what we can do for you...she yelled at me! Have a fun trip with your family. HNY!

[TLCOhio]

We boarded the Silver Spirit yesterday in blustery Barbados. We also enjoyed a lovely red from Italy and a nice Chardonnay from France.

 

Appreciate so much from our Colorado friend these very nice pictures and details about the wine, food, etc., from your Silver Spirit sailing. Looking to gain any and all secrets and tips for best enjoying the Silver Spirit in preparing for our June 14, 2017, sailing from Lisbon to Rouen. Your posting reminded me to check on the number of formal nights scheduled for our 11-day cruise. Keep up the great sharing!! Looking forward to seeing and learning lots more.

 

YES!! Happy New Year and the best for 2017!

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 206,968 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

[Stumblefoot]

The wine and paparadelle look delicious. Yummy.

 

My guess, duck ragout, delicious!!

 

Good food paired with nice drinks, enjoy! Happy New Year!

 

Brian, Fair Winds and Following seas for your Spirit New Years voyage....look forward to following your wine selections too.

 

I don't imagine there are many on this board who do NOT know what you ate for dinner! Everyone I know, it is their go-to dish.[emoji4][emoji492].

Glad to see so many enjoy the pappardelle w/duck ragout as much as we do!

 

My spa reservations were also lost in space. Instead of a good lie...geez, I am sorry that happened, let's see what we can do for you...she yelled at me! Have a fun trip with your family. HNY!

That's awful to hear Duct Tape. We had an interesting experience in the spa today after "winning" a $50 credit. It got all worked out in the end, but it was a stressful 15-minutes which is not how one wants to start their visit to the spa.

 

Appreciate so much from our Colorado friend these very nice pictures and details about the wine, food, etc., from your Silver Spirit sailing. Looking to gain any and all secrets and tips for best enjoying the Silver Spirit in preparing for our June 14, 2017.

Terry, seek out the observation lounge on the 11th floor. Very rarely do you see anyone here. So, we find it's a great little private spot.

 

Tonight, we spent NYE in Le Champagne and the boat rocked like I've never seen a Silversea cruise do, as in party and party hard. Here are a few pics from dinner and the midnight celebration on the pool deck.

 

 

 

 

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[WesW]

Thanks Brian, for sharing your Spirit's New Year cruise evening with us along with sharing beautiful NY pictures of Taylor and Wendy and y'alls outstanding wine; but missed seeing you in the picture with your NY's hat :)

[TLCOhio]

Good food paired with nice drinks, enjoy! Happy New Year! Terry, seek out the observation lounge on the 11th floor. Very rarely do you see anyone here. So, we find it's a great little private spot.

 

Appreciate the continued wonderful postings, pictures and details. Sounds like super FUN!! Glad to get the excellent Observation Lounge tip for the 11th floor. Will keep this "secret" place confidential so that the crowds do not build up too much there. Keep it coming with this great sharing!!

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Enjoyed a 14-day, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure, getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for more info and many pictures of these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 165,412 views for this posting.

[Stumblefoot]

This morning's Grand Turk sunrise brought to you by the powers that be.

 

 

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[Stumblefoot]

We thoroughly enjoyed our sea day by the pool, sipping on a fine Champagne. The girls are now at tea and tonight we'll be by the pool again for Hot Rocks. I'm thinking ribeye, but we shall see.

 

 

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[Stumblefoot]

Last night the steaks and prawns were very good at Hot Rocks paired with an exceptional Spanish Rioja. If you get the chance, give this red a try as it is only $45 on the Connoisseur list and drinking perfectly right now. I felt it was better than the '09 Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-Pape.

 

Today, we are in Key West, FL and everyone on board has to clear customs face-to-face before going ashore. I wonder if this will make disembarkation in Ft. Lauderdale faster tomorrow?

 

 

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[Stumblefoot]

Could there be a more convenient port than Ft. Lauderdale? From suite to airport gate in 50-minutes and with public transportation no less. Love it!

 

When we got into port, the Wind was docked across the way. It looked like a lovely yacht next to The Independence of the Seas.

 

We spent our last night in La Terrazza for our last bit of pasta. As you can see from the attached pic, the salty sea air worked it's magic on my waistline this voyage. Time to get home and began losing some weight in preparation for next fall's Muse voyage.

 

I can attest, the Silver Spirit crew and their service remain at a very high level. The food was wonderful all week and the Connoisseur wine list is solid too.

 

 

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Edited January 5, 2017 by Stumblefoot

[jongbj]

Appreciate the continued wonderful postings, pictures and details. Sounds like super FUN!! Glad to get the excellent Observation Lounge tip for the 11th floor. Will keep this "secret" place confidential so that the crowds do not build up too much there. Keep it coming with this great sharing!!

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

 

Observation Lounge is awesome and very quiet. On our B2B last December, we had the lounge completely to ourselves for our pre-dinner cocktail during the first leg. During the second leg, a few more people found the lounge, but never more then 10-12 others.

We had Clifford as bartender the first leg and Rex (who we were told is the best bartender at SilverSea) the second leg. And I must say, the drinks were excellent.

[TLCOhio]

Could there be a more convenient port than Ft. Lauderdale? From suite to airport gate in 50-minutes and with public transportation no less. Love it! I can attest, the Silver Spirit crew and their service remain at a very high level. The food was wonderful all week and the Connoisseur wine list is solid too.

 

Appreciate your excellent summary and glad to hear that things were very easy and smooth when docking and getting to the FLL airport. Yes, love hearing that the crew and service on the Silver Spirit were at such a high level. Looking forward to our sailing on the Silver Spirit in June for 11 days from Lisbon to Rouen. As you come up with other thoughts and ideas from your sailing, we hope you will continue to share here on the CC Boards.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

From our Jan. 25-Feb. 20, 2015, Amazon River-Caribbean combo sailing over 26 days that started in Barbados, here is the link below to that live/blog. Lots of great visuals from this amazing Brazil river and these various Caribbean Islands (Dutch ABC's, St. Barts, Dominica, Grenada, etc.) that we experienced. Check it out at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2157696

Now at 46,739 views for these postings.

[Stumblefoot]

Terry,

 

Although we had cruised on the Spirit before, we found a hidden gem of a hideout on this voyage that we didn't even know was there.

 

If you're looking for a quite place outside to enjoy the beautiful scenery, or the sunshine, head past the shops on deck 8 and when you reach the casino, turn immediately to your left and you'll see a door. The EXIT sign makes it appear as if it's an emergency exit, but it isn't. Once the door is opened, turn right and head to the rear of the ship. There, you'll find a dozen or so lounge chairs to relax in.

 

Good luck and enjoy!

[KaraokeQueen]

Observation Lounge is awesome and very quiet. On our B2B last December, we had the lounge completely to ourselves for our pre-dinner cocktail during the first leg. During the second leg, a few more people found the lounge, but never more then 10-12 others.

We had Clifford as bartender the first leg and Rex (who we were told is the best bartender at SilverSea) the second leg. And I must say, the drinks were excellent.

 

Rex is fabulous. Now I'm really looking forward to our March segments.

Just hope they keep him up on Deck 11. He's delivered a dressing drink to my cabin before :)

[TLCOhio]

Observation Lounge is awesome and very quiet. On our B2B last December, we had the lounge completely to ourselves for our pre-dinner cocktail during the first leg. During the second leg, a few more people found the lounge, but never more then 10-12 others. We had Clifford as bartender the first leg and Rex (who we were told is the best bartender at SilverSea) the second leg. And I must say, the drinks were excellent.

 

Stumblefoot: Another Secret Silver Spirit Tip for Terry. Terry' date=' Although we had cruised on the Spirit before, we found a [b']hidden gem of a hideout[/b] on this voyage that we didn't even know was there. If you're looking for a quite place outside to enjoy the beautiful scenery, or the sunshine, head past the shops on deck 8 and when you reach the casino, turn immediately to your left and you'll see a door. The EXIT sign makes it appear as if it's an emergency exit, but it isn't. Once the door is opened, turn right and head to the rear of the ship. There, you'll find a dozen or so lounge chairs to relax in. Good luck and enjoy!

 

Appreciate these excellent tips and secret (or semi-secret) hideaways and special locations. Great sharing. Keep it coming with such wonderful insights, suggestions insider tips. See more on the visuals below.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 207,205 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

 

 

Here are two visuals from screen shots off of the Silversea deck plan on their website. This helps give more background/layout for these two great options on Decks eight and eleven.:

 

 

 

[xmarksx]

Thank you, really enjoying this thread! Cannot wait for our sailing in August.

[Stumblefoot]

Thank you, really enjoying this thread! Cannot wait for our sailing in August.

Thank you xmarksx! Wanted you to know how small a world we live in too as I grew up about 100 miles SE of Bloomington, IL.

[Stumblefoot]

Thought folks might enjoy the makeup of the passenger mix on this voyage.

 

There were a total of 535 passengers hailing from 32 different countries. The following countries represented the largest nationalities on board:

• 49% - United States of America
  
• 20% - United Kingdom
  
• 04% - Mexico
  
• 04% - Canada
  
• 03% - Brazil
  
• 03% - Sweden
  
• 02% - Sweden
  
• 15% - All Other
  

[xmarksx]

Thank you xmarksx! Wanted you to know how small a world we live in too as I grew up about 100 miles SE of Bloomington, IL.

 

Small world indeed. I would gladly trade for your Colorado weather right about now. Typical grey, cold and windy - central Illinois.