Wind TA to Barcelona 6/4 - 20/4

[Silver Spectre]

Pool deck bar stool, for 2 days

 

 

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[Silver Spectre]

And the best one, as we are in port and it's a nice sunny day, it's a no brainier to have pool closed and being worked on!

 

 

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[spinnaker2]

Mr Silver

Thanks for all the information and updates!

 

 

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[Mayflower1]

Silver Spectre - Many thanks for your continuing Reports.

 

It is very sad to see that the Guests would appear to matter so little to the present Management Team on board The Wind - the Pool Issues are unacceptable and there can be no reason to have it closed on a fine, sunny day, especially as there must have been ample time to do refurb whilst on the Crossing ( The Paint Issue would be laughable if it was not so serious to the 2 Guests that had the nerve to try and swim ). Similarly the Bar Stool Issue could not have gone unnoticed by the many Officers that Pass by that location en route to the Captains Meetings etc.

 

I suspect that insufficient money has been spent on the ship over recent years ( certainly the hyped last Re-fit was not completed as advertised ) and now its a matter of trying to stem the flow from many Holes. The Lines Advertising would not appear to single out The Wind as being less than the ' Luxury Experience ' attainable on all the Ships - Perhaps Senior Executives from Monte Carlo need to get on board and experience what is happening first hand.

 

Its all very sad and will I regret to say result in the dismal demise of a once great Ship - what Silversea was originally about, true luxury for a small number of Guests.

[Silver Spectre]

Silver Spectre - Many thanks for your continuing Reports.

 

 

 

It is very sad to see that the Guests would appear to matter so little to the present Management Team on board The Wind - the Pool Issues are unacceptable and there can be no reason to have it closed on a fine, sunny day, especially as there must have been ample time to do refurb whilst on the Crossing ( The Paint Issue would be laughable if it was not so serious to the 2 Guests that had the nerve to try and swim ). Similarly the Bar Stool Issue could not have gone unnoticed by the many Officers that Pass by that location en route to the Captains Meetings etc.

 

 

 

I suspect that insufficient money has been spent on the ship over recent years ( certainly the hyped last Re-fit was not completed as advertised ) and now its a matter of trying to stem the flow from many Holes. The Lines Advertising would not appear to single out The Wind as being less than the ' Luxury Experience ' attainable on all the Ships - Perhaps Senior Executives from Monte Carlo need to get on board and experience what is happening first hand.

 

 

 

Its all very sad and will I regret to say result in the dismal demise of a once great Ship - what Silversea was originally about, true luxury for a small number of Guests.

 

 

 

Agree with your sentiments, but it's better than staying at home and we have met some lovely people, and we are having a good time. [emoji4]

 

 

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[oregon50]

Its all very sad and will I regret to say result in the dismal demise of a once great Ship - what Silversea was originally about, true luxury for a small number of Guests.

 

It's 2018.....what were you thinking in 2010? Ahhh, the mantra of SS veterans "we had a good time anyway."

 

Recently on Wind, spotted at least two European maintenance engineers resolving problems that years of Filipino crew applying duct tape could no longer hide. It never had to be this way.

[Silver Spectre]

And now we have these guys ripping up and replacing deck 8, which was only installed in September 2016, what a joke

 

 

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[Mayflower1]

Good Morning Oregon50 - You are so right !! - We have been bewailing the tardiness of Maintenance for many Years and we still go back - It is as Silver Spectre states, the lovely People, including fantastic Crew that we meet on the way. No other Line seems to create the same mix in our opinion.

 

The above said, there has to come a time when the Advertising hype becomes too much to tolerate ( We know its aimed at Newbies but we keep being told on board the ever increasing vast number of ' Venetians ' ). We wonder however how many true Repeaters there are ? - it would be interesting to know how many of the total have over 100 Days ?

 

It is no good looking back but looking forward seems to be painful as far as Silversea is concerned with Bigger Ships adding to the Fleet - the days of the really Personal touch must be slipping away fast - what will make Silversea ' Special ' in the future ?

 

Sorry to sound so pessimistic Brimary as we know you. like us, love the Wind. The present Report from Silver Spectre does nothing to give us confidence for our Booking in 2019 but we remain ' Hopeful ' - at least we will have Kindred Spirits on board !!!!

[Silver Spectre]

It's our last full day at sea. We have a long swell, probably 8-9 feet, so the ship is rolling a bit. The pool is closed, obviously. The outside at the back of the Panorama is open, but stinks of sealant as the Italian contractors continue their deck fixing work.

 

Looking carefully there are many spots on deck 8 where water has seeped into the new decking, indicating either a rushed job or poor work. It looks like the contractors come from the company that did the original job and are here to fix something that if done properly would have lasted for way longer than 18 months.

 

 

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[nfcu]

I find it ironic that so many complain that Silversea has done a poor job in maintaining their ships, the Wind in particular, but then complain when the work is being done. You can't have your cake and eat it too.

 

Not all work can wait until dry dock. In fact, all most all maintenance is an on going, never ending endeavor that sometimes interferes with the daily activities of the ship. That is just the way it is regardless of the cruise line.

[Mayflower1]

In the context of ' Balance ' I believe you make a valid point nfcu - however it comes down to the nature of the work and when it is scheduled. It cannot be sensible to Repaint the Pool and then reopen it for use before it has dried ( resulting in Blue Feeted Guests ) and then to close it again on a Sunny,Warm Day. Also a Wooden Bar Stool Seat refurb should not take 2 days if correctly scheduled.

The ongoing Deck Issues are perhaps easier to understand and I do agree that Ship Maintenance is an ongoing Issue and everything cannot be deferred until a Dry Dock.

 

The Issue here is one of Management and over the years we have seen far too little coordination of work by the Engineering Team and Guest Team to reduce Guest disruption.

 

Silversea pride themselves and go to great lengths to Advertise the ' Luxury Experience ' and Staff at all levels would do well to remember that in their everyday work.

[Unibok]

I find it ironic that so many complain that Silversea has done a poor job in maintaining their ships, the Wind in particular, but then complain when the work is being done. You can't have your cake and eat it too.

 

Thank you, nfcu, for voicing what I have been thinking. Maintaining any sea-faring vessel requires constant upkeep, and needs to be done regularly, daily. Some folks here seem to think that either a) the work should not be done at all, b) the work shouldn't even be needed in the first place, c) the work should happen only in dry-dock, or d) the work shouldn't be done in sight of any passengers, ever. All four are ridiculous impossibilities. Just reasons to complain.

 

Broken barstool? Perhaps not all possible parts are onboard, and it cannot be fixed until replacements arrive in the next port. It is a sea-faring vessel, especially on a TA with no land in sight for a week or so.

 

Both are realities of being at sea: the need for constant maintenance, and the possibility that not everything you need is already on board.

 

But then again, I don't have 100 days yet, so my thoughts / observations / feelings / suggestions are clearly inferior and irrelevant. :rolleyes:

[oregon50]

But then again, I don't have 100 days yet, so my thoughts / observations / feelings / suggestions are clearly inferior and irrelevant. :rolleyes:

 

.....and I'd say SS is depending on you for their future success.

[Mayflower1]

Good Afternoon Unibok - Please accept my apologies if my remarks concerning the 100 days have offended you - they were not meant to offend, merely reflecting the style of the present Advertising.

 

Your comments are as valid and valuable as anyones - I tend to agree with much that you say but would comment that negative observations do not necessarily mean that Guests are looking for something to complain about - Companies will only improve by taking notice of Feedback.

[Master Echo]

SS thank you very much for a most interesting commentary during your TA. Your perceptive, yet highly diplomatic linguistic skills mark out your posts.

 

I, too, have suffered more than once the unavailability of the pool during a warm sunny day, due to maintenance. When I saw Captain Arma last August for lunch during the call at Holyhead, he was insistent that I went with him to look at the improved state of the pool area, of which he was very proud. Maybe it is good that he is on leave!!

 

Kindest regards

 

Master Echo

[brimary]

Mayflower.....I am thinking positive and hoping the deck 8 maintenance will all be completed before we board our favourite Wind in July 2018 because like you we enjoy deck 8 facilities to the full when on board.If we find the new deck finished by June 2018 it will be nicely settled and refitted for when we meet up in 2019.Not bothered about the missing bar stool as I am still able to stand up with a Guinness in hand.

Does anyone on board the Wind have any updates on completion of deck 8 refurb?

 

 

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[Stumblefoot]

We wonder however how many true Repeaters there are ? - it would be interesting to know how many of the total have over 100 Days ?

My assumption, merely based on my own personal situation, is that the # you seek is relatively small. In my case, we've been repeaters ever since our first voyage in 2008 (second cruise in '09) and we have yet to reach the 100 day threshold. For working families, there is only so much time in a given year for a cruise.

 

BTW... what makes one a "true" repeater in your mind?

[jpalbny]

We just made 100 days on our last cruise, and have 3 more cruises booked.

 

There are a lot of fair points being made here. Yes, Silver Wind is old and in places, shows it. We too are very fond of her and also Silver Cloud. Our next 3 cruises are on these two ships.

 

I do agree with OP that it would be frustrating to have a trip disrupted by significant maintenance, major areas closed off, etc. Maybe we are too forgiving. But we still love SS and their product, and we see no reason to jump ship.

 

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[Silver Spectre]

I find it ironic that so many complain that Silversea has done a poor job in maintaining their ships, the Wind in particular, but then complain when the work is being done. You can't have your cake and eat it too.

 

 

 

Not all work can wait until dry dock. In fact, all most all maintenance is an on going, never ending endeavor that sometimes interferes with the daily activities of the ship. That is just the way it is regardless of the cruise line.

 

 

 

If you look carefully at my posts I am not commenting on any of the general ongoing maintenance, that is a fact of ship life. However both the deck 5 work and the pool deck are exceptional items. Neither of these should be scheduled when there are guests onboard. Both are almost certainly due to insufficient time scheduled for the last dry lock in late 2016.

 

 

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[Silver Spectre]

Mayflower.....I am thinking positive and hoping the deck 8 maintenance will all be completed before we board our favourite Wind in July 2018 because like you we enjoy deck 8 facilities to the full when on board.If we find the new deck finished by June 2018 it will be nicely settled and refitted for when we meet up in 2019.Not bothered about the missing bar stool as I am still able to stand up with a Guinness in hand.

Does anyone on board the Wind have any updates on completion of deck 8 refurb?

 

 

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Hi Brimary, the work on the deck is supposed to be completed by Barcelona on the 20th, when the ship is chartered. Looking at the amount to do and progress so far I wouldn't be at all surprised if it will continue after the charter.

 

Good news, the bar stool is fixed and back. And no it had nothing to do with parts, it was a manpower scheduling issue.

[MLeh]

Thank you for your review, Silver Spectre. A lot of sea days!

 

(Regarding vessel refits and dry docks: In a former life I was involved in a lot of ship maintenance, and I can attest that ships, especially ones that sail on salt water, require continual & continuous maintenance. Not everything can wait until a refit or dry dock, and not everything should be done can simply be done during the refit or dry dock to eliminate passenger inconvenience. Also, as a minor point, not all refits are dry docks. A dry dock is when a ship is taken out of the water completely, whereas a lot of refits don't require dry docking. And then there is the whole scheduling thing, not just of passenger areas, but of all the areas that are out of bounds to passengers, such as engineering. Knowing what to order, in advance, so that everything arrives in time to be done is one of the dark arts.)

[Unibok]

Good Afternoon Unibok - Please accept my apologies if my remarks concerning the 100 days have offended you - they were not meant to offend, merely reflecting the style of the present Advertising.

 

Your comments are as valid and valuable as anyones - I tend to agree with much that you say but would comment that negative observations do not necessarily mean that Guests are looking for something to complain about - Companies will only improve by taking notice of Feedback.

 

Mayflower1, thank you so much for your timely and thoughtful response. Your post about balance must have arrived while I was composing my message, and I wholeheartedly agree with you. The chief of maintenance must have quite a job juggling needs while trying to be mindful of that balance. How much is too much without interfering with the passengers' experiences? Each of us will draw the line at a different place.

 

It's funny -- before I sailed on the Wind last month, I had the distinct impression from these boards that she would be a bit dilapidated and downright shabby. Nothing could be farther from the truth: she sparkled. It may have been the thrill of boarding her for the first time, or it may be that I am too inexperienced to have a discerning eye. Or it may have been that she actually did sparkle. Throughout the cruise, I marveled at the constant efforts to keep her sparkling, both inside and out. It taught me to take some of the criticisms I read here with a large chunk of Himalayan pink sea salt. You make a good point about offering feedback to the company, and I will find that a helpful way to read these posts in the future.

 

Wishing you well,

[Mayflower1]

Thank you Unibok - there is too much angst in the world for a ' Falling Out ' on these Boards over a ' Luxury Vacation' !!!!

 

As far as a True ' Repeater ' is concerned Stumblefoot its a difficult one to put a number on ( The offending 100 days was probably, on reflection, a silly figure to pick in my previous Post ). One is granted ' Venetian ' status after 1 Cruise ( or the first segment of a longer combined Cruise ) so in Silversea Terms one can theoretically be a Venetian and never return to Silversea. I was merely trying to relate this to the Advertising which to some who have cruised with Silversea for many years can appear rather over hyped against the reality.

[Silver Spectre]

Heading into 'The Rock'

 

 

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[HappyCamper777]

As far as a True ' Repeater ' is concerned Stumblefoot its a difficult one to put a number on ( The offending 100 days was probably, on reflection, a silly figure to pick in my previous Post ).

Thx for sharing your additional context. It is appreciated.