Shadow exceeded expectations- attn stumblefoot

[bobolz]

Stumblefoot here is my review of the Shadow that I just posted. I think you will find it the way you left it, very enjoyable . Enjoy

 

After reading a number of mixed reviews, I had lowered my  expectations going in, but was pleasantly surprised. Everything was clean and comfortable and relatively efficient. Although we had slight concern initially that the linens appeared to not have been changed after a few days, since I noticed the same  blood stain from my husband’s-cut on his finger. Although the linens did not smell, I assumed it was the same stain. I asked the front desk how often they changed them( I certainly didn’t want them changed everyday) , they said every other day, that seemed unlikely. However after my inquiry, they seemed to change them every other day, which was  unnecessary, every 3 days would have been sufficient.  I was a little upset that our cabin attendant notified us he was leaving the ship in Hiroshima and a new attendant would be taking his place. I asked him if he was leaving because of my inquiry, he said no , he was scheduled to leave for 2 weeks before we arrived, but his replacement was delayed due to obtaining visa,  so he stayed on until his replacement  arrived. He said his next assignment was on the Whisper,  so no worries. I just hope that was the truth, because if he was in trouble because of my inquiry that would have upset me to no end. He was very good, our room was always cleaned well and  early. After he left,  our room always seemed to be the last one done on sea days , even though my parents room right next to ours was done long before ours. Oh well

I don’t understand the negative comments about the food. I thought the food was very good and on par with Oceania which had been our go to cruise line prior to Silverseas.
I wa not thrilled with the hamburgers at the grill at lunch, but overall I thought the food , selection and presentation were well done. The steaks especially were very good, note we like medium well and were not disappointed. We preferred the main dining room, la terrazza was also very good, but menu did not change that often.

The room was comfortable and loved the walk in closet. I would say the suite (vista) was better than Oceania’s concierge level. The tv worked better than expected even out at sea, however the selection of movies was limited.  although there is a DVD player, you can bring your own since their library collection may not be to your liking, at least it was not for us. They did have most cable news stations, even MSNBC( since  Fox News for 15 days was not an option for us! )  and ESPN . 

I liked the separate workout room with free weights and a good area to do my own aerobic workout. 

The overall condition of the ship was good, although there were areas of the ship that may have needed some light maintenance, it was in areas that most people would not be traversing on routine basis. 

I would definitely recommend Silverseas . We would definitely  travel with them  again as long as there is a good price, like we received on this one, and the itinerary is of interest.  We were ok with the formal policy, but prefer not to drag that extra luggage with us. 

A great trip overall. Happy with our experience 

[Silver Spectre]

Thanks for taking the time to post a review.

[Unibok]

Thanks for your review. I assume you were in Asia? I have been curious about sea days in Asia — is there any chance you have a Chronicle from a sea day you could share with us? 

 

I would also be interested in hearing about the excursions, since Silversea’s Asia itineraries include many of them in the fare. Did you go on any? I’ve just selected mine for my February Shadow cruise, and would love to hear if there are any I shouldn’t miss.

[Stumblefoot]

12 hours ago, bobolz said:

Stumblefoot here is my review of the Shadow that I just posted. I think you will find it the way you left it, very enjoyable . Enjoy

Thank you so much bobolz for sharing your review!  Makes me feel much better about our upcoming winter voyage on the Shadow.  Just 3 more months to go!

[bobolz]

Hi Unibok

 

unfortunately I did not keep any of the daily chronicles. For sea days they did have lectures on the regions we were visiting that my dad enjoyed. One of the lecturers wife also did a lecture on iPhones functionality and provided interesting tips  on using the camera and other features.

 

in regards to excursions, we took the “highlights of.” For most cities. I enjoyed them for Kagoshima , Hiroshima, Nagoya was ok. For shanghai we got a private car one day and took the Jewish heritage the other day which was interesting, but took us to an art institute  in french concession area we could have missed. In Hong Kong , Osaka (Kyoto/Nara ) and Tokyo we arranged our own private tours that we enjoyed.

 

not sure if this helps , since it appears your itinerary does not make the same stops. If your itinerary includes Cambodia , you must see Angkor wat which is an overnight trip. As well as Ho chi min city and Hanoi

 

enjoy your cruise, that is a great region to visit. 

 

 

 

 

[Unibok]

That does help, bobolz -- thank you!

 

I've signed up for a few "highlights" type excursions, so I'm glad to hear you found them helpful. There are street food tours in both Ho Chi Minh City and Hong Kong as well. We have the option of two overland trips in Cambodia: a multi-day trip to Angkor Wat (rejoining the ship in HCMC), and an overnight to Phnom Penh. I've decided against the mid-cruise overland trips because I'm in Asia often enough that I can return on my own without taking days away from a cruise. By the time the pre-cruise Angkor Wat journey was posted, I had already committed to 5 pre-cruise days in Singapore. So, I guess I'll just have to go back in 2020!

 

Again, I'm so glad that your experience on the Shadow was mostly positive and better than you expected. Stumblefoot and family are on the sailing right before mine, so I'll be following those posts closely 🙂

 

112 days to sailing!

 

[Stumblefoot]

On 11/1/2018 at 10:51 PM, bobolz said:

If your itinerary includes Cambodia , you must see Angkor wat which is an overnight trip. As well as Ho chi min city and Hanoi. 

This is our first time to Vietnam and we were wondering about some of the mid-voyage land adventures on our cruise and would love your perspective on the following as SS tours are usually so expensive for what one receives in return

Hanoi - 1 night; $1,598 per couple | Departs from, and returns to, Ha Long Bay

Drive: 4-hours one-way in a van

Hotel: Intercontinental

Meals: Breakfast (1), Lunch (1), Dinner (1)

Tour Sites:

1. Ba Dinh Square (does not include visit to mausoleum)
2. Ho's stilt house and gardens
3. Temple of Literature
4. Hoa Lo (Hanoi Hilton)
5. Old Quarter
6. Thang Long Theater for water puppet show
7. Junk cruise of Ha Long Bay

Ship Itinerary: Arrive Ha Long Bay Sunday at 8:00a and depart Monday at 1:00p

 

Angkor Wat - 2 nights; $3,978 per couple | Departs from Saigon and rejoins ship in Bangkok

Flights: Afternoon to Siem Reap and Morning to Bangkok

Hotel: Sokha Angkor Resort Hotel

Meals: Breakfast (2), Lunch (1), Dinner (2)

Tour Sites:

1. Angkor Wat walking tour
2. Angkor National Museum
3. Angkor Thom (Bayon, Terrace of Elephants, Leper King)
4. Ta Phrom
5. Wat Thmei

Ship Itinerary: Arrive Saigon Thursday at 8:00a and depart Saturday at 1:00p and arrive Bangkok on Monday

Edited November 3, 2018 by Stumblefoot

[bobolz]

Hi stumblefoot

 

the tours being offered look pretty comprehensive and the price seems reasonable per couple. For Hanoi , we did a day trip  and that was a long day, so splitting that between 2 days and spending the night may be better option. As long as you don’t miss too much of Saigon (hcmc) and it looks like you have 2 full days , so that should work. 

 

enjoy your trip. I would not mind going back , it was a great region to visit. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Stumblefoot]

Thanks Bobolz!

[CruisinPashmina]

Must jump in. It’s a big decision to leave the ship mid cruise, but sometimes it is more than worth the cost. Angkor Wat is a world treasure and is truly magnificent. Go!

 

 I think Hanoi is much more interesting than Saigon...especially nowadays. I was in Saigon more than 20 years ago..on The Wind...I went again, about 6 years ago (this time we on The Shadow) and a year ago I went again....also on the Shadow. The changes may be wonderful for the Vietnamese people, but it is really just a frantic big city with construction everywhere. Hanoi was much more interesting with a lot of well preserved historical places to visit. It would be fun to stay overnight in the city. As bolbolz mentioned it’s a looong way from the port to Hanoi...over some rather  rough roads and wild traffic.

[Stumblefoot]

Thanks CruisinPashmina!  I booked both the Hanoi and Angkor Wat mid-voyage land adventures yesterday and will surprise my wife on Christmas 🎄 morning with this little treat.

[Silver Spectre]

10 hours ago, Stumblefoot said:

Thanks CruisinPashmina!  I booked both the Hanoi and Angkor Wat mid-voyage land adventures yesterday and will surprise my wife on Christmas 🎄 morning with this little treat.

Hi Stumblefoot, what dates will you be in Angkor Wat, we are there in early Feb after a Mekong Cruise.

[Stumblefoot]

11 hours ago, Silver Spectre said:

Hi Stumblefoot, what dates will you be in Angkor Wat, we are there in early Feb after a Mekong Cruise.

We fly to Siem Reap on Feb 16 and return to Bangkok on Feb 18, Mr. Silver.  Would be nice to meet you should your days overlap with ours.