Silver Muse dining reservations

[TheRampantSnail]

Reservations are now open for our cruise next April.  On "My Silversea" it states that reservations will only be held for 15 minutes but the only time slots shown are "early 7pm/8pm", "regular 8pm/9pm" or "late 9pm/10pm".  There is no differentiation.  So does that mean that, for example, booking an early slot would mean we can turn up at any time between 7pm and (using the 15 minute leeway) 8.15pm?

As I will be booking for 5 people, ideally at 7.45pm, how does the system work?  I am sure it was not so unclear on previous cruises.

[Observer]

I suggest you lock in the 7 pm option and then, once onboard, talk with Maitre d’ that you want to arrive at 7:45 pm.   There should be no problem.....

[Stumblefoot]

Totally agree with Observer. 

Since the SS system is merely a request system (not a reservation system) it only offers a generic time period to choose from.  We have even found when on board that some of the times we requested online were unable to be honored, including a complete change in venue.  However, when that happened, we've been able to find suitable alternatives.

[Observer]

Do we know with certainty whether Moon will have dining arrangements similar to Muse/Spirit?  There are certainly advantages to the variety offered by the Muse/Spirit arrangements.  But there are also challenges.  I think that, on balance, I would be pleased if they returned to a large MDR/Restaurant.  But then I would really miss some aspects of the current offerings.  It would be a close call for me.

[CruisinPashmina]

It wouldn't be a close call for me! While having two very, very dissimilar restaurants available without reservations...only after a massive protest asking for this...offering one MDR is so much better. A MDR has always felt like the one place on the ship which was totally inclusive....kind of the welcoming heart of the ship. I'm hoping the new owners will recognize that there are certain important, very special and unique factors  which go into passengers making a loyal connection to Silversea.

[wripro]

I wouldn't count on it, CruisinPashmina.

[philw1776]

Yes, that ship has sailed.

[les37b]

14 hours ago, wripro said:

I wouldn't count on it, CruisinPashmina.

 

I'd tend to agree.

 

From a personal level I loved the variation, but do appreciated that it brings its own issues. Cutting down numbers, means not everyone can fit in at once and is particularly problematic for Solos. But I did love Indochine..........

 

 

[Unibok]

8 hours ago, les37b said:

 

 

From a personal level I loved the variation, but do appreciated that it brings its own issues. Cutting down numbers, means not everyone can fit in at once and is particularly problematic for Solos. 

 

 

 

Les, can you say more about why it is problematic for solos? I'll be on Spirit as a solo, and would like to know what I've gotten myself into. 

[Stumblefoot]

9 hours ago, les37b said:

 

I'd tend to agree.

 

From a personal level I loved the variation, but do appreciated that it brings its own issues. Cutting down numbers, means not everyone can fit in at once and is particularly problematic for Solos. But I did love Indochine..........

 

 

Les,

From my POV, the issue some solos had in the earliest of voyages seems to have been resolved when they moved Atlantide and Indochine to an open seating policy.  Then, it was virtually eliminated once they converted Atlantide and increased its seating capacity.

Hope that helps Unibok.  I don't think you'll encounter any issues.  Jolly Jones and other solos will hopefully provide further perspective to alleviate any concerns.

[jollyjones]

Solos do just fine now on the Spirit (I think she has returned to being my favorite ship) because of the open seating in Atlantide and Indochine. I never seem to have to wait, but if there were to be a slight queue it's hardly a problem to sip another champagne and wait a short time for a table.

Indochine tends to be less busy than Atlantide - I prefer the decor in Indo and would go there more often but I don't like the food (all too spicy for me) - I know most people think it's not spicy enough!

You can order from the 'always available' menu in Atl and Indo (it's not on view in the dining room, it's the room service menu in your suite - I put a photo of it on my iPad so I knew what I might be able to order). I might go to Indo in the future and try it - they claim it's not going to cause a delay or a hassle (why I haven't tried it yet) but we'll see.

Then there's Spaccanapoli which you can walk into almost any time - I have to ration my visits there - the pizzas are so good I could go every day but from a health point of view I only go occasionally.

On 'my Silversea' pre-cruise I make quite a lot of reservations for La Terrazza and The Grill - it's easy to cancel if you don't need a reservation once on board - but please do actually cancel rather than not turn up.

IMO the 'pay for' restaurants aren't worth it - good food overly messed around with, and the small venues don't suit a solo diner too well. Similarly, Silver Note doesn't work for me since, when I am dining solo, I like to read a book in peace. Some people love the food and the music.

 

Now, this all assumes you are dining on your own (which I do some evenings by choice) but it is easy to dine with others you meet around the ship - there is a solos gathering every evening pre-dinner, very easy to join in. Also, on formal nights you may be invited to join an officer's table - SS are good at including solos for this (cynically one could say they need a solo to make an even number with the officer and a couple of couples - the usual arrangement).

 

My last four cruises were on the Muse and the Spirit so I'm used to them now - my next three are on the Wind, I'll be interested to see if I'll miss the variety of dining options, but I guess I need to say farewell to her since I'm not going expedition cruising.

 

The bottom line - lots of dining pleasures on the bigger ships but I don't really mind which one I'm on, just so long as I'm on one of them - I can always make it work for me!

[Stumblefoot]

1 hour ago, jollyjones said:

My last four cruises were on the Muse and the Spirit so I'm used to them now - my next three are on the Wind, I'll be interested to see if I'll miss the variety of dining options, but I guess I need to say farewell to her since I'm not going expedition cruising.

I think that is our biggest fear for out upcoming Shadow voyage... missing the variety of dining options that we love on the Muse.