On The Spirit in Caribbean, NOW

[jtm1]

Boarded yesterday in Ft Lauderdale after two days at the wonderful Pillars Hotel, where the photo below was taken. This is our second time on the Spirit, first since it was stretched. 

The ship is in pristine condition, and as expected the crew is outstanding. I like the subdued color scheme in the corridors and the addition of Art's cafe and Silver Note are most welcome.

Posting will be a bit challenging since even with the premium wi-fi the internet connection is poor. Perhaps a way to withdraw from my screens addiction.

544 passengers on board but plenty of room, especially around the pool and inside in La Dolce Vita on the 5th deck; the two places  where the stretch is most notable.

Beautiful weather, while back at home snow storm and cold.

 

[CruisinPashmina]

I have stayed at the Pillars hotel 2x.. wonderful location right on the intercoastal and, if you care, one block away from the beach. Definitely not chain hotel luxury... a bit quirky, excellent remodel..beautiful design...we loved our stays.

There’s  a water taxi stop right at the hotel's peer..climb on and take the entire circuit..inexpensive and really fun.

[Emtbsam]

11 hours ago, CruisinPashmina said:

I have stayed at the Pillars hotel 2x.. wonderful location right on the intercoastal and, if you care, one block away from the beach. Definitely not chain hotel luxury... a bit quirky, excellent remodel..beautiful design...we loved our stays.

There’s  a water taxi stop right at the hotel's peer..climb on and take the entire circuit..inexpensive and really fun.

Great advice.  Thanks.

[mluzzy1]

On 1/19/2019 at 10:00 AM, jtm1 said:

Boarded yesterday in Ft Lauderdale after two days at the wonderful Pillars Hotel, where the photo below was taken. This is our second time on the Spirit, first since it was stretched. 

The ship is in pristine condition, and as expected the crew is outstanding. I like the subdued color scheme in the corridors and the addition of Art's cafe and Silver Note are most welcome.

Posting will be a bit challenging since even with the premium wi-fi the internet connection is poor. Perhaps a way to withdraw from my screens addiction.

544 passengers on board but plenty of room, especially around the pool and inside in La Dolce Vita on the 5th deck; the two places  where the stretch is most notable.

Beautiful weather, while back at home snow storm and cold.

 

Any chance you could find out what is on the connoisseurs list for  tequila selections?

 

We board Tuesday and the Silversea rep to day told me they have Pepe Lopez, Cuervo Gold and Herrudura Silver. The first two are awful and the Herradura is ok for mixed margaritas but would prefer a sipping option. If they don’t have anything else , I will BYO😬

[boblerm]

On 1/19/2019 at 10:00 AM, jtm1 said:

Boarded yesterday in Ft Lauderdale after two days at the wonderful Pillars Hotel, where the photo below was taken. This is our second time on the Spirit, first since it was stretched. 

Hi jtm 1, wondering how you enjoyed your cruise.  We will be taking our first SS cruise on the Spirit in a few weeks.

Bob

[jtm1]

Bob, we very much enjoyed our time on the Spirit and I think/hope you will as well. I will be posting a more detailed report on this board later today.

 

Regards, Jim

[jtm1]

Our 11 days on Silver Spirit ended in Fort Lauderdale yesterday morning and after various delays due to the terrible cold in Chicago we arrived home last evening.  Trying to remember the warmth of The Caribbean.

 

Overall our cruise was delightful. The only downsides being: first, some of the ports on this cruise (Road town,Tortola and Rouseau, Dominca) were odd choices. They are both sadly still suffering from hurricane damage. My second issue, as mentioned in my post from when we  boarded was the awful wi-fi, even with the premium service we received for being in a Silver Suite. At times it simply did not work, and we were only doing emails and checking the weather and written (not streaming) news.. The explanation that it's tough to do wi-fi at sea is at odds with our very positive experience with wi-fi on Silver Muse about 18 months ago. 

 

Moving on to all the many positives:

 The Ship   was in perfect, pristine condition. It was interesting to play "find the stretch spot". It was done so well that only with the help of a crew member could we figure out precisely where the work was done. And the additional room at the pool and Grill made for a better experience.  I particularly like the new, Muse like, color scheme; others may disagree.  

Dining options are plentiful. We made reservations on MySilversea and all were honored. It was easy, however, to make some changes as the cruise went on. And, Atlantide and Indochine require no reservations. Even with a nearly full cruise (544 passengers) there were no problems making adjustments. The increased space in La Terraza was a mixed blessing. It was easy to get in there for dinner, but the relative intimate nature of the space is gone. And, I notice they no longer mention Slow Cooking in the description. And, sadly, the duck pappardelle was just OK. We tried Silver Note and enjoyed it. The duo (singer and pianist) were quote good, took requests and not at all too loud. 

The crew  make the Silversea experience and this trip was no exception. They were uniformly charming and a delight to interact with.

 

I would be happy to answer any questions.

 

All in all another wonderful Silversea cruise. 

 

Jim

[Stumblefoot]

Thanks Jim for sharing your trip report!  And, stay warm.  The temps I'm seeing today from friends in Chicago are just brutal. 

I remember working down in the Loop a few years ago during the last big polar vortex and it seemed like January would never end.  It would warm up to almost freezing then snow followed by polar cold for about 5-weeks.  Rinse and repeat.

[jpalbny]

3 hours ago, jtm1 said:

And, sadly, the duck pappardelle was just OK.

 

Yeah, I really liked it the first time I tried it, probably on a cruise in 2010 or 2012. I was really looking forward to having it again, but it was very different when I tried it on one of the 2014 cruises...and not in a good way. The meat was ground, not braised and shredded, and it definitely wasn't slow-cooked. So there wasn't much flavor. I didn't bother ordering it again on our last cruise. I can make it better myself at home. A shame.

 

But as you point out, there is a lot to like on SS so I will concentrate on that, rather than the less than good stuff.

 

I also hope you are able to stay warm. Over here in Albany, we are not-so-eagerly awaiting the arrival of the polar vortex that you are experiencing today. Yuck. I need to go back to Argentina!

[boblerm]

Jim,

Thank you for your report.  I, too, am disappointed to hear about the duck pappardelle, I recall that people were raving about that dish in the past.  Are there any particular dishes in the various venues that you found to be outstanding?

Bob

[Daveywavey70]

1 hour ago, boblerm said:

Jim,

Thank you for your report.  I, too, am disappointed to hear about the duck pappardelle, I recall that people were raving about that dish in the past.  Are there any particular dishes in the various venues that you found to be outstanding?

Bob

You have to once in your life try the Passion Fruit Brûlée in Seishin. The chefs Omakase was amazing but ask to switch for the Brûlée for dessert. We ate their 3 times but only found the Brûlée on our last night. I still dream about it. 

[jtm1]

Jim,

Thank you for your report.  I, too, am disappointed to hear about the duck pappardelle, I recall that people were raving about that dish in the past.  Are there any particular dishes in the various venues that you found to be outstanding?

Bob

 

I especially liked the lamb chops in Atlantide, the salmon and the filet of Beef prepared on the hot rocks at The Grill (which we asked them to cook for us and they did so gladly) and the tasting menu at Silver Note was very interesting and worth a try. Enjoy your cruise.

Jim 

[boblerm]

On 1/30/2019 at 6:44 PM, Daveywavey70 said:

You have to once in your life try the Passion Fruit Brûlée in Seishin. The chefs Omakase was amazing but ask to switch for the Brûlée for dessert. We ate their 3 times but only found the Brûlée on our last night. I still dream about it. 

Thanks, Davey, we are only on a 7 day cruise, and originally Seishin was not in our plans, but perhaps we need to rethink that....

 

On 1/31/2019 at 3:05 PM, jtm1 said:

I especially liked the lamb chops in Atlantide, the salmon and the filet of Beef prepared on the hot rocks at The Grill (which we asked them to cook for us and they did so gladly) and the tasting menu at Silver Note was very interesting and worth a try. Enjoy your cruise.

Jim 

Jim, thanks for your recommendations and your kind wishes.

Bob

[Daveywavey70]

Your welcome Bob,

have an amazing time.

😀

[spinnaker2]

Jim,

I will be aboard the Spirit on February 22. Since the trip is essentially a Caribbean cruise, I am wondering about the dress code.

I know this is an awful topic to bring up, but I had heard that formal nights were "optional" and the dress code relaxed.

Can you confirm this? I can find no reference to the dress code on the My silversea page, where one generally sees the dress code.

Thanks so much for your review posts!

 

[boblerm]

3 hours ago, spinnaker2 said:

Jim,

I will be aboard the Spirit on February 22. Since the trip is essentially a Caribbean cruise, I am wondering about the dress code.

I know this is an awful topic to bring up, but I had heard that formal nights were "optional" and the dress code relaxed.

Can you confirm this? I can find no reference to the dress code on the My silversea page, where one generally sees the dress code.

Thanks so much for your review posts!

 

spinnaker2,

According to my pre-cruise documents, only on 7 day sailings or less is formal wear considered optional, I believe your sailing is 10.  To what extent the code is actually enforced, I couldn't say. But according to stated policy, on your 2 formal nights, the stated dress code, (tux, dark suit, yada, yada. yada) is in effect.

I am on the cruise before yours, and shall endeavor to make sure that the ship is in fine shape for your boarding.

Bob

[spinnaker2]

Thanks Boblerm for your reply. I dont mean to highjack this thread, just wanting to know the dress for packing purposes.  I have now been informed "officially" that there are two formal nights on the cruise from San Juan. The "tipping point" is day 8! 

will look for your report too Boblerm.

....a former Connecticut yankee

[Observer]

No need to fret about formal nights.

 

One can go casual at the Hot Rocks Grill and the pizza place whose name I forget.  I have seen people in shorts there on formal night.

 

La Terrazza is always informal — even on formal nights.  So one needs only a jacket and open collared shirt.

 

In any case, MDs don’t seem to be draconian in enforcing dress codes — within reason.