Maybe 1st silver sea cruise?

[bones774]

I'm a 60 year old male in good physical shape and type A personality (also native NY'er so keep that in mind), keeping fit and always on the go. been cruising the majors for awhile now, always enjoy whatever ship I am on. Thinking about trying SS for a treat and they're offering 0% supp for solos.  What can I expect? Is this gonna be old, sedate folks, blue haired old ladies, fancy dresses and tuxes, snooty people? Thanks

[RachelG]

There will be some blue haired ladies.  I personally think the observation lounge on Spirit looks like the lounge in a nursing home.

 

that said, recommend you try one of the expedition ships.  You will find welltravelled high energy people onboard.  We have cruised a lot on Silversea and really like the expedition ships.

Edited February 21, 2019 by RachelG

[cflutist]

I also recommend the expedition ships,  perhaps the Cloud to Antarctica. There you will see gorgeous and pristine scenery and will be offered several 5-mile hikes onshore, some with 400 to 500 ft elevation gain. You can also kayak if you like.

[Stumblefoot]

6 hours ago, bones774 said:

Is this gonna be old, sedate folks, blue haired old ladies, fancy dresses and tuxes, snooty people? Thanks

1. Yes, you are going to see A LOT of sedate folks older than you who are enjoying themselves immensely and having a wonderful time.  They are up early, off the ship touring, attending shows, and dancing the night away.

 

2. Absolutely!  There will be plenty of blue haired old ladies!  They are the absolute best in my book as they always seem to have a gentle and caring demeanor, kind smile, easy laugh, and a willingness to engage in a wide variety of fascinating conversations.

 

3. You bet!  Killer dresses and fantastic tuxedos and suits abound.  There is nothing quite as spectacular as seeing the Restaurant dressed to the nines on formal night.

 

4. Snootiness tends to be relegated to those holier than thou folks who think they are better than most anyone else.  They are easily avoidable though as it’s the rare passenger who will put up with such juvenile and boring behavior found in an old man, regardless of his fitness.

 

With the above said, I don’t think you would enjoy Silversea clientele, Bones774.  Better stick with the “majors”.

[Silver Spectre]

15 minutes ago, Stumblefoot said:

 

 

4. Snootiness tends to be relegated to those holier than thou folks who think they are better than most anyone else.  They are easily avoidable though as it’s the rare passenger who will put up with such juvenile and boring behavior found in an old man, regardless of his fitness.

 

With the above said, I don’t think you would enjoy Silversea clientele, Bones774.  Better stick with the “majors”.

Nailed it Stumblefoot!

[Daveywavey70]

Well said Stumbles, I agree wholeheartedly. 

I don’t know of any cruise that doesn’t contain  old, sedate folks, blue haired old ladies, fancy dresses and tuxes, snooty people and super fit bores that can’t accept their age and think they are better than everybody else. 

 

Best stick with the larger neon ships with rollercoasters at sea.

[Lois R]

Hi, I am a 60 year old female....blue hair? nope, snooty? Nope...…….sedate? Depends on my mood...I have been on 2 Silversea cruises and I travel solo.   Probably 2 of the best cruises I have ever taken...…..what I do enjoy is:

Fabulous Food

Outstanding Service

Interesting Itineraries

And if I meet  a snooty person? I move on.------------>(There are those folks everywhere in the world).

If I see someone dressed beautifully and I think they rock looking that way, I will compliment them.

 

So, there are all different kinds of people who sail on SS!

 

[bones774]

Ok, thanks for the info.

[jollyjones]

To the OP:

I think Stumbles and co. have been a bit harsh on you, but your original post did come over rather unpleasantly - and being from NY only partially exonerates you.

 

However, when this question arises (trying a new cruise line), my answer always is - only you will know if you like it and you will only know that if you try it.

 

I have been sailing solo on Silversea for a while now (over 250 days) having moved there from the majors and I'd suggest that if you can see an itinerary that suits your dates and interests and attracts the 0% solo supplement, you should try it - I doubt you'll ever get a better chance to try a luxury line for the price.

 

Go with an open and optimistic attitude and who knows? You might have an amazing time. If you don't you will have learned something useful for your future cruising.

 

PS In my experience, Silversea cruising is nothing like you seem to think it's going to be.

[Emtbsam]

 

4 hours ago, Stumblefoot said:

1. Yes, you are going to see A LOT of sedate folks older than you who are enjoying themselves immensely and having a wonderful time.  They are up early, off the ship touring, attending shows, and dancing the night away.

 

2. Absolutely!  There will be plenty of blue haired old ladies!  They are the absolute best in my book as they always seem to have a gentle and caring demeanor, kind smile, easy laugh, and a willingness to engage in a wide variety of fascinating conversations.

 

3. You bet!  Killer dresses and fantastic tuxedos and suits abound.  There is nothing quite as spectacular as seeing the Restaurant dressed to the nines on formal night.

 

4. Snootiness tends to be relegated to those holier than thou folks who think they are better than most anyone else.  They are easily avoidable though as it’s the rare passenger who will put up with such juvenile and boring behavior found in an old man, regardless of his fitness.

 

With the above said, I don’t think you would enjoy Silversea clientele, Bones774.  Better stick with the “majors”.

Well said Stumblefoot!  I am from New York, and I fit the category of blue haired and old.  I also put myself in the relatively fit category (certainly for a lady "d'un certain age"), but I hope I am not a super fit bore or boor for that matter.

[brimary]

Perfect answer to the question raised.Your answer is precisely in line with all our SS cruising experience over the past 20 years.My advice to Bones is in line with Stumblefoots excellent analysis ie. stick to the mass market majors.

[Stumblefoot]

1 hour ago, jollyjones said:

I think Stumbles and co. have been a bit harsh on you, but your original post did come over rather unpleasantly - and being from NY only partially exonerates you.

Fair enough Jolly and I totally understand and respect where you are coming from.  In addition, I think Rachel and Cflutist we’re both very nice in their comments to Bones774 before I let loose.

 

While I debated posting my remarks after writing them, I decided to stay true to my personal POV.  And, while I don’t recommend anyone else take the approach that I took, I did so only because of the deep respect I have for the members of the SS forum who post with respect and decorum.  The language used by the OP, “Is this gonna be old, sedate folks, blue haired old ladies, fancy dresses and tuxes,  snooty people?” was just plain rude and unnecessary in its general characterization of SS passengers hidden behind the false pretense of an earnest question.  I know plenty of wonderful New Yorkers that would never behave in the demeaning way exhibited by the OP and I for one will not succumb to such scourge regardless of where one hails from.

 

Thanks again for rightfully calling me out Jolly and assisting the OP.  I hope this message finds you well in Bermuda.  All my best to you.

[bones774]

Original poster here, thank you for all the replies and info. I too was a bit harsh and politically incorrect, somewhat on purpose to elicit the varying responses. Without getting overly nasty to one another I got some good info and everyone became reasonable. While it may not be the line for me I might just give it a shot. Once in a lifetime experience, just 7 days out of my life and quite possibly meet some nice people.

Thanks

[twoboys]

We are a NY couple in our mid 50s in great shape and very physically active. we also love great food and great service and comfortable (to luxury) accommodations.  We had a amazing time on a Windstar in Sicily. Very down to ear people, great service and food and active excursions. We loved Seaborne cruise a few years ago but havent been on another. We took a Uniworld river cruise this past summer from Budapest to Prague and it was fantastic! We were on the younger side but a wonderful groups of people on baord and terrific all around and active choices in port. We will be taking our first Silversea cruise in September. We stuck to a shorter voyage hoping it will be a bit less formal and took a look at the excursions offered, as well as options we can book on our own. Im confident we will be able to make this an active and exciting experience. And if there are folks on board who prefer to be a bit less active, we will have the gym all to ourselves 🙂 My husband and I love traveling together and we always do our research to manage expectations.

[jpalbny]

We are 10 years younger than you, far from sedate, and we will be going on our 12th SS cruise in August. Some expedition, some regular. 

 

We did plenty of mass market cruises prior to jumping ship for SS. Don't miss that at all. Best to ask yourself what you'd miss from the big ships, and whether that would be a deal breaker. 

 

What you will find is good to great food, plenty of included drink, and a staff that will do everything they can to make it a special occasion.

 

SS will be quieter at night. Shows are less glitzy. Some cruises, we don't even go to any. No disco, but a low-key dance band in the bar. But plenty of opportunities to stay up late with a good drink and some quiet company.

 

The majority of SS cruisers are more extensively traveled than your typical mass market cruisers. Some will be like you, first-timers making the jump. Lots to talk about regardless of age differences. But you can easily keep to yourself on the small ships, if you don't feel like mingling. 

 

Have a look at a SS cruise through a first-timer's eyes. Boblerm is doing a live from thread on this forum for his wife's special (30th?) birthday. It's obvious that he's having a great time, as are the kids and grandkid. 

 

If you want super active shore excursions, it may be best to DIY or arrange private tours. But that's true on almost all cruises, I think. 

[SWFLAOK]

At the suggestion of my  60 year old brother, we did the Amazon cruise on the Silver Whisper last November. It was our first cruise on Silversea. If you have a 0 percent solo charge,  take it. He would book another cruise immediately if he could find that. We booked a Silver Suite so he could join us for dinner since we didn't want to dress for dinner on formal nights. We all enjoyed the cruise. We dressed up enough that we never felt embarassed. There were old people who dressed up more than us. But there were not an excessive number of scooter chair, wheel chair and walker bound cruisers blocking up the hallways and access to tables in the dining rooms, creating backups getting on and off the ship. and getting on and off the excursion buses. That's what deters us from cruising. Silversea was much better than HAL and Regent when it comes to avoiding the assisted living passengers.

[skleeb]

Has anyone done a transoceanic on SS? I was looking at one (with 0 percent solo supplement) that had 7 sea days! Is there enough to do onboard for that long a duration? Is the dress code more formal than say, a Viking river cruise? How do they treat solos? Thanks!

[jpalbny]

There is a big contingent here who love the TA cruises. I remember a couple of trip reports last year which should be available if you search the board.

 

You would probably do better starting a new thread specifically asking about that, though. 

[Lois R]

They treat solos wonderfully (in my opinion, anyway).

[Silver Spectre]

21 hours ago, SWFLAOK said:

But there were not an excessive number of scooter chair, wheel chair and walker bound cruisers blocking up the hallways and access to tables in the dining rooms, creating backups getting on and off the ship. and getting on and off the excursion buses. That's what deters us from cruising. Silversea was much better than HAL and Regent when it comes to avoiding the assisted living passengers.

Not a problem if SS is not for you, but really surprised just how ageist some of the posters on this board are!

[Silver Spectre]

40 minutes ago, skleeb said:

Has anyone done a transoceanic on SS? I was looking at one (with 0 percent solo supplement) that had 7 sea days! Is there enough to do onboard for that long a duration? Is the dress code more formal than say, a Viking river cruise? How do they treat solos? Thanks!

Solos are treated extremely well! If you like cruising (and that’s a big ask after your post) then 7 days afloat on SS is sheer heaven. And, it is Formal, coz its SS. This is not a miserable, informal river cruise!

[CruisinPashmina]

Let’s hear it for warm, flawless service, good food and wines, well traveled fellow passengers, and some different, interesting ports plus a welcoming, congenial atmosphere. I started cruising with Silversea while I was in my fifties, and now I have white hair which I am too lazy to dye blue..too busy traveling and having lots of fun.

 

As for snooty people; I just LOVE them...too bad they don’t sail on SS. Fancy clothes? The biggest group who really, really dress up, are the youngest, SS first timers, whose previous cruises have generally been on only the big (glitzy?)ships. These are also the passengers who sometimes  express disappointment with the SS experience...they are paying much more and they expect a spectacular, over the top experience. Won’t happen! And SS fans wouldn’t want it.

 

When I recommend Silversea to my friends I’m always concerned that they won’t “get it”. With one exception...(they love Princess)  my friends have all become SS regulars. The common thread is we love interesting itineraries, a refined, but definitely not stuffy atmosphere. Nothing is ever perfect in life, but to me and to my late husband, SS comes close.

 

In all things, I try to manage my expectations...and celebrate! 

[skleeb]

49 minutes ago, Silver Spectre said:

Solos are treated extremely well! If you like cruising (and that’s a big ask after your post) then 7 days afloat on SS is sheer heaven. And, it is Formal, coz its SS. This is not a miserable, informal river cruise!

Glad solos ae treated well. Can you give

 me some examples? As for formal, I am just more comfortable in slacks and blouses and flat shoes, rather than cocktail dresses, so maybe this would not be my best choice. Also, a miserable river cruise? Uh-oh, what happened on yours? Mine was delightful........

[skleeb]

1 hour ago, Lois R said:

They treat solos wonderfully (in my opinion, anyway).

Can you elaborate, please?? I try to choose a cruise line that accommodates and welcomes singles.

 

[Silver Sweethearts]

2 hours ago, skleeb said:

As for formal, I am just more comfortable in slacks and blouses and flat shoes, rather than cocktail dresses, so maybe this would not be my best choice. 

 

This from Silversea's website:

 

"Evening attire falls into three categories: casual, informal and formal. On casual evenings, pants, blouses, skirts and casual dresses for ladies; open-neck shirts and slacks for gentlemen are appropriate. On informal evenings, ladies usually wear dresses or pantsuits; gentlemen wear jackets (tie optional). Appropriate formal evening wear for ladies is an evening gown or cocktail dress; gentlemen wear tuxedos, dinner jackets or dark suits. Tie is required."