Maybe 1st silver sea cruise?

[drron29]

We have just sailed on the Muse.We did note how well the singles were treated.Every night in the main bar there were pre dinner drinks for singles always hosted by a Silversea staffer or entertainer.Nothing compulsory.There was one woman we noted that didn't attend these and she obviously liked to dine alone but relented when an officer or entertainer volunteered to share.

 

We had dinner with 2 single women and despite us being snooty old primadonnas,as Stumblefoot can attest,they decided to have dinner with us again.I doubt you would be disappointed with the treatment of singles on Silversea.

Edited February 23, 2019 by drron29

[jollyjones]

11 hours ago, skleeb said:

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........

As a solo sailor on SS I love sea days and have done many crossings. I travel with just carry on luggage these days so careful wardrobe planning is vital. My evening wear is basic black pants, with navy capris as an alternative, topped with casual or maybe slightly glittery tee shirts to cover casual/informal/formal dress code nights. There's free launderettes on board so you don't need many different clothes. I'll usually add a shiny pashmina for formal, a light cardigan other nights if it's cool. Shoes are flat, strappy Crocs (NOT the clog type!).

I never wear a dress - don't own any!

As for what to do on sea days - I mostly walk around the deck or sit and read and just watch the sea go by. Good for the soul. There's also pretty good quality enrichment lectures, port talks, cooking demos, bridge games, and spa stuff (altho' I don't do that myself) - and, the highlight of the afternoon, TRIVIA!  Gets the brain in gear, great fun. Then there's a solo cocktail get together each evening which often leads to dinner arrangements.

I don't do the solo stuff so much any more because after nearly 300 days with SS I know a lot of folks and it's so easy to chat to people on SS, they're (nearly) all so welcoming, but I sometimes do the solo thing, more often I'll dine now and then with members of my trivia team. And solos are often invited to dine at an officer's table on formal nights - that can be very interesting.

If you're looking at a cruise with a 0% supplement, I'd say go for it - you'll never find a cheaper way of trying out a luxury ocean cruise line. I moved up from the majors when I saw an offer for a Silversea transatlantic at only 25% supplement in 2012, and I've been hooked ever since.

Edited February 23, 2019 by jollyjones

[Stumblefoot]

9 hours ago, drron29 said:

...despite us being snooty old primadonnas, as Stumblefoot can attest, they decided to have dinner with us again.

🤣🤣🤣

Oh how I wish you and Rojann were coming with us, JPAlbany, and RachelG to South Georgia next January. The fun we would have would be practically immeasurable.

[Lois R]

Jolly Jones, I hope one day our paths will cross

[Stumblefoot]

Just now, Lois R said:

Jolly Jones, I hope one day our paths will cross

She’s a winner Lois.  I believe you would enjoy her company immensely.

[Lois R]

1 minute ago, Stumblefoot said:

She’s a winner Lois.  I believe you would enjoy her company immensely.

What a high compliment!  Now I really want to meet her

 

And I want to meet you and Jeff and JP and Mysty and Terry and ………..well, you get my drift

[cruznwithmom]

Going on my first Silver Sea Adventure in July (Wind). Younger than the original poster. Previously on Regent and Viking Ocean.  The itinerary is great, and I go on cruises to be pampered and relax, so Silver Sea sounds awesome. I would say it is really "try it and see if you like it" thing with cruise lines. Mom prefers Regent, but they don't have enough 7 night cruises and that is what she likes. I liked Viking a lot, Mom thought the value was not there for the price.  Since I am a freeloader I can't really argue that point. Silver Sea might be the one we both like best, or not, but the only way to find out is to try. I find interesting people no matter where we cruise. 

[skleeb]

2 hours ago, jollyjones said:

As a solo sailor on SS I love sea days and have done many crossings. I travel with just carry on luggage these days so careful wardrobe planning is vital. My evening wear is basic black pants, with navy capris as an alternative, topped with casual or maybe slightly glittery tee shirts to cover casual/informal/formal dress code nights. There's free launderettes on board so you don't need many different clothes. I'll usually add a shiny pashmina for formal, a light cardigan other nights if it's cool. Shoes are flat, strappy Crocs (NOT the clog type!).

I never wear a dress - don't own any!

As for what to do on sea days - I mostly walk around the deck or sit and read and just watch the sea go by. Good for the soul. There's also pretty good quality enrichment lectures, port talks, cooking demos, bridge games, and spa stuff (altho' I don't do that myself) - and, the highlight of the afternoon, TRIVIA!  Gets the brain in gear, great fun. Then there's a solo cocktail get together each evening which often leads to dinner arrangements.

I don't do the solo stuff so much any more because after nearly 300 days with SS I know a lot of folks and it's so easy to chat to people on SS, they're (nearly) all so welcoming, but I sometimes do the solo thing, more often I'll dine now and then with members of my trivia team. And solos are often invited to dine at an officer's table on formal nights - that can be very interesting.

If you're looking at a cruise with a 0% supplement, I'd say go for it - you'll never find a cheaper way of trying out a luxury ocean cruise line. I moved up from the majors when I saw an offer for a Silversea transatlantic at only 25% supplement in 2012, and I've been hooked ever since.

This is the info I needed to see from a veteran solo SS cruiser! All of this(plus other poster's comments) make me want to sign up right now. I have to wait til 2020, though, because I have 2 cruises lined up already this year. An 8-day Rhine river cruise in May then a15-day Alaskan one in August. I am going to read up as much as possible about SS to be informed and therefore end up being a respectful and satisfied cruiser.

[Lois R]

5 minutes ago, skleeb said:

This is the info I needed to see from a veteran solo SS cruiser! All of this(plus other poster's comments) make me want to sign up right now. I have to wait til 2020, though, because I have 2 cruises lined up already this year. An 8-day Rhine river cruise in May then a15-day Alaskan one in August. I am going to read up as much as possible about SS to be informed and therefore end up being a respectful and satisfied cruiser.

Hi,  I am not as nearly experienced on SS as Jolly (I only have 2 cruises with them) but I am a veteran of solo cruising (doing it for 16 years).  I felt VERY welcomed on board SS and they really do reach out to solo guests.  As mentioned, it is not pushy at all. If you want to participate you may, if you want to stay on your own, you may do that too. They know how to approach this in a professional, yet friendly manner. I know last summer I had dinner with the 2 gals who were part of the staff on multiple nights.

They were "International Hosts" and we hit it off very well.  I asked them to join me and we had a good time at dinner!

I need to book another cruise with them.   I am trying Azamara for the first time in April so will see how things go on that one!

[TLCOhio]

Appreciate the great range of comments and follow-ups on this interesting thread.  While doing five different cruises with Silversea and preparing in July for our sixth with SS (Silver Muse up to Alaska), our experiences have been, overall, very good with these ships, the crew and the fellow passengers.  We have not traveled as a solo, but as we have observed, most of those you are traveling with tend to be well-traveled, smart, savvy, interesting, experienced from life, etc.  Yes, a little older than average.  We call that being "seasoned" and that can be a benefit, hopefully and maybe!!??   They are a few exceptions, but most interactions with others on these ships have worked well.  

 

Much depends on the exact itinerary you pick and the length of that cruise as to how the "chemistry" comes together for an overall sailing experience, interactions with the other passengers, crew, etc.  Keep up the nice sharing as a follow-up to these good questions.  

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise from Copenhagen, July 2010, to the top of Europe. Wonderful scenic visuals with key tips. Live/blog at 233,880 views.

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

[UpstateJan]

We're departing for our 2nd SilverSeas cruise in 4 weeks (yay).  I am blue-haired in the right light, and I very much miss the snobs I encountered on Royal Caribbean and Princess (ironically, didin't find any on Celebrity, hhmmmm).  Guess as you go up the price chain, the snobs drop off.  Honestly, I was surprised on our first SS cruise in April that the age range was a great mix, and if anything a bit younger than I had expected.  It was really a great experience, and we met some amazing, interesting, and very well traveled people.

 

As far as the solos ... we had dinner with solos most nights when we ate in the dining room.  When we ate elsewhere (La Terrassa, or The Grill), we also dined with solos, by choice, because we had so much fun with them earlier.  These are not the wilting flower type solos either, you couldn't feel sorry for them that they were alone, and if they were, it was by choice.   There was a well seasoned SS cruiser that adopted us, and we were invited to the solo's pre dinner cocktail meet-up.   So yeah, mix & mingle, we didn't get left out because we were a couple, we were included 🙂

 

Our upcoming cruise was booked onboard.  The itinerary is awesome, the price was very good, and the addons certainly made it appealing.  Well, we didn't take the airfare (hubby has points), so all of a sudden, the cruise is now $1000 less.  There were a few other savings that happened since booking, and needless to say, our 1 week caribbean luxury cruise is in line with a mainline cruise, with 2000-3000 less passengers, far better food, interesting lecture, our beloved acoustic performers (going to say it, I really detest the big production shows, so doesn't matter which line ... bleah), and honestly really interesting people to chat with - and I mean the employees as well as the other cruisers.  It always made me sad to see the housekeeping staff on the big ships scurry past, not make eye contact ....SilverSeas seems to treat their folks with respect and dignity.

 

Ok, need to get back to work, those tax returns won't finish themselves.

[SWFLAOK]

On 2/22/2019 at 6:56 PM, Silver Spectre said:

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, you completely misunderstood my post. I said that Silver Sea was much better than HAL and Regent. I was not against SS at all. The only cruise ship we've been on that we enjoyed more is the Paul Gauguin, and it doesn't offer the amount of luxury and service that we had in our Silver Suite on the Silver Whisper.

[CruisinPashmina]

Upstate Jan.,

i have never expressed it better. Hope I get to meet up with you and your DH. 

[Clodia]

Great reading this thread as I was having some doubts! Booked the TA on Shadow which was then cancelled around the refit ( I like TAs and have done a couple on P and O). Disappointed about the cancellation I've jumped in with both feet and rebooked 14 nights to and from Fort Lauderdale in December 2019 on the Whisper. A bit panicked on reading some of the reviews, but seeing these comments it sounds as if I'll really enjoy the cruise as a solo (married solo whose OH hates cruising).

I do like dressing up on formal nights (one reason I've done a lot with P and O) but was really tempted to go upmarket for a change. Love good food and wine, relaxing, low key musical entertainment, reading and the gym. 

Now really excited again.

[Lois R]

Hi Clodia, glad you are excited again...you may certainly get all dressed up, many women do (and men as well) and they definitely have good food and wine!

[jollyjones]

3 hours ago, Clodia said:

 Booked the TA on Shadow which was then cancelled around the refit ( I like TAs and have done a couple on P and O). Disappointed about the cancellation I've jumped in with both feet and rebooked 14 nights to and from Fort Lauderdale in December 2019 on the Whisper.

 

I was booked on that Shadow crossing - very disappointed when it was cancelled but also slightly relieved - who would want to be in the middle of the Atlantic on the first post dry dock cruise? But no other SS cruise fit my dates or interest so - to Silversea's loss - I am trying a Crystal cruise.

I have been looking at Crystal for years because they also offer some lower solo supplements but the fixed dining was a deal breaker. Now they've redone the ships to allow open seating, and I had a spare cruising slot and a refunded cruise fare burning a hole in my pocket, I decided to go for it. So, something different this year!

[CruisinPashmina]

Clovis,

Ditto for me on the TA cancellation..plus I also rebooked on the December (6th) Caribbean cruise on The Whisper. My friend and I will look for you. She and I will sign up for a Mix and Mingle..hope to see you there. Are you a Trivia enthusiast?

 

Jolly Jones,

Please let us, on the SS board, know about your Crystal experiences.  I’m really curious about how you find the new ships. Like you, I was never tempted because of their dining arrangements. When are you sailing?

Too bad that the Shadow crossing was cancelled..I was looking forward to spending a week in England with family and having a few days in Lisbon...and meeting you.

[Tarwood3]

Hey there, we are 46 and 51, so a bit younger than you.  We have sailed Silversea a lot.  In short, without going through a multitude of reasons, I would say you would enjoy the newest ship the Muse the most.  It has been the most diverse in both age and nationalities of any Silversea ship we have ever been on.  We enjoyed it immensely, more than any of the other ships.  The old timers tend to cling desperately to the smallest and oldest of the ships , such as the Wind.  We thought we would find the Explorer (an expedition ship) to be a much younger diverse, more fun crowd and were shocked that it was quite the opposite.  The ship is small, few public venues, and the bar had very few people in it before and after dinner.  I dont know if folks were exhausted from the daily excursions or what, but the energy on board was non existent.  If you are going to travel as a single, you will find more singles on the Muse than probably any other ship, mostly due to its size.  Silversea is fantastic at making sure its solo travelers have a good time.  There are always lots of meet and mingle opportunities they organize and you will be invited to dinner with officers.  But hey, dont listen to any of us, just go! You will never really know unti you try it for yourself.  We are “samplers” ...we try everybody! But Silversea always feels like “home” ...even though we are youngsters, lol, or at least like to think we are!

[jpalbny]

Hey now. We are "only" 50, so we don't really consider ourselves old timers yet... But we love Wind and Explorer (and also the Cloud). I suspect we would also like Muse/Spirit etc but we haven't tried them yet. Thanks for the nudge in that direction. Considering how much fun we have on the old/small ships, it would be amazing if it were even better.

 

We've had great mixes of ages on some Explorer cruises and some where it's indeed an older crowd - it depends of course on the destination. But regardless of the mix on board, we do tend to close the bar down way later than 9PM. So there is some social life in the evening - at least on the cruises we're on. I can't disagree with you though; it is hardly packed.

[skleeb]

On 2/23/2019 at 7:48 AM, jollyjones said:

As a solo sailor on SS I love sea days and have done many crossings. I travel with just carry on luggage these days so careful wardrobe planning is vital. My evening wear is basic black pants, with navy capris as an alternative, topped with casual or maybe slightly glittery tee shirts to cover casual/informal/formal dress code nights. There's free launderettes on board so you don't need many different clothes. I'll usually add a shiny pashmina for formal, a light cardigan other nights if it's cool. Shoes are flat, strappy Crocs (NOT the clog type!).

I never wear a dress - don't own any!

As for what to do on sea days - I mostly walk around the deck or sit and read and just watch the sea go by. Good for the soul. There's also pretty good quality enrichment lectures, port talks, cooking demos, bridge games, and spa stuff (altho' I don't do that myself) - and, the highlight of the afternoon, TRIVIA!  Gets the brain in gear, great fun. Then there's a solo cocktail get together each evening which often leads to dinner arrangements.

I don't do the solo stuff so much any more because after nearly 300 days with SS I know a lot of folks and it's so easy to chat to people on SS, they're (nearly) all so welcoming, but I sometimes do the solo thing, more often I'll dine now and then with members of my trivia team. And solos are often invited to dine at an officer's table on formal nights - that can be very interesting.

If you're looking at a cruise with a 0% supplement, I'd say go for it - you'll never find a cheaper way of trying out a luxury ocean cruise line. I moved up from the majors when I saw an offer for a Silversea transatlantic at only 25% supplement in 2012, and I've been hooked ever since.

Well, you all convinced me!! Just signed up for a March 2020 trans oceanic 13 day cruise on the Shadow!! Got free round trip air, 0% single supplement, plus a $200 OBC. All for les than $5,000. Only drawback was that I did have to pay in advance, but I'm OK with that. Thanks for the encouragement! 

[jollyjones]

See you aboard, skleeb! 

 

I had booked and paid in full last year for this cruise , but when the 0% solo supplement offer came out I got my TA to ask SS to re-fare me and I got such a big discount I added the subsequent 7 day leg to Barcelona.

 

I got another couple of cruises re-fared too, and the total discount almost paid for this extra cruise which definitely wasn't cheap as it is a Med cruise - always high priced - and at a 50% solo supplement.

[UpstateJan]

Good job Jolly!  It makes my little accounting heart go pitter-patter to hear that.  I have to ask, do you use SS TA, or your own?   We've booked direct with SS, assigned one of their TA .... this is the second one, and well, not really a fan.  Honestly, we had much better TA service from Celebrity than we get from SS, we get the feeling we're imposing with our guy.   Just wanted to get an idea what the more seasoned SS folks do.  Obviously, we're heading into our second sailing with them, so we're not on their radar as important, perhaps we're getting the B-team players?  Any advise would be most appreciated!!!!

[jollyjones]

3 hours ago, UpstateJan said:

Good job Jolly!  It makes my little accounting heart go pitter-patter to hear that.  I have to ask, do you use SS TA, or your own?   We've booked direct with SS, assigned one of their TA .... this is the second one, and well, not really a fan.  Honestly, we had much better TA service from Celebrity than we get from SS, we get the feeling we're imposing with our guy.   Just wanted to get an idea what the more seasoned SS folks do.  Obviously, we're heading into our second sailing with them, so we're not on their radar as important, perhaps we're getting the B-team players?  Any advise would be most appreciated!!!!

I do nearly all my bookings onboard and have them transferred to my own TA who deals with any subsequent issues. She loves me! I do all the research (which I enjoy) and most of the work and she gets the commission, but that’s fine, she always comes through when I need her. Having a TA you work with all the while is so much better than one provided by a cruise line, and you aren’t limited to just that cruise line, for example my TA has just booked me with Crystal for a cruise to substitute for the Shadow crossing in November that SS cancelled. Silversea’s loss. 

Don't forget l’m offshore and don’t have access to a toll free phone number for SS, or most companies for that matter. 

On the plus side in this tiny island, my TA’s office is just in town, I can drop in for a chat anytime I want - I mostly deal by email but if some problem gets a bit convoluted it’s easier to fix it face to face. 

Edited February 27, 2019 by jollyjones

[skleeb]

7 hours ago, jollyjones said:

See you aboard, skleeb! 

 

I had booked and paid in full last year for this cruise , but when the 0% solo supplement offer came out I got my TA to ask SS to re-fare me and I got such a big discount I added the subsequent 7 day leg to Barcelona.

 

I got another couple of cruises re-fared too, and the total discount almost paid for this extra cruise which definitely wasn't cheap as it is a Med cruise - always high priced - and at a 50% solo supplement.

Well, it will be great to meet you! 13 months seems like a llllooooonnnngggg way off, though. We can 'keep up' with each other on these boards, if that's OK.

[jollyjones]

1 minute ago, skleeb said:

Well, it will be great to meet you! 13 months seems like a llllooooonnnngggg way off, though. We can 'keep up' with each other on these boards, if that's OK.

Not to put you off but I suggest you start a roll call, although I confess to being more of a lurker than poster on those, but these multi - subject threads get too confusing. And I’ve got a whole bunch of other cruises before next March, I’ll get confused too!

Might be interesting to see who else joins it? Definitely sign up for the M&M.