Moon Hopes

[JohnGinPBG]

1 hour ago, Silver Spectre said:

I didn’t mention prices. What I found frustrating on the Muse is that apart from the art in the Arts Cafe and the ‘stunning’ print of ‘The Boss’ in Dolce Vita, no one on the ship knows who produced the art that is liberally scattered around the ship, there is no explanation whatever.

 

I agree 100%. On the Shadow last year and the Spirit this year, I suggested to the reception desk that they provide a guide to the art on board. I was met by vacant stares. All I was told was "They are from the Chaiman's private collection." I would think the Chairman would want cruisers to know a little about his artworks.

[Silver Spectre]

1 hour ago, JohnGinPBG said:

 

I agree 100%. On the Shadow last year and the Spirit this year, I suggested to the reception desk that they provide a guide to the art on board. I was met by vacant stares. All I was told was "They are from the Chaiman's private collection." I would think the Chairman would want cruisers to know a little about his artworks.

Agree entirely, I not only enquired at reception on the Muse, but also raised it with the HD  last October.

[Stumblefoot]

16 hours ago, Observer said:

Though I would be delighted to be disappointed, I do not expect this suggestion to be greeted by universal agreement.

Sorry Observer, while I understand your point-of-view, count me in the camp that disagrees with your wall mounted toiletry dispenser suggestion.

 

Marriott began enforcing wall mounted toiletry dispensers in the showers of all their North American managed properties this spring.  They pretended their motivation is the environment, but in all actuality, it's nothing more than a money grab by the hotelier as no cost savings have been shared with the consumer.  Same thing will happen at IHG.  If the motivation was truly the environment, then a move to biodegradable packaging would be in order, not some cheap wall mounted toiletry dispenser made of metal and plastic.
 

My concerns are as follows:

• Germs - The National Institutes of Health has studied bacterial contamination of refillable dispensers.  The results are not pretty.  And, based on the housekeeping practices of some operators, I doubt the dispensers themselves are thoroughly cleaned and sterilized between guests.
• Safeguards - Failure to secure the dispensers from foul play.  In 2018, someone replaced the soap in dispensers with bodily fluid in Detroit.  Talk about sickening and gross!  I worry that a previous guest might put something other than shampoo or bath gel in the bottles, or to mix them up.
• Product Purity / Trust - In a sealed, individual container, you are 99.99% likely to receive what is printed on the container's label.  It is super easy to substitute counterfeit product into a wall dispenser.  You don’t really know what you’re getting when you don’t see the product package.
• Maintenance - Housekeeping isn't nearly as good at keeping the dispenser filled as they are at replacing unsealed, individual packages.
• Brand Equity - Wall dispensers in a private bathroom do not offer a luxury experience commensurate with the price paid.

 

[Observer]

17 minutes ago, Stumblefoot said:

Sorry Observer, while I understand your point-of-view, count me in the camp that disagrees with your wall mounted toiletry dispenser suggestion.

 

Marriott began enforcing wall mounted toiletry dispensers in the showers of all their North American managed properties this spring.  They pretended their motivation is the environment, but in all actuality, it's nothing more than a money grab by the hotelier as no cost savings have been shared with the consumer.  Same thing will happen at IHG.  If the motivation was truly the environment, then a move to biodegradable packaging would be in order, not some cheap wall mounted toiletry dispenser made of metal and plastic.
 

My concerns are as follows:

• Germs - The National Institutes of Health has studied bacterial contamination of refillable dispensers.  The results are not pretty.  And, based on the housekeeping practices of some operators, I doubt the dispensers themselves are thoroughly cleaned and sterilized between guests.
• Safeguards - Failure to secure the dispensers from foul play.  In 2018, someone replaced the soap in dispensers with bodily fluid in Detroit.  Talk about sickening and gross!  I worry that a previous guest might put something other than shampoo or bath gel in the bottles, or to mix them up.
• Product Purity / Trust - In a sealed, individual container, you are 99.99% likely to receive what is printed on the container's label.  It is super easy to substitute counterfeit product into a wall dispenser.  You don’t really know what you’re getting when you don’t see the product package.
• Maintenance - Housekeeping isn't nearly as good at keeping the dispenser filled as they are at replacing unsealed, individual packages.
• Brand Equity - Wall dispensers in a private bathroom do not offer a luxury experience commensurate with the price paid.

 

 

I understand your concerns, and I did not anticipate choruses of agreement.

 

I think that the NIH studies were related to hospital-like settings with lots of different users, many carrying nasty germs (clearly uncharacteristic of SS guests!!)

 

Such dispensers have been standard issue on sinks in Silversea suite bathrooms for several years, and I am not aware of issues or complaints.  I, for one, welcome their presence: far better, IMHO, than a slippery bar of soggy soap which itself may attract who-knows-what as it sits between uses.  The green glass dispenser is clearly visible just to the right of the faucet in this image. 

Edited July 31, 2019 by Observer

[Stumblefoot]

7 minutes ago, Observer said:

Such dispensers have been standard issue on sinks in Silversea suite bathrooms for several years, and I am not aware of issues or complaints.  I, for one, welcome their presence: far better, IMHO, than a slippery bar of soggy soap which itself may attract who-knows-what as it sits between uses. 

I truly understand your point-of-view and respect it completely.  I am aware of the soap dispenser at the sink.  It just sits there the entire voyage while I use the bar of soap.  😄 

Oh well, to each his own.  But I do appreciate you raising the issue and idea.

[Observer]

3 minutes ago, Stumblefoot said:

I truly understand your point-of-view and respect it completely.  I am aware of the soap dispenser at the sink.  It just sits there the entire voyage while I use the bar of soap.  😄 

Oh well, to each his own.  But I do appreciate you raising the issue and idea.

 

Thanks very much for your civil participation in this exchange.

 

Shall we now move to another wholly uncontroversial issue: the elimination of plastic straws?  🙂

 

I do not believe that Silversea has done so, but I recall that RCCL has removed plastic straws from all ships in its fleet.  Which raises an ancillary question:  Are Silversea ships "counted" as part of the RCCL fleet?

 

[Stumblefoot]

3 hours ago, Observer said:

Thanks very much for your civil participation in this exchange.

 

Shall we now move to another wholly uncontroversial issue: the elimination of plastic straws?  🙂

You bet... on both fronts!

[Daveywavey70]

Observer this is an excellent suggestion. We implemented this in my hotel approx 4 years ago now. We have high quality products in pump dispensers. The dispensers are filled each time they are used. They are also sanitised every time a guest departs .The dispensers are replaced regularly and always look smart. A small card in the bathroom explains our environmental policy and it has caused no problems.

I Was amazed on our last SS cruise that the whole plastic stirrer situation hasn't been resolved. Every drink we ordered we had to specify "no stirrer" The crew really did seem to struggle with the concept. I Wasn't surprised on our first SS cruise last year but I was surprised on our recent Muse cruise after all of the recent publicity that nothing had changed. My Hotel now has no single use plastics. We don't use stirrers and all straws are paper. I Just wish SS would catch up with the concept. 

[Observer]

13 minutes ago, Daveywavey70 said:

 

I Was amazed on our last SS cruise that the whole plastic stirrer situation hasn't been resolved. Every drink we ordered we had to specify "no stirrer" The crew really did seem to struggle with the concept. 

 

Agreed!  Does one really need a stirrer for a short whiskey on the rocks?  I imagine this is a corporate standard, and bartenders (who value their jobs) fear reprisals should a bar manager or F&B head or HD see that a drink is being sent off without a stirrer.

[Daveywavey70]

That was very much the impression we gained Observer. Every time we said no stirrer we were greeted with a startled expression that hinted at the fear of being removed from the ship at the next port. 

[Silver Spectre]

23 minutes ago, Daveywavey70 said:

That was very much the impression we gained Observer. Every time we said no stirrer we were greeted with a startled expression that hinted at the fear of being removed from the ship at the next port. 

You should be so lucky 😂

[Daveywavey70]

6 minutes ago, Silver Spectre said:

You should be so lucky 😂

I Was referring to the crews fear of being removed from the ship, not the passengers but maybe you know something I don't SS 🙂

[Observer]

This thought is prompted by a post on another thread on this board.  

 

I suggest that in La Terrazza at breakfast time it be possible for the guest to wait at the omelet/waffle station while his/her dish is being prepared.  Currently, one is either told to order via the server tending to his/her table or, if the cook takes the order, sent away and told that a server will deliver the prepared dish.  Allowing the guest to stand and observe the preparation will help ensure that the dish is prepared to one's preferences (how loose should the eggs be?  what veggies do you want in the omelet?  etc.) and that it goes immediately from the stove to the plate to the table (i.e., is served hot) rather than waiting a bit for a server to be available to deliver it.

[jollyjones]

Who cares?

 

Not me , that's for sure.