News from the Spirit

[Silver Spectre]

More wine woe from the Spirit which ran out of Rose yesterday. Apparently they are hoping to get some pink Retsina onboard in Thessaloniki today.

[jollyjones]

 

Anything good happening on your cruise? Love to hear about it.

Spirit was always my favourite, till I cruised the Dawn, but she still has a soft spot in my heart.

 

Edited September 9, 2022 by jollyjones

[Silver Spectre]

2 hours ago, jollyjones said:

 

Anything good happening on your cruise? Love to hear about it.

Spirit was always my favourite, till I cruised the Dawn, but she still has a soft spot in my heart.

 

Nothing wrong with the ship, it’s just the wine issues. The weather is fine. La Terrazza still coming up trumps.

[beaujolais]

6 hours ago, Silver Spectre said:

More wine woe from the Spirit which ran out of Rose yesterday. Apparently they are hoping to get some pink Retsina onboard in Thessaloniki today.

 

Plenty of Pink French Rose On the Moon at the moment and also lakes of SB

[cruiseej]

Too bad the Moon and Spirit aren't near each other so they could do a transfer of provisions. We were once on a Regent cruise and our ship was apparently running out of caviar; we did a rendezvous with another Regent ship passing in the opposite direction, and there was a ceremonial transfer of caviar via zodiac from one ship to the other, with lots of horn tooting and people cheering from the upper decks; it was amusing. And we had caviar for the next reception, thank goodness. 😉

[Mayflower1]

Hope things are well with you beaujolais - we are sad not to be with you and would be much appreciatie of your thoughts on various aspects of the Ship etc as you progress - we wish you both a wonderful time.

[Silver Spectre]

A final update. Indochine was closed because of staffing issues and had been closed since mid July. Service was definitely an issue on this cruise with more than one occurrence of mains arriving at a table before starter plates had been removed. Apart from the lack of Tiki or any other NZ SB and running out of Rose, Karolina and the sommeliers did an excellent job. Putting those issues on one side it was still a good cruise and enjoyable holiday.

 

Its obvious that SS is still having logistical problems with supplies in this (post) COVID world (and with no lobster on the Cloud). Unless your favourite tipple is missing most guests probably won’t notice.

 

The staffing and possibly lower level of new staff training onboard are more of an issue, not unique to SS, with reports on Seabourn boards of similar problems on one ship in particular. Office staffing is also an issue and the SS Air department has been struggling for months.

 

Maybe we will have to get used to SS being a 5* line for the time being. Thoughts?

[DiscerningD]

Fascinating to read another’s comments on a cruise you’ve been on and one’s  different perceptions. We found the staff to be universally friendly and helpful and mainly good, some obvious training going on but that’s to be expected. Wine seems to be a big issue, we went to a fascinating presentation/ tasting by Karolina the chief sommelier, ironically held in the closed Indochine, and the breadth of the offer was incredible. Her suggestions of alternatives to usual favourites were intelligent and why not challenge one’s palate occasionally? As we’d chatted to her, in Atlantide she would once or twice come over and bring a wine to try from the standard offer that was a bit different, it’s fun. One thing I would say is that while we enjoyed some good food, it was not up to the higher standard we’ve been used to on either Seabourn or Silversea pre pandemic. It was better last September on the UK cruise on Spirit but then that was half full. After three cruises with Silversea, we finally enjoyed having a butler who really made a difference or maybe we got it got it right. Anyway we enjoyed our cruise, but came home with the all too common unwelcome souvenir of Covid caught on the transit ! Better now than before, but the risk one takes, would I attach as much importance to a nasty cold?

[Silver Spectre]

Sorry that you came home with Covid @DiscerningD but glad you enjoyed your cruise. Interestingly other friends have just returned to the U.K. after a voyage on the Whisper and echoed the food, service and staffing issues.

[jpalbny]

Silver, it seems that almost no business in the hospitality industry was ready for the sheer onslaught of travelers this summer season. In reality, I'm not sure that they could be. It was a perfect storm of pent-up demand for travel descending in full force on an industry that has not yet recovered from the pandemic.

 

We did two cruses last fall; one on Ponant and one on SS. Things seemed nearly normal in terms of staff, service, and quality. But I don't think that tourism was up to normal numbers at that time. So I'm guessing that the system could handle reduced numbers without a commensurate reduction in the quality of service.

 

In contrast, when we went to Italy in June the service at the hotels was not at the level that I would expect. And we purposefully avoided all travel later this summer because we assumed that the sheer number of travelers would be straining the capacity of the tourist infrastructure.

 

I agree with you; in this environment, Silversea (and to some extent, every other cruise line) will have difficulty maintaining their usual standards. And it will still cost more, despite that. EVERYTHING costs more - have you tried to price hotel rooms lately? Or rental cars? Prices are making my eyes water. We almost canceled our week in Canada because the rooms were ridiculously priced.

 

I think that we will all have to adjust our expectations for the time being. Cruising on SS will still be very nice, for the most part. But travel and cruising will not be perfect and there will be plenty of hiccups, disruptions, or even worse.

 

 

 

[Daveywavey70]

Speaking as someone on the front line, I Can vouch for the fact that many industries are facing an almost impossible time right now. Costs are spiralling and unpredictable, staffing is impossible and supply is unpredictable. All that anyone can do is their best. SS, along with many other companies have defied all odds by even still being here. I Think the most important thing that would lead to a disappointing cruise is an expectation that things will be as they were before the “nasty”. I Myself went on a cruise on an alternative line in January. I Can only say that my expectations of sailing on a different line in a part of the world I never thought I’d ever visit, at a time when testing, masks and entry requirements were all consuming were not high but I was so desperate to get away I Did it anyway. It turned out to be one of my most memorable holidays of my life. If perfection is important to you then maybe I’d suggest cancelling all of your travel plans for the next couple of years. If you’re happy to go with the flow then you’ll have a great time. 

[Stumblefoot]

2 hours ago, jpalbny said:

Prices are making my eyes water. We almost canceled our week in Canada because the rooms were ridiculously priced.

Gotta love King Dollar right now.  The world is on sale for Americans.

Edited September 23, 2022 by Stumblefoot

[Mr Luxury]

7 hours ago, Stumblefoot said:

Gotta love King Dollar right now.  The world is on sale for Americans.

Keep watching your interest rate its on the up like ours.

Better news for savers

[Silver Spectre]

Agree with your comments on outrageous costs JP, Business Class airfare to New Zealand for early next year is now well over double what it was pre pandemic. Heading off to the Moon in a couple of weeks and provided we don’t get Covid quarantined we expect to have a great time.

[ronrick1943]

On 9/21/2022 at 1:33 AM, Silver Spectre said:

A final update. Indochine was closed because of staffing issues and had been closed since mid July. Service was definitely an issue on this cruise with more than one occurrence of mains arriving at a table before starter plates had been removed. Apart from the lack of Tiki or any other NZ SB and running out of Rose, Karolina and the sommeliers did an excellent job. Putting those issues on one side it was still a good cruise and enjoyable holiday.

 

Its obvious that SS is still having logistical problems with supplies in this (post) COVID world (and with no lobster on the Cloud). Unless your favourite tipple is missing most guests probably won’t notice.

 

The staffing and possibly lower level of new staff training onboard are more of an issue, not unique to SS, with reports on Seabourn boards of similar problems on one ship in particular. Office staffing is also an issue and the SS Air department has been struggling for months.

 

Maybe we will have to get used to SS being a 5* line for the time being. Thoughts?

At this point it’s not Covid, it’s poor management.  

[CruiserFromMaine]

I would be very disappointed in Indochine wasn’t open but also disappointed if it was open but so thinly staffed that it wasn’t the Indochine experience. If they can’t staff everything up to standards, then best to close something and Indochine has often been reported to be the “odd man out” so to speak in terms of usage by passengers and thus the obvious choice to close. It stinks, but I think that’s the issue. Is that poor management? Maybe, or maybe making the tough call. But staffing needs to get up to fully-staffed soon, and maybe that’s the lack of management action. 

[CruzinFeraBruzin]

Its strange that on our Grand Voyage this past spring on the Moon, all restaurants were open with normal hours for breakfast, lunch and dinner and there was so much waitstaff, they were practically falling over themselves.  Are staffing shortages limited to the Spirit and the Muse? One would think staffing shortages would be apparent on every ship, but I don't think that's the case.

[MsCrystalina]

Just off the Spirit and all restaurants open. I ate in most and no staffing issues were present.

 

[ceejayem]

I saw the earlier discussion on formal (or informal) wear on the ship.  What are the expected dress codes for evening? We have our first SS cruise booked (just two days ago!) and will leave in about 3 weeks . We are following that with a two week Tauck tour of Israel and Jordan, so would like to minimize the clothing that we take just for the cruise.  Are jackets and ties required on the formal or other evenings?

[Stumblefoot]

7 minutes ago, ceejayem said:

Are jackets and ties required on the formal or other evenings?

Depends on the ship you booked, where you wish to dine, and what the dress code is for the day as written in the Chronicles delivered to your suite each night.

[RetiredandTravel]

59 minutes ago, ceejayem said:

I saw the earlier discussion on formal (or informal) wear on the ship.  What are the expected dress codes for evening? We have our first SS cruise booked (just two days ago!) and will leave in about 3 weeks . We are following that with a two week Tauck tour of Israel and Jordan, so would like to minimize the clothing that we take just for the cruise.  Are jackets and ties required on the formal or other evenings?

 

Its my understanding that you can avoid the dress requirements in some venues.  Personally I would take a jacket and tie.  Attached are the dress requirements under "packing your cruise luggage".  enjoy

 

https://www.silversea.com/travel-informations/general-information.html

 

 

Edited October 11, 2022 by RetiredandTravel

[ronrick1943]

On 9/5/2022 at 5:50 AM, GaitherBill said:

 

Being “younger” has nothing to do with it. 

 

On the SS cruises we’ve been on, the “younger” people, including my wife and I have all happily dressed up for formal nights. 

 

It was some of the “older” people who didn’t. 

Actually why should we care, as long as people are nicely dressed.   People are on vacation and be able to enjoy themself.  What someone wears at another table isn’t any of my business.

[Stumblefoot]

16 minutes ago, ronrick1943 said:

Actually why should we care, as long as people are nicely dressed.

As has been pointed out to you by multiple people, it has absolutely nothing to do with the word “nicely”, but rather what is the dress code in the venue for the evening as defined by Silversea.  How you, or I, define nicely should never even enter into the equation.

 

From your posts, I realize you are new to SS and anxiously awaiting your cruise, hoping it’ll be better than Regent.  I appreciate your hope.  But, to answer your your question, SS passengers care because if they are asked to wear formal attire one evening in The Restaurant, Atlantide, La Dame, etc., they expect other guests to dress accordingly, no matter how nicely they may look in designer jeans and a button down shirt, which by the way would be welcomed in other venues for the evening.

[ronrick1943]

1 hour ago, Stumblefoot said:

As has been pointed out to you by multiple people, it has absolutely nothing to do with the word “nicely”, but rather what is the dress code in the venue for the evening as defined by Silversea.  How you, or I, define nicely should never even enter into the equation.

 

From your posts, I realize you are new to SS and anxiously awaiting your cruise, hoping it’ll be better than Regent.  I appreciate your hope.  But, to answer your your question, SS passengers care because if they are asked to wear formal attire one evening in The Restaurant, Atlantide, La Dame, etc., they expect other guests to dress accordingly, no matter how nicely they may look in designer jeans and a button down shirt, which by the way would be welcomed in other venues for the evening.

All true, but time will tell in the end.  My opinion on “codes” if your going to in force one you need to in force all codes—the line or people shouldn’t be allowed to pick and choose.  Reading the post, that just isn’t happening at this time.

[Stumblefoot]

14 minutes ago, ronrick1943 said:

My opinion on “codes” if your going to in force one you need to in force all codes—the line or people shouldn’t be allowed to pick and choose.

I assume when you say “line” you mean the maître d' or the dining venue managers. If so, I agree, because the “line” is the one who actually sets the policy.

 

23 minutes ago, ronrick1943 said:

Reading the post, that just isn’t happening at this time.

 

Agree, in general.  Recent posts have shown some ships seem to be following the line’s policy, while others have not.  That’s on the Hotel Directors from my perspective.