Silver Nova - Any News?

[Joc123]

We are looking at the inaugural cruise on Nova, Southampton - Civitavecchia, 15th July 2023.

Has anyone heard if the build is on schedule? I can’t find any information other than the usual promos.

 

As the first leg is the very first cruise I can see for her, would this be considered a ‘shakedown’ cruise or is it the actual inaugural with naming ceremony etc.

I’m well aware many people wouldn’t touch inaugural cruises with a 10 foot pole, but we have sailed several on Seabourn, have never had any problems with things not finished, and in fact, enjoyed the parties and celebrations that go with them.

 

This itinerary allows us to join family while they are also in Europe so it would really upset a lot of plans if the ship was delayed.

Any information is appreciated.

 

[cruiseej]

Since it's still 10 months from the scheduled first cruise, I think it's unlikely for there to be news at this point (unless things fall drastically behind). On the plus side is that it's being built at one of the most technically advanced shipyards in the world, which turns out ships much, much larger than Nova in not much more time than the schedule allotted for Nova; on the flip side, it's a significantly new design, which has greater potential to run into some delays. Unfortunately, unless you have personal contact inside to top ranks of SS or Meyer Werft, you probably can't find out whether they are on schedule or ahead or behind.

 

Seeing the various delays in ship completion over the past year due to Covid & supply chain issues, I think you have to figure there's some reasonable possibility the first cruise won't sail as scheduled, and factor that into your planning. Can you be flexible? Would you still travel to Europe to visit with family if the cruise is canceled? If you feel you are absolutely dependent on this cruise taking place, and can't come up with a viable Plan B, I wouldn't book it because there's no way to eliminate the uncertainty.

 

On 9/18/2022 at 7:06 PM, Joc123 said:

but we have sailed several on Seabourn, have never had any problems with things not finished

 

Yes, but that's in the past. In the current environment, things have been more unsettled. Seabourn pushed back the inaugural sailing on its newest ship, the Venture, four separate times, and its sister ship, Pursuit, was quietly dropped from Seabourn's schedule for a while, until it quietly reappeared (no announcement) with its first sailing six months later than originally planned. Virgin, Ritz-Carlton and other brands have had similar delays in the the debuts of new ships this year. Whether schedules can catch up by next summer, or will continue to slip is only known to those in the shipbuilding industry. Since the Dawn schedule was only released last December, it's certainly possible the delays had already been factored in, and the July 15 cruise will take place as scheduled. 

[Joc123]

Thank you for your reply, I agree with everything you say, hence the concern.

We had our cruise on Venture pushed back 3 times before we decided to cancel altogether.

As I expected, we will have to find a plan B

 

 

 

[dawntrdr]

SS has posted a more detailed deck plan for the Silver Nova.  The location of public areas and restaurants is more definite.  Does anyone know what "The Shelter" is on Deck 3?  

 

 

Silver-Nova-Deck-Plan.pdf

[Stumblefoot]

Thanks.  Sure looks like some massive hallways.

 

And, what is up with relocating the S.A.L.T. Bar decks away from the S.A.L.T. Restaurant?

[rojaan19]

7 hours ago, Stumblefoot said:

Thanks.  Sure looks like some massive hallways.

 

And, what is up with relocating the S.A.L.T. Bar decks away from the S.A.L.T. Restaurant?

It is so  they can  fit the ping pong table in  😉

Edited October 4, 2022 by rojaan19

[Ravbo]

Deck 11 looks like a lot of deck space.

Hope some of it is shaded.

This could end up to be a lot a wasted space.

[dawntrdr]

It is posted on another thread that the Nova is being delayed a month.  Indeed, the inaugural sailing was noted on this thread above as being from Southampton in July, and now on the SS website the first cruise is from Venice in August.  

[A Tucson Guy]

We were on the inaugural and were notified today of cancelation.

[Lois R]

When a delay of this length happens, would that mean all the cruises following that Inaugural would be changed (time wise) as well? 

[Joc123]

Here we go again!

 

This is our 9th cruise that has been cancelled and I’m starting to wonder if we will ever sail again.

Before we booked, SS assured us everything was going to plan and the inaugural cruise would go ahead.

We are now trying to find another cruise that fits in with our flights and dates which is proving to be a nightmare. If we change our flights it will cost us nearly $7000 due to increased fares and taxes.
Nothing we can do and moaning is not going to achieve anything.

[Stumblefoot]

8 hours ago, Joc123 said:

Before we booked, SS assured us everything was going to plan and the inaugural cruise would go ahead.

I’ll never understand why people book inaugural cruises, especially on Silversea based on their track record.  I don’t believe a single Classic ship has launched on time since the Whisper entered service over 20-years ago.  
 

And, many of the inaugural reports from on board are legendary here. I remember the wailing and gnashing of teeth that occurred when the Muse launched.  Took SS months to get operations sorted out. But, by the time we boarded in November that year it was pure perfection.

[A Tucson Guy]

I am pleased with what SS had done for us regarding canceling the inaugural Nova cruise that we were on. I rebooked the 8-21-22 to 9-1-22 cruise on the Nova and I got an additional 10% discount because SS canceled the inaugural. Win-Win to me!!

[Daveywavey70]

12 minutes ago, Stumblefoot said:

I’ll never understand why people book inaugural cruises, especially on Silversea based on their track record.  I don’t believe a single Classic ship has launched on time since the Whisper entered service over 20-years ago.  
 

And, many of the inaugural reports from on board are legendary here. I remember the wailing and gnashing of teeth that occurred when the Muse launched.  Took SS months to get operations sorted out. But, by the time we boarded in November that year it was pure perfection.

Or stretched!

[dawntrdr]

Meanwhile, a delay in the delivery of the Silver Nova has not stopped progress on the Silver Ray:

 

https://cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/2022/11/silversea-cruises-cuts-steel-for-second-nova-class-ship-silver-ray/

[Joc123]

We have sailed on many Seabourn inaugural cruises and actually like being the first onboard with everything brand new. This of course, was before Covid. Many of our cancellations were a result of the delay with the launch of the Venture (we still haven’t been on her) and this is why I was asking as many people as I could about the progress of the build prior to booking (I started the thread with the question). I didn’t know about the problems with SS inaugural cruises.

This cruise fitted in perfectly with the family holiday and that’s why we booked.

We can’t stay an extra month in Europe, we can’t come home to Australia and then back to Europe a month later, it’s simply too far.

We continue to look for a cruise that ends in Rome around 3rd August so we can keep our flights but so far there is nothing.

 I’m not really blaming anyone for the delay, but I suspect SS might have known things were behind schedule back in September. It’s incredibly frustrating and disappointing.

 

 

[toseaornottosea]

5 hours ago, A Tucson Guy said:

I am pleased with what SS had done for us regarding canceling the inaugural Nova cruise that we were on. I rebooked the 8-21-22 to 9-1-22 cruise on the Nova and I got an additional 10% discount because SS canceled the inaugural. Win-Win to me!!

Four of us are on the same 8/21 cruise.  Hoping there are no further delays.  

[Stumblefoot]

On 11/23/2022 at 9:49 AM, Daveywavey70 said:

Or stretched!

Thought about you when writing my comment.  A post stretch inaugural is just as bad as a new inaugural.

[Master Echo]

Actually it’s not just the inaugural cruise that  has been cancelled - but the first three - all of which I had  booked. !!

Correcting  an earlier post on this thread I was on the first Muse sailing  & it was an excellent cruise about which I posted contemporaneously.    There were a few design issues but these  did not spoil the overall cruise experience.  Unfortunately someone who was not even onboard. posted  a continual diatribe which failed to reflect the true facts.

 

kindest regards

 

Master Echo

[Stumblefoot]

2 hours ago, Master Echo said:

Unfortunately someone who was not even onboard. posted  a continual diatribe which failed to reflect the true facts.

Remember those days well.  All of the gnashing of the teeth that ultimately led to SS making significant procedural changes after that transatlantic voyage, if I remember correctly.  All I know is that the situation on board had improved dramatically by the time we boarded in Santiago (Valpo) that fall.

[Silver Spectre]

On 11/23/2022 at 3:43 PM, A Tucson Guy said:

I am pleased with what SS had done for us regarding canceling the inaugural Nova cruise that we were on. I rebooked the 8-21-22 to 9-1-22 cruise on the Nova and I got an additional 10% discount because SS canceled the inaugural. Win-Win to me!!

Lucky you, for our last 2 cancellations (by SS) we got a great big fat zero!