The Trip Begins- Cartagena-Lima- Fort Lauderdale on the Nova

[jollyjones]

Thanks for taking the time to report, please carry on, every little detail is interesting - I'm on the Nova in April so am very keen to hear about her.

 

One small but, to me, important point - does the Nova have the 'always on' nightlight in the bathroom like the Moon and the Dawn have?

Or do I need to bring my own small LED low wattage nightlight? Is there a shaver socket to plug it into if that is the case?

 

 

Edited December 13, 2023 by jollyjones

[sea bright]

Thanks for your report! Very interesting as we're getting on the Nova in January in Lima. 

[Lois R]

Enjoying your review.....I will say people had the same complaints about the Arts Cafe closing early on the TA as well. Too bad HQ just doesn't seem to "get it".....or they just don't care.  There would be plenty of guests who would be in the Arts Cafe in the evenings..........

[Carolfay]

52 minutes ago, sea bright said:

Thanks for your report! Very interesting as we're getting on the Nova in January in Lima. 

Me, too.  Anticipation is building, and I'm enjoying all the detail on this thread.

[dawntrdr]

46 minutes ago, Lois R said:

Enjoying your review.....I will say people had the same complaints about the Arts Cafe closing early on the TA as well. Too bad HQ just doesn't seem to "get it".....or they just don't care.  There would be plenty of guests who would be in the Arts Cafe in the evenings..........

You're so right, Lois.  Moreover, the Arts Cafe is on the same deck (Deck 4) as the main entrance to the Venetian Lounge and there is no bar on that deck, nor do they do drink service in the Venetian Lounge any more.  If you want a drink to enjoy during any show or lecture, you have to get it yourself from the Dolce Vita on deck 5 and carry it down the stairs or elevator or go down the hall to the (almost secret) Deck 5 back entrance to the second level of the Lounge which has very limited seating.  

[Lois R]

4 minutes ago, dawntrdr said:

You're so right, Lois.  Moreover, the Arts Cafe is on the same deck (Deck 4) as the main entrance to the Venetian Lounge and there is no bar on that deck, nor do they do drink service in the Venetian Lounge any more.  If you want a drink to enjoy during any show or lecture, you have to get it yourself from the Dolce Vita on deck 5 and carry it down the stairs or elevator or go down the hall to the (almost secret) Deck 5 back entrance to the second level of the Lounge which has very limited seating.  

Hi Dawn, does it seem like a long time since our cruise? It does to me.

[ronrick1943]

12 hours ago, LAL Cruiser said:

Is the ship fully booked on the Cartagena to Lima segment?

No, they say only 545 guest.

[ronrick1943]

4 hours ago, jollyjones said:

Thanks for taking the time to report, please carry on, every little detail is interesting - I'm on the Nova in April so am very keen to hear about her.

 

One small but, to me, important point - does the Nova have the 'always on' nightlight in the bathroom like the Moon and the Dawn have?

Or do I need to bring my own small LED low wattage nightlight? Is there a shaver socket to plug it into if that is the case?

 

 

Yes they do, in our suite when you get out of bed the light in the closet turns on to find your way to the bathroom.  For some reason design reason you have to go though the closet to get to the bathroom.  However the bathroom low light is always on.

[ronrick1943]

Last night we had dinner at The Grill (The Marquee during the day), at night it really is a beautiful sitting.  We didn’t do the Hot Rocks, we just ordered are meal of the menu and let them cook it.  The service spotless, and to my surprise the food was really good. We started with a blooming onion, (small which was a good thing, not like the Outback Restaurant at home) cooked and service crispy with sauce.  The salad was the right size and dressed perfect, the filet was really cooked for me perfectly rare and the baked potato was again perfectly baked.  This dinner was a 100%.

So far the dinnerware use around the ship is nicely done, Whoever the buyer was they did a very good job.  

Other details the restrooms around the ship are nicely thought out, you don’t have to touch the doors to open or close (going in or out), just wave your have over the light and it opens.  The only thing bad, they need a few restrooms near the restaurants -they are a little far away, so plan.

Had a visit to the Medical center, nothing major.  Very nice like a pretty big clinic at home and fully staffed.  The real surprise was the bill, about half what we expected.  They gave us all the paper work for our insurance.

Breakfast, we had it at La Terrazza this morning (I don’t care much for buffets)—bit this was really nice.  I think 75% better than the Silver Spirit.  The food was nicely displayed and easy to get too, the service again very good.  They have the juice bar in the back so you don’t hear the blenders.

Again the food looked and tasted fresh and was always kept up, and the food area was clean.

One last thing, they are still decorating for the holidays, seems like everyday something new is added.

[ronrick1943]

A little more:Can’t believe but we when to the buffet for lunch at The La Terrazza and we came pretty late about 30 minutes before closing for the day.  One would think the buffet would look a little shabby, but it looked liken it just opened.  Salad area was as fresh and crisp with everything you needed.  The other areas of the buffet the same, no complaints here.

All staff was very good, but a lady named Mira in La Terrazza that took care of us was a stand out in service (and remember this is a buffet).

The wi-fi on the ship.  For us it’s working good, sometimes really fast even down loading has been fast.  We’re on the premium package that comes with the suite.  We get to two connections per person-which is more than we need.  A few times it was slow (sea day), but workable.

The  room stewart  assigned to us is very good and hard working.  Suite is always clean and he already knows are schedule.  Everyone is good, but he really wants to make sure it’s right.  My personal opinion, he is a stand out in his job(yes, before we move to are next suite on this cruise he’ll get an extra gratuity (for you that don’t believe in extra gratuities, that’s OK but remember I said we won’t always agree).

We did see few people in jeans last night at dinner and around the ship, really wasn’t a problem for us-it didn’t affect our dinner at all, we still enjoyed the evening.

Dinner tonight will be at La Terrazza, tonight the menu looks really good with a few of our favorites on it.

I hope you’re enjoy this.

[ronrick1943]

Week here is a problem:  Book as many restaurants before getting on the ship.  We booked a few and when you try to book something via the tablet Silversea provides- guess what you can only book one day ahead.  Does that make any sense—that is why you book a reservation.  If you can book ay home days before the cruise, once on the cruise you should be able to book any day ahead if it’s open.

 

[jollyjones]

Don’t try booking on the tablet, that’s hopeless, it never works. 
Go and see the restaurant manager in person and book that way. 
You could get your butler to do it but I think it’s much quicker to do it yourself. 
 

[Lirio]

On 12/9/2023 at 8:16 PM, ronrick1943 said:

Just a short update on are Cartagena stay.  It’s Saturday night now (we’ve been here for 2 nights, one more and we board the Nova),  I have to say this is a beautiful city, everyplace we’ve eaten has been excellent.  The fish outstanding, the service is the best.  The only bad thing are the street vendors, you really have to say no, no and no—and keep walking.  Another thing it’s really hot and humid, however on the pool floor of the hotel it has a nice cool breeze- but street level forget it-it’s HOT!

We have one more full day in Cartagena before we board the ship.  At that time I’ll write about checking in to board and first impressions of the ship.

Please remember this report will be as we see it, will talk about the very good, the good and maybe the not so good.  But we’ll be honest about what we say and feel about the Nova.

Cartagena is HOT, very hot. But It is also gorgeous. I liked it very much.

[ronrick1943]

3 hours ago, jollyjones said:

Don’t try booking on the tablet, that’s hopeless, it never works. 
Go and see the restaurant manager in person and book that way. 
You could get your butler to do it but I think it’s much quicker to do it yourself. 
 

Thanks, that is what we did and got as table at the restaurant and time we wanted.

[ronrick1943]

1 hour ago, Lirio said:

Cartagena is HOT, very hot. But It is also gorgeous. I liked it very much.

We had so much fun, and the restaurants are pretty spectacular.  People super nice and helpful.

But yes it’s. HOT!  Finally half way through the Canal it started cooling down—

[ronrick1943]

Today is December 14th a few days into the cruise.  Last night we ate again at La Terrazza, (Elegant Casual night), the jeans are growing in and around the ship-both restaurants and lounges(not that I care, just reporting).  Dinner was good but we skipped the Cruté board and had a small dinner salad, a bowl of bean soup, for the main delicious pasta.  To be honest, it was as good as the one I had in Rome (at a good restaurant).  Service again was good.  The restaurant itself was only about 75% full.  Afterwards we stop by the Dolce Vita Lounge for a beverage, they had a violinist for entertainment, and she was very good.  All in all a enjoyable night.

 

This morning was the revenge of the lounge hogs, it was kind of fun to see people running to get their personal items they left on their lounges as we had a sudden downpour of rain.  I’m not being mean, but it was pretty funny.

 

One thing I believe you’ll really enjoy is the balcony, with glass floor to railing you really have a full view when sitting on your deck.  And they keep it clean.

 

Tonight we’ll have dinner at Atlantide for the first time, not sure about lunch as it’s a sea day today.  Looking forward to getting off the ship tomorrow for a few hours as we’ll be in Manta, Ecuador.  

 

 

[ronrick1943]

Lunch at The Marquee, simply stated “Very Good”.  Planned to have a hot dog, but ordered the fish of the day.  From the start of the meal to the end, nothing to complain about.  I’ve included some photo’s, the first course was a Poké bowl made of tuna, the next was tilapia with mixed vegetables and a side of fries, followed by dessert-RON had a berry float and I had a mint chocolate ice cream sandwich.  I think on this ship idea is to limit the menu compared to other ships we’ve been on, including the Silver Spirit.  This is just my opinion, but by have a limited menu they do a much better job of taste and presentation.  When I say limited, you have many choices in each category- other ship’s have like 20 items, just two much to do it right.

The weather has improved and the sea has been really smooth so far.

This cruise has lot’s to do if you are looking for things like Silver Quiz, the Salt Lab, Shutteboard, Art Class, Lectures,Trivia, Bingo and the list goes on.  For it’s just relaxation.  

More later……..

[fdnycruiser]

But you do have Spaccanapoli on that menu too. 

[ronrick1943]

2 minutes ago, fdnycruiser said:

But you do have Spaccanapoli on that menu too. 

Yes you do have it, page 3 of the menu is Spaccanapoli.  Truly the space itself is really laced out nicely and has a great fill to it.  I’ll get a photo to post soon.

[Host Jazzbeau]

What are the brown marks on the edges of all the plates?  Is that the design?  Or did the waiter have gravy or chocolate hands?

[ronrick1943]

9 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

What are the brown marks on the edges of all the plates?  Is that the design?  Or did the waiter have gravy or chocolate hands?

They are part of the design of the plate or bowl.  In the photo not so great, but on the table looks good.  All the dinnerware really looks great around the ship, they did a really great job on this.

[ronrick1943]

On 12/12/2023 at 11:57 PM, LAL Cruiser said:

Is the ship fully booked on the Cartagena to Lima segment?

Sorry I missed this, no it’s not.  Just about 540 guest someone told me.  You should be on your way my now I think.  Travel safe………..

[ronrick1943]

Just a quick note regarding last night, we had dinner at  Atlantide.  We really didn’t care for that restaurant on the Silver Sprite, however are first impressions on the Nova it was really good and we’ll be going back during the cruise.  Last night they featured Prime Rib, both tender and flavorful.  For starters we had the shrimp and the terrine foie gras, both excellent.  Dessert was also very good, the plating outstanding.  The design on the plate was part sauce on the tart and power sugar on the berry dessert.  I’ll include photo’s on this.  I also had a non-alcoholic beverage, which they made-it was really good but the bar tender said the recipe was a secret.  But he’d make more……..

 

[ronrick1943]

Photo’s of dinner at Atlantide,  That is sauce on the plate with Prime Rib, not blood, but I like my Prime Rib rare.  It was perfect for me.

[ronrick1943]

Today we when to the port of Manta Ecuador.  We got off the ship and hired a car to take us around, we wanted to go to Monte Christi since that is where they make the Panama hat.  We found the shop we wanted (check it out before we left home).  Modesto is the shop and he is the owner, they ship all over the world.  Hats  go for $50 up to $2500 each, depending on the quantity of the hat.  Well at the beginning I said we don’t  shop that much—at are age we have to much stuff, but we don’t have any nice hat’s and these really look nice.  No we didn’t spend $2500, we when for the $300 ones.  These hats take about 3 months each to make, so why not.

 

Well we hit the point in the cruise, we don’t need dinner today.  We had a very large salad today after we got back at La Terrazza, and a little dessert.  They really do a great job, everything looks good and is fresh with flavor.  

 

One think, when you come on the Nova—-remember you do get turned around, I think it’s the elevators and pool being on the side of the ship-we’re used to them being in the center of the ship.  It seems like we’re walking around a lot on the ship, and that is a good thing.

 

Tomorrow will be a sea day, so we’ll have a little time to look around more and report back.