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

[tulok]

Otium Suite is now on my bucket list. I have enjoyed reading your live report. Thank you for taking the time to post with pictures. 

[ronrick1943]

1 hour ago, tulok said:

Otium Suite is now on my bucket list. I have enjoyed reading your live report. Thank you for taking the time to post with pictures. 

Thanks, just got out of the jacuzzi on our deck, just perfect.  Afterwards dried off and layed down on one of the chase loungers - pulled up the light blanket, before I knew it an hour and half passed.  Woke up to the Butler (I know we all have the best, but Mr. Rafael is the best) setting my table for 5:00PM caviar.  What more can you ask for in life.  

Edited December 20, 2023 by ronrick1943

[ronrick1943]

1 hour ago, tulok said:

Otium Suite is now on my bucket list. I have enjoyed reading your live report. Thank you for taking the time to post with pictures. 

Thanks, you made the right choice.  You’ll enjoy this suite.

[ronrick1943]

5 hours ago, tulok said:

Otium Suite is now on my bucket list. I have enjoyed reading your live report. Thank you for taking the time to post with pictures. 

Just an FYI, when booking the Otium Suite - all are in the back of the ship which is a nice walk to get to most of the restaurants and other venues that are in the front.

Also it doesn’t bother us, but in the office area of the Suite you can hear the laundry-why they put it in that location on floor 7 only is beyond me. You can’t hear it any place in the suite except the office/desk area (but you really need to listen.  It wouldn’t make me not take this floor but I’d book one on another floor first.  Just an opinion.

[tulok]

Very good to know. As for the back of the ship, the extra steps are much needed with all the dessert choices.

[ronrick1943]

2 hours ago, tulok said:

Very good to know. As for the back of the ship, the extra steps are much needed with all the dessert choices.

Until you walk it, not so sure.  But a lot of the deserts are really pretty good, so walking is a good thing since I haven't been to the gym although I will be going to the spa this week (does that count as a gym visit?).😇

[ronrick1943]

I need to catch-up a little, I’m having a great cruise and time seems to fly.  We when to the Silve Note for didn’t two nights ago.  At first when you look at the menu and get your first plate, you think you may have made a mistake.  But my the end of dinner you know you didn’t make a mistake at all, but you did learn how to order for next time.  We booked it for New Year’s Eve, should be fun.  But staying up that late could be a problem, so I’ll have to nap on the lounger on are deck.

When ordering, tell your waiter one dish at a time- don’t let him/she bring two.  Something’s you’ll like, others why did I order that.  The Tuna in a can was good, don’t be turned off by the name (it’s no from a can.  And the duck looks like a meat ball, but full of favor.  The bread plate is unusual is the only way to describe it, I still don’t get what the white stuff was on the bread plate.  Anyway you have to try this place.  I think the second time at this place we’ll be better…….just because you’ll know what to do.

The pianist and singer are really good, not too loud, they make the night.a little more special.  You will get out late, so a lot of the venues will be closed-but not all.

[fdnycruiser]

They added to the menu at Silver Note on Nova, and made the portions bigger. Either way, a great enjoyable venue. Like a supper club from days gone byAlso, tables around the piano and dance floor make it nicer than on Moon & Dawn. 
Have been greatly enjoying your posts and experiences of your trip. Great pictures too. Keep enjoying it ! 

[ronrick1943]

I don’t know about a new menu, the portions seemed pretty small to me, only the dessert was normal size.  But you could order as much as you like, or double the amount of an item.

[Carolfay]

As someone who wants to continue to fit into my cocktail dresses, I mightily appreciate the smaller portions.

[Tothesunset]

28 minutes ago, Carolfay said:

As someone who wants to continue to fit into my cocktail dresses, I mightily appreciate the smaller portions.

Don't worry. If things go the way we are expecting, sweat pants, T-shirt and flip flops will be all you'll need. 

[fdnycruiser]

They used to be like a small tapas plate 

[ronrick1943]

1 hour ago, Tothesunset said:

Don't worry. If things go the way we are expecting, sweat pants, T-shirt and flip flops will be all you'll need. 

The Silver Note is more bit size, but you really didn’t leave hungry and you had a great time.  I guess you could say it’s a different place-but nice to have a venue like this on a ship.

[ronrick1943]

OK another quick one, we when to SALT last night.  It’s a pretty big restaurant, looks small as you enter. The restaurant is nicely done with booths and tables.  When you review the menu you may not know what to order—you can mix from the suggested menu and the à la cart part.  All in all the food here is outstanding.  The bread is cute the way they service it.  Don’t miss the soup, it is a star on the menu (no photo-but really good.  I also had the scallops ceviche and the fish of the day (red snapper), Ron had the duck - all excellent.  For desert we had the picarones which was very good (but since we made them ourself at a cooking school in Lima) they are now the traditional picarones serviced Lima.  It was more of a donut stuffed with custard, but still very good.  Thins is a restaurant I wouldn’t pass up on the ship.

Well I’m going out on the deck for and use the jacuzzi tub and a nap……….Need a little rest before dinner.

[tulok]

Definitely going to try Silver Note. Did you have reservations or were you able to walk in?

[ronrick1943]

1 hour ago, tulok said:

Definitely going to try Silver Note. Did you have reservations or were you able to walk in?

You need to book a reservation, it has limited seating and it opens an hour later than the other restaurant on the ship.  They have a chocolate.desert that looks fantastic, didn’t try it the other night but will next time in the restaurant (I’ll get a photo).

[ronrick1943]

Found the photo of the soup, it was really good……….

[tulok]

1 hour ago, ronrick1943 said:

They have a chocolate.desert that looks fantastic,

Now you are really talking my language.

Your report is starting to be that book you can’t put down. 

[ronrick1943]

11 hours ago, tulok said:

Now you are really talking my language.

Your report is starting to be that book you can’t put down. 

Thank you, nice to know someone is enjoying this.  I’ll be back later today to give some information about yesterday.  Had dinner at the Grill and some interesting happenings.

[tulok]

1 hour ago, ronrick1943 said:

Thank you, nice to know someone is enjoying this.  I’ll be back later today to give some information about yesterday.  Had dinner at the Grill and some interesting happenings.

Cliffhanger 😂

[ronrick1943]

No photo’s on this one.  Last night we ate at The Grill, it was fully booked and they had to turn people away without reservation.  Few people didn’t like it obviously, but the staff was courteous and professional.  Then walked in a party of 8 with reservations, dressed so-so at best-but that was their decision, and was none of our business anyway.  We were sitting near them, and boy was that quite a show.  They were demanding, obnoxious, maybe the word should be ridiculously demanding and loud.  First the table they received wasn’t what they really wanted., second they felt the service was slow and not getting enough attention. Next they wanted more breadsticks immediately, and they wanted their order taken immediately.  Anything the staff did wasn’t good enough.  Really surprised me was every time a waiter and assistant walked away from the table 3 of them were vaping.  Two of them constantly vaping and didn’t care about other guests around. Imagine if they vape in an open dining area, they most likely vape in their suite.  I realize this is against the rules of Silversea, but they didn’t seem to care.  Enough about that, but I hope something is done to stop that kind of behavior.

 

For us, dinner was so-so.  The service couldn’t have been better, even being so busy last night.  However the food its self was not up to par, I had the prawns that maybe over cooked, or not thawed out properly.  Ron’s lamb chops also didn’t hit the mark.  The baked potatoes were perfectly done.

 

We didn’t go to the show (but we had one at the next table), so we stopped at one of the lounges before returning to our suite.  It was nice to have calm again.  All laundry that was sent out in the morning was  hanging in the closet.  They really do a great job, both the laundry people and the butler getting it back to you.  We are now having all shirts folded for easy packing when it’s time.  I know the butler will pack for you, but that’s not us.

 

So far Silversea on the Nova is hitting the “excellent” marks.  

Tonight we go to La Dame, looking forward to it and will report back if it’s worth the extra $$$—for us it will be worth it as it’s include for our suite price category (but if we had to paid extra, I’ll let you know).

[Tothesunset]

59 minutes ago, ronrick1943 said:

No photo’s on this one.  Last night we ate at The Grill, it was fully booked and they had to turn people away without reservation.  Few people didn’t like it obviously, but the staff was courteous and professional.  Then walked in a party of 8 with reservations, dressed so-so at best-but that was their decision, and was none of our business anyway.  We were sitting near them, and boy was that quite a show.  They were demanding, obnoxious, maybe the word should be ridiculously demanding and loud.  First the table they received wasn’t what they really wanted., second they felt the service was slow and not getting enough attention. Next they wanted more breadsticks immediately, and they wanted their order taken immediately.  Anything the staff did wasn’t good enough.  Really surprised me was every time a waiter and assistant walked away from the table 3 of them were vaping.  Two of them constantly vaping and didn’t care about other guests around. Imagine if they vape in an open dining area, they most likely vape in their suite.  I realize this is against the rules of Silversea, but they didn’t seem to care.  Enough about that, but I hope something is done to stop that kind of behavior.

 

 

On every cruise we've taken (not just SS) we have seen this sort of obnoxious, self-entitled dramatronics; thankfully, from rarely more than the few on whom millions of years of evolution has been wasted. 

 

 

[Lirio]

1 hour ago, ronrick1943 said:

No photo’s on this one.  Last night we ate at The Grill, it was fully booked and they had to turn people away without reservation.  Few people didn’t like it obviously, but the staff was courteous and professional.  Then walked in a party of 8 with reservations, dressed so-so at best-but that was their decision, and was none of our business anyway.  We were sitting near them, and boy was that quite a show.  They were demanding, obnoxious, maybe the word should be ridiculously demanding and loud.  First the table they received wasn’t what they really wanted., second they felt the service was slow and not getting enough attention. Next they wanted more breadsticks immediately, and they wanted their order taken immediately.  Anything the staff did wasn’t good enough.  Really surprised me was every time a waiter and assistant walked away from the table 3 of them were vaping.  Two of them constantly vaping and didn’t care about other guests around. Imagine if they vape in an open dining area, they most likely vape in their suite.  I realize this is against the rules of Silversea, but they didn’t seem to care.  Enough about that, but I hope something is done to stop that kind of behavior.

 

For us, dinner was so-so.  The service couldn’t have been better, even being so busy last night.  However the food its self was not up to par, I had the prawns that maybe over cooked, or not thawed out properly.  Ron’s lamb chops also didn’t hit the mark.  The baked potatoes were perfectly done.

 

We didn’t go to the show (but we had one at the next table), so we stopped at one of the lounges before returning to our suite.  It was nice to have calm again.  All laundry that was sent out in the morning was  hanging in the closet.  They really do a great job, both the laundry people and the butler getting it back to you.  We are now having all shirts folded for easy packing when it’s time.  I know the butler will pack for you, but that’s not us.

 

So far Silversea on the Nova is hitting the “excellent” marks.  

Tonight we go to La Dame, looking forward to it and will report back if it’s worth the extra $$$—for us it will be worth it as it’s include for our suite price category (but if we had to paid extra, I’ll let you know).

Very bad behaviour......

[fdnycruiser]

was the chocolate dessert you saw ? It was delicious!

[mchell810]

Wow!  I usually skip dessert, but I think this requires an exception 😋