Just booked our first SS cruise and have questions!

[mumcat]

Hello, we have recently booked to be on Silversea Whisper, Singapore to Mumbai March 3 - 23. This is our first SS cruise and I'm trying to get to grips with a few things. We have previously sailed on Regent, Oceania and Azamara. I can see that the subject of SS's dress code can cause some controversy - I am used to the idea of no shorts, jeans. t-shirts at night . Also what Regent calls Country Club Casual which some people took very liberally indeed! I'm interested in where formal attire is appropriate. I can see which nights are formal but does this apply to every restaurant - even the Grill?  FWIW I like the idea of formal but would prefer to know more about it.

Also, I see that other than the main dining room, we have to make reservations,  which is a bit disappointing as I prefer to just turn up. I can understand reserving at the special d-room where we have to pay $60 but not the Grill or the Italian resto. This isn't a complaint - just a slight whine 😉. Are reservations essential or just advised and can it wait until we are on board?

Thank you for reading and I look forward to hearing from you seasoned SS sailors.☺️

[Mahogany]

I'll let others reply to dress code questions.

As for making dinner reservations, you can wait until onboard to make dinner reservations at La Terrazza and The Grill but be aware that you will be competing for spots that others have made prior to boarding. You may not be able to eat at the time you prefer. I just debarked from the Dawn, and while waiting for the Maitre'd at La Terrazza, a party of 3, young man and older couple (grandparents?) asked for a table, and was told it was sold out, and return at 8:30 to see if there were cancellations or no-shows. He claimed not to know reservations were necessary. So, if disappointment isn't a problem, you can wait. Silver Note is especially difficult to get a reservation for. Don't know if Whisper has that venue.

Don't you have to book ahead for Regent specialty restaurants?

[Host Jazzbeau]

I'm on Whisper Jan. 29-Feb. 14 and La Terrazza was already booked up many nights when I tried to make restaurant reservations.  I was able to get 'waitlist' status on two of the formal nights (since La Terrazza is less formal then), which is better than other nights/venues that were completely 'sold out.'  So I would book online as soon as you can – it's easier to cancel than to book late!

[TheRampantSnail]

On both Regent and Silversea the speciality restaurants have to be booked, and in both cases the earlier the better.

However, there is one difference in that the Italian restaurant on Regent, Sette Marie, cannot be booked. From experience, if you don't arrive for the 6:30 crush, getting a table later is very hit and miss. For that reason I much prefer the Silversea method of booking in advance.

[drron29]

According to Barbara Muckhermann in her Q&A aboard the Muse a month ago the proper procedure is that only 50% of the restaurants should be available to book before boarding. The remainder to be available when boarding. 
Personally I doubt that this is what occurs. But it is the official policy.

[mumcat]

Thank you all for your responses. I am aware of the booking requirements for the speciality restaurants on Regent but you are only able to book each one once prior  to boarding. I'm struggling to decide today what I may want to eat in 2 months time. As someone has suggested, I may have to just book randomly and cancel when on board rather than not get a reservation at all. 

In any event, I hope that someone will be able to clarify the dress code - specifically on formal nights. Is it formal in all restaurants? I apologise for asking these basic questions but the information doesn't seem to be available on the website - unless I'm just not seeing it!

[jpalbny]

2 hours ago, mumcat said:

Is it formal in all restaurants?

 

No. You can dress one category lower than the evening's dress code in LT, and the Grill is always casual.

 

Quoted from the website: https://www.silversea.com/travel-informations/general-information.html

 

"Evening attire falls into three categories: casual, informal and formal.

• On casual evenings, pants, blouses, skirts and casual dresses for ladies; open-neck shirts and slacks for gentlemen are appropriate.
• On informal evenings, ladies usually wear dresses or pantsuits; gentlemen wear jackets (tie optional). Appropriate formal evening wear for ladies is an evening gown or cocktail dress; gentlemen wear tuxedos, dinner jackets or dark suits. Tie is required.
• On formal nights, guests may dine in La Terrazza and choose to dress informal; dresses or pantsuits for ladies, jackets for gentlemen (tie optional).

This option also applies to Seishin on board Silver Spirit, Kaiseki on board Silver Muse, Silver Moon and Silver Dawn. Dining at The Grill and Spaccanapoli is optional casual all nights."

[mumcat]

21 hours ago, jpalbny said:

 

No. You can dress one category lower than the evening's dress code in LT, and the Grill is always casual.

 

Quoted from the website: https://www.silversea.com/travel-informations/general-information.html

 

"Evening attire falls into three categories: casual, informal and formal.

• On casual evenings, pants, blouses, skirts and casual dresses for ladies; open-neck shirts and slacks for gentlemen are appropriate.
• On informal evenings, ladies usually wear dresses or pantsuits; gentlemen wear jackets (tie optional). Appropriate formal evening wear for ladies is an evening gown or cocktail dress; gentlemen wear tuxedos, dinner jackets or dark suits. Tie is required.
• On formal nights, guests may dine in La Terrazza and choose to dress informal; dresses or pantsuits for ladies, jackets for gentlemen (tie optional).

This option also applies to Seishin on board Silver Spirit, Kaiseki on board Silver Muse, Silver Moon and Silver Dawn. Dining at The Grill and Spaccanapoli is optional casual all nights."

Thank you for this information - I don't think I would have found it where it was posted.

[Port Power]

14 hours ago, mumcat said:

Thank you for this information - I don't think I would have found it where it was posted.

I am also just off Silver Dawn.  I cannot tell you how many times when a group of us arrived at La Terrazza, one of the group was told she had a booking at The Grill!  People so often forget they have made bookings, even though they are listed each day on the television under your personal calendar.

 

So turn up where you might like to eat: it’s worth trying.

 

 

[Daisy 123]

 

We were on the Whisper a month ago. We had reservations for La Terrazza and the Grill. But there were always enough tables available and I think a reservation on board would have been possible. We canceled some of our reservations because we liked the food in the main restaurant better.

 

There is no formal night at the Grill. Some guests did not pay close attention to formal clothing. Just dress a little nicer.

[tulok]

We are not going until June on our first SS so I am trying to research the different restaurants and times to prepare for the 120 day reservation date. When a restaurant is open seating, should one go ahead and make reservations on another restaurant just in case there is a long wait while on board. I hope that made sense. Also can you reserve two restaurants in one night. We are thinking on a sea day to make a very early dining room and a very late Silver Note reservation. Just having small meals at both. Even at home we only go to restaurants I can make reservations at, as I have no patience for waiting. It is a personality flaw.

Also is La Dame worth the 120.00? We plan to go once as I want to try every restaurant at least once. But trying to decide if we should go twice. I know this is an individual preference but I would like to hear your opinion.

[dawntrdr]

Over several years of cruising on SS, I have never experienced a long wait getting into the main Restaurant or SALT.  Even if an early show or event just ended and there is a line, it moves quickly.  You are more likely to encounter a line at LaTerraza at 7 pm when it opens and everyone with 7 pm reservations shows up.  Still, it moves promptly.  I think you can rest easy about that.  Actually, I have made some of my best cruise friends waiting in line at the restaurants - it's a great place to get dining companions.

 

I don't think you can book two reservation-restaurants in the same night, but you can certainly go to the main Restaurant (Atlantide) or SALT (you didn't mention what ship you'll be on) at 7 pm and then hit a 9 pm Silver Note reservation.  

 

 

[ak1004]

On the Dawn now. Today was informal night, I didn’t want to wear a jacket, so I called our butler around 5pm and asked him to make a reservation in La Terrazza for 7pm. No problem at all. Doesn’t mean you are guaranteed to get it every night, but it’s a fairly large venue, and it is usually not full. As a reference, our sailing is full.

[Dolcevita Diva]

14 hours ago, tulok said:

We are not going until June on our first SS so I am trying to research the different restaurants and times to prepare for the 120 day reservation date. When a restaurant is open seating, should one go ahead and make reservations on another restaurant just in case there is a long wait while on board. I hope that made sense. Also can you reserve two restaurants in one night. We are thinking on a sea day to make a very early dining room and a very late Silver Note reservation. Just having small meals at both. Even at home we only go to restaurants I can make reservations at, as I have no patience for waiting. It is a personality flaw.

 

What ship will you be on? Different ships have different restaurant options. 
 

A couple of comments on your questions:

- You mention making a very early dining reservation and a very late one on the same evening,  The earliest seating is 7 pm, so you would basically be making back to back reservations.  If you’re hungry in the late afternoon/early evening before the restaurants open, you can order from room service (many passengers have their butler bring sone canapés to their suite at 4or 5 pm) or grab something light from the Arts Cafe if there is one on your ship. 
- Thankfully, you will not be able to make two reservations for the same evening. However, if you dine at one restaurant, you may be able to stop by another for dessert. This is a great way to enjoy Silver Note if reservations are booked up - stop by for after dinner drinks and dessert to enjoy the entertainment. 
- Waits at an open seating restaurant are very rare (have actually never seen this although some reported waits on the Nica when poor weather shut down the Marquee. The best wait to avoid any wait is to go to the open seating restaurants from 7 to 7:20 or so. 
-Please don’t book “backup” reservations when you plan to dine at one of the open seating restaurants. You will be depriving other passengers of the opportunity to book a reservation at your backup choice and it truly is not necessary. 
- I’ll let others weigh in about La Dame. 

[tulok]

@Dolcevita Diva Thank you for the information. We will be on Spirit. I imagine that open seating is the same across ships. I am surprised that the first reservation time is 7 pm. I thought it would start at 6p and end around 9p. I like the idea of dessert and drinks at Silver Note. That is mainly what we were thinking and why another reservation would have been proposed. At 120 days out, it’s hard to imagine what our schedule will detail and deciding dinner reservations. But from following these boards, you snooze, you lose, as reservations can be hard to obtain. We always cancel our reservations ahead of time as warranted. Especially if we eat a large lunch off the ship or decide to eat dinner in town.

[Dolcevita Diva]

On 12/17/2023 at 3:55 AM, tulok said:

@Dolcevita Diva Thank you for the information. We will be on Spirit. I imagine that open seating is the same across ships. I am surprised that the first reservation time is 7 pm. I thought it would start at 6p and end around 9p. I like the idea of dessert and drinks at Silver Note. That is mainly what we were thinking and why another reservation would have been proposed. At 120 days out, it’s hard to imagine what our schedule will detail and deciding dinner reservations. But from following these boards, you snooze, you lose, as reservations can be hard to obtain. We always cancel our reservations ahead of time as warranted. Especially if we eat a large lunch off the ship or decide to eat dinner in town.

 

Yes, open seating is the same across ships, except the Spirit does not have SALT Restaurant but has Indochine (love it!) as open seating restaurant in addition to Atlantide. 

 

I totally agree that it is hard to know what you might want to eat 120 days out.  The main two restaurants to reserve in advance on the Spirit if you are interested in them are La Dame and Silver Note, as both of those restaurants have limited seating capacity.   Last year I was unable to get a reservation to dine at Silver Note on the Spirit either in advance or onboard, but stopped by after dinner in Atlantide and had a delightful end of the evening with drinks and dessert and honestly preferred that option. 

The Grill/Hot Rocks requires reservations too. For that venue, it can be helpful to look at your itinerary and perhaps book the Grill for a day when you have a long excursion or long day in port.

 

 

[david63]

On 12/17/2023 at 8:55 AM, tulok said:

We always cancel our reservations ahead of time as warranted. Especially if we eat a large lunch off the ship or decide to eat dinner in town.

Those sound to me to be opposites - unless you consider cancelling on the day being "ahead of time" and thus depriving others of being able to use that booking.

[tulok]

41 minutes ago, david63 said:

Those sound to me to be opposites - unless you consider cancelling on the day being "ahead of time" and thus depriving others of being able to use that booking.

Our crystal ball might not be working that day and we may decide last minute to eat off the ship but didn’t decide until earlier that day or the day before. We thought until that moment we would use the reservation. At least the maitre d’ could go ahead and seat someone instead of them waiting to see if we will show up. 
 We are mainly river cruisers now, happens much more on those types of cruises where reservation are not needed then ocean cruises.

As I said before, booking reservations 120 days out, one can only assume what will be  needed and wanted.

[tulok]

1 hour ago, Dolcevita Diva said:

 

Yes, open seating is the same across ships, except the Spirit does not have SALT Restaurant but has Indochine (love it!) as open seating restaurant in addition to Atlantide. 

Thank you for all the information. It has been most helpful.

[david63]

12 hours ago, tulok said:

Our crystal ball might not be working that day and we may decide last minute to eat off the ship but didn’t decide until earlier that day or the day before. We thought until that moment we would use the reservation. At least the maitre d’ could go ahead and seat someone instead of them waiting to see if we will show up. 
 We are mainly river cruisers now, happens much more on those types of cruises where reservation are not needed then ocean cruises.

As I said before, booking reservations 120 days out, one can only assume what will be  needed and wanted.

So let me see if I understand this.

 

You make reservations in speciality restaurants for every night of your cruise just in case you fancy eating there on any given night and if you decide at some point prior to the reservation time that you do not want to use that reservation then you cancel it. But you also state that you do not know at 120 days out what you may/may not want to do on any given night so how do you know which speciality restaurant to make a reservation at?