Live From Nova South America Grand Voyage

[JSR]

1 minute ago, Sweetpea711423 said:

Many thanks for your reply.  Did you ever use wet cleaning for silk, such as a silk shirt?

I did for my husband and it was fine. I only had one silk dress with me and for some reason I never wore it. (Major overpacked this time). 

Edited March 13 by JSR

[Sweetpea711423]

7 hours ago, JSR said:

I did for my husband and it was fine. I only had one silk dress with me and for some reason I never wore it. (Major overpacked this time). 

Thank you.  Very interesting about your husband's silk shirt.  Useful info.

[ak1004]

On 3/8/2024 at 5:28 AM, agape01 said:

@JSR Insightful thread about the Nova and your GVSA through SA. I might plan a RAY from Lima to Miami in the future.

Having said that, its getting me worked up on my upcoming Nova cruise from Vancouver to Tokyo and I am wondering whether is the unlimited caviar offerings still available through room service/butler? 

You can have unlimited caviar anywhere anytime. We ordered it in Arts Cafe, on the pool, any bar etc. And of course at any meal in any dining venue. Even if it’s not on the menu.

[JSR]

3/15/24. On our way to FLL in the van. Can’t believe it’s been 71 days since we set off on our journey. In some ways it seems so long ago and in others it seems like it was just yesterday. Long day heading home and back to reality. 
 

thank you one and all for traveling with us! 

 

Look for final thoughts and review after I deal with reality for a bit. 

Edited March 15 by JSR

[jpalbny]

Safe travels home and thank you for bringing us along on your journey! We enjoyed traveling with you. 

[spinnaker2]

Thanks for sharing your adventures!

 

[drron29]

Thanks a lot JSR. A beautiful report that I really enjoyed. I hope you have many more years of wonderful adventures.

[kej1]

Thank you so much for taking the time to share!  It looks like you had an amazing journey!

[Looking 4Answers]

On 3/13/2024 at 10:51 PM, ak1004 said:

You can have unlimited caviar anywhere anytime. We ordered it in Arts Cafe, on the pool, any bar etc. And of course at any meal in any dining venue. Even if it’s not on the menu.

Hi - we're sailing on Silversea next month for the first time post-covid...just to confirm, this applies to all suite levels? I recall reading somewhere - although I can't for the life of me remember where - that it was complimentary only for the upper tiers. I honestly don't mind paying an extra fee, but I'd like to be clear going in. Thanks!

Edited March 17 by Looking 4Answers

[JSR]

@Looking 4Answers it applies to all suites. There is no charge. 

[Looking 4Answers]

Thanks!

[A Tucson Guy]

4 hours ago, Looking 4Answers said:

Hi - we're sailing on Silversea next month for the first time post-covid...just to confirm, this applies to all suite levels? I recall reading somewhere - although I can't for the life of me remember where - that it was complimentary only for the upper tiers. I honestly don't mind paying an extra fee, but I'd like to be clear going in. Thanks!

Caviar is included for all cabins at no cost, at least for now!

[Shellback91]

Greetings,

 

     I have enjoyed following your live report. Now that you have returned home and some of the glow/euphoria of the trip has perhaps faded as you shift back to the real world; I was wondering if we could get your overall impression of the Nova, particularly in comparison to other SS ships you have sailed on. Also, how did the service and food hold up across the 71 days? Looking forward to hearing your reply.

[JSR]

On 3/18/2024 at 1:25 AM, Shellback91 said:

Greetings,

 

     I have enjoyed following your live report. Now that you have returned home and some of the glow/euphoria of the trip has perhaps faded as you shift back to the real world; I was wondering if we could get your overall impression of the Nova, particularly in comparison to other SS ships you have sailed on. Also, how did the service and food hold up across the 71 days? Looking forward to hearing your reply.

 

Thank you. I am taking care of some urgent things that have come up. I should be able to do a full reflection some time in the next 2 weeks. 

[Shellback91]

Hello JSR,

 

     I hope the urgent things that came up were not too serious, and that they have been successfully addressed.I thought I had responded to your last posting when I read it (a day or two after), but apparently you need to click "Submit" (insert palm to forehead here). Looking forward to reading your thoughts and opinions. Take care.

[JSR]

I’ve for gotten to hit that button myself.
 

Funny sat down the other day to write about this and suffered from over thinking!! Unfortunately, I’m dealing with on going medical issues on the yucky side and helping our daughter with wedding plans on the positive side. I will summarize my thoughts today or tomorrow. Thanks for your patience and interest. 

[JSR]

This is my much overdue final reflections…so many thoughts and so hard to articulate…

First and foremost we would do it again in a heart beat. We really enjoyed the experience as a whole especially being on the Grand Voyage. We meet interesting people who shared a love of travel, cruising, and discovering new things.

Some ports were amazing, some interesting, even a few we questioned why we stopped there. We did a combination of private tours we arranged ourselves, ship tours, and wondering on our own. I highly recommend doing a combination.

 

We had not given much thought to sea days since they do not need planning ahead. We really enjoyed them. Our brains needed a break from taking in new experiences and it was so nice just to relax with a book, cards, friends, take a cooking class, drink coffee at Arts coffee and visit or chill on the balcony. We came to anticipate seadays with the same enthusiasm we anticipated port days.

 

The ship was wonderful and the Nova is our number one Silversea ship. It was just the right size for us. It was big enough to not get bored and small enough to really get to know both passengers and crew. Did we meet or talk to everyone, no, but that was not our goal. The staff was amazing. Consistently the best service we have had on a cruise, exponentially better than our first Silversea cruise.

 

There has been a lot written about the changes in the SSea post covid and blaming RCG for everything. We are not long time SSea cruisers so we can not address this nor would I know how to quantitate what is caused by what. We are however, longtime loyal to royal sailors due to their amazing attitude towards people with disabilities. When it comes to wheelchair accessibility the Nova is leaps and bonds more accessible than the Moon. There are automatic doors everywhere, there are HA bathrooms on every public deck and the HA cabin is well designed. Both ships reflected RCG inclusive can-do attitude and there was assistance provided in the buffet and most importantly tendering on and off the ship.

 

The shore excursion staff did an amazing job. They solicited helpful feelback from people. I was surprised at some of the complaints I heard, seems some people did not realize we were in third world countries. I would say if you want everything off the ship to be luxury then this is not the itinerary for you. There were times when the poverty and general state of the area we were in got to us. However, this happens at home too. On our private tours we gained a lot of insight from our guides about local economics, life style, government, and family life which is why I suggest doing some private tours where you can really engage with your guide. Going to a local lunch and visiting with our guide is one of our favorite things.to do.

 

We have been asked many times which ports were our favorites….

              Carnival in Rio. This is a true bucket list item.

              Patagonia – Chilean Fjords – Terra Del Fuego – I am a glacier mountain gal. The scenery, the people, and the natural beauty

              Amazon- this was a surprise for me, it was high on my husband’s list however, I was hesitant expecting oppressive heat…Found being on the water in the Amazon, seeing the wildlife, going to our guides home in a floating village so interesting. Cruising on the water of the Amazon was mesmerizing.

 

I could go on and on. Please ask questions so you can help me provide good information.

 

Jean

 

[BBGrace273]

1 hour ago, JSR said:

This is my much overdue final reflections…so many thoughts and so hard to articulate…

                              ....

We had not given much thought to sea days since they do not need planning ahead. We really enjoyed them. Our brains needed a break from taking in new experiences and it was so nice just to relax with a book, cards, friends, take a cooking class, drink coffee at Arts coffee and visit or chill on the balcony. We came to anticipate seadays with the same enthusiasm we anticipated port days.

                              ....

The ship was wonderful and the Nova is our number one Silversea ship. It was just the right size for us. It was big enough to not get bored and small enough to really get to know both passengers and crew. Did we meet or talk to everyone, no, but that was not our goal. The staff was amazing. Consistently the best service we have had on a cruise, exponentially better than our first Silversea cruise.

                              ...

There has been a lot written about the changes in the SSea post covid and blaming RCG for everything. We are not long time SSea cruisers so we can not address this nor would I know how to quantitate what is caused by what. We are however, longtime loyal to royal sailors due to their amazing attitude towards people with disabilities. When it comes to wheelchair accessibility the Nova is leaps and bonds more accessible than the Moon. There are automatic doors everywhere, there are HA bathrooms on every public deck and the HA cabin is well designed. Both ships reflected RCG inclusive can-do attitude and there was assistance provided in the buffet and most importantly tendering on and off the ship.

                         ....

I could go on and on. Please ask questions so you can help me provide good information.

 

Jean

 

Thanks for this, @JSR Jean.  While I am learning SO MUCH before my first cruise here on CC, I think I might need to avoid any specific SS or Nova "bashing" posts for awhile. It has been making me really nervous to see more and more posts of long time cruisers saying, "never again" and cancelling already booked future cruises. But, since this is my first I really have nothing to compare it too, as many have said, so I won't know what I'm missing. Your reflection here has made me feel so much better again. 

 

My dad and I are doing the TP crossing from Vancouver to Japan by way of Alaska. He walks with a cane, and occasional walker. When travelling, he often gets ADA compliant rooms for safety in the bath (I can't even tell you how many times we've been at the ER this year for stiches after falls). In fact, our TA had originally put him into your 9041!  I had it changed after all our bathtub-shower conversations from your voyage. I didn't want him to remove the option from a wheelchair user once I found out the showers were all walk in. 

 

This trip to Japan was planned right before Covid, but sadly, since then my dad's mobility has lowered, so I thought a cruise might be a great way to still travel, with less... well, travelling. It is DEFINITELY a big splurge for us, and I think I'm mainly worried because HE'S worried he's going to get bored of it all.  However, from your original apprehension about sea days during your live post, to you latest reflection here, I really think he's going to end up loving it. He loves to read and complete sudoku. I can already visualize him on his balcony or enjoying his coffee in the Observation Lounge. 

 

So basically, this is just a really long winded thank you. Thanks for bringing me along on your GV. Thanks for answering all my questions. And thanks for re-grounding me. I'll be on vacation with my amazing dad for a month!  On a crazy, new, gorgeous looking ship.  I'm going to have a wonderful trip, even if there's no more foie gras, my bottle of whiskey has to be stored sideways on the shelf, and I have to ask for fruit. 😉

 

All the best,

Grace

[Invited On-board]

14 minutes ago, BBGrace273 said:

Thanks for this, @JSR Jean.  While I am learning SO MUCH before my first cruise here on CC, I think I might need to avoid any specific SS or Nova "bashing" posts for awhile. It has been making me really nervous to see more and more posts of long time cruisers saying, "never again" and cancelling already booked future cruises.

 

Grace,hope you and your Dad have the most amazing  voyage  and its great that this ' live report' has provided you with information  and a perspective that has eased your nervousness.

[JSR]

@BBGrace273 I am glad this thread has given you some insight and some excitment about your upcoming trip. Several things I would recommend:

 

-Know that a transpacific will have lots of back to back sea days. You could encounter foul weather, rough seas or just the opposite. Have an indoor plan and an outdoor plan. There will be bridge lessons, cooking classes, lectures, trivia games, etc. Decide if any of these are for you or your dad and get involved at the beginning, you can always drop them but  bridge and trivia maybe hard to join at the last minute. Cooking class sign up is at the first open house, again easier to cancel though the waitlist works well as does just showing up on standby. 

 

-People on these and other social media like to hear themselves talk. (as you see I can go on and on). Take it all with a grain of salt. Despite things being presented as fact, they are just opinions and they are the opinions of a minority of people. The percentage of actual cruisers on any one given platform is minimal. Humans these days seem to be resistant to change, glorifying the past, blah blah. Also, peoples preferences are different, one person's perfect ship is someone else's least desirable ship. 

 

- IMHO Every experience in life is a product of what you bring to it. When we headed out on our journey we said, we have no idea if this will be too much and be a one and done or something we love and want to do again, or something in between but no matter what we would have fun and enjoy ourselves. We met people for whom the Nova was not to their liking for the future but they still embraced the present. We only met one couple that complained everyday and were making lists of short comings. My solution was not to engage with them beyond a polite salutation when I saw them.  Bring your positive attitude and ignore those that do not. 

 

- Have an amazing  time. We are looking at the same cruise you are doing for 2026 so I look forward to hearing about the trip. 

 

All the best Jean

 

 

 

[BBGrace273]

Thanks, @JSR! I do tend to be a pretty, "glass half full" type of gal. Thanks for the tips about joining stuff early. And I am super excited about both the itinerary and the mix of sea and port. Counting down the days!

[highplanesdrifters]

22 hours ago, JSR said:

@BBGrace273 I am glad this thread has given you some insight and some excitment about your upcoming trip. Several things I would recommend:

 

-Know that a transpacific will have lots of back to back sea days. You could encounter foul weather, rough seas or just the opposite. Have an indoor plan and an outdoor plan. There will be bridge lessons, cooking classes, lectures, trivia games, etc. Decide if any of these are for you or your dad and get involved at the beginning, you can always drop them but  bridge and trivia maybe hard to join at the last minute. Cooking class sign up is at the first open house, again easier to cancel though the waitlist works well as does just showing up on standby. 

 

-People on these and other social media like to hear themselves talk. (as you see I can go on and on). Take it all with a grain of salt. Despite things being presented as fact, they are just opinions and they are the opinions of a minority of people. The percentage of actual cruisers on any one given platform is minimal. Humans these days seem to be resistant to change, glorifying the past, blah blah. Also, peoples preferences are different, one person's perfect ship is someone else's least desirable ship. 

 

- IMHO Every experience in life is a product of what you bring to it. When we headed out on our journey we said, we have no idea if this will be too much and be a one and done or something we love and want to do again, or something in between but no matter what we would have fun and enjoy ourselves. We met people for whom the Nova was not to their liking for the future but they still embraced the present. We only met one couple that complained everyday and were making lists of short comings. My solution was not to engage with them beyond a polite salutation when I saw them.  Bring your positive attitude and ignore those that do not. 

 

- Have an amazing  time. We are looking at the same cruise you are doing for 2026 so I look forward to hearing about the trip. 

 

All the best Jean

 

 

 

 

Excellent!