Personal Requests

[Arteest]

Although we haven't received our "docs" yet, just wondering if anyone had any thoughts on personal requests which we should make prior to sail. When/where do we ask for the personal items - drinks, water choices, etc for the cabin? Should we really make a "b-line" for the restaurant reservation desk for dinners? :D

 

---First time SS guests and after watching the Freedom on the Today show with 4300 passengers, looking very forward to 300!---

[MJN1]

Had not realized no one answered you, so let me try. RELAX! The only thing you should do BEFORE the cruise is to book appointments for the SPA. They usually fill up qucikly, especially for sea days. You can do this via their website 60 days ahead of the cruise. The system is not perfect yet, on our last cruise many pre-booked appointments got changed due to double booking. Shoreexcursions can also be booked the same way, but there is usually enough space for tehm and you can do this on-board. Drinks for the cabin you tell your stewardess after boarding. Restaurant reservations are only needed for the Terracce and La Saletta. Check out the menu for the week first. Hope this helps. Enjoy it.

[WesW]

Arteest, just go to the guest information form on the SS website and log in with your name, booking #..there is a place on the bottom of the form for you to put requests (e.g, bombay, tonic water, fresh cut limes, etc)..we prefer La Terraza over The Restaurant (more intimate, only 50 diners, better service)..if you would like to try it, I suggest immediately after taking your security photo, either your spouse or you go directly to the reception to make reservations for LT, it has a tendency to book full by 5pm on the sailing date. If you wait until after 5 pm to book, I believe your will not get to try LT

Have a blast! wes

[Arteest]

MJN1 - I did book spa appointments for the day at sea. I have heard that sometimes they can have a schedule "snafu" from other posts. ANyway to guard against it? Would calling SS directly help in anyway? We haven't found any excursions that we find 100% perfect for us, but I also don't want to run around like "chickens without heads"! I figure we will play that by ear.

 

Colonel, Thanks. I will make sure that we take care of the resservations first thing. Do you eat all your dinners in LT throughout the trip? ( at least when not in a port)

 

When my husband suggested the trip, it was to be RELAXed as you say, M, but i have been reading and researching to make it perfect. But now i know that this will be perfect even if we never left the ship!

[mistrtj]

",,,,,i have been reading and researching to make it perfect,,,,,"

 

Arteest,

 

I think you and your hubby and my wife and I are in the same boat inasmuch as we are firsttimers to SS. We've had many of the same questions and have spent many hours running different scenarios through our minds trying to "create" the PERFECT holiday,, and I'm here to tell you,,,, there "ain't no such animal!"

 

BUT,,,,, that being said,,,, because we're going on this trip with a) an open mind, b) a desire to relax and not get too worked up about little things, c) an expectation that SS and their people will earnestly try to help us enjoy ourselves, and d) did I say a desire to relax and not get too worked up about little things,,,,, I KNOW our vacation will be as perfect as WE can make it.

 

Following the advice given on these boards, we too have booked our simultaneous massages for late in the afternoon of the day at sea just before we head back to our suite for our ritual afternoon hors d'oeuvres and bottle of wine. Our cruise is a R&C Enrichment Series cruise and the guest chef is from Restaurant TRU in Chicago. We're assuming that he will be giving some form of lecture or demo while at sea and (because I'm "in the trade") I'm looking forward to attending that.

 

BUT aside from those "plans", we're playing it loose. Yes, I entered our desired beverages on my form,,,,, IF they're not in the room the moment we get there, no biggie,,,,, I'll tell the stewardess what we like and head out to explore the ship's bars!:D On the advice of my TA, as soon as we're on board we'll "book" our LaTerraza reservations for the nights other than the formals (we'll attend both in the Restaurant) and the night on which we'll be celebrating our 30th (doing LaChampagne that night) OR all that could change based on some of the lovely people we expect to meet on board and want to dine with.

 

As I've said before,,,, after the seven months of snowbirds in SoFla,,, I have three "duties" on this trip: 1) Get to airport, 2) be nice to wife, and 3) be nice to staff. If I do all of that,,,, then I'm sure everyone else will make MY TIME an enjoyable one! :D

 

(OH,,, and I have ONE MORE duty,,,, finish each day with a cuban cigar and a single-malt scotch in the Humidor! THAT'LL make for the perfect trip!)

 

Enjoy your trip!

[WesW]

Arteest, we ate dinner in LT 5/7 nights (one night was a fiesta for the whole ship on the pool deck, and we did the formal night in The Restaurant) but, if we had to do it again, we would even do formal night in LT.

 

Mistrtj, great attitude, am sure you will have a blast.

[naperleigh]

We are on our first SS cruise in September on the Cloud. There are three fromal nights. Is La Terraza informal (sport coat no tie) while the Restaurant is formal? I can handle one or maybe two fromal nights but three is a bit much. Thanks for your help.

[Arteest]

mstrtj -

 

Congrats! and thanks for the happy go lucky attitude. Good habits are hard to break - all our vacations have been terrific due to impeccible planning - of course, mine! LOL But, now, I am going to put away all the tour books, take care of the present and wait for the "future" and let it handle itself! But, of course, I will continue to hit the "boards"!!!!

 

Naper -

 

Check out other thread from April - "to tux or not to tux". It gives you a pretty good idea on where people stand on the dress code issue. We are traveling on for another week before returning back home and the idea of taking a tux and packing it doesn't bother my DH - but I would rather get creative and not worry about being so careful with my clothes. (.... But I love to dress up, too). I am a minimal packer.

 

Oop, sone more..for now..I think I read somewhere about standard liquor vs. top shelf - is there an extra charge although it's included? Or maybe it was just an availabilty thing.

 

Thanks all!

[MrsWaldo]

Naper,

 

Are you on the 13th out of Stockholm....1626?

 

We are travelling for a total of 7 weeks (approx 5 landbased) so we are only bringing the black and i can only fit one formal dress (so it will either be the same for all three nights, la terazza or in suite for us)

 

I don't think our travelling companions will want to have 3 formal dinners either. From all i have read and the info given to us when we visited shadow in january the formal dress code only applies to The restaurant

[naperleigh]

Mrs Waldo- We are on the Cloud out of Stockholm September 13th. I wanted to try SilverSea (we were on Regent last September and Seadream in Feb) and the Itinerary goes to ports we have not visited before. The formal nights are something we have not had to deal with our last couple of cruises. It will be interesting to see how we pack all these different clothes ( for formal , informal and casual evenings) and stay under the weight limitations of the airlines.

 

You are fortunate to be able to go for 7 weeks in one trip!

[naperleigh]

Thanks Arteest...the April thread answered my questions on dress.

[cporter]

There is no charge for top shelf in the suites, unless you are talking "nose bleed" top shelf. :o

 

We always have Grey Goose and have never had a problem.

 

mstrtj -

 

Oop, sone more..for now..I think I read somewhere about standard liquor vs. top shelf - is there an extra charge although it's included? Or maybe it was just an availabilty thing.

 

Thanks all!