PAII Vista-v-Verandah

[tgh]

We are swinging on changing our pa cruise from the first 11 to the first 17, as it seems that South Georgia is not to be missed .. even in November.

 

We are "discussing" relinquishing our beloved balcony as it seems that the vista suites get the balcony area in the cabin, for a substantial discount in price.

 

Could someone who has been in or seen both please comment.. thanks in advance

[MMDown Under]

We are swinging on changing our pa cruise from the first 11 to the first 17, as it seems that South Georgia is not to be missed .. even in November.

 

We are "discussing" relinquishing our beloved balcony as it seems that the vista suites get the balcony area in the cabin, for a substantial discount in price.

 

Could someone who has been in or seen both please comment.. thanks in advance

 

I haven't been, however I'm considering the same cruise, as my daughter says South Georgia is not to be missed.

 

I'll be interested in reponses to your question, as there haven't been many comments on this ship yet. I'm waiting for reviews from those currently cruising in the north in the next few months.

[tgh]

Many days without a response....maybe the prototypical PAII participant doesn't read CC !!!

 

So ...I have scoured the web and actually found a couple of cabin pics.

 

We are currently dealing with a very professional travel agent and a silversea response process submerged in treacle..

Anyway..... present thoughts are to dump the offered verandah suite on the 17 night cruise and live with a picture window.

 

South g sounds wonderful , hope you can join us.. you won't be able to hide .. the accent is unhideable .....:)

 

Cheers

[freddie]

tgh - We did the 18-night Antarctica-South Georgia cruise on the Hanseatic two years ago. Until the PAII entered the area, the Hanseatic was the only luxury ship there; and it has no balconies at all. One really doesn't need a balcony there. If you can get as much or more interior space for the same (or less) $$$, that makes absolute sense. The decision you've made to go for the longer cruise and see South Georgia is, in our opinion, a priceless decision. Of all of the wonderful highlights on our cruise, the landings on South Georgia amongst 500,000 king penguins were the highlights-of-highlights, truly great travel memories.

 

We are still looking at PAII itineraries in the North and hope to travel soon on that lovely little ship.

 

Cheers, Fred

[tgh]

Thanks for the reply.. had about given up on CC as a Siversea source :rolleyes:

 

With half the vista cabins unbooked 6 months out on 50% discount, we have a few to choose from !!

 

We will forsake the French Balcony and save some money.

 

Guess there isn't much point starting a Roll Call ,might be a lonely place.

We won't have too many on board at the present rate of bookings ... ..

[ging466]

Guess there isn't much point starting a Roll Call, might be a lonely place. We won't have too many on board at the present rate of bookings ... ..

 

Hi tgh

 

There is very little info about the PAII and very few reviews of it on CC which is a shame.

 

I always go to the Review section when I'm considering a particular ship. I love reading of peoples' experiences - the good and the bad. I don't have the time to wade through copious posts trying to find info.

 

On my SS cruise last December, I started a roll call and there was only 2 of us. Many of the people I met on board hadn't heard of CC let alone posted on it.

 

Hope you have a great cruise and pls write a review of your adventures when you get home.:)

 

Cheers

Ging466

[wripro]

I always laugh when people start a roll call on CC, then three months later when there are no replies ask if they will be sailing alone. As ging466 says most people who sail have never heard of CC, let alone come here frequently or have enough interest to post. We are a small minority of the passenger contingent and sometimes the things that seem so important to us are of little consequence to the vast majority of our fellow sailors.

[goldengatecruisers]

tgh - thank you for starting this thread and hello Silversea CC members. I will be celebrating my 40th birthday in Jan 2010 and I have been considering an Antarctic exploration for some time now. I was delighted to see the Prince Albert II come into service but like many of you I am finding very little online about this small intriguing vessel. I would like to ask previous passengers about the cabins primarily Vista and lower. I want to know whether positioning really makes a different to ship movement considering the size of PAII and also the rough waters of Drake Passage. I would think that everyone would be tossed around but wondered whether midship really makes a big difference on this particular sailing. For my budget I may be in a forward location on a lower deck.

Also tgh - where are you finding 50% discount on Vista cabins? Did I read your post correctly when you mentioned having choice 6 months out. I am only seeing 15% savings on the Silversea website and 30% if booked by May 31st (which is today). I have not alerted my TA about my intent to do this cruise yet as I am still deciding so I do not know what is actually being offered by Silversea. If you could shed some light on this I would be most grateful.

I agree with other posters that it is probably not worth the extra for the verandah unless $ is not an issue. This will be the first time I have sailed without a private verandah as I really like fresh air but from all I have read people say it is not such an issue on this type of cruise. Maybe we will all be in the Vista Suites. I am looking at the Jan 18/2010 sailing. Is anyone else considering this departure?

Thank you.

[tgh]

You won't find much discount at the guano end of the season.. that's when the place gets crowded.... and smelly :p

We will be all pure and white on the first cruise of the season.. South Georgia should be Ok with just a few babies about.

The sea ice may make the mainland a bit iffy.. but it will be nice and clean.

[poolcat]

We were on the PAII last year (our 7th on Silversea). You will not spend much time in your suite at all. These are very active - and interesting - cruises. With that said, we were in a View suite (321) and had a larger suite than some of our friends who booked a Veranda suite (512) with the French balcony. I have to have a veranda on ocean cruises, but not so on the expedition ships. We were out most of the day every day either attending lectures or in the Zodiacs. The expedition cruises are not restful, but are worth it for the sites you see.

By the way, Sean was our chef last year and we had by far the best meals we have had on Silversea.

[dellas1000]

I just came back from a repositioning mini cruise on PAII and I was in a Vista on deck 4. I have to say it was fine and very spacious. I will upload my pics in a few days. I took lots of the ship and other peoples suites etc..

[swindy]

I just came back from a repositioning mini cruise on PAII and I was in a Vista on deck 4. I have to say it was fine and very spacious. I will upload my pics in a few days. I took lots of the ship and other peoples suites etc..

 

Do you have any photos of the Grand Suites please?

[Mike2131]

I thought I would tag to this thread instead of starting a new one. We are looking at PA II for Svalbard next summer vs the National Geographic Explorer with Lindblad. Our thoughts are the PA II will be far more comfortable but the expedition staff on the NGE will be better. We also think the cost will be a little less on the PA II.

 

If you have sailed that itinerary with either, we would welcome your comments/suggestions. Thanks in advance.

[dellas1000]

Do you have any photos of the Grand Suites please?

 

If you click here there are some::

 

http://s706.photobucket.com/albums/ww68/silversea2009/

 

You will see the title of the photo which relates to which suite it is and also the suite number eg: VistaSuite425.1 is a Vista Suite # 425

[swindy]

Thanks very much for the fantastic photos.

[tgh]

Just great ... gives us a much better idea

thank you very very much..

roll on November ....:D

[swindy]

Dellas1000

 

The Silversea brochure states that the Grand Suites have "floor to ceiling glass doors" but from your fantastic photos it would appear that this is not the case.

Also the floor plan in the brochure shows open railings on the verandah but from looking at the photos it would appear that it is a solid wall which would impede vision from a seated position.

 

Can you provide me with information on these queries please.