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Silver Cloud Quebec to Ft Lauderdale #252075 09/26/19 01:32 AM
Joined: Feb 2004
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Marc Offline OP
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Susan, Russell, Arlene, and I boarded Silver Cloud today; a great improvement on Silver Explorer. Lots of familiar faces. Best news we learned is that Captain Maggie was fired after the Wrangel debacle. Found out that cruise is known as “cruise to nowhere.” Maybe there is hope for Silversea.

More later

Marc



Re: Silver Cloud Quebec to Ft Lauderdale [Re: Marc] #252099 10/05/19 04:15 PM
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petlover Offline
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How's your cruise going Marc ?? Did you restore your faith in SS Cruise Line ?


Marcie

Re: Silver Cloud Quebec to Ft Lauderdale [Re: Marc] #252102 10/06/19 12:52 PM
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Marc Offline OP
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Marcie, we are having a wonderful time. Silver Cloud much better than Explorer, Moss as Social Director is a great addition, and food much better. Not really an expedition trip as zodiacs just used two days (one was just to tender into Newport). We also are going to big cities (New York, Portland, etc) instead of small communities (e.g., Bar Harbor) or even small inlets and coves along the east coast. Some of the folks onboard have never been on an expedition trip and didn't realize that this was an expedition trip.

Some things nicer than Regent: loose tea at Tea; butler hangs up laundry instead of just hanging plastic bags of laundry on hooks (why does Regent waste all that plastic but take away bottled water); stewardess/butler combination seems to work better than stewardess/assistant combination on Regent; and the small size of ship is nice.

Had a number of chances to discuss Wrangel with HD Petros; he was also HD on that trip. He provided some additional background on what did and didn't happen. Captain Maggi is no longer with Silversea; some say fired and some say she quit. Also found out why we had to refuel in Russia but no explanation on first changed itinerary or Captain Maggi's fear of ice. There were a number of lessons learned for Silversea; apparently about communications, however, and not about scheduling.

However, still no apology or acceptance of some level of responsibility by "corporate" Silversea so don't know if we will ever sail them again.

We still have stops in Norfolk and Charleston (why aren't we going into some of the barrier islands instead of big cities?) before arriving in Ft Lauderdale; then we have a driver taking us to Port Canaveral to immediately get on the Disney Dream.

Life is Good!

Marc

PS Happy Birthday



Re: Silver Cloud Quebec to Ft Lauderdale [Re: Marc] #252103 10/06/19 12:59 PM
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Ngaire Online
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Moss is fantastic. I loved the way he did trivia. No sheet to read from super bright man. Petros is a very approachable person. I like him a lot. We have sailed with him several times.

So many of the new EXPEDITION SHIPS are really just SOFT EXPEDITION - a combination of expedition and classic cruising. Not sure how well that is working as an expedition person WANTS an expedition and CLASSIC cruiser cannot always handle the zodiacs, life vests etc. We will see overtime how this all works out.

Glad to know you are having a good time.

Re: Silver Cloud Quebec to Ft Lauderdale [Re: Marc] #252105 10/06/19 02:27 PM
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cruisinfanatic Offline
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So glad you are having a great time. And really really sorry that meeting up with you all tomorrow fell thru (no pun intended haha) but am still on the walker for hopefully only two more weeks, and trying to maneuver around in Norfolk would be difficult at best, need to be careful where I go and such. Hope you have a great day, there are some breweries around the cruise terminal that are getting some good local press. Hugs to all of you.


JoAnn
Re: Silver Cloud Quebec to Ft Lauderdale [Re: Marc] #252108 10/06/19 03:53 PM
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petlover Offline
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Thanks Marc. Have fun on your Disney cruise, we LOVED ours lots of years ago. I was blown away by how many adults without children were on ours.


Marcie

Re: Silver Cloud Quebec to Ft Lauderdale [Re: Marc] #252109 10/06/19 05:07 PM
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Ms Understood Offline
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I agree with Marcie re Disney cruise. We sailed on the Disney Wonder years ago and thoroughly enjoyed it. As some know I am a big Disney fan anyway but my husband is not and he still talks about how much he liked that cruise.
Also ,I agree with Ngaire re “quasi expedition” sailing. On Puffin there were a significant number of people who were unaware that they would be required to get in and out of Zodiacs in order to go ashore. And some were just not physically able to do it.
———————
Helen

Re: Silver Cloud Quebec to Ft Lauderdale [Re: Marc] #252205 10/15/19 01:01 PM
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Marc Offline OP
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Disembarked Silver Cloud last Friday, boarded Dream same day, disembarked Dream yesterday, and drove to Miami where we are awaiting our transfer to Mariner. So, with a few days perspective I can finish my review of Silver Cloud.

Service excellent, well trained staff. Food, hit and miss, especially "pressed" chicken showing up on last night. Bath towels and toilet paper both felt like sand paper. Alfredo great (he played Ferry across Mersey the last night and all that was missing was Jerry singing) but other piano player poor. Moss did two shows and two name that tunes but that was it for entertainment. We had five sea days with just some uninspiring lectures that mostly had nothing to do with where we were sailing. 19 on Expedition staff with a few good ones and many that did nothing. Our favorite Aly was able to get a lot of school work done.

Excursions nice and all of ours were free; however, in Newport none of the excursions toured the homes and in Norfolk none of the tours went to Williamsburg; both the cultural and historical highlights of those ports.

I talked to Cruise Consultant as Silversea has a couple of itineraries that Regent doesn't sail. First one is two day stop in Monte Carlo for Grand Prix. Second one is Black Sea cruise that goes to same ports as Regent plus Sochi, Georgia, and Northern Turkey. Even with those itineraries, we have still decided to part ways with Silversea as they (corporate) still have not accepted any responsibility for Wrangel debacle nor provided adequate compensation. Would have much preferred to use the credit we did receive on PUFFIN or ADELIE instead of a pretty boring East Coast cruise on a quasi-expedition ship.

Marc



Re: Silver Cloud Quebec to Ft Lauderdale [Re: Marc] #252206 10/16/19 01:59 PM
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petlover Offline
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Marc, thanks for taking the time to share your experience on Cloud. I'm sorry it didn't "make the cut" you were hoping for.
I'm sorry that entertainers Darlene & Lawrence got off. They were the Husband/ Wife entertainers on our CELTIC cruise (Dublin to London). Tom & I enjoyed them every night,. We even had a dinner together one night. They were a terrific duo.

We will miss you two on POP2IT in Antarctica in January. I hope you enjoy the Mariner, I remember that being your favorite Regent ships.


Marcie


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