To celebrate Bob's retirement, I booked this cruise on the Silver Spirit departing from Ft. Lauderdale on January 3rd for 7 nights. Since this was Bob's first cruise and only my second, I wanted to make sure I found something that would be a pretty sure bet to be a pleasant experience. When I ran across a nice deal on vacationstogo.com, I booked a mid-ship veranda suite, Room 918, which is on the pool deck. The Silver Spirit carries 540 passengers which was more appealing than one which accommodates 10 times that many.
We flew into Ft. Lauderdale on Monday for a Tuesday embarkation, just in case we ran into weather issues in the north Georgia mountains. It was a smooth entry from the cruise terminal onto the ship in the early afternoon and our butler greeted us in our suite. I loved the location as we were just down the hall from the entrance to the pool deck and the Panorama Lounge. Most of the room attendants were from the Philippines and were quietly eager to please. The bathroom was the star of the suite with granite counter tops, walk-in glass shower, and tub large enough for two. Down the hall was the closet and then the sleeping area with narrow vanity, followed by the living area. There were mirrored walls in the sleeping and living areas which had 2 flat-screen tv's embedded in them. The balcony consisted of two wicker-type chairs, ottomans, and a table.
The pool deck became our go-to venue for mid-day when the ship was at sea or, for example, when we docked in Guatemala. I am glad we didn't book an excursion there since the comments were mostly negative. One of our fellow travelers described his tour as a "jungle walk" before which they were told to watch out for snakes, spiders, and animals. We were glad we opted for lunch and drinks on the ship that day! The port there was mostly industrial and we were the only cruise ship there as the container ships loaded and unloaded cargo. Our ship was also the only one docked in Belize and we had to board tenders to get ashore. The shops and restaurants on the water were closed due to lack of other cruise ships, but we had the name of a restaurant that we wanted to try. We found a cab driver who took us to the Bird's Isle, which was truly a place where the locals go. My snapper was fresh and it was fun to experience the local flavors.
Back to the ship. Since I dislike getting out early for breakfast, we ordered room service most mornings. Our butler was very timely and I called for coffee sometimes when I woke up earlier than planned. Bob ordered the omelets a few times, and when we ordered the waffles and pancakes they arrived cold. We learned to stick with such things as oatmeal, yogurt, fruit, and pastries. I didn't realize that most of the restaurants were by reservation, so we really were at a disadvantage for dinner. The main restaurant did not require a reservation and was quite good on our first visit. We wanted to have a special evening at Le Champagne and our butler tried hard to get us a table. On the night when he succeeded, we found out that the theme was "A for Asparagus" and the main dish would be caviar, which neither of us eats. Since there is an additional $200 per person charged for this venue we decided to opt out. We went to the BBQ on the pool deck but the wind began whipping and we decided to go inside. Then our butler informed us that he had secured reservations the next night for "Hot Rocks", also on the level just above the pool, where you cook your own food. Sorry, but we'd had enough of dining outside on the windy seas and if I'd wanted to cook my food I'd have stayed home!
One thing we did enjoy was the daily quiz and the crossword puzzle from the Library. We won the prize for the Quiz on two occasions! There was a daily Team Trivia contest, but we learned it was important to start early and get on a team. One afternoon we decided to wander into the Panorama Lounge for a cocktail and then learned we were sitting in a team's "spot". The Bar on level 5 became the place we went for a pre-dinner drink and the servers were eager to learn our names. It was decorated in an Art Deco style and the same crowd seemed to wander in just as if one was at a local cocktail lounge.
There were many times when I wandered through the corridors and never saw another person, so this ship really does deliver in the space per passenger ratio. The Observation Lounge on Deck 11 hardly ever had anyone there during the times I visited. The Captain had his family on board and could be seen playing with his grandchildren by the pool during the day, which held a certain charm. The international crowd was well-dressed and I have never seen so many women who wore heels with their bathing suits to the pool!
We went to the Casino on a couple of nights and played Blackjack. The dealers were mostly from Romania and were very tolerant of novice players such as myself. I did manage to win money, however, on each of the three nights I played! It was fun to go on the one formal night and pretend to be in a James Bond movie, given all the men in tuxedos.
Overall, we had a great cruise and most of the shortcomings were due to lack of planning on my part. In the future I will book the restaurants and pay more attention to the shore excursions although the point of this trip was relaxation. And when in the Caribbean in January, my goal is to get away from winter and simply enjoy the great weather on the ship. Can't wait for the next cruise!
Thursday, January 12, 2012
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