We booked this cruise to West Africa as soon as it was advertised. The ports of called were just what we were looking for. Stops in West Africa that were no easily accessible. We were not expecting great luxury since this is Silver seas explorer ship. We embarked with great anticipation and excitment. The first night at the briefing, we were informed that the shipment of fresh fruit had not arrived. that was a precursor of thing to come. Our fist stop was Lima,Togo we were met with buses and a police escort. Everything went well and the day was very interesting. Then onto Cotonou, Benin, the same buses and police. both these days were long and fruitful. Then a day at sea. Next 2 days we were in Cameroon, then to San Tome and Principe. Two stops that were just OK but they were on the way to Angola. the original itinerary had 2 stops in Angola, we only had 1/2 day where we saw a museum with no lights on, a fort that was closed and a quick drive around the diplomatic area, then back to the ship. Now we had almost 4 full days at sea. We then arrived at Walvis Bay, Namibia. We have a lovely diner in a canyon in the desert, then off again to the next Namimban port. 2 more days at sea before arriving in Capetown.

With the cancellation of some of the original stops, we spent many more days at sea than we expected. We were also very disappointed in the quality of the food. We ran out of bananas, Perrier, berries and other items. The dinner choices on some night consisted of 4 dishes with cream sauces. One evening I ordered a NY strip steak and got Prime rib. Also the quality of the meat was less than prime, and many times food was sent back.

The staff on the ship were professional and always accommodating, yet sometimes you had the feeling that the Senior dining room staff would rather socialize than serve. Read more