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This cruise was chosen for a combination of itinerary and lifestyle. We wanted to sail Silversea again, and this itinerary ticked all the boxes.

Here is a small review of that cruise, 3930 Piraeus round trip.

Several factors are worthy of mention .... some good and some bad. 

BOARDING PROCEDURES

Nothing but complements. Less than 15 minutes from exiting the taxi to relaxing in the lounge. 

ACCOMMODATIONS:

The suite was clean, tidy and well presented. It could be argued that the style was ‘dated’ but that is a matter of opinion. I am surprised that there were no USB plugs in the suite. Perhaps this could be considered for the future? 

CATERING:

This would be my main area of concern.

La Terrazza:

At breakfast and lunch, once it started getting mildly busy the staff were unable to cope.

The buffet area is far too small and long queues frequently formed. I understand that enlarging this area is NOT on the agenda. 

Having been seated, service was again, at busy times, particularly slow, sometimes non existent! On one occasion we gave up and left.

The small serving area did not allow for any Ice Cream so that was a special request ... with the appropriate wait.

The main concern in this restaurant was hygiene. For the first few days the area was infested with flies. The main restaurant area had several but more concerning were number flying around in the food service area and on the food itself. This problem however was overshadowed when my wife found to her disgust and dismay a live caterpillar on the lettuce in the buffet area. This matter was raised at the time and apologies were made. This level of hygiene totally and utterly unacceptable.

On an evening the restaurant was exceptional. Service was prompt and the food was excellent. 

MAIN DINING ROOM:

Generally speaking the service, at breakfast and lunch, was far superior to La Terrazza, but again, on an evening, once it started to get mildly busy the service went into meltdown. It was not unusual to be ignored for twenty minutes.

On the positive side we did ask for two ‘special’ dishes which were excellent. A Chateaubriand (for two) and a Beef Wellington ( for one).

One ‘corked’ wine

Must do better!

This was our fourth Silversea cruise in an Owner’s Suite. All four were on different ships: Silver Shadow, Silver Muse, Silver Spirit, Silver Whisper. This cruise was the Mediterranean at the end of October.

This was Silver Shadow's last cruise before its refurbishment. So, it still had the u-shaped bar which I prefer (see pictures if you are unfamiliar). I hope they don't pull it out during the drydock. Even though it was the final cruise, we did not note any major deficits.

We were generally very happy with this cruise. We had the best butler we have ever had. At this point we know how we want our room stocked (we make a list of our needs before the butler introduces himself).

One need I have is San Pellegrino. We asked once and were thereafter never without three bottles.

He even brought a new bottle of Bourbon we he noticed that my first bottle was getting low.

Coincidentally, it turned out that a guy I had worked with years ago was on the same cruise. We became reacquainted, and my wife and I thought it would be nice to host a little cocktail party. Our butler did a magnificent job of organizing it:  Caviar, other canopies, champaign.  

We turned planning our dinners over to the butler. Every day, I simply asked him where and when we were eating, and he told us. I don't know if that fell into his job description, but it worked well for us. That solved my frustration with the Silversea reservation process (which basically is, set your alarm for midnight on the day online reservations open--months before your cruise--or you will miss the window of opportunity).

I am in the process of adjusting my expectations of cruise ship luxury dining experiences, from what I expect at a land-based restaurant. Here is an example of what I mean. We frequent a fine dining Italian restaurant near our home. (For level setting purposes, fine dining means we expect to spend about $250 on dinner.)

Last time we visited our local restaurant, I told the waiter that I wanted one of the veal dishes, but that I was craving some fettuccini Alfredo. The waiter's response, "I will make that happen." I got veal with a side of fettuccini Alfredo. Rather than bore you with a transcript of the same exchange on Silversea, suffice it that I have finally accepted that such personalized service cannot be expected on a cruise ship.

But there were some minor lapses that fell below Silversea standards. One night at dinner the waiter didn't bother clearing our table before thrusting the dessert menu into our hands. Thirty seconds later he was standing there asking for my dessert order. I hadn't even glanced at the menu.

Silversea offers its own sparkling water, which is fine for me, except that on this cruise, it was consistently flat. So, I started asking for San Pellegrino. I had to remind every waiter, every time I needed a refill what I was drinking.

One amenity that Silversea offers in its Owner’s Suites is free laundry service. (The other three, Seabourn, Crystal, and Regent don't seem to include that.) We only bring carry-ons (yes that is correct, an 11-night cruise, and 5 extra nights with only two carry-ons--if you want to know how that is done, message me). Free laundry service makes that easier.

Nonetheless, we have decided we should not become married to Silversea without at least having a baseline. So, we have booked a Seabourn cruise for next March. Seabourn does not include laundry service with their Wintergarden Suites. We have guesstimated that paying for laundry will add $300 to the cost of the cruise.

Owner's Suite Mediterranean

It should be the first cruise and should be a great experience. On closer inspection, the ship was outmoded, worn and not up to date. Data transfer to iphone or laptop a sheer catastrophe. The bed width (we had twinbeds) only 80 cm - with a little swell you threatened to fall out. There should be a butler individually available to each cruise guest (which was mathematically completely impossible) - but that per Butler 15 guests were to look after, shows how rarely one had "his" butler actually available. The entertainment events were rather of moderate quality. Good were the mostly Filipino staff in the cabin cleaning and in the service of the three restaurants. In this overall form you can not advise a trip on the SilverShadow.A clear difference was also noticeable when offered dinner in the inclusive restaurant "the restaurant". We ate there twice and in both cases the food was extremely salted and we let things go back. Good were only the food in the two restaurants, where the drinks were charged separately.

Really old fashioned

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