This was our first time on Cunard. We embarked the QM2 in Cape Town which was shambles due to large number os people embarking and a colour blind co-ordinator. We were offered tea, coffee & biscuits but some lunch would have been nice, even if only a sandwich. The ship itself is a bit tired but everything was clean and nothing was too much trouble for the staff who were cheerful, helpful and polite. There was so much to do on this ship. Shows, talks, concerts, quizes, games, instruction classes, library, spa etc etc. We were not bored! Even with all the choices of food I did find some of the meals unpleasant. Horrible gravy like sauces on beautiful pieces of cooked fish, or meat, which I think should have been served separately. Even the vegetables were soaked in this gravy sauce. Good vegetable dishes were very lacking all round. I do think the QM2 could do a lot better. The Spa area was very good but ridiculously expensive. I once visited the hair salon for a blow dry and was given the third degree about the condition of my hair and what product I use which was completley unnecessary and stopped my going again. Sadly we also caught colds but managed to shake it off but were left with the Cunard cough which did linger even after returning home. Our ports of call were Walvis Bay, Gran Canaria and Madeira. We did a tour of the Namibian desert and dunes in Walvis Bay. In Gran Canraria we took the two-stop bus vsiting Maspalomas and Puerto Mogan. In Madeira we took the shuttle bus to Funchal and spent time exploring on our own. I realise that the QM2 likes to call itself a liner rather than a cruise ship but it was a cruise. Overall we had a nice time and it was certainly an experience. Would I go on Cunard again? No, mainly because of the standard of food and because there are better cruise liners offering the same but better. Read Less

We chose this cruise strictly for itinerary. Our whole vacation, taking 3 months, included Seabourn Quest Fort Lauderdale to Cape Town, 2 weeks in South Africa and Zambia with Kensington Tours, this cruise up the coast to Gran Canaria, ferry service to Tenerife, flight to Malaga, and the container ship Coral to Savannah! This cruise was simply the best way we could find to get from Cape Town to anyplace with freighter service to North America. And what a find it was! We'd never been on SilverSea before, but will be back! Great people, beautiful ship, we couldn't have been happier. Dining was superb, Main, La Terrazza and Hot Rocks. We don't drink, so La Champagne wasn't tempting. Even though alcohol is free aboard, the staff soon learned we preferred not, and didn't pester us. There was a decent selection of non-alcoholic wines and beers for those so inclined. Fresh pasta, superbly prepared fish, fresh fruit, great service and friendly people made for wonderful meals every time. Entertainment and enrichment was much better than we'd expected on a ship this small. And the best theater of any ship we've been on. Cruise director Colin Brown and his staff had a wonderful mix of big and small activities throughout the day, including our favorites of bridge and water volleyball. And the breadth of topics, and depth of knowledge, by all the lecturers was incredible. Cabin was exactly what we were expecting. Bathroom a little small, but more than adequate. Ample storage space. Big picture window. We like to be close to the water, and happily trade a balcony for a lower window. Only went on one shore excursion, in Namibia, and it was average. No better or worse than any other bus tour on any other ship. Passengers were the friendliest of any ship we've been on. This being our first SilverSea cruise we don't know if that is typical or not, but it sure was fun. Made several friends we hope to keep. Having just been on Seabourn Quest, we couldn't help but compare the two. Quest is new, Silver Wind isn't, and it showed. She's not a dowager by any means, but she is a little worn in places. However, to more than balance that out, the old style theater on Wind was a welcome treat. Pool is much bigger and deeper than Quest, and also salt water, so that was a big plus. Food was so excellent on both ships I can't rank them. Same for service. Entertainment was quite a bit better on Wind, even though she's a smaller ship. Bottom line - we WILL cruise SilverSea, and Silver Wind, again. Read Less

We have cruised fairly extensively for nearly 20 years but this was the smallest ship we have experienced. We arranged our own travel to Capetown as Silversea had used up all their "block" before we booked. We stayed one night at the Table Bay Hotel and would recommend it very happily. Embarcation was a very simple matter - taxi from the hotel - 5 minutes to the ship and abouit another 5 minutes to board and have photos taken etc. Our cabin (suite)was very clean and tidy - the only downside was the rather small bathroom. Our butler fixed us up with toiletries and, more importantly, stocked the bar with our requirements. No champagne! We thought it must have been an oversight but it seems there was no champagne on board - we certainly did not receive any. Our balcony was a bit tight and showed signs of wear and tear. The staff on the ship were excellent and many remembered our name. The entertainers tried hard but it would be unreasonable to expect top class entertainment on such a small ship. Dining,of course, is very important on any cruise and we really liked the main Dining Room. La Terrazza was up and down a bit - we had dinner twice there - once was very poor the other very much better. Hot Rocks was good fun and most enjoyable. The big disappointment was Le Champagne - we went once and had the North American Dinner. The main course was prime rib which was exactly the same as we had eaten in the MDR the evening before - not fine dining, in our opinion. We cancelled our second booking and noticed that Le Champagne had 0 customers on several nights and only 2 or 4 on others. It certainly was not worth the $130 which we paid. A rethink by Silversea is overdue. We took two ships tours - one in to the desert in Namibia which was first class and one in The Gambia which was awful. Both tours were grossly overpriced. The shuttle buses which were laid on at all the ports were very good - some even had local guides to give a commentary on the way in to town.The tender experience at Porto Novo was a bit lively to say the least! It was so rough that the Captain had to suspend the service for a while. the passengers were (nearly) all good fun and good company. The makeup was UK76 US44 Europe54 Canada10 Australia12 other 5 so the ship was about 2/3 full which made for a very comfortable cruise. We have now had 3 cruises on Silversea - would we go again? Yes - but probably not on Silver Wind or Cloud as we prefer a larger ship. Read Less