Suite

Silversea Cruises

Copenhagen

Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades)

Barcelona

Rome (Civitavecchia)

Lisbon

Venice

Bergen

San Juan

Barbados

Europe - All

Europe - Western Mediterranean

Mediterranean

Spain

Italy

Caribbean - All

Caribbean - Eastern

Baltic Sea

Denmark

Norway

Caribbean - Southern

Europe - British Isles & Western

U.S.A.

Europe - Eastern Mediterranean

Europe River

Croatia

Portugal

USVI

Douro River

France

Africa

Morocco

Panama Canal & Central America

Norwegian Fjords

Transatlantic

Caribbean - Western

South America

Mexico - All

Belize

Netherlands

St. Vincent and the Grenadines

Excellent

Very Good

Poor

Average

Terrible

Silver Spirit

Silver Shadow

Silver Muse

Silver Whisper

Silver Dawn

Silver Moon

Silver Origin

Silver Nova

First time on Silversea

St. John's (Newfoundland)

Ohh my word. We are loyal Crystal Cruiser and we booked Silver Seas while Crystal was in Bankruptcy hoping to find a replacement. What a mistake. This is a glorified Royal Caribbean Cruise. Terrible service, subpar food. The same menu every night in the main dining room with minor changes. Wine of the night that is the same every night. Buffet that is small and the exact same every night. Speciality restaurants that fail to deliver. Staff that are brand new and clueless. Disrespectful Maitre D. Butlers that just don't care and wait for you to request something. Wait staff that act like you are an inconvenience. Just overall terrible experience. If you cruise Crystal do NOT book this cruise line. You will HATE every minute of this subpar cruiseline. Book Crystal or really anything else and you won't regret it. The only regret you will have is booking ignoring this review and booking this cruise line

Terrible If You Cruise Crystal Don't Try Silver Seas

Friends whom we met last year on a long Viking cruise urged us to join them on a Copenhagen-Copenhagen r/t and said that 'SilverSea (SS)was like Viking, only better".

We disagree.

It's 'like' Viking--NOT identical. We read many reviews before (and after) our cruise. 

What's better on SS? Embarkation and disembarkation were better handled than on Viking. For some reason, those pose as 'chokepoints' for Viking. It happened in Buenos Aires, Santiago, Bangkok and Athens...slow-ish, poor communications, 'hurry-up-and-wait' experience. SS was a much smoother on/off experience.

Was Viking awful? 

No. Just a lousy way to start and end a cruise. 

(Outside of that, communications and Guest Services on both were very good.)

Embark/disembark was one of the few areas where we saw a clear-cut plus to SilverSea. We've sailed mainly in Penthouse Veranda cabins on Viking which was similar to our suite on SS. The usable square footage is very similar---the V showers are better, the heated bathroom floor is a PLUS, the mirrors don't fog and the SS bathtub went unused. Towels and toiletries are very comparable. The beds on both are super. Period.

The TV experience on V beats SS. Better selection, better WiFi---even in the middle of the Indian Ocean, V's WiFi and Sat-TV allowed us to be MUCH more 'in touch' than on SS.  We rarely had HD reception in Scandinavia. Additionally, V tapes and televises lounge talks, port talks, and shows TO your cabin. SS does NOT (or did not) do so. The port calls and cultural/enrichment presentations were CONSISTENTLY superior on V--in fact, some of the most interesting presentations I've ever been exposed to were on V.  SS ? Not even close.

Neither my wife nor I nor 99% of the other passengers with whom we've sailed book a cruise to go to a Broadway or LasVegas show. That said, both V and SS featured some great magicians and OK/not great/so-so vocal groups. 

Viking always had chamber music...SS almost always had cool jazz...Nod to V.

Food---NONE of us (my wife and I and 2 other couples with whom we dined most often) found LaDame to be worth the extra $$. Kaiseki WAS worth it, but it was a close call. On Viking, Manfredi's was almost always available and was consistently very good--once in awhile it was terrific and it i$ included. 

'S.AL.T.' was highly touted on SS and we honestly DO NOT understand why. It was OK, never bad but never anything exceptional. The waiters in SALT were the most mediocre even though they do rotate staff among the restaurants...it's as if they were uncomfortable working in that venue. 

The World Cafe on V knocks the socks off the buffet presentation at La Terrazza on SS---very high quality on both but better variety on V.... Also, in Atlantide on SS, which is similar to The Restaurant on V, and in LaTerrazza, there were multiple times we felt invisible, especially at breakfast. That was a VERY rare occurrence on V.

Butler? We had a lovely, attentive, charming young woman on SS but she was NO more so than the 'room stewards' we always had on all our 6 Viking cruises, with the exception that she DID help me pack my luggage on the penultimate day.

Viking has MUCH the friendlier layout---Our cabin was up front on Deck 9 and the walk to and from the elevators to get to any of the restaurants was a long walk...plus V has the brains to at least have photos and art-work on the walls in the halls  so it feels less intimidating.....and on V there are LOADS of places to get lost and curl up with a good book. 

Much superior library on V vs. SS as well---NOT a close call!

The Sauna, Snow Room, etc and gym on V were included and terrific!

V has no kids under 18. SS has most drinks of all kind included BUT unless you're seated at a bar, getting a waiter's attention on SS was a challenge at times whereas V, which is charging for drinks if you do not have the SilverSpirits package, was more attentive.

Another plus for SS is their choice of INCLUDED excursions versus that being offered by V ...but since we always try to go where we;ve never been before, with rare exception we've not been too disappointed with V. However, SS does win this battle.

Each is a decent value-for-the money BUT I do agree with the V adverts that call it a 'thinking person's cruise'.

Good, Not Great

We had not travelled on Silversea since before Covid.  Our last sailing was on Silver Muse in 2018.  In between times we have taken several cruises on Seabourn, including the Ovation in 2022.  Overall both companies have changed since Covid, cutting out small things, presumably as a cost cutting exercise.  It is hard to say that one company is definitely better than the other as both have strengths and weaknesses.

Good points: good but not glitzy ship.  Very spacious.  Although the ship was full and the weather awful, none of the public spaces felt crowded.  Bar service was excellent and the organisation of the excursions (Not the excursions themselves) was very good.  Suite - see below. Terrazza, La Dame and Kaiseki were good for us.  The Salt Lab was fun and very well run. Mark Farris, the pianist, was excellent and the show by Jay Rainer was fun.

The service mostly was excellent, especially in the bars where service was both slick and speedy.

The Captain was charming and just celebrating 20 years with Silversea.  The team seemed to hold him in great respect.

Poor points: service in Atlantide was poor at some meals which led to a complaint: slow, wrong orders delivered.  2 meals in Salt, one good, one less good. Entertainment  by the Silversea singers was poor.  The excursions themselves were not inspiring (Not helped by the poor weather).  Silversea make a point about the importance of the dress code but, in practice, no one minded if, on a so called, formal night, guests turned up fairly casually.  In keeping with the general trend, Silversea should  ease the dress code.  In the past one could ask to join an open table at dinner and meet other guests.  This no longer seems to be an option.  Similarly there are no invitations to dine with officers which used to be a common experience.  Please bring these 2 things back. 

The staff were more international than on any ship we have previously been on.

This was not our best cruise although one couldn't fault the ship.

Mixed experiences

We just got off our first SS cruise, the 10-day Copenhagen-to-Copenhagen Norwegian Fjords itinerary. It was an absolutely wonderful vacation and exceeded our expectations in every way. I loved combing through reviews in the months leading up to our trip so wanted to post here with our overwhelmingly positive experience.  

My husband and I (mid-30s) traveled with my in-laws. This was a very special and intentional trip for us as my mother-in-law, diagnosed with early onset dementia in her 50s, is now nearing a state where travel is very difficult and discombobulating. She and my father-in-law were wonderful enthusiastic world travelers before her diagnosis so this trip was conceived of as one final travel hurrah. This itinerary was extra meaningful as my MIL has Norwegian roots and took a really memorable trip here with her mother when my MIL was in her 20s. We knew there would be significant challenges with international travel but we were all up for the adventure and I am so, so glad we all had this time together.

Booking

We booked through a travel agent on an AMEX Platinum - I mention this because our TA was able to get $600 OBC and the AMEX booking provided an additional $300 OBC + a bottle of 2012 Dom Perignon. I didn’t know about this offer prior to this forum so hope it may be useful to some. 

Copenhagen

We did P2P, not D2D, but stayed at the SS-designated hotel the Skt Petri. The location is perfection, in the heart of the pedestrian walkways of Copenhagen. We had a very easy 30-minute cab from the airport to the hotel, and on the day of embarkation, it was about a 12-minute taxi from the hotel to the Langelinie pier. While in Copenhagen we rented a GoBoat for one hour (~$80 USD) and this was a fabulous and peaceful way to see a bit of Copenhagen.  

Accessibility

One of our big fears pre-trip involved mobility issues. My MIL is very sight-limited and has some cognitive delay so is at high risk for falls. She requires assistance with walking and any terrain changes can be treacherous. I saw many guests utilizing wheelchairs, scooters, canes, etc and we did not feel out of place one bit. Everyone was so helpful and accommodating and multiple times fellow passengers would help with guiding or stabilizing our bunch (and my MIL has a convenient penchant for latching onto strapping Scandinavian gentlemen…one does have to wonder!). The dining crew was absolutely phenomenal and provided help with menu selection and never, ever made us feel rushed or like we were inconveniencing them. When it came to tendering, my MIL would hold her arms out in a “T” and an attendant on each arm would lift her into the tender boat. It was surprisingly successful and, frankly, a little glamorous. 

Entertainment

We had the Voices of Silversea for our voyage. I had read mixed reviews going in but we really enjoyed the performances. If you have very cool original indie taste in music this might not be for you but if, like me, you are all about show tunes and power ballads I think you will find plenty to enjoy! The Les Mis medley on night 1 was -chef’s kiss-!

Casino

We loved our casino crew! This is a small room with two tables (Blackjack and Texas Hold ‘Em) as well as a few noiseless slot machines. Emma and Marco were excellent dealers and we loved the friends we made. We had a very solid squad of casual players who returned most nights to socialize at the tables. By my estimation, my partner and I combined made about $6 an hour for our efforts so we won’t be retiring off of our winnings anytime soon. 

Food

Wonderful! Since it was our first SS cruise we didn’t feel the need to do any of the specialty dining. The breakfast buffet was phenomenal and I did my part to keep all of our cruise fares high by eating my weight in sashimi every day for lunch. We enjoyed SALT Kitchen immensely (and our wonderful waiters, Raphael and Colin), and found Atlantide (Atlanta-tude, as my FIL hilariously called it) delicious. My formal night dress fit much more snugly at the end of the voyage than at the beginning!

Misc

The emergency alarm sounded in error at 3am one night of our voyage. Having watched a lot of cruise ship disaster documentaries, my soul immediately left my body out of fright. A glance out the window showed we were still in port (for our Oslo overnight) and I felt somewhat confident I could at least float my body the 10 feet to dry land if the ship really were going down. Fortunately, the captain came on the loudspeaker to reassure us it was a false alarm and our cruise director did a fantastic job incorporating the minor mishap into jokes the next day. 

Cruise Director

Speaking of cruise director, Bruno was absolutely fantastic. Does a more charismatic man exist? I will pose this question to the SS board away from my husband’s prying eyes ;). But truly, Bruno was wonderful and had a gentle quip for everything. He is perfect for his job. 

Ports & Excursions

Bergen-Flam-Olden-Geiranger-Arendal-Oslo

Others have reviewed these much better than I could ever, but in the fjords each port was more beautiful than the last and Geirganger was a lifetime highlight. Going in we thought of Arendal as a filler port but found it to be a really lovely little seaside town.  

This board prepared me well for the weather! It was misty - rainy - sunny nearly every day and never in the same order. A rainjacket is a must (SS provides an umbrella) but we were never miserable.  

I am longwinded as ever, but suffice it to say I just loved this trip and everyone we met along the way. We are already looking forward to the next one but at $6 an hour, it will take many more hours in the blackjack coal mines to get there.

Norwegian Fjords Silver Dawn CPH-CPH

Halifax

This was our second cruise on Silversea.  We initially chose Silversea primarily due to ship size.  Our last cruise was on the Silver Shadow with approx 370 passengers.  The Silver Dawn is slightly larger at approx 580 passengers.  We had no interest in the 2000 to 4000 passenger floating cities.  

Embarkation was easy and took about 30 minutes.  All rooms were ready and upon entering we immediately met our butler who was very nice and seemed eager to be of any assistance.  The ship layout is similar on most Silversea vessels so easy to get acclimated and find out where everything is located.  We had booked all our dining and excursions as soon as reservations opened so little to do other than unpack and head for the lounge.  

Dining options consist of the following (all no charge except where noted): 

Atlantide (main dining restaurant)  Never a wait and always prompt service beautifully prepared and presented.  Within 2 days our waiter knew our names and our food and wine preferences.  

La Terrazza (Italian-themed dinner and standard breakfast and lunch buffet).  Used daily for breakfast and lunch.  Buffet offers a vast choice of everything you could imagine all fresh and excellent quality.  Dinner was ok but not as good as on our previous cruise.  

Keiseki (Japaneese ).  Difficult to get dinner reservations so only ate lunch there.  Excellent Sushi.  $40 charge for dinner.

La Dame (Upscale French).  Only restaurant we were disappointed in.  Service was slow and seemed somewhat pretentious.  Not thrilled with our menu choices but that was a selection not a restaurant issue.  Would not do again.  $60.00 charge

Silver Note ( Similar menu to Atlantide in a more intimate jazzy music atmosphere).  Did not attend.

The Grille (open-air dining on the pool deck).  Fun restaurant with an option called hot rock dining where you actually cook your entre, at your table on a hot lava rock.  Fun, but the smoke blowing in your face may bother some.  

Spaccanapoli  ( pool deck pizza restaurant).  Excellent pizza prepared in a stone oven.  Quick and good with a lot of varieties.  

S.A.L.T kitchen  (Restruant featuring a menu of dishes from the region being visited).  Excellent and adventurous.  

Note: A number of days were designated as "Informal - jackets required for men"  This was largely ignored and I was sorry I wasted suitcase space for a sportcoat.  

All excursions were as expected with no disappointments.  The Spectacular Trool's Road was awesome.  Weather was slightly above normal, temp-wise,  so never needed the light-down jackets we brought.  A waterproof windbreaker and a layer underneath sufficed.  Be prepared for rain at any time.  We got lucky with mostly sunny days.  

Overall an excellent cruise.  Somewhat surprised at the number of children on board.  If I had younger children, Silversea would be the last cruise line I would choose.  Between the premium price and the nonexistent activities, on board, the big ship lines would be my choice.  If you like small ships and being pampered Silversea has yet to disappoint.

Silversea  continues to impress.  

I don’t understand the negative reviews.  We are a couple in our 60s, very active and we chose the ship for the ports of call on the coast of Norway and the fact that it was a relatively new ship, in service for about a year. The staff was well trained, always greeting everyone with a smile and they seemed to know us early on, knowing our drink selections and eager to please. Our room steward was Gedde, and Tristan did a fantastic job. We initially had trouble with the bed being lumpy and too soft, but after a visit to the hotel manager, it was finally corrected. The food venues were all very good. Our only complaint was for a 10 day cruise, the selections seemed to never change and some venues didn’t have a big selection. The pasta at the Italian restaurant was amazing. The buffet breakfast was better than the a la cart in Atlantide. Service was excellent in all venues except breakfast and lunch in Atlantide was a little slow. The Chocolate extravaganza was truly amazing. Entertainment was very good especially considering how small a ship it was. Bruno was the ship’s MC and he was fantastic, great sense of humor, everyone loved trivia. The sailing was smooth. Beautiful, calm, decor throughout the ship.  The gym was well equipped and well attended. There were Pilates classes daily. We were in room perfect, quiet, central and low to prevent sea sickness. Some excursions were great, like the bike ride in Oslo and some should not have been scheduled, like the muddy, dangerous hike to a waterfall. The ship was full, but never felt crowded. The fellow passengers were lovely and from many countries, the United States being the majority of the passengers. Most passengers seemed to be in the 60 year range, there were a few children. In general it seemed to be an active group.  I would gladly sail with silver seas again.

Ship was pristine, 4+ overall

I didn't want to be on a cruise due to food restrictions.. But, my travel agent assured me that it wouldn't be a problem... and it has been my main problem on the ship... BUT, after 3 days of cruising the ship was finally able to accommodate me... 

 The ship TRULY needs a food allergy menu that lists ALL of the ingredients that are used.. 

When at home I can make and cook any meal I want because I substitute the ingredients.. which makes traveling difficult but most restaurants in Norway have allergy menus so for 3 days I've been eating out.. but I spent a lot of money for all inclusive cruise... but I'm not complaining about having to eat out .. the local foods are delicious... 

What I like about the cruise is the back hot tub... where I mostly sit and take pictures of the Fjords (which are AMAZING views) the staff are kind and though I don't really enjoy having a butler (because I'm grown and can care for myself) he has been my food advocate and tearfully I am grateful for him (Bennu) I truly hope he knows how grateful I am for him helping me with the food issues.. He was fantastic!!! Some of the guests are snoody but most are down to earth and lovely. I mostly like my room and the hottub and the views that's the best part. And the small boats that take us to land from the ship...very cool. 

I like that it is quiet at night with no one around so I can enjoy the ship mostly to myself. 

Worst part about the cruise is limited food for people with food restrictions.. 

The hot tub is not 24 hours a day.. I think for cleaning purposes and rough seas.. 

The activities are mostly Bingo and Trivia or light music which hasn't interested me.. but I am mostly a home body anyways. 

Love Norway its amazing

Bad advice from my travel agent... 

We last sailed on SS on muse in 2018, and last year we were on SB Ovation. There are definite differences between the lines but not enough for us to firmly state a preference. Itinerary and price will be the determining factors which will tend in our minds to favour SB. Why ? SS “include” excursions, these are not very special (as witnessed by most excursions being “extra”) but you’re paying for them. I think this is the biggest turn off for us - packed on buses going at the pace of the slowest yet always organisers seemingly keen on a break and being back on board for lunch. Our “hike” to a waterfall could have been marvellous - we 30mins waiting at quayside for bus then had a scenic 30min drive but then nothing more than a slow amble (plus a stop for a snack) to a great waterfall and then turned back. So ridiculous. 

Food on board was excellent, the salt restaurant was very interesting in particular. La Terraza was excellent and Atlantide did not disappoint either. Hot rocks was also great fun and now that it is quite enclosed we were cold. La Dame was ok but in essence same food as Atlantide but just in a much nicer space - we didn’t like Atlantide as a space, quite claustrophobic and enclosed. Kaiseki was risible, not even close to SB offerings and food poor. What was much better to us was the wine on SS, there was interesting varietals and plenty of choice, many times the bottle was left on the table which suited us. The salt bar also had local cocktails very well made.

Cabin was good and service good - we think the butler is not worth the point. 

Some negatives - there is no outside space forward at all, the observation library has no outside space and isn’t really a bar and is small. The laundry areas are tiny and only open in daytimes. The “smart” tv was tricky to operate and infuriating at times. The dress code was confusing - formal became “formal optional” which to us is far better but we often wore a jacket (as informal nights require it) but I’d say most didn’t and there was no difference in our minds than “casual”. I think SS need to relax the code completely but for those who want to dress up should have one bar or restaurant only on one night - it is one area that I know divides but suits and ties on holiday isn’t for us.

The whole restaurant reservation thing is unnecessary and stressful, there is actually plenty of room but if you have the temerity to turn up you are told to come back at 830pm even though there are dozens of tables. Twice this happened when we had hot rocks but it poured with rain/wind so we sought shelter.

Very good cruise, but Seabourn better.

Paris

This was our second time sailing with Silversea.  The first was last year on the Silver Moon which is Silver Dawn's twin sister.  

The food on Silversea's is very upscale regardless of whether you do the standard dining options or pay for the premium restaurants.  Our favorite was a premium restaurant called Kaiseki.  It is a Japanese styled restaurant that serves sashimi's, different seafood as well as Kobi beef.  The standard dining is the Atlantide.  It is far superior to the food that you would get on a standard cruise.   The wine and drink pairings were excellent!  Remember, Silversea is all-inclusive so there is no need to worry about the alcohol tab at the end of the trip.  Speaking of alcohol, the main bar in the ship is fantastic and the staff are excellent bartenders.  It's difficult to come up with a drink that they haven't perfected.  One of the other nice restaurants is the Grill.  It is located on the pool deck and is perfect for dinner.  Your food is brought out raw, served beside a very hot lava rock that you use to prepare the meat.  Filet, lobster and shrimp!  The biggest drawback that I see with ship is the lack of things to do on board while cruising.  There is a small casino, a spa, pool, Trivia in the afternoon, etc, but it's still lacking in that dept.  Fortunately, they offer great stops and numerous "included" excursions, so we are usually tired when we return.  We typically go for the add on excursions such as SALT (Sea Air Land Tastings).  These typically only allow a maximum of 12 people and they are fantastic.  They usually involve food/wine tastings in a very private setting nestled on someone's farm or vineyard.  Pricey, but fantastic!  

If you can swing the high cost of the cruise, it is very much worth it.  There so much more to talk about in the highlight part of things, but it's best if you go and experience it for yourself!

Western Carribean Cruising in Spring

Skagway

We are sixty-something small ship cruisers with around 150 days under our belts with Seabourn, Silversea and Viking. I will say up front that we have not cruised with Seabourn since the pandemic struck and, though I list Viking above, its really not fair to lump them in the same class as Silversea, Seabourn and Regent, whose ships are only 2/3 the size and arguably catering to a different market (despite T&L and Conde Naste grouping them together for awards). Similarly, reviews on this site make comparisons to Celebrity, many of whose ships are even bigger!

I read all the Silver Dawn reviews here before we booked and almost didn't go ahead because some of them are so disappointing. To cut to the chase, we had a very enjoyable, relaxing cruise. I've given 4 stars because no one is perfect, but the Dawn stacked up well against our Seabourn experiences and the food is much more varied and refined than Viking. The ship was immaculate, the service almost embarrassingly willing and generally quite capable, and the tours about what we expected. To be fair to the cruise lines, it's tough to come up with interesting tours on small Caribbean tourist islands and these were as good as any!

So I'd like to address some of the more common disappointments expressed by other reviewers:

1. Food. We found this generally very good to excellent. With the many themed restaurants on board, there was plenty of variety and the ingredients were of comparable quality to anything we have eaten on cruises before. Kaiseki and La Dame were good, though if your comparator is a One star Michelin restaurant, neither of them come close. But then, in my view, nobody else we have cruised with in this category can match a good shore fine-dining restaurant at sea either. Whether they are worth the $40 and $60 up-charges is questionable and down to personal taste. Having tried them both once, I probably wouldn't go to either of them again, since there are other almost equally good options elsewhere. The house wine was varied, perfectly drinkable, and certainly as good or better than we have experienced on Viking and Seabourn.

2. The ship. It is nearly new and, as you might hope and expect, quite stunning. As one other reviewer mentioned, the ceilings do feel low in some of the public rooms - particularly the theatre. I think, in this respect, Seabourn has the edge (particularly with the wonderful Seabourn Square!), but then they compromise by having less restaurant space than Dawn and we very much enjoyed the variety of places to eat.

3. Service. I can't relate to the reviewers who were disappointed about service. It was a good as anything we have experienced, including on the now long-gone Seabourn smaller ships. Some of the staff were clearly new and still learning, but their enthusiasm covered for any deficiencies and we found them all great.

4. Enrichment. This was one of the weaker areas. What passed for enrichment talks (we had three on a ten day cruise) were really closer to port talks. We have experienced much better, but there really isn't that much to say about the ABC islands, beautiful as they are.

5. Entertainment. Always a challenge on smaller ships, this was no exception. The singers were capable and worked hard but some variety (rather than just individuals from the group of 6 doing their own shows) would be appreciated. I give Seabourn the edge here. Interestingly, Viking use the same formula as Silversea (and the same UK company to assemble their shows) despite their bigger budget from 900 passengers versus 600.

6. Irritants. The up-charges in the restaurants and the $30 charge for a second wifi connected device feel like gouging and, particularly the internet charge, must surely cause more upset than it is worth. I also found having to book some of the other non-premium restaurants annoying. SALT and Atlantide are open seating, but if you want to experience La Terrazzo or The Grill before 9pm, you had better book long before you sail, which certainly reduces spontaneity!

Overall, I think this is as good as it gets in this cruise bracket and whether you go Seabourn, Regent or Silversea boils down to itinerary, timing and only then what things matter to you the most. Viking is good too, but as I said above does not compare to the smaller ships and, as it happens, isn't much cheaper!

Exactly what we expected!!

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