We have sailed with Silversea three times now. This time, we joined Silver Whisper in Lisbon and headed north. Our cabin was comfortable and well positioned. Generally, the food was good, though we found La Dame unexciting. The wait staff, bar staff, butlers and stateroom staff were lovely and helpful. The talks were interesting, the entertainment varied and a little patchy. Loved the jazz group. Good, though small, fitness area. Shore tours not exciting. We didn’t get to Porto in the end, but I wouldn’t have bothered with any of the ship’s tours. I did find it odd that there were certain times of day when there was no food available. Once breakfast finished, there was not a croissant or a banana or a cookie to be found anywhere. Late breakfasters were advised to get room service, which is a set menu and takes some time to arrive. Would it be so hard to make a snack available in one of the bars? The same problem arises if you want a little something with a late night drink. I did manage to get some crisps, thanks to a sympathetic bartender. This is the first ship where I have found it impossible to eat when I wanted to eat. There seemed to be an overemphasis on the ship’s routines. The downside of Silversea always seems to be the port shifts and skips. Last time, Silver Muse skipped Savannah altogether, and replaced Wilmington with some place I can’t even remember; there was nothing to do there but go to a shopping centre, so we didn’t bother. This time, we had quite a short cruise on Whisper, with planned stops in Porto, Bilbao, Bordeaux and Cherbourg before our promised arrival into Greenwich. Well, we missed Porto altogether, which was a bitter disappointment – especially because we had made independent tour bookings. The harbour was fogged in, so we couldn’t enter; but did we go anywhere else, or spend more time in Bilbao? No. We slowed right down and pottered into Bilbao right on time. I asked whether port fees would be refunded, and the reception staff offered to find out, but there was no reply. At lease the Muse gave us an extra day in Port Canaveral when Savannah was cancelled. At the end of the cruise, we were due into Greenwich on the night of 25 September, disembarking 26 September. We had our regular driver booked. We attended a lecture at 4pm, which was excellent and went a little over time, so we couldn’t make out some announcements about 5pm. We discovered via an ‘update’ announcement some time later that we weren’t going to Greenwich at all ‘... is expected to arrive into Tilbury at ...’! The desk was overrun, but no one had answers. We were told that there would be a shuttle to Greenwich at 6.30am, which did not suit us. We had to rearrange our driver, and the journey cost us quite a lot more. The thing that annoyed me was the complete unconcern about the disappointment, inconvenience and costs suffered by most guests. These are the downsides of small ships, I guess. They are more susceptible to bad weather. The other downside is that, when ports are cancelled, there is not a lot to do on sea days. We are leaning towards larger ships in future. Read Less

Lisbon to Dublin seemed like an interesting itinerary so we booked a mid-ship stateroom. We had cruised on Star Pride's Inaugural sailing and prior to that when it was a Seabourn ship. The cabins are spacious albeit somewhat dated now. The ship is compact. Two staircases so you gain a sense of where everything is quite quickly. The main restaurant is deck 3 and the Veranda (self service/buffet/back of ship area) which at 7pm morphs into 'Candles' grill style restaurant where a dinner reservation is required. Both restaurants served wonderful food and the menus were imaginative and varied. The service was attentive and friendly. Windstar's room service is in our experience always first rate, whether its an early breakfast or a late night snack. Our orders were delivered in a timely fashion by a cheery friendly waiter or waitress. The Compass Rose Bar was our go to destination after dinner where there was always a duo playing together with the crew taking part in Liar or a music quiz. What really works for us is the friendliness of all the crew: they make sure that they call you by your name which everyone appreciates. When we were moored in the Scilly Isles I didn't get off the ship as I'm a bit of a wuss when it comes to getting on and off tenders. The ship was almost empty so I sat on deck and over the course of a couple of hours three crew members came to chat, check I was okay and ask if they could get me anything. Windstar is a firm favourite for us and our eight day Star Pride trip was a really great cruise. Read Less

We chose this cruise on recommendation from our travel agent. We flew to lovely Lisbon a few days beforehand, the joined the ship,looking very tiny berthed near some very large cruise ships. The welcome was decidedly perfunctory, and we found our way to our deck 4 cabin. It was pleasantly large, but definitely needed a good spring clean. The bed seemed hard and sagging, not a good start we felt. We liked the white marble bathroom and noted approvingly that the toiletries were quality Occitan. We explored briefly then went for a buffet lunch in the stern Verandah. It was a very ordinary buffet choice and we were astounded at the cost of the drinks on offer. We learned that many passengers had bought a drinks package, but as the wines were fairly mediocre in our opinion, we decided not to take up the package offer. It was lovely to note the teak decks , a small outdoor pool and hot tub, and plenty of deck lounge seating. We looked through the daily program, but it lacked variety or imagination, so we decided that a comfortable spot with a good book might be a good way to relax. Much ceremony was made of the sail away flag raising to the music of Vangelis’ 1492, used on other cruise lines we recalled. There was a comfortable lounge with busy coffee bar and a tiny library, but little else of note. It was a port intensive cruise with only one sea day, but we had visited all the ports previously, so did not read the excursion offers. In each port the ship laid on a shuttle bus to the centre of town , a useful service for those who wished to be independent . We were happy to wander, sample the local cuisine and bars in each port. We were right in our estimation... the bed was horribly saggy and worn, leaving us both with aching backs! Entertainment was decidedly limited, with a singing duo , but little else, with the exception of a lecturer with a sole topic. Dining was open seating, with varied menus and good service from the friendly Asian servers. It was not gourmet dining, but perfectly adequate. It would not be a ship we’d choose on future occasions, but it was an interesting experience. Read Less

Our party of four sailed on Oceania's Nautica in May 2019, leaving Barcelona onto Lisboa, with a southern dip to the Canary Islands. Spent additional four days in Lisboa and the surrounding area. The cruise itinerary was terrific, the main reason we chose. Alas, the ship is a tub, well past its prime. Built in 2000, this almost two decade boat shows its age. Cabin furnishings are tattered. TV is tiny. WiFi didn't work and when it did you were limited to one device per cabin, and it was dicey to change devices without losing the WiFi. Ships colors are dull and lifeless. Casino has perhaps 10 slot machines, some out of order. Our Veranda chairs had to be replaced due to stains. Concierge class offers nothing over standard Veranda cabins (brochure highlights of Concierge benefits only apply to Oceania's larger ships...bait and switch). Food in main dining room average. For the premium price Oceania charges the experience is vastly overrated. jWE cruised on Oceania 7 years ago and found everything to be classy. Something has happened to lower their standards. To be fair, highpoints: cruise Director Carson is absolutely wonderful. Such a waste of talent to be assigned to the Nautica. Shows and fly-in talent were great. Avoid this ship till after 2020 June. If you book prior to that date Oceania should give you a big discount. Read Less

We are frequent Seabourn cruisers but are slowly pulling back after over 150 nights. We too this European cruise with friends as we have cruised with them before. Our friends opted for a Penthouse Spa suite and we had a regular penthouse. As I have opined before, passengers in penthouses receive only extra space in the room. No preferential treatment for restaurant bookings, no butler etc. This is in contrast to other luxury cruise lines. We generally eat late which caused some problem. On several nights, probably more like 5 out of 14, there was not seating available in the main restaurant. We were shuffled off to a near bar to wait for a phone call. We did get 2 meals in Thomas Keller, but the extra night was due to no availability in the main restaurant. The meals and service there were excellent, as it generally was in the remainder of the ship. We requested an extra night in TK but were turned down every time. Then we witnessed something we had never seen on Seabourn. While at the TK bar, we observed a passenger tip the head host and immediately get in. We felt we had paid enough and declined to take that route in search of extra reservations. Weather played a factor and we spent an extra day in Spain, on a Sunday due to bad sea conditions. It rained and time was better spent indoors, especially given everything was closed anyway. It was disappointing to miss the first French port but you can't blame a cruise line for weather. Entertainment was good, food was 4.5 out of 5, but clearly not 5 out of 5. The mix of ports in Spain, France and England was enjoyable. In retrospect, we paid far too much having upgraded to a Penthouse and not having gotten our moneys worth. We now refer to Seabourn as "Socialist Cruising". They do a good job taking care of the masses but once you leave the room, everyone is equal. No need to pay top dollar and you would be just as well to purchase a standard room from a travel reseller (as over 100 on the cruise did) for a bargain basement price. Every cabin is the same and everyone is treated equally, which is generally good. Bottom line - we get far more enjoyment for the same money at some other luxury cruise lines. You may notice this in my reviews of other cruise lines. We may be back, we enjoy Seabourn and the Ovation, we just don't love it anymore. Read Less

We chose this cruise for a few reasons. We had previously sailed Seaborn Encore in the Mediterranean and thoroughly enjoyed the ship, food and service that Seabourn provided, therefore, Ovation, which is the same class ship as Encore, was an easy sell for us. Ovation was just beautiful.....almost identical to Encore. We love the size....large enough, light filled with beautiful yachtlike decor but small enough to give us the feeling of being on a private ship. Our suite on the deck above the pool, was well appointed (hello 3 sinks!) and our needs were more than meet by our stewardess who always had a smile & pleasantry to share. We felt the service and the entertainment were a cut above our previous cruise....this being only our second cruise ever. We were addressed by our names each & every day. Our Captian was very visible and engaging as was CD Handre. Both were class acts. Servers in all resturants were pleasant, engaging and good at their jobs. We wanted a late May cruise and this itinerary seemed interesting. We had been to Lisbon but not Northern Spain or Western France or Southern England. We have been to Normandy, Brugge, Amsterdam etc. but were very happy to return. I was a bit apprehensive since I had heard that the Bay of Biscay is notorious for rough seas. Well, she was a gentle giant. Lisbon was faboulous with warm temps and sunny skies. Northern Spain was just beautiful, with a bit a rain here and there, but nothing to dampen the beauty of the coastal towns of Gijon and San Sebasion, Biblao etc. and the wonderful sights & food. We did miss one port, Biarritz, France due to the port closing. The sun & moderate temps made a welcome return in Bordeaux......this was one of the highlights of the cruise. We came up the Gironde River and docked right smack dab in the middle of the city. We were the only ship in town and the locals came by in droves to relax and picnic in our shadow. A lovely French lady approached us on our return to ship just to chat about our cruise and our reflections of her city. The Bordeaux wine region is spectacular.....St Emillion is not to be missed. Southern England, port of Torquay was a pleasant surprise....warm temps and sunny skies, contrary to the Agatha Christie image that I expected. We visited the sea town of Dartmouth with its' interesting seafaring history. As an American, the beaches of Normandy hold a special place in our hearts and it was good to return. We arranged for a private tour & spent the day with a lovely local French lady, three generations removed from the events of WW2 but whose grandfather was head of the resistance movement at the time......her reverence for those who helped liberate her homeland was palpable....not to mention her expertise in the places and events of the Allied invasion. Wow....just Wow! We sailed up the Thames to the Greenwich neighborhood of London. Spent two wonderful days....Windsor, the Cotswolds etc. Then is was across the Channel again.....may I add that the seas in all our Channel crossings were calm and I mean, calm....to Zeebrugge, where we chose to visit Ypres and Flanders Field (of WW1 fame) as we had been to Brugge & Brussels in the past. Beyond moving! Amazing how a city and region so devastated by that horrible war has risen from the ashes to present a gorgeous city and countryside. We ended in the city of Amsterdam with all its charms etc. The Anne Frank House is a must do along with a private canal cruise. This cruise seemed to us to hit a very historic note. We enjoyed it very much as we had a sample of Western Coastal Europe with its' amazing role in the history of two world wars. From the German UBoat stalls in Bordeaux, to the beaches of Normandy to the Fields of Poppies in Flanders to the London Underground bunkers.....We were impressed with the spirit of the European people who endured so much during those dark times. Cruise & Ovation both get an APlus from us. Read Less

In August, 2018, we first cruised along the coast of Croatia on Le Lyrial. It was fabulous-great weather, beautiful scenery with clear bright skies and turquoise waters. Our choice to do the Laperouse cruise was in part due to coordinating it with the end of the Croatian cruise on Le Lyrial. We had a wonderful week in between the two cruises in Portugal before embarking on Le Laperouse. The interesting feature of Le Laperouse was its attention to live Jazz during the cruise, the intimate size of the ship and the service we received. On both ships we were treated with a great deal of personal care. Our cabin stewards were attentive and thorough. The dining choices were quite varied and the menus were delicious. Our wine stewards were quite helpful with pairing delicious tastes to complement our meals. We very much enjoy meeting with other English speaking guests and having lively discussions with them. The Captain and the cruise directors are very good at organizing get together sessions-both formal and informal. We had a very informative group discussion with the French guest journalist on Le Laprouse, Ms. Christian Makarian. It was a much appreciated chance to listen to viewpoints from all over the world concerning global affairs. We only wish it could have been longer! Our dinners at the Captain's table are always the highlight of our cruises. Thank you for allowing us the priviilege to dine with them. It is wonderful to share conversation about informative and cultural experiences with the Captains and his guests. It is the best! We also enjoy the time the Captain's Bridge is available for touring. We are big fans of seeing the intricacies that it takes to operate your ships. In closing we would like to express our appreciation to all the ship's staff that complete the making of our trips with Ponant so enlightening. We look forward to many more to come. Read Less

1. The food was generally not of the quality expected. Bread was consistently poor quality and at times was stale. We would actually buy our own bread at bakeries at the ports of call and bring it for breakfast. The selections of wines at dinner was generally mediocre. It seems that considering the quality of food available at the various ports of call that the food and wine could have more closely resembled what was available on shore. 2. Schedule of surface transport including shuttles and tenders was generally inconvenient and showed little consideration for the passengers. For instance in Honfleur although the ship disembarked at 10 PM, the shuttle stopped at 5 PM. It was extremely difficult to obtain a taxi at this port and there was no effort by the ship's staff to help with arranging transport back to the ship after the last shuttle. This was a similar problem in Bordeaux on the evening of disembarkation; and in Saint-Malo and in La Rochelle. 3. Laundry facilities were inadequate for the number passengers. In addition locking the laundry room at 10 PM and not opening it until 8 AM was extremely inconvenient. 4. The wireless quality was poor and intermittent. Purchasing the premium Wi-Fi was no better than standard. 5. This service provided by the shore concierge for independent activities was not very helpful. We expected that this service would be equivalent to that provided at a five-star hotel. 6. The excursion for dinner at Château Smith Haut Lafitte was disappointing. The food was not good. Neither of us could take more than a few bites of the veal. It was dry and tough to chew. For such an expensive outing we had expected an excellent meal and a better experience. 7. Extreme temperature fluctuations in our shower were uncomfortable and potentially dangerous with surges of hot water. Read Less

My Wife and I and two friends chose this cruise because of the destinations. Leaving Lisbon, Oporto La Coruna, Bilbao, Bordeaux, La Rochelle, Belle Isle, St Malo and Honfleur. All the Cities and villages we ever wanted to visit. For our Anniversary I had upgraded to a larger suite (601) which was at the front of the ship. My wife was delighted and the suite was OK except the Bathroom was a little Archaic with the hose hanging over the Bath, and no shower curtain, so the water went onto the slatted wooden floor. The Ship looks badly in need of a refit and the Staff said one was due in 2020 (not before time). Whilst all the Staff were superb, the facilities on board were old - the Table Tennis was rammed up against the inside bulkhead, and the shuffleboard deck was so old that it had almost faded away. The food was very good on the whole but in the Italian Restaurant there was very few changes each day so its almost Deja Vue each day. The Excursions which some Cruise Liners supply free of charge, were very expensive,and it depended on the quality of the Guide to make or break the visit. Loved the Venues but not on this Ship - not for me another Silversea Cruise. Read Less

I can sum up the Star Pride, in a few words, barely adequate. Not a very high mark for a line that charges luxury prices. After 36 days on her, it’s more like Star Rust Bucket. The number of things that have gone amiss is quite long. To put this review in perspective I am not a princess type and I certainly do not expect complete perfection. Too start off, a promised cruise credit of $2400, completely disappeared. I booked directly with Windstar, so can’t blame a TA. I did have some email paperwork, but was told it had to be emailed to the office. We had a hotspot, but it never seemed to go thru properly, even though the copy to myself did. After days of excuses, we were told the credit was $2000 and the first amount was an error. I was just too tired of the whole drama to pursue it farther. A vacation should be fun, not a miserable angry experience. We did get our free laundry package with no problem. The ship is quite tired and desperately needs a complete refurbishment and dry dock. The cabin is spacious, but looks to not have been changed since the 80’s. The chairs and loveseat appear somewhat newer, but the rest of the cabinets, table, desk etc are dinged, scratched and nicked. The carpet is worn. The bed is uncomfortable and overall linens poor quality. The steward does his best to keep things clean. Our bathroom, an accessible with shower only, has been remodeled in a very haphazard manor. A glass doored cabinet in front of the commode has no closer and shattered during a rough night at sea, I asked repeatedly to have the closer fixed to no avail. It stayed in a dangerous shattered state for 2 days before it was replaced. Still no closer after 36 days. A piece of folded paper was stuck in it to keep it closed. The toilet has broken four times. There is mold in shower grout etc. The shower water is often tepid to downright cold, at least 1/3 of the time. The light in the walk-in closet burned out 3 days ago, have asked reception, steward etc to fix. Finally after 4 days it was fixed.The worst has been for 5 days out of 32, there has been no heat and the room was like a meat locker. Repeated attempts to fix the problem, work for a few days, then it’s back to freezing. Other times it was excessively hot. Just today it was announced the HVAC is out shipwide. Finally,after over 3 weeks were offered a different room. I felt that the accessible shower stall was worth keeping the lemon room at this point. I’m onlly 4’10 with knee and back issues and having to step over the side of the tub, did not seem worth the trade off, plus the added work of repacking and unpacking again. The accessible room is what I booked and the expectation of having what I paid for did not seem too much, although evidently it is. We did receive a bottle of wine, as some compensation... The windows on the whole ship including our cabin have been filthy. On day 30 a halfhearted attempt at window cleaning occurred, with water sprayed onto the window. It helped marginally. Every other longer cruise I’ve ever been on, I have noted windows have sporadically been cleaned. Often there is a notice to close draperies etc. The hall on our floor flooded at least 4 times, adding to the general moldy smell. The public rooms are for the most part, equally tired, dingy, often smelling of mold and crammed with too much furniture. The dining room is ok and the Yacht club ok, except for dirty windows. The staff overall is beyond wonderful and the food has been excellent, probably the best of any cruise line we have been on. That pulled the bar from the pits to adequate. there are only two dining venues; the buffet and the main dining room. The “alternate”dining Candles, is just in the same buffet, but served with a slightly different menu. Near the end of the long cruise, the Candles was moved to the Compass Rose area, which was nicer, but seemed a huge amount of work for the staff, bringing food down an outside stairway. Evidently, Windstar used to have special events. That doesn’t seem to be the case any more. There have been Barbecue nights, which basically mean instead of getting served in the dining room, you get to stand in a long line snaking through the kitchen, fill you plates and try to find a free seat to eat. A confusing and not very fun event. Meanwhile,the singer blares Frank Sinatra songs. Most cruisers seem to be in the 50-75 age group and Frank would be appropriate for their parents. This should seriously be rethought. On our 4 b2b they did manage to get the barbecue on deck once, which was pleasant in the beautiful Norwegian fjords. Be advised the ship is quite small, which in most of our past cruises has been a plus, in this long one, there is nothing to do on sea days. Resting and reading are about it. Which is fine and what I anticipated. There are about 4 tv channels, repeating endlessly and some very outdated dvds available in the library. They do a wine tasting ($20) and a few other tiny events. There is one mediocre singer and a pretty good duo. They don’t add much. The crew talent show is cute and they give it their best. The worst thing overall, considering the cold and rough weather has been the many tender ports and the dismal, if not downright extremely dangerous condition of the tenders themselves. One has broken down twice. The front overhead hatch does not seal on either of them, and if a wave washes over, water pours into the tender. Getting on and off has been so hazardous in a few instances, I can only say thanks to the excellent tender crew, no one has been injured. One crossing was so bad I was fearful for my life. Not the most wonderful cruise experience. The few ships excursions we have taken have ranged from good to really awful. They are extremely overpriced, but that is usual with cruise tours. Many of the ports have been in industrial areas and many miles away from the main cruise port. This seems odd and involves taking a shuttle or public transportation to what you want to see. We have been at anchor and tendered many times a docking experience seems available for other ships. I’m not sure if this is a money saving issue.... In 36 days we only missed one port because of weather. So a positive on that. Our previous cruise with Windstar, on the Windsurf was a much better experience, but the ship had recently been refurbished and it was a much shorter cruise. I would not in any way recommend sailing on the Star Pride, in fact I would run the opposite direction as quickly as possible. We have heard there will be a complete dry dock refurbishment in Aug 2020 and perhaps they may add a section onto the ship. It may be a better experience at that time, but extremely doubtful I would give it a second chance. I know there are many cruisers that swear by the casual, small ship Windstar experience that will disagree. In my opinion there are much better options available for the price point ,general style and ambience As for the corporate office, I should not have had to hassle for a cruise credit I was promised and to top it of not receive the promised amount. If you are looking for a casual experience, other lines ,such as Oceania, give a much better value for cost. Read Less

We have become rather unhappy with Crystal Cruises for a variety of reasons so we have been searching for their replacement. SilverSea's greatest advantage over Crystal would be in the size of their all-suite accommodations. We found our suite to be impeccably clean, well maintained, stylish, and equipped with a wonderfully cheerful and helpful butler. The weakest element in a comparison to Crystal is the entertainment. It is constrained by the physical size & layout of the stage. The shows were rather lackluster so we spent our free evenings enjoying the pianist (Alex) and guitarist/singer (Angela) in the Dolce Vita lounge. While food quality is generally very good to excellent, we had service issues at two venues. At the poolside Grill, it was very obvious that the staff was more concerned with closing on time than in taking care of guests, even though we were seated 45 mins ahead of closing. The main dining room, Atlantide, was our biggest disappointment for dinner. It took more than two hours for our party of four to be served, and one of the two veal entrees was undercooked. Going forward, Atlantide was relegated to breakfast or lunch only. Our favorite dining venue quickly became IndoChine once I tasted their Short Ribs. My wife loved the Pho soup so much that she had it for the three days consecutive days. I found it amusing that the Asian restaurant's Osso Buco was, IMO, superior to that of the Italian La Terrazza. We found La Terrazza best for lunch due to its large buffet offering. La Dame was simply exquisite on every level. Well worth the extra charge. The same applies equally to Seishin Restaurant, who provided a perfect Creme Brulee. The other highlight not to be missed is their Spider Crab appetizer. The greatest hidden treasure we discovered has to be the Arts Cafe. The food is art for both the eyes and the palate. Change the name to Arts & Eats!! Compared to dining on Crystal, SilverSea is close, but not the clear winner. Efficiency: SilverSea could benefit from an efficiency consultant. As an example, ship ID cards should have been designed for machine scanning/contact scanning without having to remove them from the SilverSea card case. Summary: this jury is still out on declaring the winner. We are hoping that our next SilverSea cruise (Muse Feb 2019) will settle the argument. Read Less

If Pullmantur can save a dime on something, it will end up costing you $1. They will either tender or find the cheapest dock space there is available. Stockholm= tender to port in another town (up to 2.5 hours wait), walk 15 min to train station or pay $5 for shuttle, 1 hr train to town for $20. All the connections really limit your time available. Copenhagen= dock in another country, 15 min walk to train station, $25 for 1/2 hr train to town. Berlin= $30 shuttle to train station, $60 for 2 hour train to town. Most of the shows were in Spanish (known fact). Lifeboat drill is in English (towards the end). Loud PA announcements every hour to alert of pending sales in the: casino, gift shop, spa, internet and bingo. Reception never had change for a 20 to tip with, the casino would not give change unless you were playing their games. Read Less

I had never been to Lisbon nor the other ports on the cruise. I also wanted to experience the new ship Muse and that was a mistake. Many of the crew members were not professional and the dining arrangements were horrible. The food in many instances was sub-par and with no flexibility of changing venues. Not having an open dining facility was a huge mistake which prevented guests to join one another. Our cabin # was 937 which was under the pool deck. You could hear movement of furniture from above in the cabin and in the bedroom area when at sea there was a load creaking noise as the ship swayed. It made for uncomfortable sleeping. Our butler, Anu, and his assistant were professional and caring. Read Less

First of all, Muse is a beautiful ship and of course because she is new, everything is sparkly and bright. This was our first time on Silversea so I can only compare to other cruise lines. Service was wonderful and always delivered with a smile. Our suite was very nice with lots of storage and nice touches, e.g. a jewelry case that fit inside the safe. The main negative has been discussed over and over, that being the lack of a main dining room. Everyone we spoke to was bummed by the inflexibility that brought. For the most part, the food was very good. Our one below average meal was in Silver Note but the excellent singer there made up for it. And we thought the food at Indochine was just ok. Several people told us they had bad experiences at the upcharge restaurants, so we passed on those. Loved Hot Rocks and Atlantide. We took four ship excursions and they were all very good. The singers in the Venetian lounge were excellent. Overall, we had a delightful time and would definitely recommend it. Look forward to hearing how the upcoming dining changes play out. Read Less

Chose cruise for the Itinerary. Lisbon wonderful city spent two days prior to embarkation for private tours. Embarkation was smooth. Within two days our cabin started to squeak so loudly we could not sleep for over four days. It had to do with the construction of the molding around the ceiling. You could see that they had this problem previously because it looked "Gerry-rigged. After bringing it to attention of crew hierarchy we were told the ship was under warranty and could not be fixed right now. Finally after us and our a joining cabins complained(they alsohad the same problem) the squeaking/loud noise was reduced by driving wooden shims the ceiling molding. Entertainment - nothing special. NO onboard lectures by special speakers regarding the history of our destinations especially Normandy the war/cemetery.On previous Silverseas cruises we had great lectures. Dining reservations are being changed so there will be a regular dining room no reservation necessary. Service personal - butlers etc. are very good. Ports and excursions most went well. We have been on many Silverseas cruises, but this ship has not found it's "soul". Read Less

We love Silverseas cruises, this is our 5th with the company, our 4th ship and the first on the newest addition to the fleet, Silver Muse. Our cabin (Deluxe Balcony) was just as good as we've had on Whisper and Shadow, and our cabin attendants were fabulous. We can't rate the butler and his associate highly enough, especially during the few days I was ill. That's a consistent feature of Silverseas, the quality and training of the staff. The food was good too, especially in Atlantide and Kaeseki, but also in La Terraza and the Grill. We loved the cruise itinerary, with many of the ports on our bucket list. The time on shore was adequate for our requirements and we enjoyed ourselves in each of the Portuguese, Spanish and French towns and cities. But otherwise this was, in our opinion with 51 days of sailing on Silverseas, a poor shadow of the Silverseas experience we had come to love. The following aspects really annoyed us: 1. The dining arrangements are too regimented. You have to book every night of the cruise in advance, and for those of us who did not do so in advance, we had to take what was left available. 2. Dress code by restaurant, as opposed to by specified evening, detracted from the ambience of our evenings, because only those eating in the two formal restaurants tonight were dressed up. Half our formal clothes came home unworn! 3. There is a lack of intimate space on board. Dolce Vita is a huge open area that has a bar and piano tucked into one corner and usually has about 30 guests at cocktail hour. The Arts Cafe is sterile and poorly serviced, and we so missed the afternoon teas and cocktails in the Panorama Lounge. 4. Communication is atrocious. The public announcements only play in public areas, so if you are in your cabin when the ship docks or is about to depart you miss them. 5. The letter asking me to meet the head chef at 5pm on day one to discuss my food allergy was delivered to my suite while I was at dinner that night. We had only been able to get a booking at Indochine (late, see #1) but I couldn't eat any item on their menu. The staff didn't know how to solve that problem, and eventually we ate in La Terrazza after others had finished. 6. The captain's personal letter of birthday greetings for my wife was delivered 2 days late. 7. Our invitation to the Venetian Club (frequent travellers) arrived so late we were unable to change a reservation in the Spa so we missed the event. 8. Notwithstanding we had a letter confirming dinner arrangements for each night, when we arrived at La Terrazza on the last night of the cruise, the maitre d said we had no reservation and he had no vacancies so we would have to find somewhere else to eat. He could not offer any suggestions. I returned to our suite, unpacked the suitcase to recover the letter, and when I presented that to him his response was "it's not in the computer, I can't help). Thus the title of our critique, Basil Fawlty on board Silver Muse! 9. The ship was so impersonal. Everything is done by cabin number, so no one knows your name, with the exception of a few of the serving staff who made the effort. The executive had no idea who we are or what our history is with Silversea. We certainly won't sail on Silver Muse again. Read Less

We did explore Lisbon for one day before the cruise. We did a "hop on/hop off" tour and it was wonderful. We stayed at the Lisbon Intercontinental Hotel, booking that through Silversea. We opted to get a cab to the ship which was much less than using Silversea transfer. The staff at the Intercontinental were great. The Silversea rep told me that since I had booked the room through Silversea I was automatically signed up for the transfer. That is not the case. She was misinformed. We were on a Silversea cruise to Alaska in 2013 and it was EXCELLENT. So great, in fact, I have recommended Silversea to ALL my friends. The Muse trip was another story. The positives: BEAUTIFUL ship. WONDERFUL suite decor, size, and AMAZING service with our butler, Shakil. We had great food every single day and wonderful wines. Excellent service from everyone we met. Now, the not so good: Room NOISE was extreme. We asked our butler to have our ceiling looked at because the noise in the ceiling kept us awake a few nights. The door to the balcony rattled. The creaking in the room was unreal. Secondly, we did not realize that we HAD to have dinner reservations EVERY night. One of our party (there were two couples traveling together) spoke with a person from corporate who was on the ship and she made sure we got a table each night at 7pm (two nights we were "wait listed") Many people on the ship were unaware of this requirement and it was very sad to know that some who were not as bold as our party were struggling. We heard rumors that Silversea is changing this and making one or two dining rooms open seating. I hope so for future travelers. We simply could not eat dinner at 9pm! It would have been helpful to know what ports were tender ports and those where we simply walked off the ship and into the town. We booked our excursions in advance on the Silversea website. Most of the excursions were great meeting our expectations completely. A couple were lackluster and possibly we just chose poorly. In a few instances the guide's accent was so strong we had a hard time understanding her. We were given a 50% refund on one tour in Gijon as there was a Red Bull Event going on with thousands of people in the area. Our guide had no knowledge of the event or how it could impact our tour. As a group we asked her to just return to the ship as none of us was willing to go out on a sidewalk with literally thousands of people. We did attend one evening show and it was entertaining. Two of the singers (Mary and Johnny) introduced themselves to us during our cocktail time and because of their friendly approach we wanted to see the show. Otherwise, we simply are not heading to a show at 10pm. I guess other people can stay up later than us! The washer and drier are just down the hall and that was a bonus. The tours we really enjoyed were: Santiago de Compostela, Guggenheim Museum, Bordeaux is beautiful, winery excursion very nice. St. Emilion was incredible. Mont San Michel as must as is Normandy. We stayed 3 extra nights in London at the Conrad St. James. A hotel that Silversea uses, but we booked on our own. (less expensive that way) So enjoyed London! The location of the Conrad St James is truly wonderful. Read Less

The ship was laid out fine. But it was larger than my preference. Should have been 1 more night in Honfleur and 1 night less in one of the other 2 night ports, so people could see Honfleur as well as Normandy beaches Some of the excursions were mediocre - Gijon/Aviles and La Coruna/Betanzos arranging dining was a chore. it interfered with our pleasure. There should be more indoor dining spaces that are informal especially when the cruise is going to cooler locations. The food itself was not memorable, nowhere near Seabourn. Should vary the offerings more. Meat quality was mediocre except for the grill. Meat undercooked and cold in 7th floor big restaurant (I forgot name). the service was terrific billing process needs work cabin was fine butler was terrific I was billed 110% of limo (southampton to LHR) charge "on account of insurance". Curious to say the least. Read Less

Disappointed primarily with restaurant scheduling. Even though we picked restaurants months before cruise we were still unable to dine where we wanted-when we wanted. Met some new friends but were unable to get a table for 4 or 6 on every occasion. The menus never changed in Atlantide. Return to a main dining room with a Maitre d is a necessity. No computer room for reviewing newspapers such as USA Today or reviewing E mails or stock market reports. Had to be on personal devices brought on board. The limit on time for daily use was absurd at these prices. Internet should be FREE. Lacked the intimacy of smaller ships. Will avoid the Muse in future bookings. Hotel booking and plane connections were ok. Seldom saw our butler. The shore launches were great with easy entry and well handled. Best Conneisours Corner yet with our door to deck. Mark was great. Read Less

For us, this was cruise #10 on Silversea. We have sailed on all their "big" ships and the "Expedition" to Antarctica. We have also sailed on at least four other lines. The "Muse" is a sparkling, open, inviting ship. The cabins are large and well laid out. The bathrooms have large sinks, counter tops and shelf areas. The ship was completely full but never felt crowded. The staff, as usual, was top notch. They are the high point of any Silversea cruise. They are always willing to help although this cruise, some were not so friendly. The food started off a bit rocky (way overdone meat served dry and cold) but recovered nicely. La Dame and Indochine were the star performers. Silver Notes used to be small plates with an interesting variety. This time it was a dull and short menu. The larger dining rooms have been completely re-configured with curved lines to create the feeling of smaller rooms and the obtrusive waiter stations are gone. Sorry about the extra work for the waiters, but clanging silver an plates were annoying. The mandatory reservation system has been duly criticized though we had no trouble changing reservations. We were told they are scrapping the system and consolidating at least two restaurants as of October 1st so I will not waste time beating the dead horse. However, there is collateral damage from this system that should be considered by the powers that be. 1. Since dinner reservations were (are?) pretty much required 120 days before sailing, sample menus should be made available. We did not eat at Indochine until the 8th day and until we sat down for dinner we had no idea what to expect. We learned only through other reviews that Spaccanapoli was only a pizza place. 2. Lines formed at breakfast and lunch as guests tried to change dinner reservations with the maitre d' while others waited to be seated. 3. Part of cruising is meeting new people. Making reservations 120 days out puts a wet blanket on that. We found that tables reserved for two were just that. It took another conversation to expand. We offered to sit with others but were politely shown to our reserved table for two. I have two huge gripes that dropped the rating significantly. 1. We were in cabin 919. By far it was the noisiest cabin we have ever had on any line. One problem is a design flaw. The TV's over the vanity are back to back with the adjoining cabin. If our neighbors turned on their TV even at a very low volume, we had to turn ours on to muffle the noise. If they turned it up loud, it was more than annoying. In this cabin we collected noise from every source: walking above us, furniture moving above us, heavy walking from either side and the constant slamming of doors. If a door slammed five cabins away, our walls shook. Suggestion: note the door closures from the pool on deck 10. They shut the door firmly and quietly every time. 2. The dress code. I don't have much use for dress codes but I understand their function and that some folks like them. If there is to be dress code, enforce it. In La Dame there were men in sports jackets and open shirts. In Atlantide there were men in sports jackets and no ties. In theory, no shorts or sandals are allowed in public areas at night. I rarely saw that enforced. I really don't care what anyone wears but from now on I feel no need to adhere to a phony, unenforced rule. I will think twice about lugging a "dark suit" or tux across the continent. This is more detail than usual but Silversea invited the comments so I hope they read them. We will definitely sail with Silversea again. We have booked two voyages already. We will avoid the Muse if possible unless the above problems are addressed. Read Less

As longtime cruisers, we were excited to check out the Silver Muse. What could be better than a brand new ship? We were not disappointed. The ship itself is stellar--beautiful public space, smartly designed outdoor space, perfectly appointed cabins, great decor, etc. Because we were proactive in planning our dining way in advance, the "no main dining room" and "reservations required" policy was not really an issue for us. That said, we were shut out of the Silver Note completely (despite trying to make a reservation 120 days ahead!) and encountered many other guests who had to resort to room service or pizza because they simply could not be accommodated ANYWHERE! This is unacceptable in any scenario, but at this price point it's just flat out wrong. The upcharge is La Dame and Indochine is also offensive; the latter being really not worth it. It would have been nice to have had an "expert" on board to explain the ports in advance. The tour desk was not particularly knowledgeable or helpful with information about next stops. Additionally, how about interactive maps on the TV? We often joked with our fellow passengers, "where the heck are we?" Entertainment is "meh" at best--heavy on classical music and other stuffier options. A comedian/magician/mentalist would have been fun. Service was wonderful and well meaning. The concept of a butler, to me, is silly and outdated. As most people know Silversea (aka Silverhair) caters to an older demographic. My husband and I are "young" 58-year olds and we were BY FAR the youngest people on the ship. Read Less

We were very disappointed in our Silver Sea experience as were a lot to the people on board the new Silver Muse. The food was OK is you could get into a one of the dining areas. There is no main dining area so each meal you must make a reservation for the dining experience... this is an extremely tough experience if you are a first time guest on the Muse because all of the good reservations and dining areas are taken up by the long time customers. There were many times all we could get was dining by the pool with very limited menu and plastic wine glasses. The food is so-so nothing exceptional in any of the dining areas ... nothing like Crystal or Regent. The staff was somewhat helpful in our efforts to get something to eat on the ship.... Our butler was exceptional and was extremely helpful but he too could not fight the computer system on the boat. The boat was very rough in relatively clam seas meaning it did not have stable control or it was just not working. The seas were so rough we could not dance in the lounge... and we were not the only one. Shore excursions were good and the guides were pretty knowledgeable on the subject... but we used private guides , not arranged by the ship line, in most of the bigger ports and that worked quite well. All in All...... Save you money and go on Crystal and have a much better experience. Read Less

We heard about the cruise from friends that were booked on it so that was our incentive for considering it. Our main reason for booking the cruise was the itinerary and some of the shore excursions. Although having traveled extensively, we had never been on a cruise of any sort so we thought this might be a good time to try one. As we found out, an enjoyable advantage of cruising is not having to pack and unpack as you move to the next destination. We stopped in Paris for a couple of days before continuing to Lisbon. We also had a couple of days in Lisbon prior to embarkation. We arranged these things independently, trying to maximize our time in Europe and to avoid any possible travel snafus that would interfere with the cruise. Highlights of this cruise included a shore excursion to Santiago de Compostela; Bilbao, Spain and the Guggenheim; docking right in Bordeaux with easy access to everything; the shore excursion in Saint Malo to Le Mont Saint-Michel, the Normandy Landings outside of Honfleur, and cruising up the Thames River - under the Tower Bridge and docking next to the Belfast battleship in the city center - Awesome experience! We had looked forward to visiting Guernsey but weather prevented us from going ashore which was only accessible via tenders. We heard that this is a common occurrence for Guernsey which made us wonder why a) the itinerary doesn't state something like there is a good chance you won't be able to disembark - or x% of our stops in Guernsey don't make it to shore; or b) maybe it should not be part of the itinerary. While we did complete all other stops on our itinerary, we felt Gijon was the least interesting destination and would not mind skipping that port. We enjoyed the entertainment on the ship - an amazing group of talented people. The crew talent show was a great deal of fun too. We were disappointed in the lecturer and felt he spent too much time talking about his interests rather than preparing us to enjoy and comprehend our next destination. The staff and service were top-notch and a real highlight of our onboard time. Our butler and cabin attendant kept everything ship-shape and surprised us with little messages, drinks, or towel sculptures throughout the voyage. It seemed that all logistics were handled with precision. There were good dining options and the food was generally good. It did seem to be a bit redundant which may be due to the length of the cruise (12 days). Because this was a smaller ship, we had the opportunity to interact with many other guests and get to know them. Most of the guests were very experienced cruisers! These interactions with diverse people were highlights of the trip. As first-time cruisers, we can not compare this experience to other cruises or cruise lines. We had heard SilverSeas was a topnotch cruise line, so we expected excellence. The staff, service, and handling of logistics were indeed excellent. We had also heard that the Silver Cloud was an older ship and was due to be renovated and repurposed into an expedition ship, so we did not expect perfection. We think every effort was made to make the ship comfortable and keep up appearances. We definitely will consider cruising again. Read Less

We chose the cruise based on the wonderful itinerary - Lisbon to London. The food and the service were superb and our cabin was spacious with a lovely bathroom and large walk-in closet. However, the small ship was not stable and we rocked often and violently on some days. The decor was extremely dated though I understand it will be refurbished soon. However, it should have been updated years ago - especially at Silversea prices. Large disappointment to me as I am a designer. The entertainment was a group of singers that performed almost every night in some configuration with very very inexpensive and outdated costumes. They were very talented but some other type of performer such as a pianist or cellist would have been welcomed. All alcohol was included with the cruise fare and most people certainly enjoyed that, but for us the added expense was not worth paying Silversea prices. One employee at the shore concierge desk was rude when asked a simple question about acquiring a taxi and unhelpful at other times. Neither employee seemed to know much about the ports of call on this itinerary. We will not travel on Silversea again. Read Less

Having previously sailed on Seabourn and Crystal we tried Silversea. On its face it looked good and given it was more expensive we expected it to be superior. How wrong we were. First the good points: the dining experience in the main dining room was excellent as was the service there and generally elsewhere. The hotel staff tried hard and were polite. The food in the breakfast area was limited and average. The 1 hour free internet was good too. But the bad points outweighed these bright spots. The ship is shabby and old. Yes they are soon to be refurbishing it but it shouldn't be sailing at these prices in this condition. There were mechanical issues in our suite requiring fixing on two occasions. This shouldn't have happened and things should have been working from the start. They cannot change the design of the ship but as it is small there is little in the way of public rooms in which to sit and have a drink. The immigration handling in London was shambolic with people waiting around for over an hour to then be advised that it would be attended to the next day. The passengers were very old in their 70s and 80s in many cases with limited mobility. They so dominated the passenger list that all of the shore excursions requiring modest effort were cancelled. Of 200+ passengers, the hiking excursions could only muster 2 takers. This was very disappointing. If you are active physically and professionally and under 60, you will not fit in. We have adult children in their 20s and might have otherwise taken them. There were no people their age or anywhere near it. So if you are in the 70 to 80 age range this is the cruise for you but if you don't fit that description, look elsewhere. We won't go on Silversea again. Read Less