This was our first Silversea cruise. We chose this cruise because of their unique destinations and excursions. Being a smaller ship was a plus too. First... the food was incredible; well seasoned, flavorful and well presented. So many choices and so many dining options that you never have to repeat yourself. Our butler was always on top of things and went the extra mile for us in locating non-alcoholic beverages for our suite or anything else we would enjoy. Our cabin was spacious, bright and airy. We never felt like we were on top of each other. The closet space was refreshingly large with ample hangars and drawers. The lectures were very interesting and there was something for everybody. Nice mix. We did not partake of many of the offered activities this time and the late night entertainment was too late night for us. We did attend the 6:15 opera and would like to see more entertainment during the matinee timeframe. Ports were fascinating and our tour guides were very knowledgeable and engaging. This was a very relaxing cruise for us where we could come away refreshed. I thoroughly appreciated the library on the 11th deck. My secret place. Professional staff from the cruise director to the room attendant. 6 stars. Read Less

This cruise was a treat for a special occasion. All of Cunard's advertising exudes 'Luxury and Glamour'. We did not know that we had paid all that money to join the last leg of around the world cruise for a 'don't care home'!! Our checkin and boarding was a disaster as we were checked into the room I had booked, but in some one else's name! We subsequently were hawked about a couple of floors to find the right cabin and then spent the afternoon dodging wheelchairs and aged people with walking sticks etc.. The only luxury in evidence were pictures and marquetry decorating the walls in public areas. Subsequently the bars were empty and no audiences for the brilliant musicians. It was like a ghost ship with no ambience. The so called 'glitzy gala balls' were no more than Hammersmith Palais on a bad day with 5 employed male and 1 female dancers to get people on the floor and guests turning up in casual clothes, one woman near me in my evening finery was wearing a fleece and track suit trousers! We ate a mere twice in the main dining room, first night the steak was like shoe leather, second night we had to suffer an unacceptable being. This was fixed dining and no other tables were available so we had to eat in the Lido everyday. This is definitely not what I expected. Cunard response was a 'snowflake' phoned me up to palm me off with a £200 pound voucher off a P&O cruise. What an insult. Read Less

Everything, really everything was perfectly organized. Embarkation and disembarkation were organized. You have 5 restaurants for choice and only one of these five you have to reserve for. Service, food, drinks whenever you want, anything you might need, you get it. Champaign, caviar as much as you want. Excursions were well organized and at a reasonable prize Five restaurants at choice and you receive their menu every evening for the following day. You can order any wine , champagne, beer or water for your fridge, as much as you want. Room service works well and we had a table on our balcony set up with table cloth every morning for breakfast. You can also ask for a 3 or 4 course diner in your suite at the time you want. We can only recommend this company and we will certainly make our next cruise with them- We tried different other cruise companies , but his is the best. ......and when you think what you get for the price you paid it is not relly expensive. Read Less

We chose this cruise because of the unusual West African ports of destination. Also, Silverseas is supposed to be a "luxury cruise." What a disappointment! From our hotel in Ghana- where they were supposed to meet the passengers, throughout the cruise- one issue after another. In Ghana we were promised staff to help with getting on buses and to the port. The paperwork in our rooms wasn't correct- it even said "sample letter" on it..... total disorganization getting on the buses- we were left to our own devices. Our luggage was supposed to be picked up from our room. It never was. We heard later that passengers who trusted that to happen NEVER did see their luggage again.... on and on. The ship had problems throughout with both plumbing and AC issues. Our room was hotter than hell, literally. We moved rooms 3 times on the ship. I kept begging for them to just pick me up a fan when we were in port. Even asked the bus driver if he would just stop briefly for me to get a fan when we saw some.... nothing.... For 6 nights I suffered unable to sleep...... Doesn't seem particularly "luxury" to me. Hallways smelling like sewage, rooms without AC. We asked before booking if pirates were an issue in the areas we would be traveling. We were assured that there was no chance of pirates on the West Coast of Africa. Then, after we boarded and were out to sea, we had a letter put on our bed stating that we were in a high pirate caution area, and that we couldn't open our balcony door or curtains, and that the deck restaurant would be closed for the next 4 evenings. All of the other restaurant curtains were tightly closed, and windows and sliders to the deck were taped up with paper covering them. I felt like I was in England during the second world war bombings! They even told us that if pirates were to board the ship to come to the main lobby and lay in the middle covering our heads! For the love of Pete! This WASN'T what we signed up for! Many of the tours were disorganized. Rude tour leaders. It goes on and on and on..... We expected the excursions to have more explanation regarding the area we were going to see, some info on the demographics regarding the people, income, history, etc. We were, once again, disappointed. Days at sea were a total bore. There could have been many more activities offered than were. My husband found a shard of glass in his food one day at lunch. The food, at best, was adequate. No better than an NCL large ship would be, just FAR more expensive. They comped us a few free dinners at their upscale restaurant. I don't think this even begins to compensate for the total lack of "luxury" compared to the price of this cruise. I wrote a letter to Silverseas over 3 weeks ago. I never got any sort of response. Not even an auto-prompt type that said "thanks for your letter." I emailed again a week ago, asking if they received my original letter. Still nothing.... REALLY? I will say, their staff was amazing. They greeted you by name from the first day. They were wonderful. I'm generally very disappointed in Silverseas, and even MORE disappointed in their lack of follow up when there was a problem. I gave them time to address the issues, and make things right, but obviously, customer satisfaction is not important to them. Read Less

A bucket list top 10 item . This was one of the most exciting and wonderful experiences of my life . We shared a Balcony room - absolutely amazing . This ship is stylish and classy . The amount of things to do on this ship is mind blowing . I have stayed in several 5 star hotels and they definitely cannot compare to this ship I am hooked and MSC will definitely see both my mom and myself again Although we could not see Pomene due to bad weather --- MSC made sure we were entertained the whole day . SAFETY first !!!!!! The food is fresh . Evenings were spent -- going for dinner followed by a live show and then we went to watch a band playing the most awesome music live while we sipped red wine . I have had the time of my life and i strongly suggest everyone takes a cruise On MSC Read Less

We've always thoroughly enjoyed our silversea cruises unfortunately not this time . From the moment we stepped onto the ship in Mahe the atmosphere felt different . Reception staff not friendly customer service sadly lacking particularly from 2 people one male and one female who showed no interest at all in any query we made . In my mind first impressions are the most important and they certainly let the company down . Staff attitude in some areas was apathetic gave the impression they did not want to serve us , Service poor in lots of areas particularly Stars where after the food had been served the bar staff were nowhere to be seen . Face recognition sadly lacking this is something that Silverseas has excelled in there was a handful of staff that rembered us mainly because we'd sailed with them before . I have to say most of the staff were friendly and helpful unfortunately you need a few bad staff to lower the ships reputation . The food was very good with a nice choice on the menus . Very disappointing to have only one cooking demonstration . No tasting or drink offered . The Chef had nobody in attendance they all cleared off and he was left with difficulty using the cooker and no Salt and Pepper !!!! Most unimpressive . Entertainment was good We really enjoyed the singer in Stars Claudette had a good voice too . We were made aware countless times the ship was going into dry dock in March . That is no interest to us we spent a lot of money on this cruise and we expected full silversea service which was lacking in lots of ares . We had our photo taken at the Venetian society as we'd achieved 100 days which entitled us to free laundry !!! This photo was taken with the captain . We did not receive a copy of this photo until disembarkation day Adam sorted it out . Once again the reception were most unhelpful and the female hostess should have followed up who had their photo taken that night and dealt with it accordingly . I'm sorry to say that was the nature of most of the cruise . On the plus side we really enjoyed the Indian dancers and the Italian tenor not to mention Claudette and the singer in Stars .Suite was a bit tired mini bar well stocked . Free laundry was great . Butler and Room attendant helpful and pleasant . Pool area was very busy not enough sun beds put out and occupancy rules not adhered to . The Boutique was closed a lot of the time . Delightful girl working there . The merchandise needs addressing it's dowdy and old fashioned and more costume jewlellery should be available Read Less

After reading earlier reviews we specifically asked Silverseas Uk for reassurance that this ship was indeed up to scratch, they said yes we would receive the normal 5 star luxury cruise experience..... basically they didn't tell the truth as it was anything but. Our $1000 a night suite had worn out soft furnishings and a heavily stained carpet that we avoided walking on with bare feet, the public room soft furnings were also worn and drab, a bit like a care home lounge. The menu choice was restricted to items that had not run out as they reduced stock pre refit which is where the ship will spend the rest of Feb 2018 in a dry dock....they even started to dismantle the ship days before we disembarked....art was removed leaving near bare bulkheads throughout the ship. Food quality was especially poor more like a cross channel ferry than a 5 star lux ship. Entertainment was dire. Staff acted like it was the end of term...which it was for many of them. Needless to say its back to Oceania and we will never trust Silverseas again. Read Less

We (just the two of us) love the size of this ship and that all the cabins are a comfortable size, though we did have a larger cabin on this particular cruise. The service was impeccable as usual and food was very good (and that is saying a lot since I am a very picky eater). We always arrive a few days before our cruise since we know things can go astray (cancelled flights, delayed flights, etc) plus we enjoy resting up and exploring our departure city. We both love the all-inclusiveness of SilverSeas. There was plenty of good entertainment thru out our Cruise. Our room had so much storage space and the closet was very large for a ship. (Drawers and cabinets galore) The balcony was a nice size with a small table for eating, an adjustable lounge chair and a standard cushioned chair. The only negative was the limited movies as I do enjoy watching movies late at night. I'm glad to see this ship going into dry dock for refurbishments--It will be a great Enhancement. Read Less

Cabin and Sailing We both really enjoy sailing with Seabourn, however it must be said that we are starting to see a few cracks in the wall apart from the service which continues in our mind to be 110% Subsequent to our 2017 sailing in Alaska with the mini refit in December we were rather disappointed. The pool deck after we were advised had been replaced remained faulty and was at one time cordoned off. Dining wise, we found that although there was ashore, an abundant supply of salad vegetables, the buffet did not always reflect this. The main dining room experience was not that of a calmly run restaurant but one where all the waiters where walking at top speed all the time.That said the new Thomas Keller Dining experience was first class. We also noticed that on a considerable no. of times the guest services telephone just kept on ringing, one time in excess of 4 mins. Look all these things are not big deal but just drag down the whole perceived ambience and sailing experience with Seabourn. Lets hope our May sailing with Ovation provides for a better experience, at least the cabins should be top notch. Read Less

Having just returned from a 12 day cruise on the Silver Spirit sailing from the Seychelles to Mumbai I have to report a faultless experience. From the moment we stepped on board, from the “nothing is too much trouble” from the team, from the most accommodating and genuinely nice butler Vipin and the best housekeeper Jacqui we were pampered and treated as real VIP’s. We were on deck 8 The Spa team are a delight ( go for the Thermal suite package ) if you can giving only 20 guests access to a lovely oasis of steam rooms, sauna, thermal beds, jacuzzi and private sun bathing area. The gym is well equipped although the individual treatments are expensive. The food was superb at every restaurant and Damian the restaurant manager runs a superb food and beverage operation. Our cruise was all inclusive, pre dinner cocktails in the bar in deck 5 became the 7.30pm norm ( try the Bermuda sidecars ) then to dinner in a choice of gastro delight restaurants. I advise to book a few ahead on the my Silverseas web portal you will get when you book - we opted for 2 nights in the Grill on deck 10 - steak on the stone style - 2 nights in Stars a tapas style 7 course taster menu with live singer - 1 night in the Sushi restaurant ( although we did do lunch in there a couple of times ), once in La Terraza on deck 7 and the remainder in the main restaurant on deck 4. Every meal was superb ( make sure you sign up for a galley tour with the head chef one day ). There’s as much or as little as you fancy on the entertainment side from bridge, indoor putting, afternoon quizzes, table tennis tournaments, yoga, Pilates etc - it’s there if you want it. A well stocked library and internet room ( you get 1 hour free Wi-fi a day ) even a connoisseur cigar and brandy bar plus a casino and shops. The daily chronicle let’s you know what’s on and where each day and the dress code for dinner - we had 2 formal nights with black tie, 4 informal nights with jackets and 6 casual nights trousers and shirt or polo shirt - no shorts after 6pm in public areas. There is a nightly show at 10 for an hour to an hour and a half and then your choice of disco with DJ Bart on deck 9 in the panorama lounge or jazz and swing in Stars on deck 7 until the early hours. Trips ashore are extra but are well organised again pre book once you get your log in details to your own mysilverseas account. Will we be back with Silverseas - you bet - we’re already looking for next year - we loved it - it was a total chill out for us - we are mid 50’s and still working so it was an absolute treat to just relax and be so well looked after - some retired guests found the days at Seas a little boring but a good book, a comfy sunbed and a team of friendly staff made our days at sea our favourite days. A brilliant time - thank you to all the team in Silverseas Silver Spirit Read Less