I wish I had read the Cruise Citic Reviews for this ship before I booked. I would not have gone ahead. Many of the reviews do not have nice things to say about this ship and they are accurate. Silversea claim that this is a 6 star ship. I have done 27 Cruises and it is 4 - 4.5 stars at best. So in summary I paid a six star price for a 4 star ship. Everything on board is the cheapest of the Cheap. Even the bottled water in the cheapest they could buy. No Evian here - cheap water from somewhere in China. Ship - Tired and Run Down. Staff - poor levels of english and you have to ask for everything 4 times Management - Don't care - we told them of our dissappointment only to be ignored - One manager organised one special meal for us and that was it. Special Requests - At first they tell they can't do special things for you hoping you will stop asking then after a while the reluctantly give in and get it for you - not what was expected on a "6 star" ship. Don't expect any pampering on this ship. They claim to have daily yoga, pilates and fitness classes - they had nobody on board to do them. Out of 27 cruises Silversea are in my bottom 5. Read Less

Silversea advertised a series of Asia cruises with their "Far More in the Far East" special, and wow, did it deliver. I chose this Singapore-to-Hong Kong voyage for several reasons: the timing worked for me, I liked the balance of ports and sea days, the itinerary would take me to so many places I've never been but have longed to visit, and the Silversea specials put this all-inclusive luxury voyage comfortably in my price range ($1000 air credit, $1000 onboard credit, most excursions included, 5% discount for previous SS travelers, 5% discount for booking onboard a previous cruise, and then a surprise 3-category upgrade just a few days before sailing -- it all added up to a reasonable price). The Shadow is one of the older ships in the fleet, but she is graceful and well maintained. After previously sailing on her smaller sibling, the Wind, the Shadow at first seemed so much larger. Within a day, that feeling diminished and she seemed perfect to me. My suite seemed bigger than I expected, although the pool seemed smaller than expected. On this particular voyage, we had spectacular weather until the final few days, and the pool deck was filled to capacity. There were short waits (under 5 minutes) for the morning buffet at popular times on port days, but generally passengers were well distributed throughout the ship. It was easy to find quiet places to sit, or more active places for company. Embarkation in Singapore is odd simply because you have to walk through a mall to reach the desk. Once in Silversea's hands, however, the process was easy and pleasant -- under 10 minutes from starting the process to sitting in the Panorama Lounge enjoying my 2nd glass of welcome bubbly. I dined at every possible venue, preferring La Terrazza for breakfast (waiters will bring you eggs to order and cappuccino, but everything else comes from the vast buffet). My meal in the upcharge La Dame was as extraordinary as advertised, while two dinners at the casual Hot Rocks were good fun with good company. The Restaurant does include a small selection of regional selections every night, and I found they were nicely done -- especially the lemongrass beef. Over the 2 weeks, I dined in La Tarrazza for dinner on 4 occasions, always enjoying the upscale Italian cuisine and handmade pastas. As others have said, luxury trappings are nice, but it is the warmth and professionalism of the crew that make Silversea so special. Without exception, every staff member on board was at the top of their game, remembering names and orders, anticipating wants or needs, offering a compliment or a steady arm, making conversation with real connections, sharing insights from their homelands. I found this to be true throughout the ranks: from the captain to the room attendant, from the wait staff to the officers, from the earnest care of the butlers to the often invisible work of the maintenance crew and accountants. Of everything on this near-perfect voyage, I think I will miss the crew the most. Would I go again? Yes. And I would enthusiastically recommend it to others. Read Less

We chose the sailing because the timing and itinerary were just what we were looking for. The issues started just after we booked the cruise through the Silversea Florida Office. The thing to bear in mind is that this is supposed to be a luxury cruise and you are paying top dollar. The booking/ administration was awful and had no idea of life outside Florida. Questions went unanswered for weeks, escalation to management helped, but slowly, promises were not kept. Flights routings were stupid - the first plan was to fly us 4 hours East to Toronto, to fly us 5 hours West to Vancouver (rather than just the one hour to Vancouver), before flying to the Far East. Then they rescheduled our early February flight at the last minute giving us a very tight transfer in the middle of a deep freeze/ snow storm. We were told they wanted to cut down on our wait time in Vancouver - a better plan would have been to ask us! In my opinion, they had just no idea. The Shipboard credit was not provided and had to be requested from the ship. In all fairness, we travelled with a friend from England who did not have any issues with their admiistartion. Planning the ports looked odd. We stayed 2 days in Sianoukville, described as a cross between a rubbish dump and a building site, but only a few hours in Ha Long Bay, an area of outstanding natural beauty. Once we were on the ship, the ship's company could not have been better, service was excellent from top to bottom - particularly all the bar staff. We could not fault the cabin staff, just excellent. The line is Italian, so food was slanted to haute cuisine, which was fine, we had some beautiful dishes. The lunch on the Pool deck delivered a really, really good burger, just light on the salads, though I suppose I could have asked for double portions. The evening entertainment was not as good as we have previously enjoyed. There was a lot of opera/ American songbook shows, some of the arrangements were not my cup of tea The bar and pool staff plus the waiters were a joy. I doubt we will cruise with Silversea again - Regent provide a much better administrative experience and a nicer ship Read Less

After cruising with 6 other cruise companies, we were excited to have gone supposedly upmarket to Silversea. We were very disappointed.The whole ship is urgently in need of refurbishment, which apparently will happen later this year. The cabins are not that big, the balcony was tiny. The flat screen TV was out of the ark, was tiny and couldn't easily be seen from the bed. For 3 days the a/c didn't work properly, the fridge had to be changed as it also wasn't cold! The food in La Terraze was excellent at breakfast and lunch, but awful at dinner. The main restaurant food was usually lukewarm, sometimes not cooked. The service was poor with little response to any complaints. The complimentary wines were good, but bizarrely it is company policy to not have a list of complimentary wines. Instead you are presented with a white and a red as choice for the day. It is not made clear that there are other alternatives, and we spoke to several people who had no idea even late in the cruise.They do, however, have a long list of wines at extra cost! Incredibly, there was no complimentary NZ Sauv Blanc available for the entire cruise due to a procurement error. You have to play 20 questions with the sommelier to find what choice there is.This was incredibly annoying. The staff were generally very friendly and helpful, the room attendant and butler were very efficient. Room service was efficient but again the food was usually cold. The other guests made the cruise for us, together with a great itinerary and good weather. There was general agreement that Silversea were overpriced, very disappointing and to be avoided in future. Read Less

This was our 59 cruise and second experience with Silver Seas. We always travel during January and February to get away from the cold of the Northeast of the USA. And we always, always, look at the itinerary first with any cruise line. We picked the Silver Shadow for our third trip to Asia and all but one port was new for us. The Philippines added to our booking as we always wanted to see that country. Our suite was nice but dated and sure could use modernization. Public rooms were nice but also dated. We were told repeatedly, by the crew, that the ship was going into dry dock at the end of the year, but not soon enough for us. For the cost of the trip you would think the company would keep the ships up to date. All suites, all butlers. - What does a butler really do? Our suite attendant maintained our room beautifully and also quickly. We would go for breakfast and if we went back after breakfast our suite was serviced and perfect every time. Our butler even came to our table in the dining room one night asking us why we never asked him to do anything and if he had done something wrong???!!!! Rather odd. So why does Silver Seas even have butlers. Oh we got a card from the butler on the night before leaving offered to pack our luggage for us! Nice guy but oh so unnecessary. The dining room was always wonderful. We prefer the same table and the same waiter. Alex was outstanding and after just one night remembered our names and on day day 2 remembered out likes and dislikes. Fantastic guy for our 20 day cruise. They have 'La Dame" for $60 per person, why? Never went as the dining room offers, at no extra charge, was wonderful. Entertainment: Forget it. We did not book this cruise looking for any entertainment. Silverseas along with so many others, offers mediocre to non-existent shows. The 3 piece band was great in the bars but the Lounge shows were beyond amateurish. High school productions are more entertaining, (sad but really)! As stated above, we booked this cruise for the itinerary. We started in Singapore on our own for 4 days. Borneo and other Malaysia ports were fascinating. The Phillippines were great and the Sanya in China was a surprise beautiful port. Then the second cruise to ports in Viet Nam we fun too. The free tours hosted by SilverSeas was fine. And they made sure that none of the tour buses and/tour boats had more than 22 folks. Finally the crew: Way over the top great, wonderful and they make the cruise oh so special even with the hiccups along the way. Yes, we would cruise with Silverseas again. But only because of the itinerary. And hopefully ports that we have not seen yet. Read Less

This was a special holiday and very expensive chosen as a one-off treat never again The cabin looked lovely but we had problems with the carpet being wet from the balcony to the middle of the lounge area as did a lot of the same side of our deck . The Butler was visible sometimes and not others . Tried twice to phone room service and was cut off . The patio door was not sealed properly and difficult to open/close . The weather was appalling on 90 % of the journey and was too near the front of the ship despite being described as midship and the rolling and banging was awful . Many of our group were sea sick . No kettle or tea coffee in room at all , water was provided in mini bar from a unsealed bottle that was refilled by the butler . The ship needs a refurb and is tired and tatty in some areas The food was not as good as I expected from this high end cruise line . The breakfast was bland and most of it congealed warm at best and the choice was limited .Hot plates available on request ?? Eggs available on request which took 10 minutes hardly anyone serving behind the station , burnt ( every day ) pastries. The only thing the staff insisted on in the terraze is carrying your plate from the buffet where you had chosen your food to the table ( could be as near as 5 steps ) which is the most ridiculous thing ( unless you needed help of course ) and I tried to avoid this with no success most days . Lunch wasn’t much better except on deck ( when it was open due to extreme weather ) where the food was really tasty and hot . Dinner in the restaurant was ok , the portions were a joke , with a steak one night there was three tiny pieces of warm pepper , a sliver of cooked onion and nothing else . The choice of puddings were sparse except ice cream and much too much chocolate . You could have three praline sweets and that was a choice ! On New Year’s Eve there was a gala dinner which was ok a few tiny courses and a main. There was very little to do during the day , the chronicles which advised the activities included picking up your crossword and daily puzzle from the library and the fact that there was someone to help with language for foreign speaking guests . The daily quiz with Moss was a highlight but the singers were mediocre and on in the theatre far too many times. We sailed from Bangkok into a tropical storm and had to miss ho chi minn city completely and spent 5 days anchored in Ha Long bay where after having done trips the only activity was being taken by shuttle to a large shopping centre half an hour away . Setting off from there eventually more high seas until arriving in Hong Kong where once again the shuttle bus dropped people at a shopping centre about half an hour away . At night was looking forward to the light show I had heard so much about only to be told we were in the wrong harbour and wouldn’t see it where we were . At dinner that night all we could view from the windows in the restaurant was the side of the boat refuelling for the next trip . I have never paid so much for a cruise and been so dissapointed. The weather could not be helped but everything else was such a let down . The only thing I will say is if you are a budding alcoholic this is the cruise line for you . Far too much alcohol with nothing else to do , many guests took full advantage and were loud , brash and inconsiderate despite being very upper class. I would never recommend this ship or company to anyone and I have read dreadful reports about p and o on cruise critic as well as good ones but for me there is no comparison . This is definately Not 5 star or and higher and its back to p and o for me and reasonable priced drinks and excellent itinerary . Read Less

1 - Boarding makes little effort to help physically challenged 2 Cheap wine and so called champagne a little better than vinegar 3 - Butler service is intermittent only available 7 to 12pm and 4 to 9pm 4 In-Room dining very poor quality 5 - Missed Saigon because of storm, but sailed through the storm to reach HaLong bay and sat there for 4 days, with nothing to do 6 Not a luxury experience So called formal nights not for today's travelers. This ship is dated and shows it. Never use Silver Sea again. Frankly cruising is not for me, it is such a con game the whole promise in the advertising is to me misleading. The hotels in Singapore and Hong Kong were excellent, wish I had spent my money there and not on crappy silver seas, it is not LUXURY. Read Less

This was my first experience with Silversea, having travelled with around a dozen other cruise lines over the decades. Silversea wins hands down! I had the lowest (and presumably the lowliest) of cabins (428), which I jokingly referred to as being 'below the Plimsoll Line.' It was incredibly spacious, with a huge and comfortable bed, lounge suite and two armchairs, walk in robe and ample storage, a bathroom larger than my own, desk, coffee table, further mirrored ledges, and a generous ocean view. The toiletries were Bvulgari, the in-suite fridge stocked and replenished with beverages of my choice, VIP treatment from both the butler and his assistant, who despite being totally professional, felt like 'family' throughout. I also appreciated the daily newspaper, plus bulletins from my part of the world, and having the nearby laundrette was fantastic. Given my predilection for cruising - and my love of food - I reckon I'm qualified to judge the variety of menu options across Silversea's several restaurants, the quality and generosity of the servings, and the high standard of the wait staff as outstanding. Special requests were honoured when necessary, preferred wines freely offered if those chosen daily were not to your liking, imaginative and delicious cocktails always available. My late husband and I have been guilty on many an occasion of eschewing a voyage's entertainment in favour of sleep. I'm so glad I didn't on the Silver Shadow. Their entertainers were fantastic: both the onboard team and the guest saxophonist and the cello duo. Cruise Director Moss brought the house down with his own show one night. Accolades also to the wonderful pianist who never seemed to sleep, and the resident band whose musical repertoire knew no boundaries. I selfishly enjoyed many hours playing bridge (the card game, not the control centre!) and afternoon trivia with a bunch of fellow voyagers. At no time did I feel lonely as a solo traveller. Every single member of the Silver Shadow's crew went out of their way to be welcoming, kind, friendly and helpful. Extraordinary training and personal enthusiasm must lie behind their exemplary and personalised customer service skills. Acts of God brought undone our scheduled itinerary, but the ship's personnel from top to bottom all coped well and cheerfully carried on (unlike some of their guests whose plans had been scuttled in order to save their lives!). This has been a most wonderful introduction to my future relationship with Silversea. Read Less

I love SliverSea for its high end attitude and small ship feel. The food was great and the unlimited wine and liquor make for a great social atmosphere. I thought the nightly shows were good and well produced. The cruise director Moss did a great job keeping everyone informed of daily activities and updates. I enjoyed the travel series type lectures by Peter LaSorsa, as I learned a great deal of useful information. The other lecture series on destinations was also informative. My butler was amazing and it really adds a great touch to the cruise. I found the laundry facilities to be fine and not too crowded. I also enjoyed listening to the two talented musicians onboard. Vlad on guitar and Alexsandra on piano. They are both so talented. I could listen to both all day. On most days Alexsandra also played piano during the tea hour which was wonderful. I would highly recommend this ship and cruise line. Read Less

After reading a number of mixed reviews, I had lowered my expectations going in, but was pleasantly surprised. Everything was clean and comfortable and relatively efficient. Although we had slight concern initially that the linens appeared to not have been changed after a few days, since I noticed the same blood stain from my husband’s-cut on his finger. Although the linens did not smell, I assumed it was the same stain. I asked the front desk how often they changed them( I certainly didn’t want them changed everyday) , they said every other day, that seemed unlikely. However after my inquiry, they seemed to change them every other day, which was unnecessary, every 3 days would have been sufficient. I was a little upset that our cabin attendant notified us he was leaving the ship in Hiroshima and a new attendant would be taking his place. I asked him if he was leaving because of my inquiry, he said no , he was scheduled to leave for 2 weeks before we arrived, but his replacement was delayed due to obtaining visa, so he stayed on until his replacement arrived. He said his next assignment was on the Whisper, so no worries. I just hope that was the truth, because if he was in trouble because of my inquiry that would have upset me to no end. He was very good, our room was always cleaned well and early. After he left, our room always seemed to be the last one done on sea days , even though my parents room right next to ours was done long before ours. Oh well I don’t understand the negative comments about the food. I thought the food was very good and on par with Oceania which had been our go to cruise line prior to Silverseas. I wa not thrilled with the hamburgers at the grill at lunch, but overall I thought the food , selection and presentation were well done. The steaks especially were very good, note we like medium well and were not disappointed. We preferred the main dining room, la terrazza was also very good, but menu did not change that often. The room was comfortable and loved the walk in closet. I would say the suite (vista) was better than Oceania’s concierge level. The tv worked better than expected even out at sea, however the selection of movies was limited. although there is a DVD player, you can bring your own since their library collection may not be to your liking, at least it was not for us. They did have most cable news stations, even MSNBC( since Fox News for 15 days was not an option for us! ) and ESPN . I liked the separate workout room with free weights and a good area to do my own aerobic workout. The overall condition of the ship was good, although there were areas of the ship that may have needed some light maintenance, it was in areas that most people would not be traversing on routine basis. I would definitely recommend Silverseas although not sure if we will travel with them unless there is a good price, like we received on this one, and the itinerary is of interest. We were ok with the formal policy, but prefer not to drag that extra luggage with us. A great trip overall. Read Less