Choose carefully

The Silver Explorer is a nice ship with an excellent crew. The food was as good as on other Silversea ships which means it was very good. The service was outstanding.
This was the least expensive cabin category and the cabin was more than adequate. However, it was extremely noisy because of the anchor which took a very long time to raise and because of the extreme noise when engines were reversed. You should avoid the area of the ship that is forward and on a lower deck unless you are prepared to tolerate the noise. That was the only thing wrong with our cabin. Otherwise it was a very good value, very comfortable and the service was outstanding.
 
We took this cruise mostly because it was transiting the Panama Canal but also to try the Explorer. There are some things you should know. First, this is the rainy season in that part of Central America. That means there is a LOT of rain, sometimes torrential. This made the excursion to the Mogue River and the Embera village much less enjoyable than it would have been. In fact, it was kind of an ordeal. Nevertheless, the expedition leaders made the best of it. They were very helpful. Most trips to shore from this ship are by Zodiac, often with wet landings. You will need shoes that you will be able to continue wearing after they get wet, something like water shoes or well constructed sandals.
There were many passengers on this ship who had previously sailed on the Explorer. Most had been to Antarctica and we're anxious for you to know they had been to Antarctica. In any case, these passengers were fiercely loyal to the Explorer. Most passengers were friendly, interesting and enjoyable. However, this is an expensive cruise line so you will be sailing with some wealthy people. Most are nice and unaffected by their wealth but there are a few who are angry ultra conservative types who think they are better than the little people. On a small ship, it can be hard to avoid these snobs. All in all, I liked the Explorer and loved the service but I like the other Silversea ships better.

This was the least expensive cabin category and the cabin was more than adequate. However, it was extremely noisy because of the anchor which took a very long time to raise and because of the extreme noise when engines were reversed. You should avoid the area of the ship that is forward and on a lower deck unless you are prepared to tolerate the noise. That was the only thing wrong with our cabin. Otherwise it was a very good value, very comfortable and the service was outstanding.