We love Silver Sea and usually are not disappointed. The timing for us on this cruise was after major hurricanes hit the islands, so there were fewer excursions and less activities available. St. Bart's was particularly disappointing since very few shops were open on Sunday and many were still damaged and not able to be open anyway.

The butler feature that Silver Sea offers is usually something we brag about since you feel very special having someone wait on you and they personalize your service. However on this cruise, our butler was not very attentive. He was very pleasant and was always asked if everything was ok, but we had to ask him to remove a breakfast tray of dishes late in the afternoon, and one day had to ask for towels since they were missing. Our travelling companions in the room next door kept asking for ice because he didn't keep the bucket full. He did not offer to unpack or pack our bags. I don't expect this type of butler service to be the general case, but we were slightly disappointed.

The small ships are the way to go for us, as the staff gets to know you very quickly and there are no long waiting lines for anything. Read more