We chose this cruise for the itinerary - Auckland NZ to Sydney AUS - and over Christmas/New Year's holidays. We've done about 50 cruises in the last 20 years on a number of lines. Most recently we took three cruises on Crystal but began to notice things slipping as they seem to have lost sight of their core cruise business as they have expanded. So we were eager to see what Silversea had to offer.

The service aboard the ship is uniformly top-notch. We never encountered anyone who wasn't eager to please and go out of their way to assist. The ports of call were all very interesting and the shore excursions we chose were enjoyable and informative.

The ship, while recently updated, is nevertheless showing her age. Furnishings were all current and well-maintained. But it still comes across as somewhat dowdy. We did find the size of the ship to be ideal; it was easy to get anywhere easily. Read more