We had a pleasant and enlightening cruise on the Spirit from Cape Town to the Seychelles, with stops in southern and east Africa. We did experience some oddities and annoyances, most of them preventable by Silversea. But overall this was a fun experience. Even the internet worked well. We found the ship well-maintained, and our suite in good condition, with traditional decor. The ship is being lengthened and is undergoing major change in drydock right now. Visiting places like Mombasa and Zanzibar was a major goal for us, and the itinerary delivered. The ports offered a fascinating look at the history, culture and beauty of Africa--just what we expected. Ship excursions were okay. We also booked several private excursions and had an excellent time. Free shuttle buses were provided in many ports. Unfortunately, they didn't always go where they should have. In one port they went to a suburban shopping mall. We had to hire a taxi to show us the center city, which was very interesting. But at another port, the shuttle went to the main center city hotel, exactly as it should have. Also unfortunately, the shore excursion desk sometimes didn't provide accurate or useful information. But you could usually count on fine food. We rated the food from good to excellent, sometimes superb. Four restaurants were available for dinner without extra charge. Three required advance reservations, which hampered your flexibility. Two of the four were odd: at one you cooked your meat on a hot stone, at the other you were served a tasting menu, with food coming in tiny cups. After trying each place, we never went back. The ship should rekindle the Lido Buffet concept, serving less formal fare throughout the day in one restaurant. Dinner in the main restaurant and the Italian restaurant was frequently wonderful. After mentioning my love of steak to the waiter one night, he told me to order filet mignon, which wasn't on the menu. He brought two of them, perfectly prepared. The lunch buffets were very good, as was room service. The breakfast buffet was adequate but didn't stand out. The dress code differed from one night to the next, which was confusing. Nor was it enforced. While several formal nights are okay, it shouldn't be necessary on most nights to wear a sport coat to a restaurant in Africa. Restaurant service was sometimes slow, but overall much of the ship staff was great. Our butler and room steward did an excellent job. The captain and the chef were delightful to talk to when we took a bridge and a galley tour. The reception desk was a pain. Its personnel should be replaced. They were rude at times. They said they could not cash a travelers check, until I showed them their cruise booklet which said they could. They refused to exchange a $20 bill for smaller bills. Whoever was in charge of the ship television system should also be replaced. Timely programming was in short supply. Worse yet, the controls on our TV were so bad we had trouble turning it on and off and moving between channels. We asked for help, but got none. Despite the various Silversea shortcomings, we had an enjoyable cruise. I've noticed strong criticism of the ship in other internet reviews. I can be pretty critical myself, but I must say some of those reviews simply don't reflect reality. We'll always remember this cruise fondly. We got what we wanted: quality experiences aboard ship and on land.