We traveled with Silversea on Silver Cloud to Antarctica in February, 2022. The trip was touted as a luxury expedition but turned out to be a dismal, Sail by cruise. More than 30% of the ship crew was infected with COVID pre departure. Still, the ship sailed without us learning about the infection! Instead of cancelling the trip, Silversea disregarded all Covid safety protocols and continued with the trip instead of returning to port. All other companies chose to cancel trips instead of jeopardizing passenger health and experience.

Passenger satisfaction was of least importance to Silversea. We could have booked a cheap sail by cruise to see the Antarctica sights! When we reached Lemaire Channel entrance, the expedition leader announced that we could not pass through it due to the ice. However, the least they could have done was take us for a short Zodiac ride. Kayaks were cancelled due to shortage of staff. This did not an feel like an Expedition at all.

Worst of all, even though the Captain and expedition leader apologized for the poor experience, Silversea company did not seek to immediately recompense the passengers for a shoddy once in a lifetime voyage. Read more